Game On!March 2011

In this IssueSpring Break Means Big •Business in Palm Beach CountyMajor League Baseball Spring •Training ReturnsGymnastics Championships at •FAUThe Honda Classic Swings •Into TownPalm Beach County Wins Bid •for 2012 Water Ski National ChampionshipsPBCSC Receives •Community Service AwardPBC Sports Hall of Fame•

Spring Break Means Big Business in Palm Beach County

Spring break creates niche markets within the sports travel industry for Palm Beach County. The Palm Beach County Sports Commission works diligently to attract collegiate sports teams from across the nation to practice and compete during their spring breaks. Three such events; The Palm Beach Challenge, Spring Fling and the FAU Spring Break Golf Championships will take place during the month of March, creating over 4,000 room nights and an estimated $2 million of economic impact for Palm Beach County.

Similar to hosting Major League Baseball Spring Training at Roger Dean Stadium, Palm Beach County also has a spring training forum for college baseball, the Palm Beach Challenge. This event attracts over 50 NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA collegiate baseball teams from 12 different states and Canada to play over 120 baseball games in 32 days. The month-long event will take place at Santaluces Athletic Complex, the former Spring Training facility for Major League Baseball’s Montreal Expos, from February 25-March 28, 2011. In addition to great collegiate talent, the event brings numerous Major League Baseball scouts. Over 30 players from this event are expected to be drafted this year.

Spring Fling, the largest spring training event in the country for women’s collegiate lacrosse and secondary prep schools, is scheduled to take place from March 7-18, 2011 at Lake Lytal Park in West Palm Beach. Spring Fling will showcase NCAA teams, as well as several prep schools, predominately from the northeast. Many of the top lacrosse programs in the country have competed at Spring Fling, including many Final Four teams from all three NCAA collegiate divisions.

Florida Atlantic University will host its 3rd Annual Spring Break Golf Championships from March 25-27, 2011 at Gleneagles Country Club in Delray Beach. The event will feature 17 NCAA Division I schools, including Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State and

Illinois. Although the event is in its early stages, it has displayed some of the best collegiate golf programs in the nation.

Since 2004, these spring training events have generated almost 28,000 room nights and more than $15 million of economic impact to Palm Beach County. The Palm Beach County Sports Commission will continue to utilize this market to impact the local economy. The tropical environment of Palm Beach County is a major asset in promoting the area as a sports tourism and spring break destination.

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Major League Baseball Spring Training Returns to Roger Dean Stadium

The Honda Classic Swings into Town with an Estimated Economic Impact of $33 Million

The 2011 Honda Classic will be in full swing from March 3-6, as a field of 144 PGA Tour professionals take to the links at PGA National Resort and Spa to compete for a total purse of $5.7 million. This year marks the fifth year the tournament returns to PGA National Resort and Spa and the ninth consecutive year The Honda Classic is taking place in Palm Beach County.

The Honda Classic has a major impact regionally, nationally and internationally. The tournament provides PGA Tour excitement to incoming visitors and Palm Beach County residents alike. The tournament also makes a significant contribution to the Palm Beach County economy. Over 4,000 hotel room nights are generated through the event with an estimated economic impact of $33 million. In 2010, attendance increased by 10% and over 100,000 spectators are anticipated at the 2011 tournament. Credentialed media has nearly doubled in recent years—over 250 credentialed

media will be in attendance at this year’s event. In addition, Palm Beach County is showcased world-wide as The Honda Classic is televised live on the Golf Channel and NBC and is internationally distributed to 221 countries, reaching over 570 million households. A contingency of several Top 50 World-Ranked players are expected. The anticipated field is made up of players certain to bring excitement and draw a crowd--2010 Honda Classic defending champion Camilo Villegas, Boo Weekly, Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell, Rocco Mediate and Rory McIlroy are some of the PGA Tour professionals anticipated to compete. Over 30 professional golfers call Palm Beach County home and a handful of these local residents will be competing at the 2011 Honda Classic including Mark Calcavecchia, Ernie Els, Rickie Fowler, Robert Allenby and Luke Donald.

For tickets or more information visit TheHondaClassic.com.

Major League Baseball (MLB) Spring Training returns to Palm Beach County as the Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals play a total of 32 games in the Grapefruit League at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter.

The season will witness the Marlins and Cardinals competing against some of the most talented teams in Major League Baseball. Playoff contenders, such as the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays will roll into Palm Beach County.

Spring Training is a giant contributor to the Palm Beach County economy. The two MLB teams generate more than $40 million of economic impact and 10,000 hotel room nights. The two teams are expected to generate a combined attendance figure that exceeds 170,000 for the season. Roger Dean Stadium is a $28 million baseball complex and stadium specially designed to house two Major League Baseball teams. The complex is a state-of-the-art facility. Roger Dean Stadium is the only stadium in the country to host two minor league teams as well as the only stadium in Florida to host two spring training teams. The stadium features luxury sky-box seating, permanent seating, parking and concessions.

Individual game Spring Training tickets are now on sale! Tickets can be purchased at the Roger Dean Stadium ticket office, by phone via Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or visit rogerdeanstadium.com

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission partnered with The Gymnastics Revolution, a local gymnastics training center based in West Palm Beach, to bring the USA Gymnastics (USAG) Florida Men’s State Championships to Palm Beach County on March 12-13, 2011. The

USAG Florida Men’s State Championships will take place at Florida Atlantic University’s arena in Boca Raton. The meet includes competitors from levels 4-10, which brings athletes from ages 6 to 18. The USAG Florida Men’s State Championships, which serves as a qualifier for regional competitions, will attract approximately 400 gymnasts from across the state.

The Gymnastics Revolution will host the event and is a member club of USAG. USA Gymnastics is the National Governing Body for the sport of gymnastics in the United States. USAG selects and trains gymnastics teams for the Olympic Games and World Championships. USA Gymnastics promotes and develops gymnastics on a grassroots and national level and serves as a resource center for member clubs, fans and gymnasts throughout the United States.

The meet begins at 8am on both Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13. For more information on the event, contact the Palm Beach County Sports Commission at (561) 233-3180 or via email at kpursell@palmbeachsports.com.

State Gymnastics Championships Coming to Florida Atlantic University

1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 1410 •West Palm Beach, FL 33401 • 561.233.3180 • 561.233.3125

Palm Beach County Wins Bid for 2012 Water Ski National ChampionshipsUSA Water Ski and the American Water Ski Association announced that the 2012 Water Ski National Championships will be held at Okeeheelee Park in West Palm Beach, FL.

Hosted by the Ski Club of the Palm Beaches, the 70th Nationals are tentatively scheduled to take place in August 2012.

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission works closely with the Ski Club of the Palm Beaches in bringing water skiing events to the county. The USA Water Ski National Championships were held in Palm Beach County in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2008 and 2009. “It is with great pleasure that we anxiously await the return of the largest three-event water ski tournament in the world,” said Charlotte Melchers, president of the Ski Club of The Palm Beaches. Historically, this event has generated anywhere from 1,500 to 3,600 room nights with an estimated economic impact of over $1 million.

The American Water Ski Association, one of nine sport discipline organizations of USA Water Ski, approved the bid at its mid-winter board of directors’ meeting on January 29. The bid approval also includes an option for Palm Beach County to host the 2013 Nationals. The Ski Club of The Palm Beaches has hosted 11 Water Ski National Championships, five Southern Regional Water Ski

Palm Beach County Sports Commission Receives Community Service Award

Championships, two Florida State Water Ski Championships and the 1989 Water Ski World Championships – in addition to a handful of professional cash-prize tournaments and hundreds of other amateur water ski tournaments – over the past 25 years. The club most recently produced the 2008 and 2009 GOODE Water Ski National Championships, and it will host the 2011 Big Dawg Slalom Series Championship, Sept. 23-25. “It is always exciting to watch the best water ski athletes in the nation compete at a world-class facility such as Okeeheelee Park,” said Gene Davis, president of the American Water Ski Association. “The Ski Club of The Palm Beaches always provides a great venue and atmosphere for the competitors and their families, and we are very much looking forward to returning to West Palm Beach in 2012.” For more information on the Ski Club of The Palm Beaches, visit www.okeeski.com.

More than 800 of the nation’s top water ski athletes from across the United States will compete for national titles in slalom, tricks, jumping and overall in respective age divisions and two Open divisions. Advancement to the Water Ski National Championships – the world’s largest three-event water ski tournament – is primarily earned through placement on the national rankings list. Athletes also can qualify for the Nationals by placing in the top-five at Regionals or by placing in the top-five at the previous year’s Nationals. The 2011 GOODE Water Ski National Championships will be held August 7-13 at Waters Edge Estates in Wilmington, Ill.

Inner City Youth Golfer’s, Inc (ICYG) presented the Palm Beach County Sports Commission with its community service award at the 9th Annual Community Giants Recognition Celebration and Auction. The celebration took place on Friday, February 18 at Bear Lakes Country Club. The Palm Beach County Sports Commission has worked in partnership with ICYG over the years through the African American Golfer’s Hall of Fame, the Kids Fitness Festival of the Palm Beaches and other community endeavors. The Community Giants Recognition Celebration and Auction was founded in 2002 to honor those that have contributed to children in the community by providing them with opportunities to enjoy the great sport of golf. Malachi Knowles, ICYG founder stated, “It is extremely fitting that the Palm Beach County Sports Commission is celebrated as a Community Giant in this class because of its strong and untiring working relationship over the years with Executive

Director, George Linley. ICYG has been partners with the sports commission since day one under the leadership of Pam Gerig.” Other 2011 Community Giants included: Delta Chapter, Eta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc; Edward L. Rich; Port of Palm Beach District; Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts; Ronald A. Davis; Dr. Debra Robinson; Donald Cameron and Bobby Powell, Jr. ICYG was founded in Riviera Beach, FL with the vision toward helping inner-cities become better places to live, work and enjoy life a little better through the sport of golf. ICYG is specifically an academic excellence and golf program that uses the excitement, etiquette, rules, behavior and manners of golf to help inner-city children focus on the positive, mold them into good citizens and make them future role models. For more additional information on ICYG please call 561.844.8774, email icyginc@aol.com or visit www.icyg.org.

w w w. Pa l m B e a c h S p o r t s . c o m

1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 930West Palm Beach, FL 33401

Tel: (561) 233-3180 Fax: (561) 233-3125

Corporate Sponsors

The 35th Annual Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame Induction and Annual Sports Awards Banquet is just weeks away, taking place on Sunday, March 27 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Don’t miss the opportunity to spend an evening with legends--be sure to purchase tickets at www.palmbeachsports.com. The Hall of Fame Class of 2011 includes Super Bowl XLIV champion Heath Evans, Cardinal Newman High School standout wide receiver Chris T. Jones, along with LPGA Tour Championship and two-time U.S. Women’s Open winner, Meg Mallon. Ken Green (golf ), Remuise Johnson (football), Tom Mullins (coaching), Barbara Gillespie Nicklaus (softball), Kevin Patrick (football), Tom Twyford (fishing) and Jack Wullkotte (golf ) complete the list of athletes and individuals being recognized for their achievements. The Annual Sports Awards will also recognize local coaching legends, high school athlete standouts and a complete list of elite individuals.

Jason Pugh, of ESPN 760, will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Jason began his career at ESPN 760 in 2003 and

Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Famedebuted as an on-air radio personality in 2007. In 2010, Jason became part of an unparalleled partnership between ESPN 760 and WPTV News Channel 5, where his responsibilities include anchoring, producing, editing and shooting the sports segments on the 6pm and 11pm news as well the 5 Sports Live program on Sunday. The partnership between ESPN 760 and WPTV News Channel 5 has further expanded to include WFLX Fox 29 where Jason can be seen on the 10pm sports newscast on Friday-Sunday. Jason has quickly become a leader in the Palm Beach County sports journalism and media scene. The PBCSC is honored to have him host the 2011 Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame Banquet.

Join the Palm Beach County Sports Commission and Master of Ceremonies, Jason Pugh, for a sensational evening honoring those who represent Palm Beach County in making a significant contribution in the world of sports. For more information call PBCSC at 561.233.3180 or visit www.palmbeachsports.com.