KANSAS CITY, Mo.—In partnership with Mayor Quinton Lucas, the boards of the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation and Visit KC announced today that industry veteran and local community leader Kathy Nelson will serve as the leader of both organizations, effective Jan. 1, 2022.
Serving as the President & CEO of the KC Sports Commission and Foundation for the last 10 years, Nelson will now provide strategic oversight to both regional organizations in the newly expanded role, helping to generate economic development for the destination through meetings, conventions, sports and tourism.
“Kansas City is thrilled to announce today that Kathy Nelson, one of sports’ most respected names locally and around the country, is expanding her role and will now oversee both the Kansas City Sports Commission and Kansas City’s tourism arm, Visit KC," said Mayor Lucas. “Kathy’s steady leadership, efficiency and kindness when assembling sizable sport...
We all endured a lot in 2020 as we saw our industry completely come to a stop. During that time, we know individuals and organizations rose to the challenge and helped make their community and our association better. We would like to hear from anyone and everyone that has positive outcomes from the struggles that occurred last year. Whether you were fighting against COVID related issues, natural disasters, social justice movements or more, we want to hear from you. Submit an entry by August 29 to tell us how you or your Destination overcame challenges in 2020 and achieved positive results.
There will not be a winner selected for this award, but we will recognize all who submit for this category at the Symposium. Please submit only one entry per organization.
Requirements: 1-page max description of how your Destination qualifies to be recognized. Photos and videos can be submitted, but not required.
Deadline: August 29 at 3AM ET...
Going Virtual to Create A New Event Called Virtual Artistic Swimming
By Baylee Robinson, Events & Membership Director, USA Artistic Swimming
Looking back at 2020 and what we all went through is overwhelming, but it also shows how resilient the sport industry can be. Last year was full of planning, cancelling, planning again, moving, postponing and transitioning into a virtual world. To say 2020 was stressful and exhausting is an understatement of the year, it was so much more. It was devastating to watch but looking back now I can see how successful we all really were.
USA Artistic Swimming (USAAS) went through a lot of same struggles but as a unique sport we were able to create a unique competition opportunity, Virtual Artistic Swimming. We never thought COVID-19 would last as long as it did and we wanted to provide our athletes a light at the end of a dark tunnel. Our athletes had now gone over a year without an in-person event and the motivation to keep training without a...
The International Waterski Championships are coming back to the USA. The International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) recently announced the 2021 competition will be held in Lake County, Florida.
More than 200 water skiers representing 35 countries are expected to travel to Jack Travers Water Ski School October 11-17, 2021.
“We are thrilled to host the 75th Anniversary edition of the IWWF World Waterski Championships in Florida, the birth place and waterski capital of the world, at one of the premier venues so athletes can perform to the best of their abilities.” said Jose Antonio Perez Priego, President of IWWF.
“As the National Governing Body for the sport in the United States, we are thrilled to host this global event here in Florida,” said Tim Cullen, President of USA Water Ski & Wake Sports. “For competitive three-event water skiers this is the marquee event on the competition schedule.”
Having the opportunity t...
A fishing tournament with a big prize purse is moving north. The Press of Atlantic City reports that Jimmy Johnson’s Atlantic City “Quest for the Ring” Championship Fishing Week will be held next summer at the Golden Nugget Atlantic City.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Fish Hard Events to bring this world-class event to our seaside destination,” said Larry Sieg, president and CEO of Meet AC and the Atlantic City Sports Commission, to The Press of Atlantic City. “We are well-positioned to host these type of outdoor sporting events that encourage new visitation and increase economic impact to our destination.”
The July 12-17 tournament will include a kickoff party, three days of leave-it-out-on-the-waters tournament competition, a charitable celebrity pro-am day, and much more. General entry starts at $5,000, with the prize purse being $1 million.
The yearly tournament had previously been held in South Florida.
Congratulations...
Tournaments could soon find their way to Paducah, Kentucky. A new sports facility just opened in McCracken County.
The 40,000 square-foot indoor facility features basketball and volleyball courts, plus a cover can be used to host other non-sporting events. McCracken County Sports Tourism Commission is excited about what this means for the future.
“Our main goal as a commission is what we call ‘heads and beds," Jim Dudley, chairman of the McCracken County Sports Tourism Commission, told the Paducah Sun. “We want to bring in people from outside the area, get them here for a night or two, and really showcase Paducah.”
Mark Whitlow, Paducah-McCracken County Convention Center board chair agreed.
“[The facility] will attract thousands of visitors to our center and our downtown. They will stay in hotels, dine in our restaurants, and shop in our quality stores. Together, we have greatly improved the quality of life and economic development of...
Feeding America to serve as event charity partner for 5,000-kilometer challenge
Richmond, VA – Sports Backers, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit active-living advocacy organizations, is announcing their new ‘Great American 5000’ virtual race beginning on Flag Day, June 14. In the endurance challenge, participating teams compete with the aim of covering the 5,000-kilometer (3,100-mile) distance of a pre-selected course between the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco and Atlantic Ocean in New York. Registration is now open for the event, and course details and group registration information are available at www.GreatAmerican5000.org.
During the event, teams of up to 12 or 24 members will collectively run for a maximum 24 hours each day and report how far they covered at the end of that 24-hour period. An online map will track each group’s virtual progress across the course and a live leaderboard will display the standings in real time, with groups...
A baseball tournament featuring teams from all over the Midwest will be heading to Lansing in 2020. The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) unveiled the May 2020 event will be hosted at Lansing’s Cooley Law School Stadium.
Six teams from universities across Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio will play in this double-elimination GLIAC baseball tournament May 7-10. The winning team will get an automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament.
“The GLIAC is one of the premier NCAA Division II athletic conferences in the country,” said Greater Lansing Sports Authority Executive Director Mike Price. “The mid-Michigan region has great familiarity with the GLIAC, having so many local youth attending and graduating from GLIAC schools, as well as student-athletes competing. I know Greater Lansing will embrace this event and provide an incredible environment for the student-athletes playing at Cooley Law School Stadium.&rdq...
Visit Fort Wayne is excited for March. They are hosting the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Regional for the first time. The tournament will be coming to the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum on March 28 and 30, 2020.
“As we continue to build on Fort Wayne’s sports heritage, we are excited to delight the NCAA and attendees with Fort Wayne’s signature hospitality. We hope the community will join us in celebrating the DI Women’s Basketball Regional on March 28 and 30,” says Dan O’Connell, CEO of Visit Fort Wayne.
According to The Herald Press, the economic impact of these tournament games is estimated at $1.2 million.
Tickets are on sale. You can learn more here.
The Naples, Florida area is growing its sports tourism abilities with a new sports facility. Collier County is building an $80 million dollar facility that would include 19 sports fields and a lake, according to WINK-TV. This is all made possible to tourism tax dollars.
County officials believe this facility will be very popular for not only local sporting events but national tournaments as well. That is something for Sports ETA member Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau to be excited about.
The unnamed facility will be operational next July. This will include four fields. The rest of the 15 fields will be done in 2021.
Congrats!