SPORTS TALK
Industry
Ocala VCB Expands Sports Staff
OCALA, Fla.—The Ocala/Marion County Visitors & Convention Bureau (VCB) has hired Matthew Dunn to lead sports sales and marketing. Dunn’s duties include working with national governing bodies and event rights holders to attract sports events to the area and to ensure their success, as well as working with sports facilities and local organizations to stimulate the local economy through spending at hotels, restaurants, attractions and retail outlets.
Previously, Dunn served as event director for more than 125 sports and entertainment events and held positions with the Gainesville Sports Commission, Florida Citrus Sports and the University of Florida’s College of Health and Human Performance.
B.A.S.S. Receives Leadership Award
BRISTOL, Conn.—The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) received the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) Corporate Leadership Award for its nearly decade-long involvement in providing fishing opportunities for disabled Americans. BASS has partnered with PVA to conduct bass fishing tournaments in which paralyzed veterans and other Americans with disabilities can compete. Nearly 3,000 anglers with disabilities have participated in 44 tournaments.
New Sales Manager At Springfield CVB
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.—Amy Beadle has joined the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) as sales manager for the sports, hobby enthusiast and fraternal club markets. She has more than 15 years’ experience in hospitality sales and currently serves as secretary for the Leadership Springfield Board.
Hasseltine To Lead Maryland’s Sports Marketing Efforts
BALTIMORE—Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has appointed Terry Hasseltine as director of the Maryland Office of Sports Marketing, a statewide, integrated sports marketing initiative of the Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts and the Maryland Stadium Authority. Hasseltine is responsible for evaluating Maryland’s sports assets, identifying opportunities and developing a strategic plan to increase the number of professional, amateur, scholastic, youth and recreational sports events held throughout the state.
Most recently the deputy executive director for the Kentucky Sports Authority, Hasseltine currently serves on the board of the National Association of Sports Commissions.
Youth
USA Rugby Launches First Varsity High School Girls’ Team
BOULDER, Colo.—Sebastian River High School in Sebastian, Fla., has organized the first full-contact sport opportunity for girls at the interscholastic level in the country with the formation of a girls’ high school varsity rugby team. There are approximately
150 girls’ rugby club programs at the high school level, but the Sebastian River High School team is the first girls’ rugby varsity program.
The six-match season kicked off in October after tryouts and a preseason camp narrowed the field from 50 to an official 30-person roster. All home games will be played at Shark Stadium at the Sebastian River High School campus.
USA Rugby and other sponsors have helped supplement the team’s startup uniforms and game/practice equipment.
Bowling Continues Growth At Youth Level
GREENDALE, Wis.—According to a recent report from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), bowling experienced the largest growth among high school sports for the 2007-08 school year, a U.S. Bowling Congress (USBC) High School press release stated.
The participation survey indicated more than 52,000 students in 4,656 high schools participated in bowling—a 16 percent increase from 2006-07 and nearly triple growth in 10 years (17,930 students in 1,633 schools in 1998-99). In addition, both boys’ and girls’ participation passed 25,000 (26,652 boys in 2,298 schools; 25,614 girls in 2,358 schools).
New York had the most high school participation (more than 8,000 boys and girls).
USBC High School works with NFHS to encourage the growth of high school bowling throughout the country.
Events
USA Volleyball’s 2009 Schedule To Include Women’s Pan American Cup In Miami
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—USA Volleyball has announced its 2009 championships event schedule, including the Adult Championships (May 23-30, 2009, at the Minneapolis Convention Center) and Junior Olympic Girls’ Championships (June 26-July 5, 2009, at the Miami Beach Convention Center) and Junior Olympic Boys’ Championships (July 1-8, 2009, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta). In addition, the Women’s Pan American Cup will be played on the University of Miami and Florida International University campuses and will run concurrently with the USA Junior Olympic Girls’ Volleyball Championships. It will be the first time for the United States to host the event.
Dates for several qualifying events were announced as well. The complete schedule of events is available at www.volleyball.teamusa.org.
Dates Set For Women’s Bassmaster Tour
BRISTOL, Conn.—The BASS Women’s Bassmaster Tour, presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors, will visit fisheries in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee for its four regular-season events in 2009, the organization reported. The location for the 2009 Women’s Bassmaster Tour Championship will be announced at the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 20-22, on the Red River in Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
The 2009 Women’s Bassmaster Tour will kick off March 26-28 on the Ouachita River in West Monroe, La. The last event before the championship will be Sept. 10-12, 2009, on Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, Tenn. At each event, anglers will compete for $1,000 and a fully rigged boat package valued at $55,000, as well as $500 and a $25,000 boat package for the winning co-angler.
The complete 2009 Women’s Bassmaster Tour schedule and details are available at www.bassmaster.com.
Annual Soccer Showcase Returns To Disney
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.—Approximately 430 teams and 7,500 athletes will participate in Disney’s Soccer Showcase at the Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista. The tournament is set for Dec. 27 through Jan. 3, 2009.
The event, sponsored by Chelsea Football Club, will include Olympic Development Program athletes and more than 150 State Cup Champion teams. It is regarded as a top recruiting event, typically drawing more than 700 college coaches.
Redfish Tour Returns To Panama City Beach
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla.—The Inshore Fishing Association (IFA) will bring its Redfish Tour to Panama City Beach for the third-consecutive year on Nov. 7-8. The 2008 IFA Redfish Tour Championship will take place at RiverCamps on Crooked Creek.
Anglers from across the Southeast will compete for more than $77,000, including a fully loaded Ranger Ghost boat valued at more than $34,000.
The championship will be broadcast on Fox Sports Network Florida and Fox Sports South and will include additional activities, such as a nature walk, complimentary kayak and canoe excursions on Crooked Creek, interactive exhibits, youth fishing clinics, and a boat show.
A portion of tournament proceeds will benefit the Audubon of Florida.
FLW Outdoors Announces 2009 Schedule
BENTON, Ky.—FLW Outdoors has released the dates for the 2009 Wal-Mart FLW Tour, which will include six qualifying events before the FLW Cup championship July 30-Aug. 2 on Three Rivers in Pittsburgh.
The first qualifier will be Feb. 12-15, 2009, on Lake Guntersville in Hunstville, Ala., and the final qualifier, the Chevy Open, will be July 9-12, 2009, on Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y. Each qualifying event will award a minimum $1 million in total prize winnings; some events will feature $1.5 million in total prize payouts. The winner of the FLW Cup could win $1 million—with a $500,000 cash prize and $500,000 Ranger bonus if fishing from a Ranger boat.
The complete 2009 Wal-Mart FLW Tour schedule and details on other FLW Outdoors events are available at www.flwoutdoors.com.
In other FLW Outdoors news, the National Guard will be the title sponsor of the new FLW College Fishing series beginning in Zapata, Texas, on Jan. 17, 2009. The National Guard also sponsors the FLW Series Western Division and Wal-Mart FLW Tour.
BMX Event In Oregon Extended
REDMOND, Ore.—The American Bicycle Association (ABA) has signed a three-year extension to keep the ABA BMX Great Northwest Nationals in Redmond. The 2009 competition, presented by Team BMX Oregon and the Oregon Sports Authority, is scheduled for April 3-5 in the Hooker Creek Event Center at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds. More than 1,200 riders competed in the 2008 three-day event.
The Great Northwest Nationals is part of ABA’s national series spanning across the United States and Canada.
Adventure Race Headed To South Dakota
PIERRE, S.D.—Primal Quest Badlands, a 10-day expedition adventure race presented by SPOT, is scheduled for Aug. 15-24, 2009, in the Badlands and Black Hills of Rapid City, S.D. Coed teams of four will compete in adventure racing that will include trekking, mountain biking, orienteering, swimming, paddling, rappelling and spelunking.
The 2009 event will be the sixth edition of the Primal Quest adventure race; at 600 miles, it will also be the longest.