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In this Issue
Fun in The Sun
Soccer in Seminole
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Featured Article | 
Save The Date! The Central Florida Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, November 17th at the Amway Center. Be there as Central Florida's finest athletes and contributors to sport will be honored in Central Florida's newest sports facility. The Central Florida Sports Commission and the City of Orlando formed a partnership in 2003 to create a permanent home for the Hall of Fame on the main concourse of the Amway Arena. We are proud to announce that this tradition continues in the new, state of the art Amway Center. The new display is located in the Orlando Info Garden on the west side of the Terrace Level concourse. On November 17th, three Hall of Fame classes will be inducted as we celebrate the accomplishments of our greatest sports legends in Central Florida's newest crown jewel. This exclusive affair will begin at 6:00 pm with registration, networking and hors d'oeuvres, with the induction ceremony to being at 7:00 pm. Tickets are only $25.00 per person. Don't miss this one of a kind event. Click HERE to purchase your tickets today! | |
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KEEP UP WITH US!
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A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM SAM
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We are well into the fall season and excited about things to come. Football season is off to a great start, with basketball season fast approaching. The Magic season opener is just around the corner, with their first home game being held on Thursday, October 28 against Washington at the New Amway Center. The Amway Canter has officially opened its doors, and undoubtedly will be an iconic destination in the Central Florida area for decades to come.
This past month we were excited to hear that the NCAA Division II  Tennis Championships that we co-hosted at Sanlando Tennis Park last spring were nominated for a 2010 SportsTravel Award. The event featured 16 men's and 16 women's teams from around the country competing for the NCAA DII National Championship. We will keep you posted on the status of the nomination.
We are also proud to announce the appointments of two new staff members. Philip Schwab will serve as the new Director of Business Development, and Claire Wright as the Volusia County Marketing and Events Manager. Philip Schwab comes to us with 25 years of business experience, primarily in the sports and entertainment industries. Claire Wright comes to us from the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation. We are excited to have them on board.
This is a busy time here at the Sports Commission, and we continue to remain excited about the rest of the fall season. Check out the information below in the Community Sports Report, and have a great weekend!
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Best Regards,
Sam Stark
President/CEO
Central Florida Sports Commission |
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| | ECONOMIC IMPACT
The Central Florida Sports Commission serves the counties of Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia, as well as the City of Orlando, by stimulating the local economy through sporting events. Economic impact is calculated by using formulas provided by the State of Florida's Office of Tourism & Economic Development.
Annual Totals as of August 2010
Hotel Room Nights - 112,862
Tax Recovery - $1,157,092
Economic Impact - $53,133,255
Number of Participants - 58,893
Number of Spectators - 95,689
Number of Events - 64 |
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| ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT |
The state of Florida continues to place more high school football teams in the RivalsHigh 100 national rankings than any other state. With five teams inside the Top 25 and 14 in the Top 100, the state has been the focal point of high school football this season. One local Central Florida athlete who continues to dominate on the field is Demetrius Hart from Dr. Phillips High School. Hart recently announced his oral committment to attend Michigan following their win over Boone High School live on Bright House Networks. As a junior, Hart had over 2,000 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns. He currently holds the record for career touchdowns (36), single-season touchdowns (20), and single-season special teams scores (5). We look forward to watching Hart on the field during the rest of the season, and possibly even seeing him play in the FHSAA Football Finals at the Citrus Bowl in December. |
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| Active in Volusia |
Beach Palooza is a gnarly running event held on sandy shores where paloozers get their feet wet while tackling a series of radical obstacles. As the sun sets, the stoked crowd lets loose around a blazing bonfire with a pig roast, beer and beach tunes! The event will be held on November 13 in Daytona Beach. For more information and to register for the event visit http://www.beachpalooza.com/.
 And don't forget to register for the 3rd annual Daytona Beach Half Marathon. The race will be held on Sunday, October 31st with the start and finish lines located at the historic Daytona International Speedway. With one of the most unique courses in the world, a great medal and post race party, this is one race you won't want to miss! Click here for more information and to register for the race.
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| Soccer In Seminole |
 Business development is in full swing in Seminole County. We have had the opportunity to submit bids for several events, and hope to hear back from event organizers in the coming weeks and months. One BIG win for the county was the 2011 Veteran's Cup, which will take place in Sanford next July. We continue to work with the United States Adult Soccer Association representatives on organizing and planning the details for the event. We'll keep you updated as new bids are won.
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| DIII Preview |
In partnership with the Central Florida Sports Commission, Mission Inn Resort & Club welcomed 56 women's players from NCAA Division III a few weeks ago for a fall preview. Oglethorpe University of Atlanta hosted the tournament. Methodist University, the 11-time defending NCAA DIII national champion, won the event. For results from the tournament click here. And just in case you didn't know, our Lake County Marketing Manager for the past 3 1/2 years, Jon Baran, has resigned from the Sports Commission. We hope to have the new Lake County Manager in place by the next newsletter, so we'll keep you posted. |
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| | | Magic Launch New Website
The Orlando Magic have announced the launch of ElOrlandoMagic.com, the new and improved Spanish website which serves as the official source for the Hispanic community to obtain original content and coverage of the Magic, including in-depth game coverage, breaking news, features, video clips, photo galleries, podcasts and more.
In an effort to further connect to the growing Hispanic fan base in Central Florida, the new site features up-to-the-minute news articles, press releases and team information in Spanish. The new site features a design and a homepage similar to OrlandoMagic.com. The look and functionality of the new site was a collaboration between the Orlando Magic's web team and the NBA's internet services team. Click on the Magic logo to visit the site. |
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| | | Orlando Welcomes the ABA
The American Bicycle Association (ABA) is returning to Orlando and ORL BMX, October 22-24, 2010, for the 4th consecutive year of the Disney Cup Fall Nationals.
Olympic BMX racers from the 2008 Beijing Games from around the globe will be in attendance at the event. In addition to the top male and female pros in the World, the event will draw some of the fastest and up and coming amateurs from around the United States and Canada. It is anticipated that the weekend will see over 800 racers each day, attracting thousands of fans and spectators to the Orlando BMX facility.
For more information on ORL BMX visit www.orlbmx.com or call the track hotline at 407-297-3589.
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