Building Relationships That Bring Events to San Antonio
As the Sports Foundation prepares to host the Big 12 Women’s Soccer Championship for the sixth year, it occurs to me that this is a good time to celebrate the relationships we have that support our success.
We are proud to have relationships with sporting organizations and governing bodies that have allowed the Sports Foundation to bring and keep impactful sporting events in San Antonio. The Big 12 Conference, the NCAA, the US Olympic Committee – all are invaluable partners. We work constantly to build their confidence in San Antonio’s leadership and ability to conduct first class and reputable events.
The fact that the Big 12 Conference again awarded us the opportunity to host the Big 12 Women’s Soccer Championship November 7, 8 and 10 at Blossom Soccer Stadium is a testament to these efforts. We hope to have future opportunities to host this great event. We applaud Northeast School District and Athletic Director, Jerry Comalander, for making the Blossom Soccer facility available for the tournament.
Thanks to the ongoing efforts of our Local Organizing Committees, the relationship with the NCAA is alive and strong. As we host more NCAA basketball events in 2003 and 2004, the Foundation paves the way to successfully bid on the next round of NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Fours for 2008, 2009 and 2010. We all anxiously await the announcement of the host cities for those events, which will be made early summer of 2003.
The USOC relationship has been building. Since the Olympic Festival in 1993, the USOC has looked upon San Antonio with special consideration. Being granted as one of the first of three Community Olympic Development programs is evidence of the confidence that the USOC has in our leadership. Being selected as the U.S. candidate city for the 2007 Pan American Games over formidable opponents demonstrated the assurance the USOC had in San Antonio’s ability to stage a successful multi sport games as well.
Of course, the Sports Foundation’s relationships are strongest close to home. Since its inception, corporate and individual members have been the backbone of the Sports Foundation. Their contributions have helped shape its vision and insure its implementation.
From school district and government leaders to facility managers and area college and university staffs, we could not host our events and youth programs without the support of these dedicated individuals. There are too many to recognize individually, but we thank them all.
We thank all of our supporters
and members for helping develop and solidify these networks and bonds
that have provided the foundation for our growth and success. We will
work to maintain your trust as the Sports Foundation moves toward a very
bright future.
sblackwood@sanantoniosports.org
Five
impressive individuals have been named as the latest inductees into
the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame. At a press conference on October
8, Linus Baer, Warren McVea, John "Mule" Miles, Johnny Moore,
and Demetria Sance were announced as the Class of 2003. Baer and McVea
are forever linked as opponents in the 1963 Lee-Brackenridge High School
"game of the century". Both went on to play college football
and McVea earned a Super Bowl ring with the Kansas City Chiefs. Miles
played in the Negro Baseball League and hit 11 home runs in 11 games
in 1947, which would still be the record today if he had been playing
in the Major Leagues. Johnny Moore is the Spurs' "00", an
integral part of the team in the 1980s and the team's all-time assist
leader. Sance is an 2000 Olympic volleyball player who began her accomplished
career as a standout at Jay High School in San Antonio and the University
of Texas.
Take
advantage of advance sales opportunities and purchase your Ticket and
Hospitality Packages today! Hospitality Packages include passes
to our parties and cool memorabilia with the Final Four logo. Ticket Packages
include tickets to both the 2003 Men’s South Regional and 2004 Men’s
Final Four. But hurry, ticket allocation is on a first-come, first-serve
basis. 
Though
the Sports Foundation's Dreams for Youth and Community Olympic Development
Program (DFY/CODP) badminton athletes may have a tough time pronouncing
his name, they know how lucky they are to have Kampol Surapiboonchai coaching
them. Kampol, as everyone calls him, oversees about 12,000 children in
the DFY/CODP badminton program every semester, which takes place in 17
middle schools and 30 elementary schools in the San Antonio Independent
School District. It's the only institutionalized elementary school badminton
league in the country. 
