ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - This weekend, Capitol Sports Center's President Day Classic Volleyball Tournament is set to return to the Dome At America's Center on Feb. 17th a year after a tragic injury to one of the tournament's players.
Last year, Janae Edmondson, then 17-years-old at the time, was struck by a car while walking with her family downtown following the tournament. The high-profile crash led to Edmondson, a Volleyball players from Tennessee, to lose both her legs.
Then-St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner was widely criticized due to the driver of that vehicle, Daniel Riley, 21, was supposed to be house arrest at the time for a 2020 robbery and had violated his GPS monitoring more than dozens of times. The outrage would be the first of a series of criticisms aimed at Gardner that would lead to her resignation in May 2023.
Tournament Director Scott McQueen tells KMOX why the tournament sponsors decided to bring the tournament back to St. Louis due to its previously good relationship with the city.
"Obviously, we had some unfortunate circumstances that have happened, and our thoughts are out to Edmondson as she continues her recovery," said McQueen. "But the (Dome at America's Center) has been a strong venue and the previous tournaments at the venue have gone well overall."
This year, the tournament has ramped up security measures with added police presence and walking to the Dome will be easier than last year.
"(Police) will shut down Washington Street in one direction and make that crosswalk much easier and safer to get across the convention center and basically, the Marriott Grand," said McQueen. "I've been impressed by the city on its continued efforts to help downtown."
The group that hosts the tournament, Capitol Sports Center, last week had Dennis Lafata Gateway Bid Classic, the male's tournament version of the President Day Classic, at the Dome, with McQueen telling KMOX there were no security issues last weekend and eventgoers last week had no issues.
"A lot of our attendees (last week) were encouraged and really liked the venue and the downtown vibes," said McQueen.
This year's girl volleyball tournament will be even bigger according to McQueen, with an additional 100 teams set to participate in the tournament this year, with an estimated 25,000 people will be in the area.
The expansion has led to the tournament being expanded, with some games having to go to be played in Chesterfield, Missouri, about 30 minutes away from Downtown St. Louis. The tournament is set to take place from Feb. 17-19.
