The time-honored CIAA tournament took-over Charlotte February 28^th through March 5^th for its 99^th anniversary. Shaw University of Raleigh, NC took home the championship trophies for both the men's and women's tournament. Charlotte's own Johnson C. Smith University gained impressive honors with their women's team battling their way into the championship game, and men's team into the semi-finals. The 2011 CIAA is expected to have generated $40 million in spending over the 6 day tournament, an increasing of 10-15% from last year. As a member of the Local Organizing Committee the CRSC assisted with the event by gathering nearly 200 volunteers, publicizing the event, and assisting with the volunteer orientation.

NCAA

The NCAA Men's Basketball Championship 2^nd and 3^rd Rounds were held in Time Warner Cable Arena on March 18^th and 20^th. The games drew a tremendous crowd, particularly for the 3^rd round on Sunday where the Duke Blue Devils defeated the Michigan Wolverines and UNC Tar Heels battled the Washington Huskies leading both NC teams into the next round. The CRSC assisted UNC Charlotte with the tournament as a member of the Local Organizing Committee. Much of the assistance came in the form of coordinating signage, assisting with publicity of the event, gathering volunteers through our database, and assisting with the volunteer orientation prior to the event.

Race to the Top

The first-ever Race to the Top took place on March 26^th at the new Duke Energy Center in Uptown. Despite the wind, rain and frigid temperatures, nearly 500 runners came out to battle their way up the 49 stories of the building. For the first year, the race was capped at 500 and was reached nearly 4 days out from the event. There was extensive media coverage prior to the event including a front page article in the Charlotte Observer, among others. The CRSC was even covered internationally for the first time through a German Running  and Tower Climbing website. During the last flight of the day, 16 of Charlotte's Firefighters raced to the top in full turn-out gear. The sight was moving and very well received with the fire fighters already looking forward to the challenge of next year's event. Race to the Top was a huge success and Charlotte's runners now have a unique challenge to look forward to each spring.

Tuesday after the race, the three male and three female winners were invited to an awards breakfast to receive their medals and prizes. Stephanie Hucko the women's division winner, powered up the 1,194 steps in 8 minutes 20 seconds. Michael Creason the men's division winner, made impressive time by finishing in 7 minutes 29 seconds. During the event, the Levine Children's Hospital was presented with a check for a portion of the proceeds, and a secondary check from the Charlotte Fire Fighter's Association for additional proceeds they raised through their participation in the event. In addition, Captain Jonah Smith was presented an award for being the fastest firefighter, finishing in 14 minutes 42 seconds.

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