By Jenny Callison
Enquirer contributor

Participants in a fast-growing sport will wheel into Greater Cincinnati this summer.

The 2004 North American Roller Hockey Championship (NARCh) will occur July 16-31 at the Sports Plus complex in Evendale. This event, the largest in roller hockey, is expected to attract about 400 teams from across the United States and Canada and bring about $10 million to the area, according to Leslie Spencer, executive director of the Sports Corp. of Greater Cincinnati.

That would make it one of the top money events booked in Greater Cincinnati for 2004 so far.

Spencer's organization, now part of the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau, was responsible for attracting the tournament.

"NARCh is the largest and best-run tournament in roller hockey; it's the Super Bowl of this sport," she said. "Anybody who is anybody attends."

Teams range from pint-sized puck chasers in the Atom and Mite divisions up through college and adult players. "Inline hockey is definitely growing, especially in the South and Southeast," said Albert Rountree, owner of the Hockey Dome in Mason and the Cincinnati Inline Hockey League. "It is absolutely huge in places like California and Texas."

Rountree has seen participation in his programs mushroom in the past 10 years. When he learned that NARCh was looking for a venue for its 2004 event, he alerted the sports corporation.

"The NARCh tournament will bring in a whole new group of visitors to Greater Cincinnati," said Lisa Haller, president and CEO of the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau. "It also shows that we have a variety of sports venues that can host a wide range of sporting events in our area."

Last year's NARCh tournament, in Lee County, Fla., drew 350 teams. The convention and visitors bureau there estimates that spending by attendees created a total economic impact of almost $10 million.

"A study was done by Research Data Systems of Tampa, Fla., to determine the economic impact," Spencer explained. "The tournament generated 10,000 room nights. Of those attending, about 85 percent stayed in Lee County; another 14 percent stayed in the surrounding area. Eighty-eight percent of attendees flew in to the area, and 89 percent rented cars."

In order to land the tournament, the sports corporation had to come up with a bid guarantee of $50,000.

"We're well on our way toward that goal," Spencer said. "So far, the Village of Evendale and the newly-formed Northern Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau have contributed. We're actively soliciting other sponsors."

There will be other expenses besides the bid guarantee. A variety of sponsorship and promotional opportunities is available, Spencer said.

The announcement regarding the North American Roller Hockey Championship comes on the heels of the sports corporation's successful bid for the 2006 United States Specialty Sports Association Festival of Sports, which will bring up to 8,000 athletes to the Greater Cincinnati and Warren County area, with an estimated $10 million in economic impact.

The Greater Cincinnati Sports Corp. is a nonprofit organization that promotes the area as a venue for a variety of amateur and professional sporting events. For information, call 345-3054.

E-mail jcallison@zoomtown.com