Harmony School student wins State and National Special Olympics competitions
17 year-old Dimple, of the Harmony School in Dharamsala, India, wins National 25 meter Special Olympics competition and has the opportunity to compete internationally.
Harmony Through Education (Harmony) is a 501(c)(3) international non-profit organization, specializing in creating schools in rural India for mentally and physically challenged children, was asked to participate in the annual statewide Special Olympics competition, held in Himachal Pradesh. The Harmony School sent four students to compete against other special needs children. One of the students who participated was a 17 year-old female student, Dimple Lal, received a gold medal in the 25 meter dash and a silver medal in the 50 meter competitions. This qualified Dimple to compete in the National Athletics Championship competition in Anatapur, India on January 12, where she was took home the gold metal in the 25 meter dash. Dimple will go on to represent India and compete internationally with the other star athletes in the international Special Olympics competition.
Harmony Founder and President, Seth Shaffer was ecstatic after being informed that Dimple won the 100 meter dash competition by the Director of the Harmony School, Anil Bhatnagar. “Dimple is from a rural area located in the foothills of the Himalayas and three years ago and her family couldn’t imagine having access to educational opportunities that would accommodate Dimple’s learning challenges, said Mr. Shaffer. “One and a half years later, Dimple has been recognized and rewarded for her strengths and abilities by the entire sub-continent of India.”
Source: Harmony Through Education
Calling All Triathletes
The Laurel’s Triathlon Training Center on the Upper East Side Offers Residents the Most Advanced Private Triathlon Training Facilities in NYC
Triathletes or those interested in triathlon training and access to the most advanced sports facilities in New York City have the unique opportunity to live in a building that meets the needs of their athletic lifestyle.
Located at 400 East 67th Street, The Laurel’s state-of-the-art Triathlon Training Center is available exclusively for residents at the luxury condominium building interested in challenging themselves on an uninterrupted running, swimming and biking circuit. In addition to a custom designed resistance pool with adjustable current levels, the center offers the most up-to-date equipment including Woodway “The Force” treadmills, which have a magnetic brake that provides resistance; CycleOps pro indoor cycles that reproduce the fit of a road bike; and SCIFIT ergo-meters designed for ultimate cardio and strength training.
Professional trainer Anthony Bagnetto of Iowa Sports Management is one of two skilled trainers on staff available to work privately with residents at The Laurel. Bagnetto, a triathlete since 2006 who will compete in the New York City Triathlon in July 2010, said triathletes couldn’t find a better place in New York City to call home.
“There is a strong triathlete population here in New York City, so it’s fantastic that there is a residential building available that caters to their sport,” Bagnetto said. “I first heard about The Laurel and its Triathlon Training Center long before it opened. As a triathlete, I was so impressed with the concept. Everything in it is all top of the line.”
The Triathlon Training Center is part of the Laurel’s Trophy Club, an 8,000 square feet bi-level fitness and spa-like facility. Other offerings at the private amenity space on the Upper East Side of Manhattan include a 50-foot infinity edge lap pool with a glass mosaic tile interior and a botticino marble deck; a fitness center with state-of-the-art apparatus including Life Fitness cardiovascular training equipment, free-weights; custom-designed Atlantis strength equipment; a steam room; and a sauna.
The Trophy Club was designed by prominent New York fitness specialist John Sitaras and is run by Iowa Sports Management. The space elegantly combines beauty and function, outfitted with marble, limestone and frosted glass walls and custom designed poolside cabanas with Wenge wood paneling and upholstered seating.
“The Trophy Club is the most cutting-edge fitness center available today and only The Laurel can offer it exclusively to our residents,” said Joanie Schumacher, Director of Sales for The Laurel.
The Laurel’s foundation is built upon environmentally conscious principles from the construction, energy efficiency, building materials, and indoor air quality, to the active and healthy lifestyle it provides to its residents. There are 129 condominium residences in The Laurel, designed by award-winning architects Costas Kondylis and Brian Callahan, which range in size from studios to four bedrooms.
Source: Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group
Peak Sport and NBA kicks off Peak NBA Youth Basketball Development Plan
Strived to Cultivate Reserve Forces for China Basketball Industry
Peak Sport held a grand ceremony on 21 January 2010 in Beijing to announce the kick off of “Peak – NBA Youth Basketball Development Plan“, which aims to cultivate reserve forces for the China basketball industry and further promote its development.
“Peak – NBA Youth Basketball Development Plan” is a large-scale nationwide basketball promotion campaign jointly launched by Peak Sport and NBA. “Peak NBA 5 on 5 Basketball Tournament” will be the highlight of the Project. The targeted participants of the tournament are the young basketball enthusiasts aged between 18 and 24. Matches will be held in 12 major cities all over the country including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Xi’an, Zhengzhou, Changsha, Shenyang, Chengdu, Chongqing and Qingdao. The winning team from each city will join a comprehensive NBA training camp conducted by athletes and coaches from NBA, NBDL and WNBA, and will undergo a series of professional basketball training. During the training, the participants will have a chance to play in courts with NBA stars Jason Kidd and Ron Artest. All the winning teams will compete in the National Final and the champion will visit the US, watching the home matches of the Lakers team and the team’s pre- match training. The visit will provide a great opportunity for the participants to learn the world-class techniques from the NBA stars. They may even have a chance to have dinner with Ron Artest.
With respect to the kick off of “Peak – NBA Youth Basketball Development Plan“, Mr. XU Zhihua, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Peak Sport, said: “We have been contributing our effort to the development of the basketball industry for the Chinese youth for years. However, as the events held in the past were not systematic and inter-related to each other, the promotional effect might not be maximized. The launching of “Peak – NBA Youth Basketball Development Plan” is an important development strategy of Peak Sport, which consolidates the Company’s basketball promotional activities into a planned and systematic long term development project, and it also helps raise the standard of the China basketball industry to an international level.” Mr. Xu considered that apart from being a social responsibility which a branded sport products company should take in the fast-growing economy of China, the project also helps enhance the exchange of basketball culture between China and the overseas. Meanwhile, the project is a long term strategy to enable Peak Sport to maintain its unique positioning in the China professional sport products market, to boost its brand recognition, and to increase its market share.
Source: Peak Sport Products Co., Limited
Barcelona and New York organize the first attempt at a Sailing Record between the two cities
The NY-BCN Transoceanic Sailing Record is an initiative by the Fundacio Navegacio Oceanica Barcelona (FNOB) with the collaboration of the NYC Sports Commission
The NY-BCN record will highlight New York City and Barcelona as important capitals for major sports events
An Avelino Pi photographic exhibition and a project involving students from Barcelona and New York are at the core of a cultural and educational program
At the event portal www.ny-bcn.org viewers will be able to follow the attempted record on a daily basis from the start in an Atlantic city to the finish in a Mediterranean one
Two cities, two boats and 3900 nautical miles to sail. In April, New York City and Barcelona will strengthen their sporting and cultural ties even further with a new oceanic challenge. The NY-BCN Transoceanic Sailing Record will establish a record for sailing between the two cities. Organized by the Fundacio Navegacio Oceanica Barcelona (FNOB) along with the collaboration of the New York City Sports Commission, the event will make New York and Barcelona the first Atlantic and Mediterranean cities to join forces in creating their own record attempt.
Pere Alcober, Sports Councillor for Barcelona City Council and president of the Fundacio Navegacio Oceanica Barcelona (FNOB) today announced the NY-BCN Transoceanic Sailing Record at the Barcelona Town Hall. The regatta will start at the Ambrose Light mark at Sandy Hook, New Jersey between April 5th and the 12th and will arrive at the W Hotel in the port of Barcelona between April 20th and the 30th. The exact departure date will be determined by weather conditions that the sailors consider most suitable for the fastest crossing. Besides the NYC Sports Commission, the project involves the New York Yacht Club and the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona.
The two boats competing to set the record will be the IMOCA Open 60s Estrella Damm and W Hotels, two sister vessels each with one Spanish and one North American skipper on board, making the transatlantic competition completely equal.
Barcelona City Hall Sports Councillor Pere Alcober explained: “This new transoceanic challenge is an important part of the FNOB’s main objective, which is to encourage high-profile projects in the world of offshore sailing, such as the Barcelona World Race. Besides the sporting element the new NY-BCN record also has important cultural and educational aspects.”
Avelino Pi exhibit and Robert Llimos sculpture are part of the cultural program
To strengthen the ties between New York City and Barcelona the South Street Seaport Museum in New York will host the exhibition “Avelino Pi, fotografo olimpico” (Avelino Pi, Olympic photographer), which focuses on offshore sailing and includes thirty of the pioneering artist’s works. Produced by the FNOB and the Fundacio Barcelona Olimpica, the exhibition will be shown from March 25th to the end of April.
The finishing touch of the cultural program is the trophy that will be awarded to the winner of the race, which is a reproduction of Robert Llimos’ sculpture Miraestels. An exhibition showcasing documents and audiovisual materials about the NY-BCN record will be held in New York’s World Financial District from March 25th to April 4th.
Students from New York and Barcelona participate in the educational program
The NY-BCN Transoceanic Sailing Record will include an extensive educational program aimed at promoting the culture of sailing to first and second year students at schools throughout Barcelona and New York City. The program will involve classroom activities, the ability to follow the race online, videoconferences with the sailors, exchanges between schools from both cities and in-person meetings with the skippers.
In January the web site www.ny-bcn.org was launched, where it will be possible to closely follow the competition on a daily basis from start to finish. The web site will also publish the latest news and up-to-date reports throughout the challenge, expert weather analysis, position charts, videos and photographs of the boats.
Fundacio Navegacio Oceanica Barcelona (FNOB)
The Fundacio Navegacio Oceanica de Barcelona (FNOB) was established in 2005 with the aim of enhancing awareness of the culture of the sea. To achieve this objective, the FNOB, whose partners are the Barcelona City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce, the Port and the Fira de Barcelona, created the Barcelona World Race, a non-stop round-the-world two crew sailing regatta, whose second edition will start on 31 December 2010.
New York City Sports Commission
Created in 1986 for the New York Town Hall, the New York City Sports Commission is a municipal organization responsible for attracting, creating, and promoting sporting events to foster the development of amateur and professional sports throughout the City’s five boroughs, to provide its residents and visitors with a range of attractive sports events, and to promote the city’s economy.
Source: Fundacio Navegacio Oceanica Barcelona (FNOB)
4 Star Tennis Summer Camps expands to Stony Brook University
4 Star Camps announced that they will be partnering with Stony Brook University, a NCAA Division I college on Long Island, NY, to provide residential and day tennis camps starting in 2010. Coach Gary Glassman and Justin Drzal have directed this residential tennis camp for the past three summers and will continue to be the summer camp directors. Justin directed 4 Star’s Tennis Camp at the University of Virginia for 10 years prior to joining Gary at Stony Brook.
“We are very excited to be working with Gary and reuniting with Justin,” said Mitch Popple, 4 Star Camps’ Executive Director. “We’ve been searching for an expansion opportunity, and you can’t ask for a better location than Long Island, NY. We are a summer camp company whose entire focus is on our campers and operating high-quality camp experiences. This is why both Gary and I strongly believe this was a natural fit.”
Coach Glassman said, “I was looking for a company to partner with that would allow my coaches and me to focus on what we enjoy the most, the students and their tennis. 4 Star Camps really impressed me with their knowledge of the summer camping business, enthusiasm for creating great programming and attention to detail. They are so flexible and provided us with a number of ideas on how to grow the camp to reach more people. Already, 4 Star Camps has reduced the weekly rates to keep it affordable while also adding a new High School Players Tennis Camp.”
There will be two tennis programs offered over the course of three weeks – the High School Players Tennis Camp from July 6 – 9 and the traditional Junior Tennis Camp for ages 9 – 18 the weeks of July 11 and July 18. Both programs utilize Stony Brook’s 12 outdoor tennis courts along with their dorms and dining halls.
4 Star Camps is a family-owned and -operated summer camp that offers an exclusive brand of high-quality tennis, golf, academic and SAT Prep instruction for youth ages 9 – 18 since 1975. Summer camp locations include the University of Virginia and Stony Brook University.
Source: 4starcamps.com