A Call to Action

We hope help is on the way! So many of you often ask, “What can I or my company do for the Sports Foundation?” We need you now.

We have a chance to prove that San Antonio is Youth Championship City, USA! We will host the 2005 U. S. Junior Olympic Taekwondo Championship on June 21-26th in the Alamodome. More than 5,000 participants and their 7,500 family members will be in San Antonio for the competition and vacations. This event historically has generated over $17 million in direct visitor spending.

We can't do it alone. We need volunteers!!! We have day and evening shifts –
more than 900 spots. It is a fun event and there are roles for everyone. When we hosted this event in 2000, the volunteers thoroughly enjoyed their experiences. Please donate your time and give us a couple of shifts that week to make this event successful. Download, complete and return the volunteer information packet to sign up.

More importantly, we need USA Taekwondo to go back to the other national governing bodies and other community based national organizations and tell them to bring their junior national championships to San Antonio. We want to generate this kind of economic impact every summer. We can't achieve that goal without you! See you on the mats!!!!

Dr. Susan Blackwood
Executive Director

Members Sound Off

Recently, Dr. Richard Jones’ Trinity University marketing research class conducted a survey of current and former members of the San Antonio Sports Foundation. We sincerely thank every person who took the time to respond to the survey. We also thank Dr. Jones’ students who worked diligently to create and execute the survey. Their assessment and our members’ participation will help us to better understand what our members want, where their interests lie and how we can better serve them.

You’re all welcome to share your thoughts about Sports Foundation events, programs or membership at any time. Just contact Mary Ullmann Japhet at mjaphet@sanantoniosports.org or 210-820-2123.

Pro Soccer In San Antonio

The City of San Antonio wants your help to bring Major League Soccer to the Alamodome in 2006. Click here to learn more about how you can purchase season tickets.

The commitment of an MLS franchise is contingent on 5000 confirmed ticket orders received by June 1st. In order to be counted, orders must include a 10% ticket deposit.

Taekwondo Volunteers Needed!

Be a part of the U.S. 2005 Junior Olympic Taekwondo Championships June 21-25 at the Alamodome. Volunteers are needed in areas of Awards, Coaching Preparation, Hospitality, Referee Seminar, Registration, Results, Scoring, Ring Runners, Security, Set-up & Break Down and Weigh-In. Volunteers must be 12 years of age or older.

Volunteer perks include:

* Free t-shirt
* Free admission to event & free parking at the Alamodome
* See exciting competition up close & personal

Download, complete and return the volunteer information packet to sign up. For more information contact Donna Browne at 210-820-2191 or dbrowne@sanantoniosports.org.

AVCA & SALOC Team Up!

American Volleyball Coaches Association’s executive director Katherine McConnell and members of her staff were in town last week conducting a site visit in preparation for their annual convention. The Marriott Rivercenter and the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center will play host to their event, which runs in conjunction with the 2005 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship December 14-17. Like the Volleyball Championship, the Coaches Convention will be celebrating their 25th anniversary, and the San Antonio Local Organizing Committee will be lending a helping hand to the AVCA to ensure their convention is as successful as possible!

Coaches, if interested in being a part of the AVCA convention and learning from their many clinics and volleyball exposition, please contact Piep van Heuven at pvanheuven@avca.org or 719-576-7777.

Individual and group tickets are still available for the 2005 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship. Call 210-820-2104 or go online at www.saloc.org to order your $45 ticket today!!

Great Deals for San Antonio Stays!

The San Antonio Hotel and Lodging Association, a partner of the Sports Foundation, has announced its first SAHLAngels Community Service Project’s Shopping Bonanza!

Here’s how it works: beginning June 1 you can purchase certificates online for various hotels at incredibly low rates including $89 for full-service hotels and $59 for limited service hotels. The certificates, which have been donated by members of SAHLA, may be redeemed at any time that space is available. All proceeds from this special promotion will support local charities.

The Shopping Bonanza will only last until July 31, or until the certificates have sold out. So, get out your calendar and plan your next visit to town, or buy certificates for your friends and family to come visit you! Beginning June 1, look for the Angel logo on the SAHLA website at www.sanantonio-lodging.org to start shopping!

Way to Go, José!

Congratulations to Dreams for Youth head fencing coach José Sanchez who graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio on Saturday. José received his bachelor’s degree in education, specializing in kinesiology. José’s tireless dedication to his students and his sport make him much more than a coach. He provides support, encouragement, and is a big brother and male role model to many of his students. He also plans tournaments so his students can improve, travels to competitions both in the U.S. and in Mexico where he has established a program of cultural exchange through fencing.

Over the past two weeks prior to graduation, José spent 250 hours getting the new Dreams for Youth training center ready for business. The entire board and staff are proud of his accomplishments and wish him the best!

Coach Does Heavy Lifting for DFY Badminton

Jose Medrano does not look like your typical badminton player. The founder of UTSA’s weight lifting club was bitten by the badminton bug when he did his student teaching a Collins Garden, the home of the Dreams for Youth (DFY) badminton league. Jose graduated from UTSA last spring and is now an academic mentor at MLK Academy, but he maintains his ties with badminton as a DFY assistant coach.

Jose admits to thinking badminton was for sissies until he played the game and was surprised at the competitiveness. “It grabbed my interest,” says Jose. He also appreciates that the game makes the children more disciplined, increasing their self-esteem and confidence as they improve.

“Jose is an enthusiastic coach who loves to play the game with the kids,” says Kampol Surapiboonchai, head coach for the Dreams for Youth and CODP badminton programs. “And his enthusiasm is infectious. He has recruited a lot of people to the sport, including his brother, a former power lifter.”

Kampol has turned over the critical off-court conditioning program to Jose. “Peaking at the right time is crucial…timing is involved so players won’t burn out and will be at their peak for competitions,” says Kampol. The U.S. Jr. National Badminton Championships are in June. As Jose leads players through running, plyometrics and other agility and speed drills, eliciting groans and moans, there is no doubt that they’ll be fit and ready.

Corporate Champions

Presenting Champions

City of San Antonio; SBC Communications Inc.

$50,000

Creative Link; IKON Office Solutions; San Antonio Express-News; Valero Energy Corporation

$20,000

Advantage Rent-A-Car; Pepsi Bottling Group; San Antonio Coca-Cola Bottling Co; San Antonio Spurs; Whataburger, Inc.

$10,000

Budget Car & Truck Rental; Cingular Wireless; Langley & Banack; Maverick Video Production; NuMedia: Oak Farms Dairy; Paladin IT Services; Methodist Children's Hospital; Spectrum Health Clubs; Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio, The Dominion Country Club

$5,000

George Becknell; Bender & Associates; BudCo., Inc.; The CE Group - Communication & Events; ChapmanSchewe Benefits Consulting; Comet Neon Advertising; Frost Bank; H-E-B Grocery Company; Hertz Corporation; Humana; JP Morgan Chase; KPMG; Merrill Lynch; Methodist Healthcare System; Michael Imbimbo, Inc.; Miner Corporation; Pacificare; The Plaza Club; Nathaniel Sanderson, M.D.; Security Service Federal Credit Union; Soccer Sports Complex; Sterling Bank; Sterling Foods, Inc.; Jon Turner; Zachry Hospitality, Inc.

$2,500

Allegra Print & Imaging; Bank of America; Broadway Bank; Carneiro, Chummney & Co.; C.C. Creations; Catering by Don Strange; Colonial Supplemental Insurance; Cox Smith Matthews Incorporated; Ear Medical Group; Ernst & Young; FIRSTMARK Credit Union; Fintan Technologies; Flowers Bakeries; Fulbright & Jaworski; GLI Distributing.; Halo Distributing; Host/Chelsea Joint Venture of San Antonio; Initial Security; Dr. Susan Marenda-King; Marriott Plaza San Antonio; Marriott Rivercenter/Riverwalk; Mission Pharmacal; Pape-Dawson Consulting Engineers, Inc.; SpawGlass Contractors, Inc.; Tesoro Petroleum Companies; Walton Signage; Yantis Company

Grants/Foundations

Bexar County Health & Human Services CDBG; Bexar County Women's Bar Foundation; Brown Foundation; Charity Ball Foundation; Coleman Foundation; Criminal Justice Division JJDP Grant; Criminal Justice Division Safe and Drug Free Schools Grant; Light Foundation; David & Betty Sachs Foundation; Smith Barney; Women’s Sports Foundation

Founding Sponsors

City of San Antonio; H-E-B; USAA Foundation, A Charitable Trust; Valero Energy Corporation