Final Four Basketball Teams Win on the Court and Off With Chegg.com
Number One Online Textbook Rental Company to Provide a Semester’s Worth of Textbooks to UConn, Michigan State, UNC and Villanova Players and Cheerleaders
March Madness makes many of us forget that college basketball stars are also students, trying to make the grade. On the court these are superstar collegiate athletes, but off the court they are still students burdened by the high cost of textbooks. When basketball players aren’t hitting the courts, they are hitting the books. To recognize the tremendous talent of these athletes, Chegg.com, the number one online textbook rental company, is providing a semester’s worth of textbooks to the Final Four basketball team players and cheerleaders at Michigan State, University of Connecticut, Villanova and University of North Carolina. Behind tuition, textbooks are one of the biggest expenses for college students today. According to the College Board, a full time student at a four-year college will spend $1,077 on textbooks across the full academic year 2008-09.
With today’s economy, college students and families are looking for ways to save. Chegg.com is helping students save 65 to 85 percent on textbooks each semester. The number one online textbook rental company has provided relief to students coping with textbook costs at more than 6,000 campuses nationwide, saving millions of dollars for students in the process. More and more college students are discovering the benefits Chegg.com brings. Chegg.com helped more students save money in January, than it did in all of 2008. Amazing, considering in 2008, Chegg.com saved students $16 million!
“March Madness is one of the most celebrated college sporting events,” said Osman Rashid, CEO of Chegg.com. “Chegg.com wants to be there to celebrate these college students success by providing a semester’s worth of college textbooks so they can win on and off the court.”
Chegg.com allows college students to rent as many textbooks as they like with just a few clicks, delivering them straight to students’ doors. By renting textbooks through Chegg.com, students can save up to $650 per semester on their textbook bills. Just recently Chegg launched a Hassle Free 30-Day Refund Guarantee aimed at simplifying the customer’s life by giving them an option to return their textbooks for a full refund including shipping and tax. Students also have the ability to buy, not just rent, textbooks over Chegg.com. And Chegg.com provides a textbook buyback service, allowing students who own textbooks to earn money.
The Final Four college basketball students and cheerleaders will each receive up to four Chegg.com textbooks for the semester. To contact Chegg.com for your textbooks please email final4@chegg.com or call 1-888-99-CHEGG. Chegg.com will verify information with school records.
Source: Chegg.com
James Boitt Switches for Cool Victory in the ING Georgia Marathon
Three Athletes Three-Peat in the Half Marathon
After days of drought-relieving rain left Atlanta with cool and windy conditions on Sunday, James Boitt felt like this might be his day. Boitt, a Kenyan living in Peachtree City, Ga., switched from the half to the full marathon on race day and went on to win the ING Georgia Marathon with a time of 2:22:16, for his first major marathon victory. The combo distance running event sold out with 15,000 runners and wheelchair athletes registering for the third annual ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon. Complete race results are available at www.inggeorgiamarathon.com.
“I switched to the marathon today because I felt like I could be fast,” said Boitt, a native Kenyan who notched his second marathon victory in the state of Georgia in the month of March after winning in Albany. “I was happy that everybody did not start too fast in the first 10 miles. I laid back for a while at the 20-mile mark, then I was really strong at the end and took the lead for good at mile 24.” Boitt closed with a strong enough sprint to nearly catch the police escort at the finish line, beating second place finisher Kassahun Kabiso (Ethiopia) by 34 seconds.
Serkalem Abrha of Ethiopia came out on top in the women’s field of the ING Georgia Marathon with a time of 2:41:31, edging out second place finisher Albina Gallyamova of Russia. “This was a hard race for me,” said Abrha, who won the ING Hartford Marathon in 2008. “But I was very confident when I was leading, so I felt very good once I got to the front.”
Kenyan Janet Cherobon, who lives in Rome, Ga., took victory for the third straight year in the women’s open division of the ING Georgia Half Marathon in 1:14:49. Cherobon’s pace was fast enough to finish in the Top 10 overall in the Half Marathon. Patrick Cheruiyot of Kenya was the overall winner of the men’s Half Marathon with a time of 1:05:18.
“I like this course very much, especially the hills which are very good for me. It’s definitely a home course advantage for me,” said Cherobon. “I love this race and it was perfect conditions today for a fast race.”
“The weather often writes its own story for us in this race and this year is no exception as days of heavy rain left the area just in time for the start,” said Michael Hughes, race director ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon. “The runners were blessed with cool conditions that were just right for fast times over our beautiful, but challenging course. The participation of everyone, from the runners to the volunteers to the spectators, was a fantastic and energetic way to kick off spring in Atlanta.”
The wheelchair half marathon saw a third straight championship for both the men’s and women’s divisions. Krige Schabort (men’s open division) and Amanda McGrory (women’s open division) successfully defended their titles from 2007 and 2008, further cementing their domination of the event. Schabort, who resides in Cedartown, Ga., finished in 49:14, setting a new race record. McGrory, from Champaign, Ill., finished with a time of 1:05:36.
“I may be a little bit different than other racers because I actually prefer the hills,” said McGrory about the challenging race course. “It’s a difficult course, but it is definitely one of my favorites.”
The ING Run For Something Better program, also in its third year in Atlanta, sported a field of 1,500 middle school children finishing the Final Mile of a half marathon along the same course. This year, students in 26 local middle schools (Atlanta Public Schools, Fulton County Schools and a Decatur Middle School) ran 13.1 miles over nine weeks in their physical education classes.
The urban marathon racecourse starts and finishes at Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta and in-between takes runners through the most interesting areas and historic neighborhoods of Atlanta and the city of Decatur. Adding to its popularity, the ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon boasts an incredibly high completion rate of more than 98 percent for its first three years, which reflects the determination of the runners as well as the course experience itself.
Race Highlights
- 15,000 Total Entrants
- 11,998 Total Starters
- 11,918 Total Finishers
- 99.3 Percent Finishing Rate
- Total Prize Purse: nearly $25,000
- Age of youngest marathoner: 17
- Age of oldest marathoner: 77
- U.S. states represented: 50 (plus Washington D.C. and the territory of Puerto Rico)
- Countries represented: more than 32
- Number of volunteers: more than 2,000
- Temperature at the start: 44° F (cloudy)
- Temperature at the finish: 49° F (cloudy)
- 1,500 schoolchildren from area middle schools finished the Final Mile as part of ING’s Run for Something Better
The 2010 ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon will be held on Sunday, March 28. For more information, please visit www.inggeorgiamarathon.com.
ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon: www.inggeorgiamarathon.com
Fantoo Girls – Where the Girls Talk Sports Profiled in ESPN’s Multiplatform Coverage of Her Story: Celebrating Women in Sports
Vignette on Podcast included in series of inspirational stories rolled out during Women’s History Month
Fantoo Girls, a sports-talk Podcast hosted by Carol Doroba and Robin McConaughy was tapped for inclusion in the coverage of ESPN’s Her Story, a month-long programming initiative to highlight the achievements and contributions of women in the world of sports. The video can be viewed at http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4012679.
ESPN’s coverage throughout March highlights women in sports with documentaries, investigative pieces and a series of vignettes that can be seen across the network’s many platforms.
Fantoo, Inc., founded by Carol Doroba and Robin McConaughy in 2004, launched the Podcast, Fantoo Girls – Where the Girls Talk Sports, in January of 2006. They won the People’s Choice Podcast Awards in the Sports category that same year, and have been a final nominee every year since. As creators of sports content with an entertaining and opinion-based angle, Doroba and McConaughy have hosted weekly, live sports-talk shows on terrestrial and satellite radio, written a weekly feature for the Philadelphia Eagles website and aired a daily show from Radio Row the week before Super Bowl XLI in Miami, FL. Of course, a new Fantoo Girls Podcast can be heard every Thursday morning on the company’s website, http://www.fantoo.com/.
“We are thrilled to be recognized by ESPN as offering something unique and inspirational through our Podcast,” said Doroba, Head Coach of Fantoo. “We came at this from a woman’s perspective and soon realized that the content we created filled a void for both men and women. Our listeners tune in to get an entertaining perspective on sport that keeps them current on the main stories, but isn’t afraid to delve into the personalities, rules and happenings in lesser-known events. Throw in a little popular culture and you have a Fantoo Girls Podcast.”
“As sports fans, we recognized a need for an alternative to the current sports programming available, which tends to be either very stat-oriented, or too focused on the negative stories that swirl around the sports world. We feel that people become more avid sports fans when they have a reason to care about the athletes and the game,” added McConaughy, General Manager of Fantoo. “Our aim is to take our unique approach to creating, producing and delivering sports content to TV, broadband and any other place where the audience would rather laugh than be X and O’d to death.”
To listen to the Podcast, download from the website, subscribe to Fantoo Girls via iTunes or use this URL for their RSS feed: http://www.fantoo.com/podcast/podcast.xml
Four New Cities Join US Road Sports & Entertainment’s 13.1 Marathon Series in 2010
Race Series Now Expands to Eight Cities Across the U.S.
U.S. Road Sports & Entertainment Group is expanding their successful regionally-themed 13.1 Marathon Series to four new cities in 2010. Boston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis- St. Paul and New York will debut their half marathon events next year, joining the existing 13.1 Marathon Series line up of Atlanta, Chicago, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami Beach expanding the brand to eight cities across the country.
“In most races, the 13.1 miles of a half marathon is usually overshadowed by the marathon event,” shared Robert Pozo, executive race director, US Road Sports & Entertainment Group. “Now the distance is celebrated in a unique way. We’ve created a great experience with the 13.1 Marathon Series – each race has its own themed style and music reflecting that city as well as a beautiful, challenging course that highlights the best of each city.”
Debuted in 2009, the 13.1 Marathon Series has been well received by the host cities and runners alike. While the races are known for their fun and exciting themed parties offering paella and salsa dancers in Miami and blues and jazz in Chicago, each race plays up the strong points in each host city by taking runners through picturesque scenery and providing unexpected elements like light shows, cheer groups, and bands along the racecourse. The themes for the 2010 expansion cities include New York’s 70′s disco and club theme in contrast to Boston’s sports theme; Minneapolis-St. Paul will carry runners back to the pop hits of the 80′s while Los Angeles’ theme will reflect its trendy Hollywood and glamour/movie vibe. More information, including registration, is available on the series website, www.131marathon.com.
“We fully expect the 13.1 Marathon Series to continue its success in our new cities and we’re certainly looking ahead to our next expansion in 2011,” added Pozo
About US Road Sports
US Road Sports & Entertainment Group, LP is a Dallas-based company dedicated to the production of world-class endurance events. The mission of US Road Sports is to offer an unparalleled participant sports experience that showcases host communities and endures as a deeply valued local asset through events that are a part of the city’s culture, identity and brand. For each participant, US Road Sports strives to offer events that allow participants of all skill levels the opportunity to improve their physical and mental health, and accomplish life-altering goals while having fun. US Road Sports provides sponsors and municipalities highly effective exposure to help maximize their presence and message in the community.
Race Website: www.131marathon.com
Four Private Golf Clubs Offer Four Memberships for the Price of One, a First in the Tampa Market
Hunter’s Green Country Club, Countryside Country Club, East Lake Woodlands Country Club, and Tampa Palms Country Club, jointly announced today its new Cross Bay membership. This membership opportunity allows members full social, golf and tennis privileges at all four Tampa-area clubs, a first in the market.
Members will have access to 99 holes of championship golf designed by top course designers, including Tom Fazio, Arthur Hills, Gary Player and Von Hagge-Devlin. In addition, members will enjoy 59 tennis courts, state-of-the-art fitness facilities, six pools, complimentary golf and tennis clinics, and access to 150 ClubCorp properties worldwide.
Additional benefits during the inaugural year of the new Cross Bay Club membership include:
- Automatic enrollment for existing members at no additional upgrade cost
- 25 percent discount on all a la carte food and beverage
- 12 guest passes, per six months, to be used at any of the four clubs
- 10 percent discount on cart fees
- Participation in the quarterly Cross Bay golf and tennis tournaments
- Participation in the quarterly Taste of Cross Bay dining events
- 50 percent discount on Tampa Palms room rates inside five days of the booking date
“We are excited at the opportunity to provide our members more bang for their buck at a time when many other golf clubs are offering smaller packages at higher costs,” stated John Woodeshick, regional vice president, southeast region. “The versatility of this membership provides affordable luxury and flexibility to prospective members for their business and social entertaining needs.”
For more information on the Cross Bay membership, please contact Duane Brown at 727.784.8576.
ClubCorp
Dallas-based ClubCorp is The World Leader in Private Clubs(SM). ClubCorp and its affiliates own or operate more than 150 golf courses, country clubs, private business and sports clubs and resorts. ClubCorp’s Signature Gold membership level offers complimentary greens fees at more than 90 golf and country clubs and complimentary dining at more than 60 private business and sports clubs. In addition, members with Signature Gold benefits enjoy privileges at more than 200 facilities worldwide that includes exceptional deals at affiliate hotels and resorts (including KSL Resort properties in California, Colorado, Virginia and Texas), ticket and shopping services and more. Among ClubCorp’s nationally recognized golf properties are Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio (site of the World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational) and Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California (home of the Kraft Nabisco Championship). The renowned collection of business and business sports clubs include the Columbia Tower Club in Seattle; Metropolitan Club in Chicago; and the City Club of Washington, D.C. More than 15,000 employees within the family of ClubCorp serve nearly 200,000 member households and more than one million guests who visit ClubCorp’s clubs each year. Visit www.clubcorp.com for additional company information.