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Breakfast of Champions
The Central Florida Sports Commission will be hosting the 2nd Annual Bright House Sports Network Breakfast of Champions, a series of awards programs that will recognize the best High School athletes in Central Florida. Five separate awards programs will be held, recognizing outstanding athletes in the following counties: Lake County, Orange County, Osceola County, Seminole County and Volusia County.
Lake County's awards breakfast has been set for Wednesday, May 18 at Mission Inn Resort & Club.
You should have received an invitation, so we hope you will join us in celebrating the accomplishments of these talented student athletes.
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A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM SAM |
It's been a busy month in Lake County, and with the weather being as beautiful as it has been it's no surprise the month has been full of some top tier golf tournaments.
In April, the Sports Commission & Mission Inn Resort & Club hosted the Horizon League Golf Championship. Men's and Women's Teams from Butler, Cleveland State, Detroit, Green Bay, Loyola, Milwaukee, UIC, Valparaiso, Wright State and Youngstown State headed down south for their annual Conference Championship. It was a great weekend of golf with both the Men's and Women's tournaments coming down to the final few holes. The Butler Bulldogs women's team came out on top by 8 strokes over 2010 Champion Detroit Mercy. Butler was lead by Senior Michele Nash who also took home the Individuals Finals with a total 54 hole score of 233 as well as winning All Tournament Team, First Team All League, and Horizon League Player of the Year.
The Cleveland State Vikings Men's team took home their third Championship in four years with a 7 stroke victory over Wright State. Cleveland State was lead by freshman Andrew Bailey and sophomore Michael Klaric III who tied with a three round score of 224 and the tournaments best score. The tournament was a huge success with all of the Mid-West teams enjoying the warm, blue skies of Lake County, and we're hoping they'll like to return for future years.
 Next on the tee, the Atlantic 10 Men's Golf Championship was once again held at Mission Inn Resort & Club, April 28-May 1. The Charlotte 49'ers have had a strong hold on the Atlantic 10 Championship for the past five years and look to set a conference record sixth straight victory. Going into the final day Charlotte held a three stroke lead over Xavier with a 7 over par 583. The team competition went down to the wire with Charlotte eventually coming out on top by a total of only 5 strokes finishing the tournament with a 17 over 881. The Individual competition was even closer with Richmond's Nick Austin and Xavier's Herbert Day each finishing the round with a 2 under 214. Day and Austin then squared off in a sudden death playoff which lasted two holes, Day coming out on top. This was a great event for the Atlantic 10 as well as for Lake County. We are currently working with Mission Inn and Atlantic 10 in hopes to bring their championship back to Lake County next year.
Closing out the spring golf season yet again, will be the NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championship. Perennial favorite Methodist University looks to maintain their remarkable 13 year dominance. In all, 20 teams from around the country will be competing to see who is the best Women's Golf Team in Division III. This tournament will be held at Mission Inn Resort & Club from May 10 - 13.
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Best Regards,
Sam Stark
President/CEO
Central Florida Sports Commission  |
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 IN THE PIPELINE | |
The Sports Commission recently sent staff to the 2011 National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) Sports Event Symposium in Greensboro, North Carolina on April 11 - 15. This annual conference provides a great opportunity for the Sports Commission to network with multiple event organizers and identify new event opportunities for hotels and sports venues within Lake County. A short list of event organizers that we met with include the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), FLW Outdoors, BASS and Senior Softball, just to name a few. Events would be targeted for the National Training Center, Hickory Point Recreational Park, Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex, Mission Inn and other area venues within our community. Stay tuned for future updates on each opportunity.
In addition, the Sports Commission recently met with Race for the Kids Foundation about staging a power boat race in Tavares at Wooten Park. The event would be part of a national series of races, where the top boats from across the United States would be invited to compete for cash/prizes and valuable points that are necessary to qualify for the national championships. The event would be potentially staged in the fall of 2011, with approximately 60 - 80 boats expected to be in attendance. This is still very preliminary so expect more details in next month's impact report. |
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| WINS & LOSSES | |
(as of March, 2011)
Formal Bids Submitted: 3
Total Bids Won: 1
Total Bids Lost: 0
On the heels of a very successful Horizon League Men's & Women's Golf Championship and Atlantic 10 Men's Golf Championship, the staff at both conferences have already requested the Sports Commission look at dates/availability in Lake County in 2012 and 2013. Each conference has raved about their experience in Lake County and hope to have the opportunity to return for future years. Both tournaments would take place in late April. Stay tuned! |
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| UPCOMING EVENTS |
2011 NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championship
Tuesday, May 10 - Friday, May 13
Mission Inn Resort
10400 CR 48 Hwy-In-The-Hills, FL 34737
aashton@centralfloridasports.org
2011 Central Florida Duathlon Series #1
Saturday, May 14, 7:45am
Waterfront Park
100 Third Street, Clermont
Info2011@summersports.com
Central Florida Kids Triathlon Series
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Lake Louisa State Park, Clermont
cfkidstri@trimotionsports.com
Lake County Junior Golf Tournaments
June - August
Mission Inn Resort and Club
10400 CR 48 Hwy-In-The-Hills, FL 34737
teetimes@missioninnresort.com |
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| | COMMUNITY PROFILE | |
Many times in order for a kid to be able to take part in a triathlon they have to wait for an adult's triathlon to come around that has a youth version included. The people at Tri-Motion Sports feel that health and wellness for our youth is one of the most important issues in society. So they've decided to give kids their own triathlon experience. The Central Florida Kids Triathlon Series is a USAT sanctioned series of events that will consist of four races from June to October. All participants will get a Finishing Medal and trophies will be given out to the top three finishers in each category. More information about the event can be found by going to www.trimotionsports.com.
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