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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KEEP UP WITH US!
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A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM SAM
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We hope your summer is off to a great start! The summer months at the Sports Commission will be filled with extensive business development work, some Mascot craziness, and the planning of our fall events. Of these events we welcome the NCAA DIII Men's Fall Preview, the FHSAA Golf and Volleyball state Championships, and the USA Powerlifting & National Bench Press Championships as first time events. Look out for more details regarding these events in the upcoming months.
Let's play ball! Central Florida's very own professional softball team, the USSSSA Pride, stepped into the batter's box to begin their second season in Orlando. The opening night doubleheader on June 11th against the Chicago Bandits included an audience of just under 4,000 fans at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. The Pride still have a full season ahead of them, so for schedule and ticket information click HERE.
 We are proud to announce that Central Florida's version of the ESPYs, the SPORTYS, will be held the evening of Saturday, September 24th at Full Sail Live. The Central Florida SPORTYS Sports Awards & Hall of Fame will honor top area high school, amateur, collegiate, and professional athletes, deserving local residents and businesses throughout Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia Counties. Sports figures and celebrities will present awards to the biggest names in Central Florida sports, while also paying tribute to local inspirational stories. Tickets will be available for the general public to purchase, so as soon as they go on sale we'll let you know.
In the area of business development, we recently conducted a site visit with Impactful Solutions (ISOL) 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. 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.
As you can see we've got a lot of great things going on at the Sports Commission, so read about our recent and upcoming activity below. |
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Best Regards,
Sam Stark
President/CEO
Central Florida Sports Commission |
 | | 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 strategically soliciting, creating, and supporting marquis sports-related events and businesses that enhance our community's economy.
Through April, 2011
Hotel Room Nights - 24,591
Tax Recovery - $285,886.32
Economic Impact - $15,964,072.76
Number of Participants - 12,420
Number of Spectators - 21,643
Number of Events - 23
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| | | Summer Games for a Cause
 Founded in 2004, the Lake County Police Activities League is an independent non-profit corporation sponsored by the Lake County Sheriff's Office that is committed to "Cops Helping Kids". Their goal is to provide a youth crime prevention program that relies on educational, athletic and other recreational activities to cement a bond between police officers and the youth in our community. The biggest and brightest success story out of the program in recent years has to be the PAL Summer Games that was hosted in Lake County for the first time in the summer of 2009. This year's event will feature a bicycle event, martial arts tournament and a soccer tournament, all staged at several venues throughout Lake County.
For more information on this great event and program, please visit www.lakecountypal.com.
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| | | Racing in Daytona
Enjoy the fireworks on and off the track as the stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series head to Daytona to celebrate the Independence Day holiday weekend. The 53rd Annual Coke Zero 400 takes place Saturday, July 2nd. This year will be the first time that the Coke Zero 400 takes place on the newly-paved asphalt. The 160-lap, 400-mile Kick-off to the Independence Day holiday weekend classic will feature fireworks on and off the track, including an hour-long, pre-race concert with Grammy Award-winning country music recording artist Martina McBride. The all-day fun kicks off at 10:00am. The race begins at approximately 7:30pm.
For tickets visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP |
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| | | More Ball in Kissimmee
 Major League Baseball season is heating up, and so is Osceola County as we welcomed back Triple Crown Sports and the World Baseball Federation. Triple Crown Sports returned June 3-5 for the Florida 8 Championship and June 10-12 for the Florida State Championships and Kissimmee Summer Slam. Both events took place at the Osceola County Stadium and Softball Complex. These events brought in over 2,000 athletes, coaches and spectators to Osceola County for two weekends worth of baseball. Thanks to Triple Crown Sports for all their help with the events!
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| Soccer in Seminole | |
With the summer upon us, the Sports Commission and Team Seminole continue planning for the United States Amateur Soccer Association (USASA) Veteran's Cup Soccer Tournament. The annual Veterans Cup tournament provides high-level soccer to both men and women 30 years of age and older. Being held at Sylvan Lake Park and Seminole Soccer Club July 5-10, this prestigious event will bring an anticipated 65-70 adult soccer teams, comprising of approximately 2,200 players, family members, and supporters for an exciting week of competition and camaraderie. We'll be sure to provide results from the tournament in next month's newsletter. |
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Sports Club Member Profile: Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress | |
Discover one of Orlando's most inviting escapes, Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. The outstanding array of resort amenities filling our Orlando hotel and resort creates a serene retreat ambiance for families and business travelers alike. Play golf and tennis, swim, sail, or treat yourself to a massage. Savor a meal prepared by renowned chefs. Our cuisine ranges from delectable seafood to fresh sushi and a sumptuous American buffet breakfast daily.
Visit their site at http://grandcypress.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?null.
Join the Club today! For a full list of member benefits click HERE. |
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