Local organizers of the just-concluded Archery Shooters Association (ASA) Classic archery tournament are already assessing the success of this year’s event, with an eye toward making subtle improvements when it returns to Cullman in 2018.

An unofficial count of participants in the Classic, held over the weekend on the grounds of St. Bernard Abbey, puts participation somewhere near 2,000 contestants — not counting their families, as well as local spectators.

Cullman Park and Recreation Director Nathan Anderson said Monday that Cullman’s coordination of the 2017 event had received a good review from the competition’s sanctioning body.

“[ASA President] Mike Tyrell and his team were very appreciative of St. Bernard, the Park & Rec staff, and really our entire community for working with them to host this tournament,” said Anderson. “He said it was a great success, and that he’s looking forward to working with us again to make next year’s event even bigger and better.”

The ASA’s contract with the city assures the Classic will return to Cullman in each of the next two years.

While this year’s tournament went off smoothly, Anderson said a key goal for next year is to review ways to diminish traffic congestion at St. Bernard, as well as along U.S. Highway 278 near the Abbey’s main entrance — particularly during the event’s busiest times.

“The growth in participation and attendance has continued to improve over the years that we have held this event in Cullman, and I think, with that, you do have some issues you have to address from one year to the next,” he said.

“The main issue we’ll be looking at for next year is traffic inside of the campus. That, and developing a better exit strategy for traffic on Friday night. This year, we had a little bit of a traffic issue when everybody was leaving the tournament around the same time. But, other than that, people came and left from the park at various times, and that helped keep traffic issues to a minimum.”

City officials are coordinating a third-party survey of the economic significance of the ASA Classic, as well as other major events that come to Cullman each year. While there’s so far been no opportunity to assess the financial impact of this year’s Classic, Anderson believes spending activity from the event has been robust.

“Everywhere that I have been, I’ve heard people talking about how visible the archers and guests have been, pretty much all over town,” he said. “I spent a lot of time during the tournament talking with the archers, and they love coming to St. Bernard. It’s a beautiful piece of property, and the architecture and grounds there really make for an incredible and memorable experience.”