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Featured Article | |
For the 19th consecutive year, the Celebrity Mascot Games will bring mascots from the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB and NCAA to the new Amway Center for two exciting shows. This year's event will be on July 29th and 30th. Stuff, Knightro, Albert and 27 of their furry friends will battle in a series of wacky games to determine the ultimate champions of the mascot world.
Tickets are only $10 for general admission and $16 for a reserved seat. For special ticket offers and more information visit www.mascotgames.org. Click HERE and you can follow all of the craziness on our Facebook page.
Proceeds from the Celebrity Mascot Games benefit New Hope for Kids, an Orlando based not-for-profit organization. New Hope for Kids grants wishes to children under the age of 18 who are suffering from life-threatening illness and provides grief support for children who have lost a family member. In addition, since the first Mascot Games in 1992, this event raised nearly $300,000 for New Hope for Kids.
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A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM SAM
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We hope this month's activity letter finds you well, as the Central Florida Sports Commission continues its extensive work to bring new and exciting sports related events and activities to Osceola County.
This past month, the Sports Commission and Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau welcomed back the Florida Amateur Wrestling Association (FAWA) to Osceola Heritage Park's Exhibition Hall. This two-day event combined the Freestyle and Greco-Roman State Championships, FILA Cadet Women & Girls Nationals, the FILA Junior Women Nationals & World Team Trials, and the Women's Body Bar National Championships. The initial numbers indicate over 600 competitors made the trip to Osceola County to participate in this great event, with athletes traveling from New York, Michigan, Kansas, Idaho, California, and Hawaii, just to name a few. We would like to thank FAWA once again for continuing to return to Osceola County, and we look forward to building on this relationship!
 As we enter June, the Major League Baseball season is heating up, and so is Osceola County as we welcome back Triple Crown Sports and the World Baseball Federation. Triple Crown Sports returns June 3-5 for the Florida 8 Championship and June 10-12 for the Florida State Championships and Kissimmee Summer Slam. All of these events take place at the Osceola County Stadium and Softball Complex. Last year these events brought in over 2,000 athletes, coaches and spectators to Osceola County for two weekends worth of baseball. At the end of the month, and into July, the World Baseball Federation returns to Osceola County Stadium to host their Championship. Last year this event welcomed over 1,000 athletes, coaches and spectators to Osceola County for two more weekends worth of baseball. What a great month to honor America's game in Osceola County; "let's play ball!"
 Also in June, we welcome the Champions MudBash to Osceola County for the first time. This mud running event, held June 18 in St. Cloud, covers 3 of the muddiest miles you will ever run. The event features 13 obstacles spread over the 3 mile track; some of the obstacles are the minefield, roll n the hay, monster frogger, and the mudbash mystery. Currently there are 1,300 paid participants with a couple weeks to go. We are definitely looking forward to this unique event!
Thank you for your continued support as we continue to market Osceola County as the "Amateur Sports Capital." |
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Best Regards,
Sam Stark
President/CEO
Central Florida Sports Commission |
| ECONOMIC IMPACT |
Month of April, 2011
Hotel Room Nights: 1,370
Tax Recovery: $16,632.12
Economic Impact: $1,002,333.83
Number of Participants: 1,414
Number of Spectators: 1,361
Number of Events: 3
Year to Date (through April, 2011)
Hotel Room Nights: 12,040
Tax Recovery: $155,773.21
Economic Impact: $9,423,050.02
Number of Participants: 8,735
Number of Spectators: 7,848
Number of Events: 8 |
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IN THE PIPELINE |
On the business development front, the Sports Commission recently reached out to the Sports Business Journal about possibly hosting their 2013 World Congress of Sports. This annual convention brings in over 100 of the Sport Industry's most influential leaders to discuss the future of the sports industry. Past panelists have included MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, CEO of the PGA Joe Steranka, Executive Director of the NHL Players Association Donald Fehr, and the President of EA Sports Peter Moore to name a few.As we continue to research this opportunity, we will be sure to keep you updated.
In addition, the Sports Commission recently reached out to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) about the possibility of hosting a multiple sports festival in the spring of 2012. This event would cover baseball, softball and lacrosse, and would build on the relationship we already have with the ECAC. Stay tuned for more information.
Lastly, the Sports Commission recently conducted a site visit with ISOL Events with respect to developing a long term event partnership ISOL Events currently is working to provide venue and hotel assistance for several national event organizations, those being USA Volleyball, USA Team Handball, USA Fencing and USA Triathlon. They also have several other organizations targeted for future partnerships, including Ultimate Frisbee, National Softball Association and USA Archery. During our site visit, we were able to discuss the hotel options that reside in Osceola County, while setting up an initial meeting with Osceola Heritage Park. We also had a chance to drive by both Austin Tindall Park and the Osceola County Softball Complex so they had a sense on how many fields were located at each. Our discussions are still very preliminary, but we hope that they will lead to a long term partnership that finds us hosting multiple sports events and/or meetings on annualized basis. |
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| | WINS & LOSSES | |
(As of May, 2011)
Bids Submitted - 9
Wins - 8
Losses - 0
It's official, the Central Florida Sports Commission and Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau are proud to announce the Orlando Volleyball Academy will be bringing a girls club volleyball event to Osceola County over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend in 2012. While the event has been in existence for several years in Orange County, the event has outgrown its current facilities which mean several age groups will be staged at Osceola Heritage Park's Silver Spurs Arena and the Exhibition Hall. Over 100 teams (1,500 athletes & coaches) from across the State of Florida are expected to compete in those age divisions staged in Osceola County. We look forward to hosting this event for the first time, and hope this will be the first of many youth volleyball tournaments staged in Osceola County.
In other news, it doesn't appear that we will be able to host a proposed triple header collegiate/high school basketball showcase this coming fall. Based on the proposed dates and unavailability at the Silver Spurs Arena, we had to notify the University of Florida that we were unable to stage the event in 2011. Unfortunately, the University of Florida had only one available date open this fall and that date was previously booked at OHP. We both agreed to engage in conversations in the not so distant future to ascertain if we could stage something similar in the fall of 2012. Stay tuned! |
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| UPCOMING EVENTS | |
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| COMMUNITY PROFILE |
June in Osceola County means one thing; the return of the Silver Spurs Rodeo. This will be the 127th Silver Spurs Rodeo held in Osceola County, dating back to 1944. The Silver Spurs Rodeo was founded by the Silver Spurs Riding Club in 1944 to promote good horsemanship and fellowship in Osceola County. It has grown to one of the largest rodeos in the country, and the largest rodeo east of the Mississippi. Click HERE for more information on the rodeo.
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