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cALEnDAR OF EVEnTS World Series inAlachua By Mallory Albeck A visitor to the city of Alachua’s Web site would see the links divided into three major categories. The fi rst category is “Main Menu.” The second category is “Departments.” The third category may be surprising. it says, “World Series 2010.” Santa Fe Babe Ruth Softball League and the cities of Alachua and High Springs are hosting the World Series tournament for 11- and 12-year-old girls in August, an event so big it has an entire section for it on the city of Alachua’s Web site. in 1992, Alachua hosted the boys’ World Series tournament. The fi eld that the girls will be using was built for that tournament, and it is being updated in preparation for this year’s tournament. “if you had been out there before and came out now, you would be wowed,” said Alachua Recreation Director Hal Brady. “The city of Alachua has done an incredible job on the structure. There are new lights, poles, parking lot, sidewalks, dugouts, infi elds, outfi elds and the city is putting in all underground wires.” Softball is currently running its regular season. At the end of the season, each league puts together an All Star team, which is entered in a series of tournaments. The state championship will be played in Ponte Vedra. The southeast regional championship will take place in orlando. it all ends with the World Series in Alachua. Spectators will be able to watch the Babe Ruth Softball All Stars play in the World Series. As the host team, they will automatically be invited to play. The state champions of Florida will also be invited to the tournament automatically, and it is even possible that a third team from Florida will qualify for the series. Many Florida girls will be able to shine at the tournament. Cox Communication will be broadcasting the series from Louisiana to Virginia and possibly even further. Every league in the state is selling passes so that girls who did not make the series will come and watch the games. There will be a fi reworks display for the opening game. Sponsors so far number over 50, and the crowd for the fi nal championship game is expected to be about 3,000. Where will all these people eat and sleep? Seventy families will serve as hosts for the players. Two players will stay with each host family. The player’s families and most other guests will be staying in the hotels in Alachua and High Springs, so they will be getting lots of business in a normally slow time of year. When the tournament was held in Alachua in 1992, spectators stayed in hotels in Alachua and Gainesville. The tournament is expected to bring in business for hotels and restaurants in Alachua and High Springs as well. “This is a major, major event,” said Freddie Wehbe, owner of Gator Dominos and a sponsor of the tournament. “i cannot be prouder to be having such a big event in our community. it will also help our business by exposing our brand and bringing in some sales.” Beef o’Brady’s is hosting a breakfast for the umpires, coaches and managers. Camp Kulaqua in High Springs is hosting a Friendship Fun Day and barbeque for the players on the day of their arrival, as well as a banquet later that evening. “The whole goal is that at this time of year nothing is going on,” Brady said. “High Springs is a beautiful part of Florida, and this will bring people in. We want them to experience it.” Tim Walton, head coach of the UF softball team, will be the keynote speaker at the banquet. The Gator softball team has won back-to-back SEC titles in 2008 and 2009, and Walton has led them to a record of 133-10 in the past two seasons. The players will stay for at least nine days, until the championship on August 14. Earl Findley is in charge of the tournament, and his pest control business is one of the many sponsors. “it may not bring in business for pest control, but we all live and work in this community and we want to support it,” he said. “We also want to support youth athletics.” Florida Sunshine State Games DrawsAthletes and Business to Gainesville This summer, it is not just Gator athletics in Gainesville. The Gainesville Sports Commission is hosting the Sunshine State Games Alachua County Festival in conjunction with the city of Gainesville, the city of Newberry and Alachua County. This is an olympic-style event for amateur athletes. Three thousand athletes will be coming to the city for 11 different events on the weekend of June 11-13. Gainesville has a three-year contract, so it will be hosting the games through 2012. The events Gainesville will be hosting are archery, canoeing/kayaking, lacrosse, racquetball, rowing, swimming, synchronized swimming, tennis, track and fi eld, ultimate (also known as ultimate Frisbee) and volleyball. All of the events have both male and female divisions, as well as age divisions. For all events, participants must be amateurs. “in the past, the entire tournament was in one city, but this year the games will be divided up and we get to focus on certain events,” said Alex Alston, the Gainesville Sports Commission event manager. 98 HOME Living In the Heart of Florida “That allows us to add events. We added swimming, tennis, volleyball and track and fi eld because our facilities allowed us to.” The event, organized by the Florida Sports Foundation, was fi rst hosted in Gainesville in 1980. it was here again in 1981, 1982, 1989, 1995, 1996 and 2000. “Florida's Sunshine State Games and Alachua County are old friends who just haven’t seen each other in a while,” said Nick Gandy of the Florida Sports Foundation. Amateur athletes from all over will be able to use Gainesville’s facilities. These include Gator Bowmen Archery Range, Poe Springs, University of Florida Lacrosse Stadium and SW Recreation Center Fields, UF Student Recreation Center, Racquet Club, Newnan’s Lake, Dwight H. Hunter Northeast Pool, Spurgeon Cherry Westside Pool, Jonesville Tennis Center, Percy Beard Track at UF, Jonesville Soccer Complex, Easton Newberry Sports Complex, Newberry High School and Newberry Middle School for the events. “The Gainesville Sports Commission is excited to bring Florida’s Sunshine State Games back to where it began more than 30 By Mallory Albeck years ago,” Alston said. “The new festival format allows us to include and promote Alachua County by adding it to the title of the event itself: Sunshine State Games Alachua County Festival. We expect over 3,000 of the state’s top amateur athletes and their families to join us and look forward to showing them what Gainesville and Alachua County has to offer.” The event is expected to have a positive impact on businesses in Gainesville. “There will be a host hotel for each sport,” Alston said. “This is where there will be a coaches meeting every morning and where the coaches will pick up team packets of information. it’s a pretty big event, so we want lots of people to stay at our hotels.” Roland Loog, director of VisitGainesville, also thinks the event will be good for business. “Any business is welcome over the summer,” he said. “Business is usually slow then, but in recent years it has been increasing, and we hope this event will keep that trend up. it is also very exciting to be able to expose our venues to amateur athletes.” LivingInTheHeartOfFlorida.com To learn about the event,go to www.flasports.com.For information on howto volunteer and help with the event, contact AlexAlston at aalston@gainesvillesportscommission.com.
Florida Sunshine State Games Draws Athletes And Business To Gainesville
Mallory Albeck
This summer, it is not just Gator athletics in Gainesville. The Gainesville Sports Commission is hosting the Sunshine State Games Alachua County Festival in conjunction with the city of Gainesville, the city of Newberry and Alachua County. This is an olympic-style event for amateur athletes.
Three thousand athletes will be coming to the city for 11 different events on the weekend of June 11-13. Gainesville has a three-year contract, so it will be hosting the games through 2012.
The events Gainesville will be hosting are archery, canoeing/kayaking, lacrosse, racquetball, rowing, swimming, synchronized swimming, tennis, track and fi eld, ultimate (also known as ultimate Frisbee) and volleyball. All of the events have both male and female divisions, as well as age divisions. For all events, participants must be amateurs.
“in the past, the entire tournament was in one city, but this year the games will be divided up and we get to focus on certain events,” said Alex Alston, the Gainesville Sports Commission event manager.
“That allows us to add events. We added swimming, tennis, volleyball and track and fi eld because our facilities allowed us to.” The event, organized by the Florida Sports Foundation, was fi rst hosted in Gainesville in 1980. It was here again in 1981, 1982, 1989, 1995, 1996 and 2000.
“Florida's Sunshine State Games and Alachua County are old friends who just haven’t seen each other in a while,” said Nick Gandy of the Florida Sports Foundation.
Amateur athletes from all over will be able to use Gainesville’s facilities. These include Gator Bowmen Archery Range, Poe Springs, University of Florida Lacrosse Stadium and SW Recreation Center Fields,udent Recreation Center, Racquet Club, Newnan’s Lake, Dwight H. Hunter Northeast Pool, Spurgeon Cherry Westside Pool, Jonesville Tennis Center, Percy Beard Track atonesville Soccer Complex, Easton Newberry Sports Complex, Newberry High School and Newberry Middle School for the events.
“The Gainesville Sports Commission is excited to bring Florida’s Sunshine State Games back to where it began more than 30 years ago,” Alston said. “The new festival format allows us to include and promote Alachua County by adding it to the title of the event itself: Sunshine State Games Alachua County Festival. We expect over 3,000 of the state’s top amateur athletes and their families to join us and look forward to showing them what Gainesville and Alachua County has to offer.” The event is expected to have a positive impact on businesses in Gainesville.
“There will be a host hotel for each sport,” Alston said. “This is where there will be a coaches meeting every morning and where the coaches will pick up team packets of information. It’s a pretty big event, so we want lots of people to stay at our hotels.” Roland Loog, director of VisitGainesville, also thinks the event will be good for business.
“Any business is welcome over the summer,” he said. “Business is usually slow then, but in recent years it has been increasing, and we hope this event will keep that trend up. It is also very exciting to be able to expose our venues to amateur athletes.”
World Series In Alachua
Mallory Albeck
A visitor to the city of Alachua’s Web site would see the links divided into three major categories. The fi rst category is “Main Menu.” The second category is “Departments.” The third category may be surprising. It says, “World Series 2010.” Santa Fe Babe Ruth Softball League and the cities of Alachua and High Springs are hosting the World Series tournament for 11- and 12-year-old girls in August, an event so big it has an entire section for it on the city of Alachua’s Web site.
In 1992, Alachua hosted the boys’ World Series tournament. The fi eld that the girls will be using was built for that tournament, and it is being updated in preparation for this year’s tournament.
“if you had been out there before and came out now, you would be wowed,” said Alachua Recreation Director Hal Brady.
“The city of Alachua has done an incredible job on the structure. There are new lights, poles, parking lot, sidewalks, dugouts, infi elds, outfi elds and the city is putting in all underground wires.” Softball is currently running its regular season. At the end of the season, each league puts together an All Star team, which is entered in a series of tournaments.
The state championship will be played in Ponte Vedra. The southeast regional championship will take place in orlando. It all ends with the World Series in Alachua.
Spectators will be able to watch the Babe Ruth Softball All Stars play in the World Series. As the host team, they will automatically be invited to play. The state champions of Florida will also be invited to the tournament automatically, and it is even possible that a third team from Florida will qualify for the series. Many Florida girls will be able to shine at the tournament.
Cox Communication will be broadcasting the series from Louisiana to Virginia and possibly even further. Every league in the state is selling passes so that girls who did not make the series will come and watch the games. There will be a fi reworks display for the opening game. Sponsors so far number over 50, and the crowd for the fi nal championship game is expected to be about 3,000.
Where will all these people eat and sleep?
Seventy families will serve as hosts for the players. Two players will stay with each host family. The player’s families and most other guests will be staying in the hotels in Alachua and High Springs, so they will be getting lots of business in a normally slow time of year. When the tournament was held in Alachua in 1992, spectators stayed in hotels in Alachua and Gainesville. The tournament is expected to bring in business for hotels and restaurants in Alachua and High Springs as well.
“This is a major, major event,” said Freddie Wehbe, owner of Gator Dominos and a sponsor of the tournament. “i cannot be prouder to be having such a big event in our community. It will also help our business by exposing our brand and bringing in some sales.” Beef o’Brady’s is hosting a breakfast for the umpires, coaches and managers.
Camp Kulaqua in High Springs is hosting a Friendship Fun Day and barbeque for the players on the day of their arrival, as well as a banquet later that evening.
“The whole goal is that at this time of year nothing is going on,” Brady said. “High Springs is a beautiful part of Florida, and this will bring people in. We want them to experience it.” Tim Walton, head coach of theftball team, will be the keynote speaker at the banquet. The Gator softball team has won back-to-back SEC titles in 2008 and 2009, and Walton has led them to a record of 133-10 in the past two seasons.
The players will stay for at least nine days, until the championship on August 14.
Earl Findley is in charge of the tournament, and his pest control business is one of the many sponsors.
“it may not bring in business for pest control, but we all live and work in this community and we want to support it,” he said. “We also want to support youth athletics.”
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