A broadly overlooked source of prosperity for this region is the various sports tournaments that abound throughout the year. Many visitors converge on the area, and those people spend money.

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We know of the traditional sources of tourism revenue on which the region regularly counts. We are reminded frequently by government officials who see them for the bonanzas they truly are.

Fishing derbies on Lake Champlain are the current rage. Hundreds of anglers arrive with their entourages and spend a lot of money in the area -- though perhaps not as much as we're led to believe. We're told that many of these sportsmen and women eat, sleep and stay in their campers. Without a doubt, local merchants benefit to one extent or another. It's just that it may not be to the extent imagined.

Plattsburgh sees an influx of outside visitors during its annual blockbusters -- the Mayor's Cup sailboat festivities in July and the Battle of Plattsburgh Commemoration in September.

Fort Ticonderoga is a magnet for tourism, and the king of them all is Lake Placid, which features big-league sports throughout the year, as well as marquee-name concerts.

Not quite of the magnitude of those attractions but surely a powerful component of local economies are the sports tournaments that are popular throughout our three counties.

Lake Placid hosted an Amateur Athletic Union basketball tournament for high-school girls this past weekend. Sixty-five teams were enrolled from around the Northeast.

If 65 teams were scheduled to arrive, that means roughly 650 girls were there, figuring 10 girls per team. With them, it's reasonable to assume, came at least that many parents, as well as coaches and any others. Some of the local teams have fans who probably make a short trip to Placid to see how their squads fare.

Most of the team members, parents and coaches stayed at local hotels and ate at local restaurants. Some of the other spectators may have eaten locally, as well. Almost certainly between games there was some browsing in shops and stores.

Lake Placid's tournament is one of the prominent ones, but it isn't the biggest. Potsdam hosts one later in the spring, for example, that has many more teams.

And basketball is far from the only sport that does this. Kids and parents look forward to tournaments under the aegis of the AAU and other sanctioning bodies in soccer and hockey, as well.

The tournaments are good for the players, of course, because they keep the kids playing and their skills sharp during the off-seasons and they build confidence by showing the players different levels of competition from disparate regions.

But don't overlook these activities as economic boosts for the areas that host them. Along with history and music, sports is a leading component of our area's financial well-being.