Mountain America Center and IHSAA partner to bring state tournaments to Idaho Falls

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - When walking into the Mountain America Center Thursday, "Mountain America Center + IHSAA = Wins for Eastern Idaho" was written on the glass doors. The first of those wins was announced Thursday with Hero Arena set to host the 2024 and 2025 State Volleyball Championships and the 2026 and 2027 State Cheer and Dance Championships.

This news comes as part of a new partnership for the Mountain America Center with the IHSAA. The venue says it's a discussion that started two and a half years ago well before the MAC opened.

It's a huge boost for the Mountain America center and for the local economy, and both parties say it's a partnership with the kids at the forefront.

"It's going to be a once in a lifetime chance," Mountain America Center General Manager Erik Hudson said. "Not all athletes play professionally. Not all athletes go to college sometimes. This is the end of their playing careers, and for us, it's about giving them that one opportunity to create a great tradition and a great memory for themselves and for their teammates."

This partnership, according to IHSAA Assistant Director Mike Federico, is one that gives more kids a chance to be in the spotlight.

"It gives some credence to those kids that feel kind of like, 'Oh, we never get that chance,'" Federico said. "Now they have that chance, and not just at the higher levels. The 5A, 4A, even all the way down to the 1A. They're just as special and we want to show them that."

Naturally, some people may wonder with the start of this partnership if more sports will be decided under the lights of the Mountain America Center, specifically basketball.

The MAC is interested in bringing state basketball tournaments to Idaho Falls, but the IHSAA says that's not in their plans yet.

"It hasn't been discussed in the sense that we would have to change the way we do the tournament to have a championship Saturday at an arena without 10,000-11,000 seats wouldn't work the way it works now," Federico said. "So we could say that. That's just the facts. So we would have to change our tournament format. That hasn't been discussed or brought up."

"The partnership is pretty fluid," Hudson said. "So they obviously know our intentions and we want to be good partners. We want any event that we host this building, we want to make it special.

"It's about making lasting memories for the athletes, and I think that if basketball came here, it would be off the charts."

The first state championships at the Mountain America Center, the 6A and 5A volleyball tournaments, begin Oct. 31, 2024.