To meet the increasing growth of sports tourism in Gainesville, watersports athlete McKenna Kauffmann has been named manager of the Greater Gainesville Sports Alliance.
In the newly created job she will help attract, manage and facilitate sports tourism for the City of Gainesville and Hall County. Interfacing with local universities, youth athletics and professional organizations, she will bring in a wide range of sporting events, from golf championships to rowing regattas at Lake Lanier Olympic Park.
“By fostering Gainesville’s thriving and growing sports landscape and working with the Greater Gainesville Sports Alliance, we are all focused on driving economic growth, championing all of the area’s sports venues, working with local teams and maximizing team training and competitive events,” she said.
Kauffmann, an accomplished wakeboarder and snowboarder, first became interested in watersports as a youngster in California. When her family moved to Georgia as a teenager, she continued to pursue wakeboarding in earnest. Her first job at Bartow County’s Terminus Wake Park in Cartersville allowed her to train and coach. She also worked her way into event management and marketing.
While studying at her alma mater, Kennesaw State University, Kauffmann spent almost a half-dozen years at Terminus Wake Park before joining the Nautique Boats team at Callaway Gardens. There she assisted in managing the resort’s prestigious Masters Waterski and Wakeboard Tournament and getting to know some of the major promoters and athletes on the international circuit.
Work at the World Wake Association, as well as with the Pro Wakeboard Tour furthered her management experience. She regularly interfaced and collaborated industry giants like Nautique Boats, Malibu Boats, USA Waterski and Wakeboard, Red Bull and X Games.
“McKenna’s love of watersports, her knowledge of how to manage events and her perspective as an accomplished athlete all factored into her being chosen as manager of the Greater Gainesville Sports Alliance,” said Robyn Lynch, director of Tourism for the City of Gainesville. “With the rapid growth of sports tourism, the reputation Gainesville has for excellent facilities and the attention of international athletes in all sports, we are embracing our evolving place on the world stage of sports.”
For more information, visit www.exploregainesville.org. The website includes a list of upcoming events.
Cover Photo: courtesy McKenna Kauffmann, Profile photo: courtesy City of Gainesville