SPORTS Talk
Industry
Marketing Veteran Named Senior V.P. Of Disney’s Global Sports
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.—Ken Potrock, a 12-year Disney veteran, has been named senior vice president of Global Sports Enterprises for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. He most recently oversaw the alliance marketing efforts for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide.
In his new position, Potrock will become a member of the Walt Disney World Steering Committee and will report to Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World Resort.
Potrock also was vice president of marketing for Disney Cruise Line. Prior to that, he was a senior partner for a marketing consulting firm specializing in sports and entertainment.
New Sponsorship For 2010 World Equestrian Games
LEXINGTON, Ky.—Rolex, the “leading maker of luxury wristwatches,” will be the official timepiece of the 2010 Alltech Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) World Equestrian Games, the World Games 2010 Foundation Inc. announced. The 2010 World Equestrian Games are scheduled for Sept. 25-Oct. 10, 2010, at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.
Rolex has been a sponsor of the World Equestrian Games since 2002 and has been the title sponsor of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event at the Kentucky Horse Park.
The 2010 World Equestrian Games will mark the first time that the games will be held outside of Europe and that all eight disciplines will be held at a single venue. The economic impact of the games is estimated to be $150 million statewide, drawing more than 600,000 spectators throughout the 16-day competition.
FLW Outdoors Launches Fantasy Fishing
MINNEAPOLIS—FLW Outdoors, named for Ranger Boats Founder Forrest L. Wood, is offering the chance to win $1.7 million in cash and prizes in the new FLW Fantasy Fishing series. FLW Outdoors includes 11 different fishing tournament circuits with more than 200 events annually.
FLW Fantasy Fishing coincides with the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and Forrest Wood Cup, Feb. 28-Aug. 17. Participation is free at www.fantasyfishing.com, and all registered participants will have the chance to win a bonus prize of up to $5 million.
Participants earn points based on the finishes of their fantasy fishing team of 10 anglers, with $100,000 each to the participant with the most points for each tour. The top cumulative points winner over both tours wins the $1 million top prize.
Additionally, a $5 million bonus prize will be awarded to the first FLW Fantasy Fishing participant to correctly pick the top seven anglers, in correct finish order, of any tournament.
Warren County CVB Announces Staff Promotion
LEBANON, Ohio—Ryan Widmer has been promoted from sports marketing manager to sales manager of the Warren County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). Warren County is Ohio’s “largest playground,” with 6.4 million visitors annually and $21.5 million in economic impact from sports events in 2007.
Widmer, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in sports studies from Miami University (Ohio), joined the CVB in 2004 as sports marketing assistant. He has helped bring to Warren County such sports events as the USA Track & Field National Club Cross Country Championships, which generated 1,700 overnight hotel stays and $700,000 to the local economy.
Greater Reading CVB Moves Office
READING, Pa.—The Greater Reading (Pa.) CVB has relocated its main office to the Stonepoint Centre in Reading. The new office is located at 2525 N. 12th St., in the same building as the Greater Reading Expo Center.
Corporate staff, including those who manage the CVB and market tourism for Greater Reading, now operates from the Stone-point Centre location. The Greater Reading Visitors Center remains in downtown Reading at 201 Washington St.
Events
LPGA Adds Bell Micro Tournament
MOBILE, Ala.—The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) has added the Bell Micro LPGA Classic to its 2008 tour. The Bell Micro tournament will be Sept. 8-14 on the Crossings Course of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Mobile. It will feature a full field of players and will be televised nationally and internationally.
The Bell Micro LPGA Classic will also be played in Mobile in 2009 and 2010.
National Karate Championships Return To Houston
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—The 2008 National Karate Championships, along with the U.S. Team Trials, will be held July 18-20 in Houston. This will mark the second time for Houston to host the USA National Karate-do Federation (USA-NKF) National Championships; Houston previously hosted the 2001 USA-NKF national championships.
New Route For Tour Of America
LUMBERTON, N.C.—Revised dates and a tentative race route have been announced for the Tour Of America, a multi-stage, coast-to-coast professional bicycle road race.
Based upon feedback from racers, professional racing organizing bodies, media and supporters of the event, the tour will be shortened to 21 stages; will cover approximately 2,200 miles; and will be held Sept. 6-28, according to a press release by tour organizer Aqu Inc.
The tour will start in New York’s Central Park and will finish in Palo Alto, Calif. It will feature 25 of the “most elite cycling teams in the world.”
Rhode Island To Host Ironman 70.3
PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Rhode Island has been selected as one of the sites for the Ironman 70.3, which features a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run. Scheduled for July 13, the Rhode Island Ironman will take place in Narrangansett, communities along State Road 102 and downtown Providence.
The Rhode Island Ironman 70.3 will be one of 28 worldwide qualifying events for the 2008 Ironman World Championships.
Rhode Island will also hold the Ironman 70.3 in 2009 and 2010.
Skate America Championships Coming To Washington
SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash.—The Comcast Arena at Everett Events Center in Snohomish County, Wash., has been selected as the venue for U.S Figure Skating’s 2008 Skate America Championships, to be held Oct. 24-26. Production Sports will help produce the event.
The Skate America Championships is one of six Grand Prix events of the International Skating Union that will draw 60 athletes from 15 nations worldwide, competing in men’s, ladies’ pairs’ and dance categories.
Estimated to attract 40,000 spectators and have a $2.6 million economic impact, the Skate America Championship is expected to be the single-largest sports event in Everett.
Charleston Dragon Boat Festival Debuts in 2008
CHARLESTON, S.C.—The inaugural Charleston Dragon Boat Festival is scheduled for May 3 at Brittlebank Park. Dragon boat racing is the fastest-growing water sport, with an estimated 50 million participants worldwide annually, according to a press release.
Dragon boat teams consist of 20 paddlers, a “drummer” to keep the beat of the stroke and a trained steerperson provided by race management.
The Charleston Dragon Boat Festival will be one of more than 75 dragon boat festivals to be held in 65 cities across the United States. It will raise funds for the Hollings Cancer Center through pledges donated to participants.
Youth
AYF Partners With Clubspaces
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Members of American
Youth Football (AYF) have free access to team and conference management services through Clubspaces, the official AYF management platform.
At www.clubspaces.com, coaches, volunteers and parents can track players, games and payments; send group e-mails; enter real-time updates to a central calendar; post photos, player profiles and team websites; connect with other AYF teams and conferences; and organize conference play.
AYF has more than 450,000 members with leagues in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Western Europe and Asia.
Football University Launches In 2008
WHARTON, N.J.—A new, invitation-only national training camp, called Football University, is being offered to the nation’s top youth football players. Football University is created by Sportslink LLC, organizers of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Football University brings the top 100 high school and top 100 youth football players from each of the university’s 18 regions, which include Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and other markets.
Football University began in January and continues through June. Tom Martinez, who has trained NFL players and who had more than 1,000 victories as head football coach at the College of San Mateo, is the lead instructor.
US Youth Soccer To Hold Coaches Convention & Workshop Feb. 7-9
FRISCO, Texas—The 2008 US Youth Soccer Coaches Convention and Workshop are scheduled for Feb. 7-9 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. The annual convention will feature more than 90 educational workshops and demonstrations for administrators, coaches, referees, parents and soccer enthusiasts, as well as more than 200 exhibitors of soccer equipment, technology, apparel, fundraising ideas and more. In addition, the 2007 US Youth Soccer Adidas Coach of the Year will be announced. Convention information is available at www.usyouthsoccer.org.
TBF Junior World Championship Aug. 15-16
COLUMBIA, S.C.—The 2008 National Guard Junior World Championship, by The Bass Federation (TBF), will be held Aug. 15-16 on Lake Monticello in Columbia, S.C. The third-annual championship will be held in conjunction with the Forrest Wood Cup by FLW Outdoors.
Qualifying for the Junior World Championship began in January and continues through July. Youth anglers from 46 states will fish for $30,000 in scholarships, plus $12,000 in youth program grants. Youth will compete in the 11- to 14-year-old and 15- to 18-year-old brackets. They will be paired with an FLW Outdoors pro, with one youth from each age bracket and one pro per boat.
The National Guard pro team will also host a pizza party with high-energy games, entertainment and sponsor prizes.
Venues
Multi-Use Facility Coming To Marion County This Summer
CITRA, Fla.—Marion County, Fla., is expected to open Wrigley Fields Park, a mixed-use sports facility just north of Ocala, in late summer. The park is named in honor of Misdee Wrigley-Miller, who donated the land; she is the great-granddaughter of Chicago Cubs owner and chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr.
The 72-acre park will include three baseball fields as well as fields for football, soccer, softball, volleyball and more.
Sports Complex Proposed For Michigan
WEST OLIVE, Mich.—Developers operating as Great American Sports Co. LLC have proposed a $100 million, 100-acre sports complex for Port Sheldon Township in West Olive, Mich. Plans call for a field house large enough to house two football/soccer fields, four basketball courts, a health club and fan seating, as well as a hotel and retail space.
The review by Port Sheldon Township Planning Commission could take up to six months.
Tennis Center To House Andy Roddick Youth Tennis Program
Cottonwood Shores, Texas—Andy Roddick, winner of the 2003 U.S. Open and other national and international tennis events, is planning to open the Andy Roddick Foundation International Tennis Center in Cottonwood Shores, Texas. The center will serve as a training ground for the Andy Roddick Youth Tennis Program.
The $8.2 million project is expected to start in the first quarter of 2008.
Indoor Soccer Facility Proposed
CUDAHY, Wis.—A $7.6 million indoor soccer training facility has been proposed for Cudahy. The 60,000-square-foot facility would house the Milwaukee Wave training center and Premier Training Academy.
Michael King, all-time leading scorer of the Wave, would direct the Premier Training Academy.
Ice Arena To Expand
COTTAGE GROVE, Minn.—The Cottage Grove Ice Arena is expected to undergo a $5 million expansion. Plans call for a 32,000-square-foot expansion that would include a third sheet of ice, multiple locker rooms and expanded viewing areas. The Cottage Grove Ice Arena hosts the Park High School boys’ and girls’ hockey clubs, Cottage Grove Hockey Association, Cottage Grove Figure Skating Club and Cottage Grove Skating School.