This Week in FLASports

Welcome to This week in FlaSports. This feature on the FSF web site will once again give a weekly smattering of information about what's going on in sports in the Sunshine State.

Whether it be professional, amateur or recreational sports, and it's happening in Florida, look for it at This week in FlaSports.

Information on this page will be updated on Monday of each week. To have your organization's events or happenings on This week in FlaSports, send an email to ngandy@flasports.com.

Volume 2, Issue 4
April 7, 2008

► Florida Spring Training attendance tops 1.6 million for third consecutive year

► Amateur Sports Accolades - Pan Am Judo Championships coming to Miami
► FlaSports Calendar of Events for March 24-31
► Archive of previous issues of This Week in FlaSports

Florida Spring Training Baseball tops 1.6 million total attendance for third straight year

For the third consecutive year, Florida Spring Training Baseball surpassed the 1.6 million mark in total attendance as 1,677,858 fans watched the 18 Florida Grapefruit League teams in 17 locations around the Sunshine State during the month of March. Per game attendance at the 259 games established a new record with an average attendance of 6,478 fans per game.

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.

Seven teams established new total attendance records and new per game attendance records. Six teams surpassed the 100,000 mark as the New York Yankees led the way with 139,497 fans attending games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. The Yankees, which officially changed the name of the field to honor owner George Steinbrenner at their final home spring training game of 2008, also led the Grapefruit League with an average of 10,731 fans attending 15 games, a new team record.

Teams with new total attendance marks include;
Cincinnati Reds, Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota – 90,489
Cleveland Indians, Chain of Lakes Park, Winter Haven – 87,301
Detroit Tigers, Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland – 123,484
Florida Marlins, Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter & Dolphin Stadium, Miami – 127,093
Houston Astros, Osceola County Stadium, Kissimmee – 61,027
New York Mets, Tradition Field, Port St. Lucie – 97,929
Toronto Blue Jays, Knology Park, Dunedin – 64,444

Teams establishing per game average attendance records include;
Florida Marlins, Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter & Dolphin Stadium, Miami – 7,061

Los Angeles Dodgers, Holman Stadium, Vero Beach – 6,404
Minnesota Twins, Hammond Stadium, Fort Myers – 7,808
New York Yankees, Steinbrenner Field, Tampa – 10,731
Philadelphia Phillies, Bright House Networks Field, Clearwater – 8,194
Pittsburgh Pirates, McKechnie Field, Bradenton – 5,404
Tampa Bay Rays, Progress Energy Park at Al Lang Field, St. Petersburg – 4,996

“Baseball is the nation’s pastime, and we are honored to host Florida Spring Training Baseball in the Sunshine State,” said Governor Charlie Crist. “Each year we welcome the teams and their fans to Florida. It’s a time of year that is cherished by fans of all ages and from all parts of the United States.”

Governor Crist hosted the 2008 Governor’s Baseball Dinner on February 26 at the Tropicana Dome in St. Petersburg to kick off the season. During the 2008 Florida Legislative session, he welcomed Major League Baseball Hall of Famers Jim Palmer and Reggie Jackson to Tallahassee on March 26 to recognize Florida Spring Training Baseball before the Florida House of Representatives and Senate.

Other Florida Spring Training attendance notes:

The Florida Marlins attendance totals include two games played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami against the New York Yankees. Each game drew more than 30,000 fans.

The Cleveland Indians total attendance record topped the previous mark set in 1999 when the Indians played 16 games at Chain of Lakes Park. The record was set in 2008 in 15 games.

The Atlanta Braves had four games with better than 10,000 attendance at Champion Stadium in Lake Buena Vista including the largest crowd at a Spring Training venue in 2008 when 11,606 fans saw the Braves play the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, March 20.

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

Largest crowd: 32,229 vs. New York Yankees (at Dolphin Stadium), Saturday, March 29

Florida leads the nation as home to 18 of the 30 Major League Baseball spring training programs. In 2000, the Florida Sports Foundation reported that Major League Baseball spring training contributes $450 million annually to Florida’s economy.

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)
2008: 1,677,858, total attendance; 6,478 average attendance
2007: 1,716,840, total attendance; 6,243 average attendance
2006: 1,604,393, total attendance; 5,855 average attendance
2005: 1,598,454, total attendance; 6,244 average attendance
2004: 1,557,934, total attendance; 5,792 average attendance
2003: 1,397,144, total attendance; 5,272, average attendance
2002: 1,538,444, total attendance; 5,028, average attendance
2001: 1,500,184, total attendance; 5,320, average attendance
2000: 1,598,255, total attendance; 5,473, average attendance

University of Florida volleyball team to host inaugural Southeastern Conference Coaches Beach Volleyball Championships

The University of Florida volleyball team will host the inaugural Southeastern Conference Coaches Beach Volleyball Championships on the UF campus on April 12, marking the first-ever beach volleyball tournament held by a Division I conference. The action will kick off at 8:30 a.m. at the Southwest Recreation Center, located on Hull Road between SW 34th St. and Museum Rd.

Each of the 11 volleyball teams in the SEC will compete at the event, which will be free and open to the public. Schools will send three teams of two to the tournament, each of whom will engage in pool play for a chance to move on to the medal round. The competition will use rules derived from the AVP Tour, with modifications made as needed for collegiate competitors.

“We see this as an opportunity to promote the SEC and women’s volleyball in general,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “With the successes of American beach teams at the Olympics and the pro beach tour, many casual sports fans are familiar with the game.”

The festivities will begin on the afternoon of Friday, April 11, when the courts at the Southwest Recreation Center will be available for team practice sessions. All practices will be open to the public.

The itinerary will continue on Friday evening with the SEC Coaches Beach Volleyball Championships banquet, set for 7 p.m. ET at the Best Western Gateway Grand. Beach volleyball legend and three-time Olympic gold medalist Karch Kiraly will be the featured speaker for the event.

A limited number of tickets will be made available to the public at a cost of $40.00 each.

Competition will begin on Saturday morning with pool play, during which each team will play a minimum of four matches. The top two teams in each pool will play in the pool championship phase of the tournament for a spot in the medal round. The bronze medal match is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET, and the gold medal match is slated to commence at 6 p.m. ET.

“This event is all about more opportunity for women to compete in athletics,” Wise said. “Although the beach game is totally different from the indoor game, the players’ overall skill sets will benefit from the time on the sand.”

7 p.m. – SEC Coaches Beach Volleyball Championships banquet (featured speaker: Karch Kiraly)

Registration is now available for four upcoming Sunshine State Games events for a variety of Florida amateur athletes.

The Sunshine State Games Sport Shooting Championships includes 24 events at seven locations during the months of April and May. The shooting begins on April 6 with the IDPA event at Orlando’s Central Florida Rifle and Pistol Club. The series includes an event every weekend through May 18. Other Sunshine State Games Sport Shooting venues include the Flagler Gun and Archery Club, Hernando Sportsman’s Club, Misty Morgan Road in Samsula, Port Malabar Rifle & Pistol Club, Volusia County Skeet and Trap and the Wyoming Antelope Club.

All Sunshine State Games Shooting events have entry fees beginning at $15 and entry deadlines vary by event. While pre-registration is available for most shooting events, the majority will accept on-site registration. Only the SASS (Cowboy) event on April 13, the Sporting Clays event on April 26 and 27 and the Western 3 Gun event on May 18 will not accept on-site registration.

Ice skating in Florida? Incredible Ice, a state-of-the-art complex in Coral Springs, hosts the Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships, May 16-18. Nearly 300 of Florida’s finest amateur skaters are expected to compete over three days of events at the practice facility of the Florida Panthers.

The Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships individual entry fee is $70 for the first event per skater and $40 for each additional event per skater. All entries mailed to the FSF office in Tallahassee must be postmarked by April 14 or athletes may register online until April 28. Late entries may be accepted at the discretion of the Event Director and must be accompanied by a $50 late fee.

The Sunshine State Games Inline Hockey Championships return to the Palm Beach Skate Zone in Lake Worth for another year of skating and scoring, the weekend of June 13-15. Competition is available for teams starting at the 8 and under age group and advancing up to Adult 18+ divisions. Past Sunshine State Games Inline Hockey Championships have featured up to 40 teams.

Entry fee is $450 per team for registrations received, or teams registering online, by May 26. Entry fee increases to $500 per team for entries received after May 26. All entries must be received by June 6.

The Sunshine State Games Slow Pitch Softball Championships will be held July 12-13 at the Plant City Stadium Complex and Randy Larson Four-plex with men’s, women’s and coed play on a wide range of competition levels.

Entry fee is $225 per team when teams register online by June 30. The fee increases to $300 after June 30. No entries will be accepted after July 10.

There are several different ways for Florida amateur athletes to register for competition. The easiest way to sign up for either of these events is by online registration at www.flasports.com and clicking the Sunshine State Games tab. Athletes may also download forms from www.flasports.com, fill them in and send them back to the Florida Sports Foundation.

The final way to register is to call the Florida Sports Foundation toll-free at 1-866-354-2637 and request a registration brochure and application be sent out.

Registration and competition information about the 2008 Summer Games, to be held in Polk County, June 13-15, will be available soon at www.flasports.com.

2008 Pan American Championships to Come to Miami, May 8-11
Cuba Among Nations to Compete in Final Olympic Qualifier

USA Judo announced that the 2008 Pan American Judo Championships and Olympic Zone Cup will be held May 8-11 in Miami, at the James L. Knight Center.

World class athletes from Central, South and North America as well as the Caribbean region will be competing at the Pan American Championships where they will be vying for the final opportunities to qualify their slots for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

“This is turning out to be one of the most important judo events in this hemisphere as what is at stake is the right to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games,” said USA Judo CEO Jose H. Rodriguez. “Obviously, the magnitude of the presence of the Cuban team within the Miami community opens doors that a few years ago would never have been imagined. These Championships will mark a new era of judo for both countries as less than two weeks prior to Cuba competing in Miami, our athletes will be competing in Havana at the Jose Ramon Rodriguez and Golden Judoguis Championships.”

On May 11, 13 nations from North and Central America will have the opportunity to compete in the final qualifying event for Beijing – the Olympic Zone Cup.

Following both tournaments, nations will be ranked based on their placement in each of the seven men’s and seven women’s Olympic weight divisions at each of the five tournaments. Teams that did not already qualify to send an athlete to the Games in a given weight division by placing in the top five at the 2007 World Championships must place in the top six for men and top three for women.

There will be more than 200 participants, both male and female, from the 42 countries in the region. Among these athletes will be the teams from such countries as Argentina that will be fielding a team that is expected to include former World Champion Daniela Krukower. Brazil also will be sending a powerhouse team that is expected to include two-time reigning World Champion Joao Derly as well as his 2007 World Champions Luciano Correa and Tiago Camillo. Brazil’s women’s team also will be strong, including two-time World bronze medalist Edinanci Silva.

Look for a strong presence from Cuba as well. Known for having one of the best women’s team in the world, Cuba is scheduled to bring four former World Champions on the women’s side as well as 2007 World medalists Yordanis Arencibbia and Oreidis Despaigne.

Teams from Canada, Colombia and Mexico also will be bringing 2007 Pan Am Champions back to compete not only for another gold medal, but also for the opportunity to represent their nation at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Team USA will be looking forward to competing in front of their home crowd. Last year, the United States had one of the most successful Pan American Games in history, winning a total of six medals, including three golds. World silver medalist Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) will be one of the favorites to win her fourth Pan Am gold medal while Ryan Reser (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center) and Travis Stevens (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) will be back to defend their 2007 Pan American Games titles. Anthony Turner (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami) is one of several athletes from the South Florida area who may have the opportunity to compete in front of a hometown crowd.

With 42 nations eligible to compete, any number of players could reach the top of the podium not only in Miami, but also at the Olympic Games in Beijing.