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Featured Article
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We are excited to announce that the dates for the 19th Annual Celebrity Mascot Games have been set! Your favorite Mascots will battle it out on July 28th at Stetson University and July 29 & 30th at the Amway Center. This is the only event of its kind in the world.
The Games will feature 30 mascots from sports teams across the country competing in a variety of games during the three exciting shows. Proceeds from the Celebrity Mascot Games benefit New Hope for Kids, an Orlando based not-for-profit organization. Don't miss out - "Like" our Facebook Page for event and ticket giveaways. | |
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A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM SAM
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Birds are chirping, the sun is shining and the flowers are blooming with pollen...SPRING is finally here! And just in time for professional golf in Volusia County. The LPGA's Developmental Tour, the Duramed FUTURES Tour, teed up April 1st-3rd at LPGA International's Champions Course. In only her second event, rookie Haru Nomura of Tokyo, Japan captured her first win at the Daytona Beach Invitational. Nomura started the day tied with amateur Jaye Marie Green at 8-under and extended her lead to one shot ahead of Green with a final round 1-under 71.
We expect April will be another great month for the Sports.jpg) Commission in Volusia County. We have three events coming up in the next few weeks. The Atlantic Sun Women's Golf Championship is going to be held April 10-13 at Victoria Hills Golf Club in Deland. Ten teams, including co-host Stetson, will compete for the conference championship. Then on April 13-16, we'll move down Highway 44 to Stetson's campus to co-host the A-Sun Men's and Women's Tennis Championship. Twelve schools will be in town for the event, which is sponsored by the West Volusia Advertising Authority. Finally, on April 21-23, the Northeast Conference (NEC) Golf Championships will take place at the LPGA International's Legends Course. The Tournament features a field of 10 out of state teams and the winner of the NEC championship will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA women's golf regional to be held May 4-7 at LPGA International.
In addition, the Florida Tennis Center kicked off its first USTA event of the year April 1st. The USTA Section Championship Super Senior League Tournament was held April 1-3 and featured 350 athletes. With more than 4,000 athletes participating and 16+ events before the end of the year, the Florida Tennis Center will be extremely busy! Show your support and visit www.floridatenniscenterdaytona.com for more information on events that you can attend!
We hope you have a great month...and thank you again for all of your support! |
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Best Regards,
Sam Stark
President/CEO
Central Florida Sports Commission |
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IN THE PIPELINE |
The Sports Commission has been focused as of late on developing new sports-business opportunities on behalf of Volusia County. We recently met with Jim Boghos of Central Florida Baseball League and Kenny Lutz and Jose Fernandez of New Smyrna Beach High School in expanding the 2011 All-Star High School Baseball Tournament, while developing another event geared towards younger age groups. We anticipate the 2nd Annual All-Star High School Baseball tournament to be bigger and better this fall and will keep you updated as more information comes available.
In addition, we were recently contacted by USA Wrestling about the possibility of hosting a national event this coming December at the Ocean Center. Based on the date pattern offered by USAW, it doesn't appear the Arena will be available based on another event being booked, but the exhibition space might serve as an option. We are still awaiting the actual RFP from USAW, so once we learn more about the actual event, we will be sure to let you know.
Also of note, while the Sports Commission already hosts the Daytona Beach Half Marathon at the Daytona International Speedway (mark your calendars for October 30th), we are currently evaluating a 5 mile race to add on to the weekend's festivities. The 5 mile race will be a unique experience for all runners and offer a mileage friendly and challenging enough route for those not quite ready for 13.1 miles. To learn more about the Daytona Beach Half Marathon or to register please visit: www.daytonabeachhalf.com . |
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| WINS & LOSSES
(Through March, 2011)
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- Bids Submitted - 3
- Wins- 1
- Losses- 2
The Central Florida Sports Commission has been in discussions with USA Armwrestling to potentially host the 2011 USA Armwrestling Pro-Am Championships in Daytona Beach. Approximately 150+ athletes and spectator from across the United States would potentially participate in this inaugural event. We are still in the process of working through each of the hosting requirements, which includes host venue and any potential sponsorship required from the host community. Stay tuned.
In addition, the Sports Commission recently looked into an opportunity to be the host community for the 2012 Who Can Roast the Most Break Dancing Competition by Ground Zero. We are currently estimating the economic impact and room nights it will generate in Volusia County compared to the initial investment of $14,000 that has been requested by event organizers to stage the event. We look forward to bringing diverse and entertaining events such as these into Volusia and will keep you updated on the progress made relative to this opportunity.
Lastly, we wanted to inform you that based on our recent diligence to identify a new potential venue for Kick USA, it appears that we no longer will able to stage their annual statewide martial arts event in Daytona Beach this coming fall. Unfortunately, due to a change in competition dates, there was not a venue that could meet their overall hosting requirements. We look forward to working with Kick USA in the future to see if Daytona Beach might be an option in 2012 and beyond. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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Atlantic Sun Women's Golf Championship
Victoria Hills Golf Club (DeLand)
April 10-13, 2011
www.atlanticsun.org
Atlantic Sun Men's and Women's Tennis Championship
Stetson Invitational (DeLand)
April 13-16, 2011
www.atlanticsun.org
Laser Lights Concerts
Museum of Arts & Sciences (Daytona Beach)
April 14, 2011
www.moas.org
Northeast Conference Women's Golf Championship
LPGA International (Daytona Beach)
April 20-23, 2011
www.northeastconference.com
Bethune-Cookman Baseball vs. Coppin State University
Jackie Robinson Ballpark (Daytona Beach)
April 22, 2011
www.ticketmaster.com
Halifax Oyster Festival
Manatee Island (Daytona Beach)
April 30, 2011
www.halifaxoysterfestival.com
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| COMMUNITY PROFILE |
The Daytona Cubs are back at the Jack (Jackie Robinson Ballpark) and ready to start a new season! Daytona's starting rotation has been set, as right-hander Rob Whitenack gets the opening night start and righty Nick Struck has the home opener assignment on Friday, April 8th. Aaron Kurcz, who at 20 is the youngest pitcher on the team, will start Saturday night's contest. Brett Wallach and Brent Ebinger - the only left-handed starter -- follow in the Nos. 4 and 5 spots.
The Daytona Cubs are he single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and have played in Daytona since 1993. They are also the winners of the 2004 and 2008 Florida State League Championships. Be sure to catch a home game as their season until September 4th. You can't beat the price with VIP Seats (with In-seat waiter/waitress service) at only $12.00, General Admission for adults at $7.00 and Children a mere $6.00. Check out the team by visiting www.daytonacubs.com. |
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