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The Florida Sports Foundation (FSF) awarded 23 grants totaling $100,000 to various sporting events throughout the State of Florida at its April, 2008 Quarterly Board of Directors meeting. The sale of professional sports team’s license plates throughout the state provides the source of funding for the FSF Board to award funds to statewide sports commissions hosting the events.
The 23 events granted funds are expected to bring over $18 million into Florida’s economy and over 39,000 tourists to the Sunshine State between April and August 2008.
Among the 23 sporting events receiving grants are 15 different sports and two multi-sport events, the ACC Spring Championships in Seminole and Volusia County and the Southeast Sports Festival in Tallahassee. Five different tennis events, to be held in Broward, Palm Beach and Brevard counties, and two Taekwondo events, in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, received funding. The two multi-sport events receiving funding also feature tennis
The Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament returns to the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville for its final appearance. The annual tournament, which will bring the conference’s top eight teams to Jacksonville for a four-day, pool play tournament, is expected to benefit the area with more than $3 million in economic impact and 7,000 baseball fans.
Pinks All Out, held at the Gainesville Motor Speedway, is a motor sports competition involving 400-450 drag racing teams from throughout the US. Two contestants race against one another in this high stakes drag race. The event is projected to bring more than $2 million in economic impact and approximately 8,000 spectators to Gainesville and Alachua County.
Sporting events bring additional tourism to Florida causing a significant out-of-state economic impact on an annual basis. Since 1996, the FSF has been assisting communities around the state in their efforts to attract sport events and opportunities. This was the third disbursement of regional grants in the 2007-2008 fiscal year for the FSF. To date, the FSF has awarded $236,000 to 45 different events.
The fourth of four rounds of grants for the 2007-08 fiscal year will be awarded at the June, 2008 FSF Board of Directors meeting.
The following 23 regional grants were awarded at the April, 2008 FSF Board of Directors meeting:
-- 2008 ACC Spring Championships, (Multi sport event), April 16-20, 2008, Daytona Beach and Altamonte Springs -- AAU Women's and Men's Basketball National Championships, April 17-20, 2008, Brevard County -- Pinks All Out, (Motor sports competition) April 18-19, 2008, Alachua County -- 2008 USA Powerlifting Masters Nationals, May 2-4, 2008, Miami -- Tri-America Triathlon Series, May 3-4, 2008, Englewood -- 2008 MIMA Foundation/USTA Pro Tennis Classic, May 4-11, 2008, Indian Harbour Beach -- FINA Diving Grand Prix, May 7-11, 2008, Fort Lauderdale -- 2008 USA Taekwondo National Qualifier, May 9-11, 2008, Daytona Beach -- USA Gymnastics Women's Jr. Olympics Nat'l Championships, May 15-18, 2008, Kissimmee -- YMCA Masters National Swimming & Diving Championships, May 15-18, 2008, Fort Lauderdale -- USTA National Clay Court Championships, May 16-22, 2008, Fort Lauderdale -- 2008 IFA Redfish Tournament, May 17, 2008, Englewood -- Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship, May 21-25, 2008, Jacksonville -- 2008 National Cup VII Region C Soccer Tournament, May 24-26, 2008, Jacksonville -- Extreme Volleyball Professionals Tour Pro/Am, May 31, 2008, Naples -- 2008 Renshinkan Karate Tournament of the Americas, June 14, 2008, Gainesville -- South Florida Table Tennis Championships, June 28-30, 2008, Coral Springs -- USTA Boys' 18 & 16 Clay Court National Championships, July 12-20, 2008, Palm Beach County -- USTA Boys/Girls 14 National Clay Court Championships, July 13-20, 2008, Fort Lauderdale -- US Open Jr. Judo Championships & Training Camp, July 17-24, 2008, Fort Lauderdale -- Southeast Sports Festival, (Multi-sport Regional State Games event) August 1-3, 2008, Tallahassee -- USTA Summer Smash Regional Tennis Championships, August 30-September 2, 2008, Delray Beach
-- AAU
Taekwondo Team Trials, September 4-8, 2008, Fort
Lauderdale
Florida
Spring Training Baseball tops 1.6 million total
attendance for third straight year The total attendance was compiled from daily box scores by the Florida Sports Foundation, the official sports promotion and development organization of the State of Florida, and verified by each team.
The new average per game attendance topped the previous mark of 6,244 fans per game during the 2005 season. Florida Spring Training Baseball experienced only eight rain out games this season. The total number of games was also less during the 2008 season due to the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles not playing a full month of games in Fort Myers and Vero Beach, respectively. The Red Sox traveled to Japan for games and the Dodgers played games on the west coast.
Los
Angeles Dodgers, Holman Stadium, Vero Beach – 6,404
Other Florida Spring Training attendance notes:
The Cincinnati Reds record attendance of 90,489, at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, topped the previous record set last year by more than 3,000 fans.
With expansions to their stadiums, the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees set individual game attendance records during the 2008 season. The Tigers hosted the Cleveland Indians at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland before a record crowd of 9,781 on Sunday, March 23. The Yankees packed Steinbrenner Stadium with a record attendance of 11,079 when they faced the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, March 21.
Jupiter’s Roger Dean Stadium, the only Florida Spring Training venue to host two teams, the Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals, drew a total of 152,335 fans to 30 games.
Team by team individual attendance figures
Atlanta Braves, Champion Stadium, Disney's Wide World of Sports, Lake Buena Vista 15 games; 135,367 total attendance; 9,024 average per game Largest crowd: 11,606 vs. Detroit Tigers, Thursday, March 20
Baltimore Orioles, Fort Lauderdale Stadium 14 games (one cancellation); 74,373 total attendance; 5,312 average per game Largest crowd: 8,391 vs. Boston Red Sox, Friday, March 7
Boston Red Sox, City of Palms Park, Fort Myers 11 games; 86,893 total attendance; 7,899 average per game Largest crowd: 8,048 vs. Tampa Bay Rays, Thursday, March 13
Cincinnati Reds, Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota 17 games; 90,489 total attendance; 5,318 average per game Largest crowd: 7,564 vs. Detroit Tigers, Monday, March 17
Cleveland Indians, Chain of Lakes Park, Winter Haven 15 games; 87,301 total attendance; 5,826 average per game Largest crowd: 8,826 vs. New York Yankees, Tuesday, March 25
Detroit Tigers, Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland 16 games; 123,484 total attendance; 7,718 average per game Largest crowd: 9,781 vs. Cleveland Indians, Sunday, March 23
Florida Marlins, Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter 18 games; 127,093 total attendance; 7,061 average per game Largest crowd: 32,229 vs. New York Yankees (at Dolphin Stadium), Saturday, March 29
Houston Astros, Osceola County Stadium, Kissimmee 15 games (one cancellation); 61,027 total attendance; 4,068 average per game Largest crowd: 6,726 vs. New York Mets, Sunday, March 16
Los Angeles Dodgers, Holman Stadium, Vero Beach 11 games; 72,649 total attendance; 6,604 average per game Largest crowd: 9,293 vs. Boston Red Sox, Sunday, March 9
Minnesota Twins, William Hammond Stadium, Fort Myers 16 games; 124,934 total attendance; 7,808 average per game Largest crowd: 8,207 vs. Philadelphia Phillies, Friday, March 21
New York Mets, Tradition Field, Port St. Lucie 16 games; 97,929 total attendance; 6,121 average per game Largest crowd: 7,353 vs. Boston Red Sox, Monday, March 10
New York Yankees, Legends Field, Tampa 15 games (one cancellation); 139,497 total attendance; 10,731 average per game Largest crowd: 11,079 vs. Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, March 21
Philadelphia Phillies, Bright House Networks Field, Clearwater 14 games (one cancellation); 114,715 total attendance; 8,194 average per game Largest crowd: 10,178 vs. Minnesota Twins, Saturday, March 15
Pittsburgh Pirates, McKechnie Field, Bradenton 15 games (one cancellation); 81,067 total attendance; 5,404 average per game Largest crowd: 6,106 vs. Detroit Tigers, Wednesday, March 26
St. Louis Cardinals, Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter 14 games; 87,596 total attendance; 6,257 average per game Largest crowd: 7,798 vs. Atlanta Braves, Sunday, March 16
Tampa Bay Rays, Progress Energy Field at Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg 11 games (two cancellations); 54,960 total attendance; 4,996 average per game Largest crowd: 6,759 vs. Cincinnati Reds, Friday, March 28
Toronto Blue Jays, Knology Park, Dunedin 14 games; 64,444 total attendance; 4,603 average per game Largest crowd: 5,510, three occasions
Washington Nationals, Space Coast Stadium, Viera 13 games (one cancellation); 54,040 total attendance; 4,157 average per game Largest crowd: 5,914 vs. Florida Marlins, Sunday, March 2
Florida Spring Training Totals 259 games; 1,677,858 total attendance; 6,478 average per game
Florida’s spring training tradition began in 1888 when the Washington Statesmen traveled to Jacksonville to work out in the “off season.” Since then, 35 Florida cities have hosted major league teams for spring training. All but six of today's major league teams have trained in Florida. Florida Spring Training
Attendance Totals (2000-2008)
Strength and accuracy play key roles in several sports of the Florida Senior Games State Championships. For the two athletes who earned the 2007 Athletes of the Year Award, the two attributes were prominent in their success.
Claudette Braswell, of Lake Wales, won medals in Basketball Shooting, Horseshoes, Racquetball with her accurate shots and Larry Wallen, of Jacksonville, used his strength to record the highest totals of the inaugural Powerlifting competition of the Florida Senior Games State Championships.
The duo was chosen from a field of more than 1,600 senior athletes who competed in 24 sports over nine days of competition in Lee County and the City of Cape Coral in the 16th Annual Florida Senior Games State Championships.
At the
first Florida Senior Games State Championships Powerlifting
competition, Wallen, 60, had the best deadlift of the day
with 320kg (705 lbs), a USAPL American Record for his age
group. Wallen had the best combined total of the day with
460kg (320 deadlift, 140 bench press). His total was 25kg
more than the next competitor. He won a total of three gold
medals for the event.
During 2007, Wallen (pictured at left) won first place in his age group and weight class at the USAPL Florida State Championship [Estero, FL], USAPL Masters National Championships [Milwaukee, WI], Sunshine State Games [Lakeland, FL], USAPL Southeastern USA Regional Championships [Miami, FL] 1st Place and Florida Senior Games State Championships.
He also set 12 USAPL Florida State Records, 8 USAPL American Records and 3 IPF World Masters Record during 2007.
Among the
women’s basketball shooters, Claudette Braswell, 71, won
three gold medals in the 70-74 age group and had the highest
scores of the day with 23 of 30 points in free throw
shooting, 12 of 15 points in spot field goal shooting and
111 points in timed field goal shooting. She won a silver
medal in the horseshoes competition, finishing second to
longtime horseshoe pitcher, Dorothy (Babe) Hood. As one of
only three women racquetball players, she won the women’s
singles gold medal in the 70-74 age group.
Since she began competing in the Florida Senior Games State Championships in 2003, Braswell (pictured at right) has won 12 basketball shooting gold medals, four racquetball gold medals and a gold and bronze medal in horseshoes.
The 2008 Florida Senior Games State Championships will be held December 6-14, in Lee County and the City of Cape Coral. Local qualifiers for the 2008 State Championships are held throughout the year leading up to the event. The 2008 Florida Senior Games State Championships will be a qualifier for the 2009 National Senior Games, to be held in San Francisco, California.
The Florida Senior Games State Championships are a program of the Florida Sports Foundation, the official sports promotion and development organization for the State of Florida. The Florida Senior Games State Championships are sponsored in part by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, Performance Health, Inc., makers of BioFreeze, the Florida Chiropractic Association and Suncoast Beverages.
Florida Senior Games State Championships Athletes of the Year (1994-2006) 1994 -- Doris Prokopi, Land O’Lakes; Wayne Wakefield, Bradenton 1995 -- Mary Melehan, Englewood; Leonard Stone, Barefoot Bay 1996 -- Hope Fage, Largo; F.L. McFadden, Lakeland 1997 -- Ethel Lehmann, Largo; Seymour Duckman, Daytona Beach 1998 -- Lucia Schatteleyn, Englewood; Donald Ritenour, Belleview 1999 -- Patricia Bond, Bradenton; Gordon Johnson, Dundee 2000 -- Erika Messner, Clermont; Al Treichel, Spring Hill 2001 -- Sperry Rademaker, Floral City; Howard Hall, Port Charlotte 2002 -- Janice Lathouwers, The Villages; Allen Bjork, Sebring 2003 -- Madelaine “Tiny” Cazel, The Villages; James Anderson, New Port Richey 2004 -- Lillian Webb, Sebring; Harry Carothers, Pinellas Park 2005 -- Patricia Sargeant, Melbourne; Andy McGuffin, Umatilla 2006 -- Sari Kisbany, Redington Shores; Roger Gentilhomme, Dunedin 2007 -- Claudette Braswell, Lake Wales; Larry Wallen, Jacksonville
Tallahassee to host 2008 Southeast Sports Festival Florida’s Capital City, has been selected to host the 2008 Southeast Sports Festival, August 1-3, 2008. Hosting the biennial event is the Tallahassee Sports Council, a division of the Tallahassee Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Florida Sports Foundation, the official sports promotion and development organization of the State of Florida.
The 2nd Southeast Sports Festival features 10 sports, five team and five individual sports. The finest amateur athletes in the Southeast have the chance to compete in Baseball, Basketball, Flag Football, Lacrosse and Soccer as well as Fencing, Gymnastics, Taekwondo, Tennis and Track & Field.
The 11 states eligible to participate in the Southeast Sports Festival are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. Any athlete or team participating in their 2008 State Games event is eligible for the 2008 Southeast Sports Festival.
“Tallahassee is a perfect location for a multi-state regional event with exceptional athletic facilities and a variety of attractions and activities to provide athletes and their families,” said Brian Hickey, Executive Director of the Tallahassee Sports Council. “Tallahassee has a proven track record of hosting sporting events including the Florida's Sunshine State Games, AAU Track and Field State Championships and many more.”
The Southeast Sports Festival was created to give athletes of State Games programs a regional championship in which to compete and an opportunity to progress to the next level of competition following a statewide event.
“When the Southeast Sports Festival Committee asked Florida to host the 2008 Festival, Tallahassee was the perfect choice, having run several successful Sunshine State Games and its central location in the region,” said Stephen Rodriguez, the Director of Amateur Sports for the Florida Sports Foundation. “We are looking forward to working with the Tallahassee Sports Council again and show the athletes of the Southeast Sports Festival the outstanding facilities and hospitality Florida has to offer.”
The 2008 Southeast Sports Festival is expected to draw approximately 2,000 athletes to the area and provide Tallahassee with over $1 million of economic impact, according to the Tallahassee Sports Council. The inaugural Southeast Sports Festival was held in July, 2006, in Shelby County, Alabama with over 1,200 athletes participating.
The Tallahassee Sports Council will partner with the Florida Sports Foundation along with Leon County Tourist Development Council, Tallahassee Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Leon County Schools, Florida State University, Tallahassee Community College and Tallahassee Parks and Recreation Department, Leon County Parks and Recreation, Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center to present the 2008 Southeast Sports Festival.
For information about the Southeast Sports Festival, check www.southeastsportsfestival.org.
Sports means $32 billion to
the State of Florida The 2006 Citgo Bassmasters Classic, known as
the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing,” will be held
in Kissimmee in February.
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