San Antonio has stepped up!

We drove into the Alamodome parking lot on Wednesday morning and saw the enthusiastic Saints fans from San Antonio lined up and ready to show their support for a team that will call San Antonio home for many months. It confirmed everything that I have come to love about this town. We welcome the team, the staff and their families with the warmth and affection that has been shown each and every time we have a major sporting event in San Antonio.

Thanks to all of you who have participated in any way with the relief effort for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and now are showing your support for a team that is playing from the bottom of their hearts! For a few months, we will have to substitute our Spurs’ Silver and Black for Gold and Black. How I love a reason to shop!



Dr. Susan Blackwood
Executive Director

Valero Go!Kids Challenge™ to kick off next week

Next week, 165,000 elementary students from 18 school districts in San Antonio, Boerne and New Braunfels will take their first steps toward fitness in the 2005 Valero Go!Kids Challenge. In its third year, this program was created by the Sports Foundation to help fight childhood obesity in our community and motivate children to increase their activity levels while making exercise fun and routine.

During the 11-week program, the children will walk one-half mile a day, log their miles in their personal Go!Kids journals or online at www.gokidschallenge.com and earn healthy, free treats from sponsors along the way. When they finish in early December, they’ll have walked a 26.2-mile marathon and will be invited to attend the citywide Subway Victory Lap Celebration at the Alamodome. There, they’ll receive a medal and t-shirt and families can enjoy the family health and fitness fair.

In the next few weeks, Sidelines will feature Valero Go!Kids Challenge updates. We invite participating children, their parents and teachers to share their Go!Kids success stories with us by e-mailing us at inform@sanantoniosports.org.

The Valero Go!Kids Challenge™ is supported through the generous contributions of sponsors Valero Energy Corporation, Diamond Shamrock Corner Stores, Subway, Coca-Cola, Methodist Children's Hospital, Mission Pharmacal, SBC, IBC Bank, Oak Farms Diary, Security Service Federal Credit Union, esd & associates, and Creative Link.

Go!Kids Featured on KENS-TV

On Friday, Sept. 9, the Valero Go!Kids Challenge was featured on the KENS-TV Backyard Bar-B-Q segments during the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts.

Woodridge Elementary School principal Dr. Cordell Jones (left) is interviewed by KENS-TV meteorologist Bill Taylor. Thanks to the many Woodridge students and parents who turned out to support the Valero Go!Kids Challenge in their school.

For the Love of Kids and Harleys a Great Success!

Over 5,000 people attended the 11th annual For the Love of Kids and Harleys gala on Wednesday, September 8 at the SBC Center. For the Love of Kids and Harleys is a benefit for five local children’s charities including the Sports Foundation’s Dreams for Youth program.

Sports Foundation board member Steve Richards and Susann Richards have fun at Kids and Harleys.

At the “Hog” party, guests enjoyed live music from Trick Pony and Clint Black, a silent auction, and Bill Miller’s Barbeque. Country music superstar and San Antonio resident George Strait lead the live auction during which a trip for 10 people to the Hotel Valencia in San Jose, CA went for $18,000 and a George Strait autographed Harley-Davidson brought in $29,000. Clint Black, the headlining performer, made a surprise appearance during the live auction and auctioned off a guitar that had served as his daughter’s birth announcement, which brought in an additional $11,000.

Plans are already underway for next year’s event which looks to be even bigger and better than this year. Thank you to all the Sports Foundation members who supported this great cause!

Taekwondo Junior Olympics Makes Big Impact

Many young athletes earned gold medals at the 2005 USA Taekwondo Junior Olympics last June at the Alamodome, but they weren’t the only ones taking home rewards for a job well done.

The Taekwondo Junior Olympics generated an economic impact of $6.1 million for San Antonio’s economy, according to a study conducted by the Sport Marketing Research Institute at the University of Northern Colorado. The Sports Foundation-hosted event brought about 3,000 young athletes and their families to the Alamo City for four days of competition. These visitors enjoyed our wonderful hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues and theme parks. We hope they’ll be back to San Antonio soon!

San Antonio’s Sneak Peak

Staff members from the NCAA, ESPN and Event 1 Merchandisers were in town last week for their final site visit in preparation for the 2005 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship, Dec. 15 and 17. Host institution UTSA and the Alamodome prepared the venue in the exact configuration fans will see in at the Championship, which gave the NCAA an opportunity to make any changes to the set-up.

The NCAA site visit was scheduled in conjunction with the UTSA Dome Rally, one of the nation’s top in-season tournaments that featured Florida, A&M, UTSA, Notre Dame, USC, Rice, Oklahoma and LSU. Fans were treated to 3 five-set thrillers throughout the weekend, while also seeing 19th-ranked University of Notre Dame dominate competition, which included a sweep of #6 Florida. Thanks to all who participated in San Antonio’s preview of the Championship!

Celebrate 25 Years of Women's Championships

Vote today for your NCAA Women’s Volleyball 25th Anniversary team. Six athletes and one coach will be honored throughout the Championship weekend in San Antonio. Online voting will run through October 1. Click here to make your selections!

Buy Your Championship Tickets Today!

Great lower level all-session tickets are still available for the 2005 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship by visiting www.saloc.org. Tickets are just $46 and for groups of ten or more; you will receive an official Championship t-shirt for each pass.

SASF Golf Classic at the Dominion

December 12, 2005
Dominion Country Club
10:30 a.m. Shotgun start

Save the date and reserve your team today in the 2005 SASF Golf Classic. This year’s tournament is set for 10:30 a.m. on December 12th at the Dominion Country Club. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the Sports Foundation’s youth initiatives – Dreams for Youth and the Valero Go!Kids Challenge.

You can tee-off your support today by signing up as a sponsor. Sponsorship levels begin at $1,250. CLICK HERE for a detailed list of levels and benefits. For questions or more information contact Elena Stout at 210-820-2127 or estout@sanantoniosports.org.

Pan Am Fencing Academy Moves to DFY Facility

The San Antonio Sports Foundation is teaming with the Pan American Fencing Academy to hold development seminars for fencing coaches. The first one is set for October 14-16. Previously held at Palo Alto College, the coaches’ development seminars will move to the Dreams for Youth training center, 525 San Pedro Ave. The October seminar is geared towards the lowest level of certification, Monituer, and will prepare candidates for the written and practical exams. Another for more advanced instructors is scheduled for May.

Olympic fencer and Palo Alto College professor Vinnie Bradford coordinates the seminars. “Through coaches’ education, you can promote youth sports by providing good coaches for kids,” she explains. Vinnie moved the seminars from Palo Alto because the missions of the Sports Foundation and the Fencing Academy are a better fit. While most participants come from Texas, Vinnie is also hoping to strengthen relations with Central and South American countries by attracting additional coaches.

To find out more or to register click here , contact Vinnie Bradford at (210) 921-5233 or José Sanchez, assistant director of Dreams for Youth at (210) 226-5479 or jsanchez@sanantoniosports.org.

Olympic Hall of Fame

Just one more week for you to vote for San Antonio’s own Ross Davis, a gold medal Paralympian who is a finalist for selection to the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Hall of Fame. Please vote by September 21 by clicking here.

Ross, who today serves as creative director for the Sports Foundation, has won nine Paralympic track and field medals including two gold medals and set a Paralympic record in the 100 meter race. He participated in the Paralympics in 2000, 1996 and 1992. Ross is a former member of the United States Olympic Committee board of directors and was a nominee for the 1996 USOC Sportsman of the Year, an honor that was eventually awarded to track superstar Michael Johnson. Ross was inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

Please vote now and help get Ross selected for this wonderful honor!

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; Steve Isom; Stacey Johnson; Michael Jourdan; Greg & Leigh Ann King; Michael Lynd; Lowry Mays; Red McCombs; James Mickey; Phil Miner; 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; First Rate Investment Systems; 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