SportsEvents Magazine

JAN 2016

SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.

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www.sportseventsmagazine.com January 2016 15 R E C O G N I T I O N I S S U E t job is so much more than just a job," he says. "It allows me to focus a big percent- age of my time on two of my passions: sharing my Christian faith with others and competitive bass fshing." Though his organization hosts bass fshing tournaments, the competition is often secondary to the positive impact it can make on participants and their com- munities. "Our most positive impact is in the lives of our competitors. When they come to our events, they are introduced, through inspirational speakers, to our Christian faith," he says. "In a nondenominational and non-forceful way, we offer them a way to enter a relationship with Jesus at our meetings. That outreach and ministry continues, even to the communities where com- petitors reside or where events are held. Fishers of Men often hosts fundraisers to support those who've lost their homes to fre or natural disaster victims, such as those affected by South Carolina's major fooding last year. Beyond the ministry aspect, Fishers of Men Championship Bass Tournaments differ from similar events in another way as well. "A secondary difference is that our competitors compete as a two-person team, rather than individually as in most of the other large tournament groups," Eads says. "This promotes building relationships and friendships that last a lifetime." BRIDGETTE SAMUELS Team Leader/Director of Tournament Operations Heartland Soccer Association Heartland Soccer Tournaments Overland Park, KS 14 Years Planning Events The Heartland Soccer Association stays busy in the fall and spring, offering youth soc- cer league activi- ties for more than 20,000 participants each season. In addition, it hosts 10 tourna- ment weekends during the year which draw more than 43,000 youth competitors. Behind this activity is Bridgette Samuels, Team Leader and Director of Tournament Operations for Heartland Soccer Tournaments. "The opportunity to create an except- ional event that will be a memorable experience to not only participants but spectators is extremely rewarding," she says. "I enjoy meeting and working with all the different people, from the volunteers, coaches, players, vendors to the sponsors who support the events." Samuels credits several factors for the success of her organization—quality of competition, passionate staff and volun- teers, dedicated sponsors and world-class facilities. "Our events offer multiple levels of play in each age group, which allows teams to compete at their own skill level," she says. "Heartland's ability to not only attract teams from the surrounding states but from across the country and Canada gives teams the opportunity to play competition they may not experience otherwise." CAROLYN LEE Director, Sales & Marketing GWN Dragon Boat Walgreen's Major League Dragon Boat Series Toronto, Ontario 12 Years Planning Event Dragon boat racing is one of the fastest grow- ing watersports in the world, and Carolyn Lee gets to watch it unfold from the front lines. As the Director of Sales and Marketing for GWN Dragon Boat, she is part of a close-knit team that does everything from provide support to dragon boat races to running a dragon boat festival. In 2009, support from GWN Dragon Boat transformed a single marquee event in Toronto, Canada to the Walgreen's Major League Dragon Boat Series. ► ALABAMA Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission www.gulfshoresorangebeachsports.com Huntsville/Madison County CVB www.huntsville.org See Ad On Page 39 Tuscaloosa Tourism & Sports www.visittuscaloosa.com ARIZONA Visit Glendale www.visitglendale.com Scottsdale CVB www.experiencescottsdale.com See Ad On Page 2 Tucson CVB www.visittucson.com ARKANSAS Springdale Chamber of Commerce www.springdale.com Fayetteville CVB www.experiencefayetteville.com Visit Bentonville www.bentonvilleusa.org CALIFORNIA Fresno/Clovis CVB www.playfresno.org Visit Santa Rosa www.visitsantarosa.com See Ad On Page 23 San Mateo County/Silicon Valley CVB www.smccvb.com COLORADO Colorado Springs CVB www.visitcos.com See Ad On Page 53 Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission www.coloradomesa.edu/wp/sportscommission Congratulations! 2016 Readers' Choice Award Winners The organizations and venues listed below and on the following pages represent the 2016 class of SportsEvents Readers' Choice Award winners. These organizations were nominated by SportsEvents readers based on a high standard of professionalism and quality service in hosting sports events. T S s f o c t 2 D r t h i n i n a g u

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