Subaru Rally Team USA to Compete in ESPN X Games 15
Pastrana Will Look to Repeat as Rally Gold Medalist
Subaru Rally Team USA will once again compete in this year’s ESPN X Games 15. The team will look to build upon their success in 2008, when Travis Pastrana won X Games Rally Gold. The ESPN X Games 15 will take place July 30-August 2, in Los Angeles, California.
“X Games rally racing events are a great way to expand our marketing efforts in Southern California and to reach the action sports community,” said Tim Mahoney, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Subaru of America, Inc. ” It’s also a great way to showcase the performance and handling of our Subaru Impreza WRX STI. We are very excited that our team has had such great success in rally events and we hope they can build upon their success this year.”
Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) is comprised of returning drivers Travis Pastrana, Ken Block, and Dave Mirra, who each intend on securing gold at X Games 15 in the Rally Car Racing competition. As a 3-time Rally America National Champion and defending X Games Rally gold medalist, Pastrana will be looking to repeat the achievement in 2009. Each SRT USA driver will be piloting rally cars based on the 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI model and identically prepared by technical partner Vermont SportsCar.
Rally car racing returns to Los Angeles, California for the fourth year in a row at the Summer X Games. The event takes place at The Home Depot Center. For a schedule of X Games 15 rally events and a complete event schedule visit www.expn.com.
Source: Subaru of America, Inc.
New York Yankees Become the First MLB Club to Reach One Million Registered Users
MLB Advanced Media, the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball, announced that the New York Yankees this month became the first of the 30 Major League Clubs to surpass one million registered users for free newsletters and alerts, including exclusive ticketing opportunities, via its official Web site, www.Yankees.com.
“We are proud to reach a milestone that is representative of the passion and commitment Yankees fans have demonstrated for generations,” said Yankees Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost. “Yankees fans from every corner of the globe, including fans from each of the 50 United States, have embraced the exclusive online benefits delivered to their inbox.”
With free registration of a valid email address, Yankees fans can personalize their subscriptions to any of a number of direct communications to stay connected with the Club, including the Yankees Insider newsletter, a weekly source for exclusive inside-the-clubhouse stories, the latest ticketing opportunities, prospect scouting reports, discounts on authentic Yankees merchandise, photo galleries, video highlights and Yankees trivia.
Some of the other free newsletter and alert subscription options for Yankees fans to have delivered directly to their inbox include breaking news alerts, postgame alerts, ticket alerts and shop and memorabilia auction information. In addition, the Yankees offer a Spanish-language weekly newsletter. All newsletters are available in an HTML format with photos, graphics and features unavailable in the plain text format.
Source: MLB.com; New York Yankees
The Sports Legends Challenge Invites Fans To Go All In for the Ultimate Sports Fantasy Event
World-Class Sports and Gaming Event Teams 25 Sports Legends, 25 Poker Pros and Avid Sports Fans Liddell, Couture, Hawk and Messier Added to Roster of Sports Icons
For the first time ever, sports fans have a chance to go beyond a typical athlete meet and greet or autograph session to actually play with and against 25 of the world’s greatest sports superstars. The Sports Legends Challenge is the sports fan’s ultimate fantasy featuring four days of casino gaming and golf cash prize tournaments with some of the biggest names in sports, including: Troy Aikman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Richard Petty, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Joe Namath, Reggie Jackson and many others. To up the ante, the event will also feature 25 of the world’s top Poker Pros such as Jamie Gold, Annie Duke, Johnny Chan and Mike Sexton, who will play with and coach event participants.
The Sports Legends Challenge announced today that it has secured mixed martial arts super stars Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture; skateboard icon Tony Hawk; and hockey legend Mark Messier to round out the list of 25 athletes who will participate.
The event is confirmed for Sept. 14 – 17, 2009 at the luxurious Atlantis Paradise Island resort and casino in the Bahamas. The Sports Legends, Poker Pros and participants will compete in a variety of events including No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em, blackjack, slots and golf tournaments to vie for up to $10 million in prize money.
“The Sports Legends Challenge is one of the most elite and exclusive sporting events in the world,” said Bruce Bibbero, founder and chief executive officer, Sports Legends Challenge. “There has never been an event where a select group of sports fans can cross the line from spectator to competitor in a multi-day gaming and golf experience with 25 of the biggest names in U.S. sports history. It’s simply unprecedented.”
Event participants will compete individually and with a team in a variety of events including No Limit Texas ‘Em, blackjack, slots and golf tournaments during the four-day event. The week culminates with the Sports Legends All-Star Poker Challenge, matching up the Sports Legends, Poker Pros and top-finishing competitors in a winner-take-all, No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em grand finale. This event will pair the top 25 finishing poker players with a Sports Legend in two-player teams, along with a Poker Pro as their coach, for a cash prize. The Sports Legends All-Star Poker Challenge will be televised nationally by FOX Sports Network on Nov. 26, 2009, Thanksgiving Day.
“With the addition of Liddell, Couture, Hawk and Messier, we will enhance the experience for participants and entice a whole new audience of sports fans to be part of this event,” Bibbero said. “We’ve had an unbelievable response to this first-ever event. The support from the sports, poker and fan communities reinforces our vision to turn the Sports Legends Challenge into a series of worldwide events.”
The Sports Legends Challenge also announced today that PokerNews, the world’s leading Poker Web site, has been named as the title sponsor for the organization’s ultimate sports fantasy and gaming event now known as the PokerNews Sports Legends Challenge presented by AbsolutePoker.net. PokerNews will provide unique coverage and content of this event to millions of readers across the international poker community.
Additionally, the World Series of Poker Academy will hold a special three-day academy program as part of the Sports Legends Challenge headlined by all 25 of the Poker Pros in attendance. The Poker Pros will provide strategy, tips and offer instruction to the event participants.
In addition to the casino gaming, the Sports Legends Challenge also features a series of golf tournaments at the world-renowned Ocean Club Golf Course.
The sports icons participating in the event include:
– Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Julius Erving (Dr. J) — Bobby Hull
– Troy Aikman — Mike Ditka — Ozzie Smith
– Richard Petty — Mark Messier — Laffit Pincay
– Sugar Ray Leonard — Fuzzy Zoeller — Brooks Robinson
– Emmitt Smith — Jerry West — Gale Sayers
– Reggie Jackson — Herschel Walker — Kyle Petty
– Chuck Liddell — Jim Brown — Michael Strahan
– Tony Hawk — Randy Couture — Rocco Mediate
– Joe Namath
Sports fans interested in participating should visit www.sportslegendschallenge.com or call 404-869-5000 for information on how to register. Prices start at only $3,799 per person based on double occupancy.
“For most sports fans, the opportunity to meet just one of these athletes is something they would remember and talk about the rest of their lives,” Bibbero said. “We are creating an opportunity for participants to not only meet all of these athletes, but spend significant time with them playing poker, golf and hanging out for four fantastic days. There are a variety of packages available at a great value for an event of this caliber.”
The Poker Pros participating in the event include:
– Annie Duke — Men “The Master” Nguyen — Marsha Waggoner
– Johnny Chan — Mark Seif — Kathy Liebert
– Mike Sexton — Cyndy Violette — Chip Jett
– T.J. Cloutier — Robert Williamson, III — David Singer
– Jamie Gold — Gavin Smith — Marco Traniello
– Layne Flack — Barbara Enright — Karina Jett
– “Cowboy” Kenna James — Amir Vahedi — Robert Daily
– Antonio Esfandiari
Corporate partners for the Sports Legends Challenge include PokerNews, AbsolutePoker.net, Rovia, WorldVentures, Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas, FOX Sports Radio, NTN Buzztime, Inc., VegasInsider, World Championship of Fantasy Football, The World Poker Store, Legendary Auctions, Golf Now powered by The Golf Channel, JetBlue, World Series of Poker Academy, Magellan Jet, Alchemy 3, Bluff Media, World Poker Association, Playboy Golf, and Imperial Jets.
Source: Sports Legends Challenge
3,000 Athletes Race in 9th Annual Nautica New York City Triathlon
New York Woman Takes Lead for First Time
More than 3,000 athletes took the plunge into the Hudson River along Manhattan’s West Side in Riverside Park at the 9th Annual Nautica New York City Triathlon on Sunday, July 26, 2009.
The only Olympic-distance triathlon in New York City, the event hosted athletes from 45 states and 18 countries and offered $30,000 in prize money. The course consists of a 1,500-meter swim in the Hudson River, a 40-kilometer bike ride along the Henry Hudson parkway, and a 10K run in Central Park.
In its inaugural year, 683 people signed up for the NYC Triathlon; in November of 2008, registration was closed in 22 minutes.
This year, the Nautica New York City Triathlon hosted the USA Triathlon’s Accenture ParaTriathlon National Championship with nearly 100 athletes. This race is their only qualifying event for the World Championships. To qualify, they must finish in less than 4 hours.
“This triathlon began as part of New York City’s 2012 Olympic bid effort and has grown beyond our wildest imaginations,” said John Korff, the race’s organizer. “The sport of triathlon continues to be America’s fastest-growing spectator sport and every year, we regret that we have to turn people away.”
The Tri also featured the second annual IAMS 5-Mile Doggy Dash, with nearly 20 dogs and their humans vying to be the first to cross the finish line in Central Park to win the coveted red fire hydrant.
Below are the results for the top finishers.
TOP MEN:
1. Greg Bennett, 37, formerly North Sydney Australia, now Boulder, CO–1:45:50 (4th consecutive win)
2. Andy Potts, 32, Boulder, CO–1:46:27
3. Matty Reid, 33, Boulder, CO–1:47:43
TOP WOMEN:
1. Rebeccah Wassner, 33, New York, NY–1:58:25
2. Becky Lavelle, 34, Los Gatos, CA–2:00:17
3. Margaret Shapiro, 32, Herndon, VA–2:03:21
The winners of the IAMS 5-Mile Doggy Dash were:
1. Nathan Kucera and Beowulf, New Haven, CT
2. Bryan Scherich and Blue, Durham, NC
3. Kurt Skalamera and Bean, New York, NY
Official New York City Triathlon sponsors include Nautica, FOX 5 New York, Toyota, Accenture, Janus, jetBlue Airways, The Vitamin Shoppe, Muscle Milk, SNY, RCN, United Healthcare, POM Wonderful, Minute Rice, Xterra Wetsuits, IAMS, Reebok Sports Club/NY, Power Crunch, Jamaica Tourist Board, Edge Infused, Athletes for a Fit Planet, TYR, SpongeTech, Sistem, The Capital Grille, Huggies, and the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon Series.
Source: Nautica(R) New York City Triathlon
U.S. Senior Open Fans to Benefit From Verizon Wireless Network Boost at Crooked Stick Golf Club
Verizon Wireless has activated a temporary cell site to improve its voice and date network around the Crooked Stick Golf Club to accommodate the anticipated crowd of 150,000 attending the seven-day run of the 2009 U.S. Senior Open Championship beginning July 27.
The company has deployed a Cell on Light Truck (COLT) to boost coverage in the area surrounding the golf club and especially where spectators will be allowed to use their wireless phones while off the course. A COLT is a fully functional, generator-powered mobile cell site that enhances wireless capacity in a specific location – and works especially well in dense areas with large crowds.
“With 156 participating players, an estimated 150,000 fans and 2,900 volunteers on site, we want to make sure every call, email, photo, text message and video gets through at this major sporting event,” said Greg Haller, president – Indiana/Kentucky/Michigan Region, Verizon Wireless.
The U.S. Senior Open is scheduled to close August 2. Officials estimate nearly $15 million in direct visitor spending in the greater Indianapolis area from those attending the event.
“Our customers choose Verizon Wireless because they know they can depend on us every time they pick up their phones,” Haller said. “With a community relying on this kind of economic impact, we also need to make sure our coverage is consistent with our proven network quality.”
On-site network improvements, including the enhanced coverage around the Carmel course, are part of Verizon Wireless’ continual efforts to expand coverage, improve capacity and enhance the quality of its wireless voice and data network in Indiana and throughout the country.
Verizon Wireless has invested more than $50 billion since it was formed – $5.5 billion on average every year – to increase the coverage and capacity of its premier nationwide network and to add new services. In 2008, the company invested more than $106.5 million in its Indiana network.
Source: Verizon Wireless
AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Inks Groundbreaking Contract With Top Athletes
Pro Beach Tour relationship with players secured through next Olympiad
AVP Pro Beach Volleyball has signed a new contract with its top-ranked athletes, it was announced today. The four-year agreement is effective immediately and has been signed by the top American players and many of their counterparts, including US Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh, Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser and others.
“We are thrilled to have a long-term deal with the AVP and are committed to forming a true partnership with the new management team to grow the sport – the momentum that we are seeing is exciting,” said Kerri Walsh, two-time Olympic gold medalist and member of the AVP Players’ Committee. “We want to grow together and bring our sport to an even higher level. We all love beach volleyball and look forward to operating as a united front with our tour.”
Signing a new agreement with the athletes was the top priority for the new management team, led by new CEO Jason Hodell.
“We are very excited to have completed a four-year agreement with our players,” said Jason Hodell, CEO, AVP Pro Beach Volleyball. “Only genuine teamwork between the players, their representatives and our management team made this agreement possible.”
The new agreement features progressive revenue-sharing, profit-sharing into bonus pools, a joint focus on important growth initiatives for the sport, and defined transparency and cooperation on sponsor marketing and activation initiatives, to include sponsor category-sharing and coordinated exclusivity.
“The player contract extension provides a foundation for the players to work closely with our tour to achieve great things in the future,” said Todd Rogers, who along with his partner Phil Dalhausser won a gold medal in Beijing. “The AVP tour represents the best of beach volleyball in the US and in the world – and we are excited for the future of the sport.”
“We look forward to further forming a strong, productive partnership between AVP management and athletes. Working together, we can really build and enhance the sport we all love,” said Al Lau, Vice President of Sport Development and Player Relations for the AVP.
“The players have a shared vision with AVP management and with RJSM pertaining to the consolidation and promotion of the sport of volleyball. There are significant growth opportunities present in the sport right now that we intend to capitalize on in partnership with the AVP pro tour,” said athlete representative Ryan Morgan of MAG. “We are looking forward to the next four years and beyond.”
Source: AVP.com
2008 Olympic Marathon Gold Medalist Sammy Wanjiru Selects 2009 Bank of America Chicago Marathon for U.S. Debut
Former Chicago Marathon Champions Evans Cheruiyot, Patrick Ivuti and Lidiya Grigoryeva to Contend for Repeat Championships
2008 Olympic Marathon gold medalist Sammy Wanjiru (KEN) today announced he will make his first U.S. appearance at the 2009 Bank of America Chicago Marathon in an attempt to better his current personal marathon record (2:05:10). With two sub-2:06 marathons to his credit and the benefits of Chicago’s sleek course, the 22-year-old Kenyan’s goals are within reach.
“My plan for the fall is to lower my personal record and the Bank of America Chicago Marathon course offers the best opportunity for me to achieve that this year,” said Wanjiru from Kenya. “My only focus between now and October is to prepare and train aggressively for my best performance yet.”
Wanjiru has quickly made a name for himself in the world of distance running, first capturing the half marathon world record in 2005, lowering it in 2007 and winning three of the four marathons in which he has competed. His Olympic gold medal performance last summer in Beijing was the first ever for a Kenyan athlete in the marathon and marked his first World Marathon Majors (WMM) victory. This spring, he captured a second consecutive WMM win with his fastest time yet at the 2009 London Marathon (2:05:10).
“Sammy is certainly the athlete to watch in this sport right now and we are honored to be able to host him at such a pivotal point in his career,” said Carey Pinkowski, Executive Race Director for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. “We have had the pleasure of witnessing four previous world records in Chicago and if conditions are right, the enthusiastic sports fans in this city could have the opportunity to see that again.”
Challenging Wanjiru for the title will be 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon champion Evans Cheruiyot (KEN) and 2007 champion Patrick Ivuti (KEN). Cheruiyot, 27, has competed in only three marathons including his WMM debut in Chicago last fall. He broke the tape in a personal best 2:06:25, an impressive feat considering the unseasonably warm weather.
Ivuti, 31, will make his third Chicago appearance this fall, returning to the site where he posted the closest margin of victory in Chicago Marathon history in 2007. Amid record heat and humidity, Ivuti thrilled fans with a shoulder-to-shoulder sprint against two-time World Champion Jaouad Gharib (MAR), crossing the finish line only half a second ahead of Gharib (2:11:11). In 2005, he made his marathon debut in Chicago where he posted his current personal best (2:07:46) in a fifth-place finish.
Reigning women’s Chicago Marathon champion Lidiya Grigoryeva (RUS) will defend the title she earned in Chicago last October with a finish time of 2:27:17. Grigoryeva, 35, is the 2007 Boston Marathon champion and owns a personal best of 2:25:10 set in Los Angeles in 2006. Her primary contender is 2005 Chicago Marathon champion Deena Kastor (USA) who has already set her sights on lowering the American marathon record she currently owns (2:19:36).
“Today’s announcement significantly advances the depth of our elite athlete field for the October 11 race and continues the tradition of world class marathon competition in Chicago,” said Pinkowski.
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is one of the most competitive marathons in the world. In its storied history it has hosted some of the great names in the sport including Steve Jones, Joan Benoit-Samuelson, Khalid Khannouchi, Catherine Ndereba, Deena Kastor and Paula Radcliffe. Currently, the 2009 start line will feature four former Chicago Marathon champions, eight World Marathon Major victories and two Olympic medalists.
In its 32nd year and a member of the World Marathon Majors, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon annually attracts 45,000 runners including a world class elite field and 1.5 million spectators. As a result of its national and international draw, the iconic race assists in raising $10 million for a variety of charitable causes while generating an estimated $140 million economic impact to its host city.
The 2009 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will start and finish in Chicago’s Grant Park beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11. In advance of the race, a two-day Health & Fitness Expo will be held at McCormick Place on Friday, October 9 and Saturday, October 10. More information on the race and how to get involved is available at the event Web site, chicagomarathon.com.
www.chicagomarathon.com
Source: Bank of America