Suburban Summerlin Becoming Sports Hub
By Alan Snel
LVSportsBiz.com
Summerlin is known for its intense soccer moms and giant expensive houses as the suburban gateway to Red Rock Canyon outside Las Vegas. But late Sunday morning, there was a new Summerlin quality on display — a sporty harmonic convergence at Downtown Summerlin as the Vegas Golden Knights practiced at their hockey training center for tonight’s Game 3 playoff game with San Jose next door to the Las Vegas Aviators prepping for their 12 noon Triple A baseball game with Fresno at a luxurious new $150 million ballpark.
The ball yard made its debut Tuesday evening. But today was the first time that the Golden Knights and the Aviators were in their respective side-by-side sports venues at the same time when VGK players skated at 10:30 am for a practice while the Aviators warmed up for the new ballpark’s first ever day game.
The VGK training center and the Aviators ballpark are only a few feet away from each other as the ball yard’s exterior wall beyond left field is only feet away from City National Arena, the Golden Knights’ training center and headquarters.
A sign at the hockey training center Sunday morning advised motorists who are attending the Aviators game to not park in the City National Arena parking lot.
Summerlin is also the home of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open PGA golf event at TPC Summerlin.
The Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks are tied at one game apiece entering tonight’s Game 3.
The Aviators are red hot, winning nine of its first 10 games of the Pacific Coast League season and are undefeated at the Summerlin-based ballpark.
After Knights practice, LVSportsBiz.com spoke with VGK defenseman Shea Theodore about the Golden Knights’ weak performance in Game 1 and win in Game 2 in San Jose.
“I know we didn’t play our best hockey in the last part of the season and it bled into game one,” Theodore said.
Added fellow defenseman Jon Merrill, “Game one was nowhere close to what we wanted to play.”
LVSportsBiz.com also visited the ballpark next door before the Las Vegas-Fresno game and saw it was already busy, especially at the concession stands. Even with a wider concourse than the concourse at Cashman Field, there was a traffic flow issue as the lines from the concession stands slowed the walking flow of Aviators fans.
LVSportsBiz.com will be at the Top of the Escalator for Game 3 tonight at the Big Ice House on the Strip. Check out Facebook Live at 5:45 PM.
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