It took a terrific Team Sports Foundation effort to pull off the Kick-It 3v3 South-East Central Regional Soccer Shootout Aug. 6-7 at Alamo Sportsplex last weekend. We hosted about 200 teams of six from five states.

Thanks to the volunteers and staff who dedicated hours of service to make ends meet. You would have had to see it to believe it! 600 cars were parked, 950 Kiolbassa sausage wraps smoked and sold, 1000 snow cones in every flavor imaginable were crushed and packed, buckets of pickles and healthy fruits were also offered, and 270 cases of water and Pepsi soft drinks were iced and peddled.

Best of luck to all the teams thatwon their divisions and qualified for the 3v3 Soccer National Championships at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla. on Jan. 14.

The next soccer event for the Sports Foundation will be hosting the Big 12 Women’s Soccer Championship tournament at Blossom Soccer Complex November 2, 4 and 6. See you there!



Dr. Susan Blackwood
Executive Director

Valero Sponsors Go!Kids Challenge™ For Third Consecutive Year

Valero Energy Corporation has teamed up with the San Antonio Sports Foundation as the title sponsor of the Go!Kids Challenge™ for the third year in a row.

The 2005 Valero Go!Kids Challenge, which takes place Sept. 21 through Dec. 5, aims to educate children about the importance of routine exercise and proper nutrition. More than 165,000 students from 18 school districts and several private schools in San Antonio, New Braunfels and Boerne participate in the Valero Go!Kids Challenge, which encourages elementary students to walk one-half mile a day to complete a marathon distance of 26.2 miles.

“The Valero Go!Kids Challenge is making a real impact on improving the health and well-being of thousands of children in San Antonio. Not only are we introducing them to a healthier lifestyle, we are teaching them to set goals, helping them develop the discipline to achieve those goals, and rewarding them for their successes," said Greg King, president of Valero Energy Corporation, which has more than 130 Diamond Shamrock and Valero Corner Stores in San Antonio.

When participants in the Go!Kids Challenge reach certain fitness milestones, they are able to redeem coupons for healthy snacks at area Diamond Shamrock and Valero Corner Stores as well as Subway restaurants.

Stay tuned for more Valero Go!Kids Challenge™ information in upcoming issues of Sidelines!

Send Us Your Auction Items!

The Sports Foundation is still soliciting auction items for the “Love of Kids & Harleys” gala on September 7 at the SBC Center. This wonderful event raises money for five very worthwhile charities that provide special services for children and their families. Respite Care, Any Baby Can, Easter Seals, Ronald McDonald House and the Sports Foundation Dreams for Youth program all will benefit from your generosity.

This year’s event features entertainment by Clint Black and Trick Pony. George Strait will auction off a one-of-a-kind Harley Davidson motorcycle autographed by him! Be a part of this worthwhile event. For more information, contact Vanessa Richey at (210) 820-2112 or at vrichey@sanantoniosports.org.

SASF Golf Classic at the Dominion

The San Antonio Sports Foundation’s annual Golf Classic is slated for Monday, December 12 at the beautiful Dominion Country Club. SASF Events Committee chairman Carlos Ramos promises a great opportunity to have some fun and win valuable prizes all while raising money for a good cause – the Sports Foundation’s youth initiatives. For sponsor and team information, contact Elena Stout at 210-820-2127 or estout@sanantoniosports.org.

Get Your Official Championship T-shirt Today!

Dreams for Youth Program Receives Grant

The GAC Halff Foundation of San Antonio recently presented the Sports Foundation’s Dreams for Youth program with a check for $2,000. This grant will be used by the program to purchase much needed new uniforms for the children in the fencing, badminton, diving, volleyball, and tennis programs. Thank you to the GAC Halff Foundation for its generous support of our athletes!

DFY Tennis Coach Shares His Passion

At the same time the San Antonio Sports Foundation was looking for a coach to help its Dreams for Youth tennis program, Rob Cole was looking for an entity that fit with his goal of teaching tennis in underserved communities. A native of Philadelphia, Cole was a product of outreach tennis programs. His background includes participating in the National Junior Tennis League as a child.

Cole recently moved to Texas from Philadelphia where he taught classes for the Arthur Ashe Tennis and Education program. His experience also includes directing tennis programs in Smyrna, GA and Charleston, SC. Cole is a professed Eagles fan, so settling in Dallas wasn’t an option. After a brief stop in El Paso, Cole came to San Antonio. He established the San Antonio Tennis Development Organization in December and hooked up with the Sports Foundation this summer to teach two sessions. He also teaches tennis for the City of San Antonio and the East Side Boys and Girls Club.

The objective of his tennis development organization is to serve children and the community through tennis. “Our programs teach positive, rewarding lessons that install confidence, encourage healthy living, build personal discipline, and are just plain fun,” says Cole. He wants to make a difference by helping children. “Directing this program helps me feel like I’m truly giving back to children that remind me of myself.”

The Sports Foundation will offer tennis again in the fall. To register, contact Alma Martinez Striker at 820-2113 or astriker@sanantoniosports.org.

CODP Divers in AAU Nationals

Two divers from the Sports Foundation’s Community Olympic Development Program did well at the 2005 AAU Diving National Championships in Largo, FL, held July 26-31.

Stephanie Giddens placed 4th on the 1-meter, 7th on 3-meter, and 7th on platform in 14-15 girls. Her fourth place finish automatically designated her an AAU National Team member.

Rachelle Miller placed 8th on platform in 16-18 girls. Their combined scores helped Alamo Area Aquatics’ diving team finish 21st out of 59 teams competing. Congratulations to Stephanie, Rochelle, and CODP coach Tommy Law.

Occasionally Sidelines features profiles of our sponsors and members. This week, Erik Darmstetter shares his reasons for his long-time association with the Sports Foundation.

“I first got involved with the Sport Foundation in the fall of 1996 while they were preparing for the 1997 NCAA Men’s regional basketball tournament. I soon became a brand manager for the 1998 NCAA Final Four and continued on that path through the 2003 Men’s Regional and the Pan American Games bid effort.

Why? For me it is has to be the people. The people who have so much passion you cannot help but absorb it. The staff and the devotion of the volunteers are like no other organization I have seen. The enrichment for me is that I have met people from all over the world due to the bid efforts and events and still keep in touch with them. Today my goal is to help keep this incredible passionate force stay laser focused, and able to communicate its incredible benefits to the rest of the world with continued refinement.

The events the San Antonio Sports Foundation creates last only a short time, but the memories and friends are forever”.

Erik owns a sales/marketing company called The Darmstetter Company, which has clients across North America. His specialty is coaching them to increased sales, the development of warm leads and higher profits.

Champions Club
Individual Members at $1,000+

Gary & Shelia Arthur; Sam Barshop; Susan Blackwood; June Bratcher; Tim Brierty; Howard Burris; Jim Callaway; Cassandra Carr; James Doyle; Jim Dublin; Charlie Ebrom; Dr. Frank Fichtel; Larry Franklin; Pat & Kelley Frost; Dr. Jamie Garza; Claud Gilmer; William Greehey; Joe Guinn; Bill & Marcia Hanson; Scott Hefner; Scott Helbing; George C. Hixon; Peter Holt; Stacey Johnson; Michael Jourdan; Greg & Leigh Ann King; Michael Lynd; Lowry Mays; Red McCombs; James Mickey; Tom Reardon; Marty Roos; Dr. David Schmidt; Dr. Earl Smith; Steve Souter; Michael G. Stoltz; Neill Walsdorf, Jr.; Carri Wells; Jeff Wentworth; Paul Young

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; The Darmstetter Company; 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; Wells Fargo Bank; 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

The Alfred S. Gage Foundation, 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; GAC Halff Foundation; Light Foundation; Myra Stafford Pryor Charitable Trust; The Sequor 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