 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Freshwater fishing opportunities April 2-3 in Florida Spring is a wonderful time for freshwater fishing throughout Florida. For starters, the weather tends to be especially comfortable. In addition, most sunfish - including bass, bluegill and redear sunfish - are in the shallows this time of year and fairly easy to locate. If having fun and the chance to catch a fresh meal are not enough incentives to go fishing this weekend, there are plenty of other reasons. According to a series of studies published in the June 2010 “Journal of Environmental Psychology,” being outside in nature makes people feel more alive. The research showed that the sense of increased vitality was more than just the energizing effects of physical activity or social interactions. If you are still hesitating, this weekend is the time to go. Both residents and nonresidents in Florida can fish in public fresh waters across the state without a license during the weekend of April 2 and 3. All other fishing rules apply. The Florida Legislature and the FWC designated the first full weekend in April each year as Florida’s Free Freshwater Fishing Weekend. This coincides with Children & Nature Awareness Month. Free Freshwater Fishing Weekend is a great opportunity for experienced anglers to share their love of the sport with family and friends. It is also a perfect opportunity for those who don’t regularly fish to take a child who has asked to go fishing. So pull out those old rods sitting in your garage, borrow one, or buy an inexpensive fishing kit and head to the nearest fishing hole. Just being outdoors, away from the TV and phone, and talking together while you await the next bite will make it a worthwhile family outing. Join thousands of anglers who have taken the Anglers’ Legacy Pledge by visiting AnglersLegacy.org and entering partner code FLFWC. Anglers’ Legacy is about sharing, by making a promise to introduce somebody new to fishing, one of America’s most popular traditions. The FWC and Get Outdoors Florida! (GetOutdoorsFlorida.org) encourage everyone, especially children, to connect with nature this weekend. Recreational fishing is the No. 1 gateway activity to increase your overall involvement in outdoor activities. This weekend, you can learn why Florida is the “Fishing Capital of the World.” Not only has fishing been great this spring, virtually every Floridian is within 45 minutes of a freshwater fishing opportunity. Visit MyFWC.com/Fishing to learn about fishing regulations in Florida, places to go, or fishing tips for your adventure.
~ Upcoming granted events will bring over 38,000 visitors to Florida – The Florida Sports Foundation (FSF) awarded 10 regional grants totaling $67,000 to statewide sporting events at its March, 2011 Quarterly Board of Directors meeting. The sale of professional sports team’s license plates throughout the state provides the source of funding for the FSF Board to award funds to statewide sports commissions hosting the events. The 10 granted events are expected to bring nearly $22 million into Florida’s economy and over 38,000 visitors to the Sunshine State between April and August, 2011. Seven different areas of the state benefitted from the FSF Grant Program and six sports were represented among the current grantees. Sporting events bring additional tourism to Florida causing a significant out-of-state economic impact on an annual basis. Since 1996, the FSF has been assisting communities around the state in their efforts to attract sport events and opportunities. The March, 2011 grants represents the third quarter of the 2010-11 fiscal year. In the current fiscal year, FSF has awarded 27 regional grants totaling $230,000 and four major grants totaling $627,000. Combined, the grants project an out of state economic impact of over $128 million and over 208,000 visitors to the State. Full listing of Grants awarded by the FSF at March Board of Directors meeting: 2011 Iron Girl Clearwater Half Marathon & 5K, Clearwater, April 7-10, 2011 The 2011 Iron Girl Clearwater Half Marathon kicks off a 13-race series held in various locations throughout the U.S. through November. The Half Marathon features a scenic one-loop course, starting and finishing at Clearwater Beach. The 5K course starts at Clearwater Beach and turns around before the Memorial Causeway. The event is expected to bring over 2,500 visitors to Clearwater and over $1 million in economic impact. YMCA National Short Course Swimming Championships, Fort Lauderdale, April 3-11, 2011 YMCA Masters Swimming Championships, Fort Lauderdale, April 13-17, 2011 Fort Lauderdale will host swimmers of all ages during the month of April when the YMCA National Short Course Swimming Championships and YMCA Masters Swimming Championships are contested at the International Swimming Hall of Fame. The Short Course event hosts local YMCA champions of all ages from around the country while the Masters Championships is for swimmers age 19 through 95. The two swimming events are expected to bring over 15,000 visitors to South Florida and produce over $10 million in economic impact. CONCACAF Gold Cup, Tampa, June 11, 2011 Tampa and Raymond James Stadium will host first round games of the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) Gold Cup on Saturday, June 11 with qualifying games featuring Canada vs. Guadeloupe and the USA vs. Panama. Winners advance to the quarterfinal round New York City and Washington, DC. The semifinal round will be held in Houston and the final will be played, on June 25, at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. Over 6,500 visitors to the area are expected to produce $1.3 million in economic impact for this biennial event that will be televised internationally on the Fox Soccer Channel and Univision. USA Wrestling Junior Cadet Duals, Daytona Beach, June 14-18, 2011 USA Wrestling’s Junior Cadet Duals, will be held at the Daytona Beach Ocean Center, bringing over 1,800 visitors and more than $1 million in economic impact to the area. The Cadet Division features teenage wrestlers born in 1994 and 1995 in weight classes ranging from 84 to 285 pounds. Greco-Roman competition will be held on June 15 and 16 and Freestyle competition is scheduled for June 17 and 18. AAU Karate Jr/Sr. National Championships, Fort Lauderdale, June 27-July 2, 2011 The AAU Karate Jr/Sr. National Championships, will be held at the Broward Convention Center, and is expected to bring over 4,900 visitors and over $3.9 million in economic impact to the area. Broward County also hosted this event in 2009. NSA Girls Fastpitch World Series, Tallahassee, July 18-23, 2011 USSSA Black American World Tournament, Tallahassee, August 26-28, 2011 A pair of summer softball events is expected to bring over 7,600 visitors to Tallahassee and over $3.5 million in economic impact. The National Softball Association Girl’s Fastpitch World Series, features competition ranging from 8 and under through 18 and under. The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Black American World Tournament, is an adult slow-pitch softball event. USTA Boys' 18 & 16 Clay Court National Championships, Delray Beach, July 17-24, 2011 The USTA Boy’s 18 & 16-year old Clay Court National Championships, to be held at the Delray Beach Tennis Center, is expected to bring over 1,000 visitors to Palm Beach County and over $1 Million in economic impact. This prestigious event, held in Delray Beach the last three years, includes 400 of the top-ranked Boys 18s & 16s tennis players in the United States. 2011 World Baton Twirling Federation International Cup, Jacksonville, August 1-7, 2011 The 2011 World Baton Twirling Federation International Cup, will be held in Jacksonville, after being staged in the international locations of Hamilton, Ontario, Limerick, Ireland and Sydney, Australia the last three years. The Jacksonville Memorial Veterans Arena hosts International Cup athletes, who have the opportunity to win international titles in individual events including Solo, 2-Baton and 3-Baton, Dance Twirl and group events including Dance Twirl Pairs, Teams and Groups. The event is expected to bring over 1,500 visitors and $1.1 million in economic impact to the area. Carnes, a member of the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame, coached the Gators from 1965 to 1976. During that time, he led Florida to 15 top-three finishes in SEC championships – indoor and outdoor combined – and a 93-3 record in dual meets during his career. Carnes coached 65 SEC individual champions and 24 All-Americans. His athletes claimed four individual NCAA Indoor Championships. “Jimmy Carnes will have a lasting legacy in the State of Florida with the Sunshine State Games,” said FSF President/CEO Larry Pendleton. "His dedication to amateur sports in Florida provided the inspiration for the Sunshine State Games and the Florida Sports Foundation is proud to carry on the tradition." Carnes was elected as the National Chairman of AAU Men’s Track and Field in 1977 and served as the first president of The Athletics Congress/USA from 1980-84, as USATF was known when it began operations. He worked closely to help move the sport from amateur to open rules. He also founded the Florida Track Club and was executive director of the United States Track Coaches Association. Carnes is a member of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the Sports Halls of Fame of both Florida and Georgia. Carnes served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic team at the Montreal Games in 1976. He was selected head coach for U.S. men’s team for the Moscow Games in 1980, which President Jimmy Carter decided the U.S. teams would boycott in protest of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. He was chairman of the USOC Site Selection Committee that selected the last two Olympic Games held in the United States (Atlanta, 1996 and Salt Lake City, 2002) "Coach Carnes contributed so much to amateur sport, both at the state and national levels," said FSF Vice President and Sunshine State Games Director, Stephen Rodriguez. "However, what I’ll remember the most of what he taught is to have a positive attitude and to always listen and learn. He is a good friend of my family, and of sport, and will be greatly missed." Avis Vaught, of The Villages, competed in six sports over the course of nine days of the 2010 Games. Vaught was a member of the gold-medal winning 60+ Village Diamonds softball team competing the first weekend. She returned on Thursday for Basketball Shooting and hit 26 of 30 Free Throws for the Female 60-64 age group gold medal and highest women’s total. On Friday, she won a gold medal with the Sunshine Shooters Basketball team. At Saturday’s Field events of the Track and Field meet, she won four gold medals in the shot put, discus, javelin and triple jump. She closed out the week with gold medals in women’s doubles badminton and playing volleyball for the Sunshine Spikes 60+ team. Vaught won a nine gold medals and 11 overall. Since 2006 Vaught has competed in five or more sports in 2007, 2008 and 2010. Richard Merrill, a bowler from Lady Lake, posted the first 800 series in the history of the Games and only the second perfect game in 19 years. He knocked down nearly 3,000 pins over the course of the weekend at Galaxy Lanes/Pin Street in Fort Myers and won four gold medals. In men’s singles, Merrill had game scores of 256, 269 and 300 for a three-game combined total of 825. He topped his own all-time singles score of 775, which he set in 2004, by 50 pins, and now holds the Games two highest singles scores in the 70-74 and 75-79 age group records. He won the 70-74 men’s doubles gold with Samuel Anzalone, of The Villages and teamed with his wife, Celina, for a mixed doubles gold medal. He finished the weekend winning his fourth gold medal as a member of the Ageless Villagers 60-64 age group team. Vaught and Merrill will receive their Florida Senior Games State Championships Athlete of the Year Awards at the 2011 Ambassadors for Aging Day, held annually in the Capitol Courtyard, on Tuesday, March 15. The 20th Annual Florida Senior Games State Championships will be held December 3-11, 2011 in Polk County. Local qualifying senior games events are currently being held in locations statewide through November. Check www.flasports.com for more information about the Florida Senior Games qualifying events and 20th Annual Games. The Florida Senior Games State Championships are presented by the Florida Sports Foundation, the official sports promotion and development organization of the State of Florida. The 2011 Games will be presented in conjunction with Central Florida's Polk County Sports Marketing. Previous Florida Senior Games State Championships Athletes of the Year Year 1994 Doris Prokopi, Land O’Lakes, Swimming Wayne Wakefield, Bradenton 1995 Mary Melehan, Englewood Leonard Stone, Barefoot Bay 1996 Hope Fage, Largo F.L. McFadden, Lakeland 1997 Ethel Lehmann, Largo, Track and Field, Softball Seymour Duckman, Daytona Beach, Track and Field 1998 Lucia Schatteleyn, Englewood, Track and Field Donald Ritenour, Belleview, Basketball Shooting 1999 Patricia Bond, Bradenton, Cycling, Swimming Gordon Johnson, Dundee, Road Race 2000 Erika Messner, Clermont, Track and Field Al Treichel, Spring Hill, Road Race 2001 Sperry Rademaker, Floral City, Swimming Howard Hall, Port Charlotte, Swimming, Track and Field 2002 Janice Lathouwers, The Villages, Golf, Track and Field Allen Bjork, Sebring, Track and Field, Horseshoes 2003 Madelaine Cazel, The Villages, Track and Field James Anderson, New Port Richey, Swimming 2004 Lillian Webb, Sebring, Bowling, Track and Field Harry Carothers, Pinellas Park, Basketball 2005 Patricia Sargeant, Melbourne, Swimming Andy McGuffin, Umatilla, Basketball 2006 Sari Kisbany, Redington Shores, Table Tennis Roger Gentilhomme, Dunedin, Bowling, Tennis, Shuffleboard 2007 Claudette Braswell, Lake Wales, Basketball, Horseshoes, Racquetball Larry Wallen, Jacksonville, Powerlifting 2008 Suzy Nothhouse, Estero, Swimming Dean Davis, Fort Myers, Track and Field, Cycling 2009 Patrice Hirr, The Villages, Swimming John Shultz, Inverness, Table Tennis
Florida Spring Baseball is Big Business for Florida ~ Annually Brings more than $750 Million to the Sunshine State ~ The 2009 Florida Grapefruit League season may have lasted only 39 days, but the total economic value (impact) of the Major League Baseball Spring Training to the Florida economy was estimated to be $752.3 million, according to a new study conducted by the Bonn Marketing Research Group, and commissioned by the Florida Sports Foundation in conjunction with the Office of the Governor and Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development. The 2009 study found that the 2009 Major League Baseball (MLB) Spring Training season generated $284.2 million in total labor income and supported or created 9,205 part-time and full-time jobs. The study showed an increase of $299 million from a study completed during the 2000 Florida Spring Training season that showed a $453 million economic impact. When broken down on a per team basis, the 2009 study shows an average of $47 million economic impact per team to the community that hosts a Major League team for Spring Training. Included in the economic impact analysis are the 16 MLB teams spring training operating expenditures in the State of Florida, the operating expenditures of the 15 stadiums that house MLB spring training operations, the concessionaire spring training operating expenditures at the 15 stadiums, and spring training game attendee expenditures. Spring training game attendee expenditures were calculated from data collected through 1,600 personal interviews at all of the 15 spring training stadiums in Florida. Attendees were surveyed during four randomly selected home games for each of the 16 MLB teams. The largest source of direct expenditures from Spring Training baseball operations is fan spending, accounting for 91 percent of the total expenditures generated by 2009 MLB Florida spring training. “Major League Baseball has a following that transcends economic downturns,” Dr. Mark Bonn, President of the Bonn Marketing Research Group, the firm that conducted the study. “People make their decisions to travel almost a year out and many of the respondents were repeat attendees at Spring Training Games. Economic conditions have little effect upon their decision to come to Florida for spring training. It’s more about loyalty than economics.” The 2009 Florida Spring Training Baseball season, which lasted from February 25 and April 4, drew a total of 1,561,873 fans to 259 games at 15 locations around the State of Florida for an average of more than 6,000 fans per game. In an effort to determine the number of out-of-state attendees, professionally-trained surveyors for the Tallahassee-based Bonn Marketing Research Group, determined the origin of each attendee before the personal interview began. With that information, the survey estimated out-of-state spring training attendees stating “attending spring training” as their primary trip purpose, contributed $571.7 million in total spending output. During the 2009 MLB Florida spring training season, 48 percent of attendees were from out of state, 28 percent of attendees were Florida, non-county attendees traveling to another county to see a Grapefruit League game and 24 percent of attendees were Florida, in-county attendees. 2009 MLB Florida spring training attendees spent an average of $313.65 per party per day, spent 5.82 nights and traveled with an average party size of 2.95 persons. Other survey results determined a high level of satisfaction through 1,600 personal interviews conducted at spring training sites. More than 60 percent of the fans surveyed had previously attended a Florida Spring Training game and 91.9 percent indicated that they would attend another game. The Florida Sports Foundation offers an annual, complementary guide to all MLB teams in Florida's Grapefruit League including stadium locations, ticket prices, telephone numbers, team schedules and more. For a listing of Florida Grapefruit League teams holding their annual spring training in the Sunshine State and their locations around the state, please visit www.floridagrapefruitleague.com.
Sports means $32 billion to
the State of Florida The 2006 Citgo Bassmasters Classic, known as
the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing,” will be held
in Kissimmee in February.
|
