John Hancock Financial Announces Top American Ryan Hall To Run 2009 Boston Marathon
Olympian and U.S. Trials Champion Ryan Hall seeks American win in Boston
In its 24th year as the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon, John Hancock Financial today announced the signing of Olympic marathoner and American half marathon record holder Ryan Hall for the 113th running of the race on April 20, 2009.
The fastest American marathoner in 2007 and 2008, Hall has quickly proven himself as one of the best distance runners in the world. He seeks to become the first American winner of the race since Grey Meyer in 1983.
“I am grateful to have the opportunity to compete on the John Hancock elite team at the 2009 Boston Marathon,” said Hall. “The Boston Marathon is the granddaddy of the World Marathon Majors, to win here would mean as much to me as winning any marathon in the world, including the Olympic Games. To win in Boston would show the world that American distance running is indeed back to the days of Salazar, Beardsley, and Rodgers. I hope that I can contribute to bringing American marathoning back to the forefront. There is no better place to do that than Boston. What is done in Boston lives on for all time.”
A 2005 Stanford graduate and three-time All American, Hall quickly found his greatest potential on the roads. In late 2006, he set the American 20K record at the World Championships and in early 2007 broke the 21-year-old American half marathon record at the U.S. Championships. His 59:43 win marked the first time an American had ever broken the one-hour barrier.
Turning to the marathon, Hall made his debut on the London course in 2007 and stayed with the African leaders until the final miles. His 2:08:24 was the fastest debut ever by an American. A few months later at the U.S. Olympic Trials, he set a course record as he cruised to a nearly two-minute lead over one of the best U.S. fields ever assembled.
Continuing his meteoric rise Hall returned to London in advance of the Olympics and ran a remarkable 2:06:17, making him the second fastest American of all time. At the Olympics Hall placed 10th, and although he had some disappointment in that showing, he is young and eager to build on his potential.
“Ryan’s Boston Marathon debut will be a highly anticipated performance throughout the sports world,” said Executive Director Guy Morse, of the Boston Athletic Association, which oversees the race. “As an American Olympian recruited by our principal sponsor John Hancock Financial, his commitment to race in Boston, combined with his record of outstanding performances, are indicators that he will add great excitement to the 113th Boston Marathon as he challenges some of the world’s best athletes on the world’s most famous course.”
Hall is married to professional runner Sara Bei Hall and the couple resides in Mammoth Lakes, California. The Halls are active with charitable groups such as Team World Vision. They worked on a campaign this year, “More Precious than Gold,” that raised nearly a million dollars to help bring clean water wells and irrigation systems to poor communities in Zambia.
Source: John Hancock Financial
Table Mountain Casino Brings World Champions for Big Night of Boxing
Main Event Features Battle of Two World Champs
Table Mountain Casino brings a night of hard-hitting action Tuesday, November 18th, to boxing fans with the much-anticipated return of World Championship Boxing, presented by Roy Englebrecht Events. The audience will be geared up for a night of rousing excitement with the Main Event that features two powerhouse champions, former USBA Featherweight Champion Martin Honorio (24-4, 12 KO’s) v. former NABA Champion Frankie Archuleta (25-5, 14 KO’s). The former USBA champ, Martin Honorio, takes to the ring in place of Roger “Speedy” Gonzalez who was injured in a sparring match late last week. The Main Event will pit Honorio of Mexico City against Archuleta from New Mexico. Both champion warriors have records that will mix it at the highest level, but only one will leave the ring as the IBA Jr. Lightweight Champion of the World.
Boxing fans will want to stay in their seats for the “Co-Main Event”, another Championship bout that will feature two tough-as-nails female combatants, both so far undefeated. But all that will change in the ring this Tuesday night when Kaliesha West (10-0, 2 KO’s) and Ava Knight (4-0-2, 2 KO’s) trade blows for the IFBA North American Bantamweight Belt.
“We just turned up the heat when we added the North American Bantamweight Belt battle and brought Kaliesha and Ava to the ticket,” said John Mayewski, President and CEO of Table Mountain Casino. “Central Valley fans will be treated to an event they’ll not soon forget with these world title bouts. We’re also pleased to present an undercard that features a well-known local fighter with a loyal following. Table Mountain Casino is committed to offering the best entertainment value for our guests and this event promises to be another sell-out.”
The five bout card will also feature undefeated Aaron Martinez of Los Angeles who will face Hilario Lopez of Nampa, Idaho in a six-round welterweight bout. Martinez comes in at 8-0 and Lopez at 10-6.
Middleweight action will see Fresno’s own Loren Myers (6-4 2 KO’s) as he faces Orange County’s Derrick Thomas (2-5 1K0).
In a four round bout, two fighters will make their debut in a match that features Jorge Roque of Hayward and Francisco Andrade of Stockton.
Tickets for the Tuesday, November 18th event are on sale now at tmcasino.com or by calling (559) 822-7777. Doors open at 6:00 pm., fights at 7:00 p.m.
Ticket prices are $55 VIP, $45 Gold, $35 Reserved, $25 General Admission. Members of The Club save $5, Platinum Members save $10. No refunds, cameras or videos. Must be 18 years or older to attend.
Source: Table Mountain Casino
Unique Website for Athletes Attracts Training Groups
www.ontri.com is a place for competition, camaraderie
Avid cyclist Eric Falk goes online when he’s looking for support and motivation during his training.
The Lexington, Mass. resident started a training group on www.ontri.com, a social networking and training support site for athletes with more than 50,000 members in the U.S. Founded in Boston, Ontri is the only such site in New England.
Falk started his own training group on Ontri in 2004, mostly because he was curious about other cyclists’ training routines. Now with about a dozen members, Falk’s Ontri group logs miles on the site and tracks who is burning the most calories.
“It has turned into quite a motivator,” Falk said. “After each workout, you log those miles. It’s great because you use it personally to track your own progress, but people in your group can also see your progress. That’s where the competition comes in.”
The site, www.ontri.com, was founded by Jon Finegold in 2004. Many of its members are very dedicated and enthusiastic triathletes who log on for training and nutrition tips, support and motivation, training logs, nutrition tracking, event updates and more. Membership is free.
The site is for athletes of any level, with content that appeals to the recreational runner as well as the competitive triathlete.
Doug DeFonzo of Newton, Mass. belongs to another Ontri training group, and is known for his competitiveness. He pays close attention to the “point standings” on the site and seeks to achieve “superstar of the month” status.
“I’ve done lots of workouts or pushed the distance of my workouts just to keep up or get ahead in the point standings,” he said. “I once did two 40-plus mile bike rides on the last day of the month to get super star status, which was hilarious.”
Stephanie Holbrook of suburban Phoenix, Ariz. created an Ontri group about two years ago when training for the Baja one-half marathon. The active group now has 35 members.
“We are able to see the distance with speeds which motivate us to train harder and faster to compete,” she said. “We also compare the calories burned to compete. I also have a coach who logs into my account to see how I am doing.”
Anyone can start their own club on www.Ontri.com for free. It’s easy to do and easy to use:
- Create a group and then invite members
- Chat with and message your group
- Track fitness and nutrition
- Take advantage of free training plans and premium online coaching services
- Participate in a unique online training competition to see who burns the most calories each month
Source: www.ontri.com
Barclays Affirms Steadfast Commitment to Arena in Brooklyn and 2009 Groundbreaking
Says Support for Atlantic Yards is “Unwavering”
Barclays, a leading global financial services company and the naming rights partner for the future Barclays Center, today affirmed its commitment to the future arena in Brooklyn and the updated timeline for a 2009 groundbreaking. The Barclays Center, which is designed by Frank Gehry, will be the world-class home of the Nets.
“Barclays is unwavering in its commitment to the Barclays Center and we are very pleased with our long-term alliance with our great partners, the Nets and Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC),” said Gerard LaRocca, Chief Administrative Officer, Americas, at Barclays Capital, the investment banking division of Barclays PLC. “We are very excited about being part of the continued renaissance of Brooklyn and we eagerly look forward to opening night at the Barclays Center.”
“Since we announced our 20-year naming rights partnership in January 2007, Barclays has offered nothing but resolute and great support,” Nets Chief Executive Officer Brett Yormark said. “We deeply appreciate our partnership with such a well-respected and distinguished company, which shares our love for Brooklyn and our strong sense of community.”
“We are thrilled to have Barclays as a partner,” said Bruce Ratner, chairman and CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies, a subsidiary of Forest City Enterprises, Inc., and the chairman of Nets Sports and Entertainment, LLC, which owns the Nets. “The Barclays Center will be one of the most spectacular sports and entertainment arenas in the world. Even more importantly, it is a centerpiece of a development that will bring thousands of jobs and affordable housing units to Brooklyn.” Forest City Enterprises has an equity interest in Nets Sports and Entertainment.
In addition to its naming rights commitment, Barclays continues to play a major role as the co-lead in the financing of the Barclays Center. Momentum for the Barclays Center continued recently when the Internal Revenue Service issued a new regulation that confirms that tax exempt bonds may be used to finance the arena.
The multifaceted partnership among Barclays, the Nets, and FCRC includes the Barclays/Nets Community Alliance, which invests $1 million per year in local non-profits that work to improve the lives of young people in Brooklyn and surrounding communities through sports and other activities, including education and health care. Last month, the Barclays/Nets Community Alliance unveiled a new playground at Public School 19 in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, which marked the first of eight Brooklyn playgrounds that the Alliance will fund with a grant to Out2Play, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to building and refurbishing playgrounds throughout the New York City public school system.
Information on the Barclays Center can be found at www.barclayscenter.com .
Source: Nets Basketball
Former NFL Coach Mike Ditka Hosts The American Youth Football Hall of Fame Awards at Mike Ditka’s Runaway Beach Club Resort
“Da Coach” comes to Central Florida to proudly extend his support at National Championships
Mike Ditka Resorts, Super Bowl winning Coach Mike Ditka, and American Youth Football (AYF), the nation’s largest youth football organization, have united for a special lineup at the 2008 Under Armour American Youth Football National Championship Games and Cheer Competitions in Orlando from Dec. 6-13.
On Dec. 10, “Da Coach” Mike Ditka, former NFL Coach of the 1985 Super Bowl champs the Chicago Bears, will welcome AYF coaches and players at his Runaway Beach Club Resort with a celebratory barbeque showing his support to today’s youths playing the game. Mike Ditka’s Runaway Beach Club Resort is the recipient of Orbitz’s “Best in Family Stay” Award for the Walt Disney World area. It is located in the heart of the Orlando attractions area and is just 20 minutes from the Austin Tindal football fields where the Championship games will be taking place.
Coach Ditka jumped at the chance to be one of AYF’s role models at this year’s championship games, offering support and motivation to its young participants. He will be available for autographs and photos with his resort guests and young athletes. “These kids should all feel like champions,” said the Coach. “They hold the promise of our future and I want them to know it! I want them to remember to work hard, stay focused, and not let anything get in the way of their dreams and goals.”
Ditka will personally visit the football fields throughout the day to interact with these young athletes and influence good sportsmanship and the importance of teamwork in a competitive setting. Later that evening, Mike Ditka’s Runaway Beach Club Resort will host the “AYF Hall of Fame Awards” ceremony. The evening will honor those who have donated more than 20 years of their time to coaching youth football across the nation. During the ceremony, Joe Galat, President of AYF, and Coach Ditka will be speaking and presenting awards to this year’s Hall of Fame recipients.
MIKE DITKA’S RUNAWAY BEACH CLUB RESORT
Runaway Beach Club Resort offers all of the conveniences of a resort with the space and luxury of a private residence. Guests for the tournament can reserve a large one-, two- and three-bedroom Villa or a one-, two- and three-bedroom Loft Villa. The sprawling grounds feature a heated “Key West” zero-entry family pool with water features for kids, a heated “South Beach” adult pool and tanning deck, a 24-hour professional fitness center and complimentary shuttle service to the Walt Disney World theme parks. For more information visit www.mikeditkaresorts.com or call 888-512-2200.
AMERICAN YOUTH FOOTBALL
AYF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, and National Youth Partner of the National Football League. AYF provides support services, scholarships, grants, “Giving Back” programs and tournaments to over 500,000 youth members. Representing more than 1,800 local associations with participants in more than 2,000 cities, AYF is the only youth football program with members in all 50 states and several countries worldwide. AYF is committed to Giving Back and since its inception in 1996, has successfully donated over $14 million dollars in grants and athletic products to communities that support youth football. AYF offers all-inclusive football and cheer divisions to every team and league, enabling every child a place and an opportunity to play. For more information visit www.americanyouthfootball.com.
Source: Mike Ditka Resorts