SPORTS TALK
Industry
Dreier LLP Launches Sports Marketing Firm
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.—Dreier LLP has formed an affiliated sports marketing and consulting firm, Dreier Sports Opportunities Group LLC (Dreier Sports Opportunities), to complement its sports law practice. Former Major League Baseball executive and attorney Don Gibson will head the firm.
Dreier Sports Opportunities will be based in Santa Monica, Calif., and will assist athletes and their agents, as well as sports-related businesses, in developing and marketing their products, services and images.
Gameday Management Hires Project Administrator
ORLANDO, Fla.—Gameday Management Group recently hired Lisa Freedman as project administrator. Freedman will be based at the newly opened Vancouver, Canada, office and will oversee the management of all business administration functions for Gameday Management Group Canada.
Freedman brings 15 years’ experience as a project manager in the event industry and has planned and organized all aspects of corporate, sports, television, live entertainment and hospitality events, including the Super Bowl and 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.
Products
New ‘Green’ PCM Engines For Nautique Boats
ORLANDO, Fla.—Correct Craft, manufacturer of Nautique boats, and Pleasurecraft Marine Engines (PCM) now offer the optional patent-pending PCM Catanium Clean Emission System on all Nautique boats. The new engines exceed government emission control standards.
The new Catanium Clean Emission System reduces emissions and carbon monoxide and provides boaters with enhanced performance capabilities, such as 409 horsepower in the new six-liter catalyst engine and greater fuel efficiency while on the water.
Youth
Kids’ Fitness Festival Returns To Florida
PALM BEACH, Fla.—The Kids’ Fitness Festival of the Palm Beaches, South Florida’s interactive youth sports experience, will be held July 17-18 at the South Florida Fairgrounds’ Americraft Expo Center. The festival will be offering polo for the first time. Other sports clinics already signed on this year are badminton, baseball, basketball, bowling, boxing, cheerleading, chess, dance, fencing, fishing, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, surfing and more.
Ronald McDonald House Charities will be the presenting sponsor of the festival for the second-consecutive year.
WBA To Hold Inaugural Youth World Series
HERSHEY-HARRISBURG, Pa.—The World Baseball Association’s (WBA) inaugural WBA World Series will be held July 27-Aug. 14. These events will be held within a short distance from Hershey Park and local area entertainment.
Age groups competing for the championships will be 9U, 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U and 14U in three different divisions, including all-star division from drafted teams and recreational leagues, classic division for select/travel teams and premier division for more competitive travel teams.
Delaware To Host National Directors Cup
FRISCO, Texas—U.S. Youth Soccer has announced the renewal of the U.S. Youth Soccer National Directors Cup that will kick off July 18-20 at the Kirkwood Soccer Complex in Kirkland, Del. The event is open to 14U-17U boys and girls and is an additional opportunity for players to gain national event experience.
Each of U.S. Youth Soccer’s four regions is responsible for determining how its players and teams will advance to the National Directors Cup. One team from each region will compete in each division.
Events
GWN Dragon Boat Plans Orlando Festival
TORONTO—GWN Dragon Boat will launch the Orlando International DragonBoat Festival Oct. 18 at Village Lake in Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., near Orlando. Festivities will include racing, pre- and post-event celebrations and music. Registration for the event has already begun.
GWN Dragon Boat is North America’s largest full-service dragon boat event marketing company, producing more than 45 festivals annually.
USAT Coaching Symposium Set
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Registration is under way for the USA Triathlon (USAT) Art & Science of Triathlon International Coaching Symposium, to be held Sept. 21-23 at the Embassy Suites Hotel-Washington Square in Portland, Ore.
The symposium will feature the latest in triathlon research, trends and coaching, including metabolic testing, peaking and tapering, mental skills and running, training of the elite endurance athlete, physiology checklists, and many other topics. John Naber, “Antarctic Mike” and Jim Ryun will be the keynote speakers. Naber, a four-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming and a network television and radio sports broadcaster, will use his experiences to teach others how to set world-class goals and achieve world-class results. “Antarctic Mike” holds the U.S. marathon record in Antarctica; in 2006, he became the first person to run back-to-back marathons in Antarctica. Ryun, whose high school mile record of 3:55.3 stood for 36 years, competed in three Olympic Games and won the silver medal in the 1,500 meters in 1968.
Teams Announced For 2008 MEAC-SWAC Challenge
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.—The MEAC-SWAC Challenge, an ESPN Regional Television (ERT) event featuring teams from Historically Black College/University (HBCU) leagues in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), will be held at the Florida Citrus Bowl on Aug. 31. Walt Disney World Resort will be the presenting sponsor.
The college football match-up will feature MEAC’s Hampton University and the SWAC’s Jackson State University, televised live on ESPN2 at 2 p.m. EST.
Doug Williams, a former Grambling State player and coach and NFL quarterback, will serve as keynote speaker at the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff Banquet on Aug. 29 at Walt Disney World Resort.
FirstMerit Patriot Bowl Kicks Off Aug. 30
CLEVELAND—The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission’s 2nd Annual FirstMerit Patriot Bowl will kick off at 7:05 p.m., Aug. 30, at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Kent State University Golden Flashes will play against the Boston College Eagles.
The Patriot Bowl will feature a salute to World War II veterans, a free tailgate party on West 6th Street in downtown Cleveland, a high school band showcase and halftime entertainment.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, as well as the Kent State University, Boston College and Cleveland Browns box offices.
Quad Cities To Host Wal-Mart BFL All-American
DAVENPORT, Iowa—The Quad Cities and the Mississippi River will host the $1 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American presented by Chevy, scheduled May 28-30, 2009. More than 37,000 BFL anglers and 20,000 Bass Federation anglers nationwide will compete for the chance to become one of 54 boaters and 54 co-anglers to qualify for the All-American and fish for a share of the $1 million total prize payout.
The All-American also will feature a Family Fun Zone and Outdoor Show with giveaways that will include children’s rods and reels and a Ranger boat.
2008 WWA Wakeboard World Championships To Be In September
OKLAHOMA CITY—The Rockstar Energy Drink 2008 World Wakeboard Association (WWA) Wakeboard World Championships, organized by World Sports and Marketing, will take place on the Oklahoma River Sept. 4-7. Participants from the United States, Australia, Tahiti, South Africa, Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, New Zealand and Japan, among others, will vie for the world title by performing rail tricks and aerial stunts at approximately 25 mph.
The four-day-long event will include a fan festival of music, food, athlete autograph signings and prize giveaways.
Fox Sports To Broadcast Gorge Games
HOOD RIVER, Ore.—Fox Sports has entered an agreement with the owners of the 2008 Gorge Games to broadcast the event nationally. This year’s event will feature 10 action sports—adventure racing, kayaking, kiteboarding, mountain biking, outrigger canoeing, riverboarding, running events, sailing, skateboarding and windsurfing—in 40 different categories that will include men’s, women’s, juniors and masters.
Fox Sports will air 30-minute episodes during Gorge Games Week, Aug. 18 -22; finals will air Aug. 23-24.
Rhode Island To Host Hockey Championships
PROVIDENCE, R.I.—The National Senior Games Association (NSGA) has selected Rhode Island as the location for the 2008, 2010 and 2012 National Senior Games Championship Festival and Euflexxa Hockey Championships.
Approximately 1,600 male and female athletes aged 50 and over will compete in ice hockey, billiards, pickleball, team bowling and weightlifting. The various competitions will be held at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Brown University’s Meehan Auditorium in Providence, East Providence Lanes in East Providence, and Thayer/Warburton Ice Arena and Boston Billiards Club in Warwick.
Marketing Women’s Sports Conference Planned For November
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The 2nd Annual Marketing Women’s Sports Conference will be held Nov. 17-18 at the Nashville Marriott Airport Hotel. Last year’s Marketing Women’s Sports Conference drew many of the top names in sports, including Nike, ESPN, NCAA, Disney and Under Armour.
Registration includes entry into the event, lunch and admittance to all seminars and panel discussions. Register at www.womenssportscares.com.
AAU National Convention Goes International
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.—The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) will hold its 2008 national convention in Cancun, Mexico, in October. This will be the first AAU national convention to be held outside the United States; AAU held a board of director’s meeting in Cancun in 2007.
A passport is required for travel into Mexico.
The 2008 AAU national convention is scheduled for Oct. 27-31 at the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa and CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resort hotels. Meetings will be conducted in both hotels, and exhibits will be located in the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa. Special room rates beginning at $140 daily are available by entering the AAU group code. The AAU website, www.aausports.org, also features a link to make hotel reservations online.
In addition to an exhibit area, the AAU national convention will include annual meetings of sport committees, educational sessions and special awards presentations.
For convention, exhibit and hotel registration information, visit www.aausports.org.
Venues
Natatorium Planned In Texas
FRIENDSWOOD, Texas—A $6.5 million competition natatorium is in the early planning stages to serve Friendswood Independent School District. That facility will provide an indoor swimming facility for year-round use by swim teams, diving teams, water polo teams and PE classes. Houston’s Brae Burn Construction Co. and Pat Zadow of Bay Architects will lead the project.
Project Reconsidered For Aquatics Center
FAIRFIELD, Calif.—According to city officials, plans for the Allan Witt Aquatics Center are once again under way. The new complex will include an indoor, year-round instructional and recreational pool, a zero-depth pool with a children’s playground, a wet play area, two waterslides, family changing rooms, a new concession stand, and picnic and party facilities.
Construction is expected to start this summer with an anticipated opening in late 2009.
Sports Complex To Include Football Stadium
ALEXANDRIA, Ky.—A parcel of land that rests between Breckenridge Drive and Gilbert Ridge Road in Alexandria will be the site for a new 57.5-acre mixed-use sports complex. Plans for the project are awaiting city approval.
The mixed-use development—estimated at up to $100 million—could include residences and a football stadium.
Athletic Center Planned Behind High School
BENSALEM, Pa.—Construction of an athletic center behind Bensalem High School on Hulmeville Road is being considered. The athletic center would include three basketball courts, locker rooms, and an indoor track with seating for 1,700 people. The school district will solicit bids for construction, estimated for completion in the first quarter of 2010.
Renovations To Haymes Field At Western Michigan University
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Haymes Field, the home field for Western Michigan University baseball, began a $2 million renovation project in June. Renovations to the existing stadium will include signage, fencing and seating, as well as a new concourse with a ticket stand, a new entrance plaza, a new press box, two new VIP suites, refurbished and expanded dugouts, and improved handicap access. The field will be renamed Robert J. Bobb Stadium after an alumni and major financial contributor to the project. A targeted completion date has not yet been set.