Rich Winter: Let's keep Lakota Nation Invitational in Rapid City

While I think people are disgusted by the lack of justice recently doled out in Rapid City, I hope people are thinking about all of the ramifications that would be involved in moving LNI, and ultimately, hope they are thinking far enough ahead to realize that moving LNI might ultimately kill the Holiday tournament.

I have it on good authority that LNI has made significant steps financially in the last five years or so. The Board cleaned up the accounting system that handles LNI, worked hard on advertising and went from being in 30-thousand debt (ish, I don't know the exact number) to being in the black.

That's a pretty important factor to think about!

The powers that would be at Lakota Nation have turned the program from a losing-money kind of event to one that is sustained and turned profitable by a system of hard work and developing relationships in Rapid City.

Let's say LNI does move to Sioux Falls next year. What if attendance is way down and the event loses 30-thousand in one year. What then? A Couple years of sustained debt is like a few years of drought. When you're not putting something in the well dries up.

As a gigantic fan of young people and LNI, I would hate to see that tournament suffer or diminish in stature in any way.