Volleyball Tournament Could Bring 120 Teams to Pigeon Forge

Add volleyball to the list of sports that have sought out the LeConte Center at Pigeon Forge for tournament action.

Dynamic Eventz, a tournament organizer in Mobile, Ala., has booked the LeConte Event Center for the Smoky Mountain Blast, a two-day tournament that could attract as many as 120 girls’ volleyball teams from at least four states. Dates are April 2-3, 2016

“My goal is to establish an annual event. The first year could bring from 50 to as many as 120 teams. The potential is there because the LeConte Event Center is such a great place and because of Pigeon Forge’s appeal,” said Valerie Pozczasy, co-founder and co-owner of Dynamic Eventz.

The tournament is for club volleyball teams and is sanctioned by USA Volleyball, a national organization. Club volleyball is for girls ages 10-18, and the Smoky Mountain Blast will be for teams with girls 13 to 18 years old.

Before volleyball, the LeConte Event Center’s 100,500-square-foot main space has attracted gymnastics, cheer and basketball competitions. A 96-team basketball tournament in 2015 filled the space with 12 regulation-sized courts. The Smoky Mountain Blast will install 20 volleyball courts.

“The LeConte Event Center is ideal. I saw that huge space with a 30-foot ceiling and no support columns and was immediately taken,” Podczasy said.

Pozczasy said an average team has 12 players, two coaches along with several parents and siblings who travel with the team.

“We expect this new event will bring between 2,000 and 4,000 people to Pigeon Forge in its first year,” said Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, which operates the LeConte Event Center. “We are excited about the long-term opportunities this relationship holds for both Pigeon Forge and Dynamic Eventz.”

Pozczasy expects most of the tournament’s teams will be from Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama.