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Featured Article | |
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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 | |
Take me out to the ball game...
With June comes the start of the NCAA Baseball playoffs and the road to the College World Series. Three Central Florida teams made it to postseason play: UCF, Stetson and Bethune-Cookman. Unfortunately all ran into stiff competition at their regional site and were not able to advance in the tournament.
Closer to home, the USSSA Florida Pride, Central Florida's very own professional softball team, steps into the batter's box for their 2nd season in Orlando. Opening night is June 11th at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Check out the community profile below for you opportunity to get FREE tickets.
 Looking back, a different kind of stick and ball highlighted our May events as we hosted the FHSAA Lacrosse Finals at West Orange High School May 6 & 7. Four local schools, two boys team and two girls teams, made it to the Lacrosse Finals, with both the Winter Springs girls and Lake Highland's boys advancing to the state championship game. Winter Springs had to settle for runner-up as they suffered a tough loss to perennial powerhouse Vero Beach. Lake Highland came away with the championship scoring the winning goal with 7 seconds left in the game to beat defending champion St. Andrews 11-10.
Coming later this month, the best Water Polo athletes in the state will be in Orlando for the Sunshine State Games Water Polo Championship. Being held June 17-19 at the YMCA Aquatic Center, more than 40 teams will compete for the state championship.
Thank you for your continued support, as we continue to market Orlando and Orange County as the "Ultimate Sports Destination". |
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Best Regards,
Sam Stark
President/CEO
Central Florida Sports Commission |
| ECONOMIC IMPACT |
Month of April, 2011
Hotel Room Nights: 269
Tax Recovery: $ 2,927.28
Economic Impact: $ 184,782.00
Number of Participants: 336
Number of Spectators: 992
Number of Events: 1
Year to Date (through April, 2011)
Hotel Room Nights: 6,719
Tax Recovery: $71,268.19
Economic Impact: $3,551,346.00
Number of Participants: 495
Number of Spectators: 10,634
Number of Events: 2 |
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IN THE PIPELINE | |
On the business development front, 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. During our site visit, we were able to review our vast inventory of hotel options in Downtown Orlando and throughout Orange County, while setting up a initial meeting with the Orange County Convention Center. 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 meetings on annualized basis.
In addition, we recently met with Visit Orlando and the Orange County Convention Center with respect to potentially bidding on multiple national events with USA Volleyball. Several national events are under consideration for the Orange County Convention Center from 2013 - 2016, including the Boys & Girls Junior National Championships, along with the Open National Championships. Dates vary per the event, along with size and scope, but each event would generate significant room nights and economic impact for the region. As we gather more information on each opportunity, we will be sure to update you on the progress made with each. |
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| WINS & LOSSES
(As of May, 2011) |
Formal Bids Submitted: 4
Total Bids Won: 2
Total Bids Lost: 1
The Sports Commission is sorry to share the news that Orlando was not selected to host the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships. This 18 day event would have been staged at the Amway Center in late September and early October of 2015. Glasgow, Scotland was selected for this honor.
Nonetheless, we are proud of our efforts, our bid and the opportunity to host future USA Gymnastics events and other international gymnastics championships within Orange County/City of Orlando. Special thanks to our friends at USA Gymnastics for their continued partnership. Locally, the Amway Center, Visit Orlando, Walt Disney World Resort, Sea World, Universal Orlando and the Orange County Convention Center went above and beyond to support our bid. For that, we are most grateful and look forward to the next opportunity. There will be many more opportunities, indeed.
A bit of good news in that the FHSAA Boys & Girls Swimming & Diving State Championships will be returning to Orange County this coming November. The FHSAA recently announced that the 2011 - 2013 Championships will once again be staged at the YMCA Aquatic Center. Dr. Phillips High School will serve as the host school for the next three (3) years. The 2011 event attracted approximately 2,000 athletes and coaches from across the State of Florida to our community, with approximately 3,500 + room nights being generated.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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| COMMUNITY PROFILE |
ESPN Wide World of Sports welcomes the USSSA Florida Pride, Florida's own Pro Fastpitch Softball team. The featured game on opening weekend will be a re-match of the 2010 National Pro Fastpitch League Championship Series between the Chicago Bandits and the USSSA Florida Pride. The game starts at 3pm on Saturday, June 11, and will be broadcast live on ESPN. The USSSA Florida Pride's roster includes 11 Olympians as well as several other top players in fastpitch softball.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to see such an anticipated match-up of softball's royalty, which is sure to be another action packed season!
Hurry and you may still be able to get complimentary tickets! RSVP by Tuesday, June 7 for your complimentary tickets at rachel.goossens@usssapride.com.
Click HERE for more information on the USSSA Pride.
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