An Invitation to Partner with Us

What a fall!  Streetball Slam fueled by Tesoro, Duck n’ Dodge Dodgeball Tournament,  Valero Go!Kids Challenge™, the Subway Victory Lap Celebration and the Big 12 Soccer Championship –it’s been so much fun.  And there is more fun to come.

2008 will be the most active year, from an event stand point, that the Sports Foundation has ever had.  Joining the 2008 NCAA® Final Four® and the events mentioned above are the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame, the Sports Foundation Golf Classic, the State Games of Texas and the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon.  Something for everyone!

These events cannot be successful, and more importantly, future events will be harder to win without corporate event sponsors.  Corporate sponsors benefit from an association with the Sports Foundation due to the support that we get from you.

A 2006 study by economists from the New York University Stern School of Business found that companies that give to charities earn $6 in sales for every $1 donated.  Businesses in industries that are highly sensitive to consumer perception, such as retailers and financial services firms, experience a particularly large boost in revenues when they sponsor events.

Let’s build a mutually beneficial partnership!

Let Dorsena Picknell (dpicknell@sanantoniosports.org or 820-2102), who is so savvy in sponsorships, help find a marketing strategy for you or your company.  We welcome all referrals.

Dr. Susan Blackwood
Executive Director

Big 12 Coaches Lead Youth Coaches’ Clinic

Last night, roughly 55 area youth soccer coaches participated in a free clinic hosted by the San Antonio Sports Foundation and the Big 12 Conference at the Classics Elite Academy fields. The clinic was led by Chris Petrucelli (pictured right), University of Texas head women’s soccer coach, and G. Guerrieri, head coach for Texas A&M.

“The Sports Foundation is committed to improving opportunities for local volunteer and club coaches to learn skills that help them lead their young athletes,” said Dr. Susan Blackwood, executive director of the San Antonio Sports Foundation. “These Big 12 coaches are two of the best in the business and we’re grateful for their commitment to improving soccer in San Antonio.”

"It is a great opportunity to have someone of his caliber offer a clinic in San Antonio," said Paul Cardone, who attended Coach Petrucelli's session. A volunteer CYO coach and the father of several young soccer players, Cardone continued, "He offered realistic drills we can use and reminded us to keep it fun."

Big 12 Soccer Championship This Week

Coach Guerrieri’s A&M squad is seeded #1 in this week’s Big 12 Soccer Championship, which takes place Nov. 7, 9 and 11 at Blossom Soccer Stadium.

Coach Petrucelli’s Longhorns are seeded #2 in the tournament.

Tickets are only $6 a day or $12 for a three-day tournament pass.  Tickets are available at area soccer stores, at the gate and by calling the Sports Foundation at 820-2100.  Area soccer teams are encouraged to purchase the 20-ticket team package for $99 to see some of the nation’s top student-athletes in action.

For complete details and a tournament schedule, click here.

The Sports Foundation and the Big 12 will honor local Special Olympians at halftime during the Championship game on Sunday.  These young men and women recently competed in the Special Olympics World Games in China and won the silver medal in basketball.  We also invite you to visit with event sponsor Velocity Sports Performance, who will be on site with fun activities and giveaways.

SA Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2008 

Five deserving individuals have been selected to the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame.  The class of 2008 includes NFL defensive pro bowler Lyle Blackwood, North East ISD Athletic Director and former Churchill state champion football coach Jerry Comalander, three-time gold medal Olympic swimmer Josh Davis, high school sprinter and NFL player Clyde Glossen, and former Houston Astros and New York Yankee Major League Baseball player Cliff Johnson.  They will be formally inducted on Friday, Feb. 15 at a black tie dinner in the Alamodome with proceeds benefitting the Sports Foundation’s youth initiatives, which serve more than 160,000 children every year in San Antonio. 

Joining the San Antonio Sports Foundation in sponsoring the event are the San Antonio Express News and City of San Antonio.   Committee chairs include Janet Holliday and Madeline Harlan, founding chairs, Danny Buck, table sales, and auction co-chairs, Liz Fritz and Rick Smith.  Tables may be purchased for $10,000, $5,000, $2,500 and $1,500, and individual tickets are $125. 

Please join us in honoring these outstanding individuals and their sports accomplishments.  Purchase your table or tickets online or contact Myrna Reyes at 210-820-2109 or mreyes@sanantoniosprots.org.  

Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon Offers Early Bird Discount

Get ready to rock San Antonio! The inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon and Half Marathon is only a year away.  Set for Nov. 16, 2008, this will be no ordinary marathon.  There is live music every mile, spirited cheer teams, a finish line fiesta, a headliner concert and more.  An early registration discount ($55 for the ½ marathon and $65 for the marathon) is good through Friday, Nov. 16, 2007.

Go to http://www.rnrsa.com/home.html to register and for more information.  Race organizer, Elite Racing, will be in San Antonio on Tuesday, Nov. 13 for a press event at 1:30 at the Alamodome. 

The San Antonio Marathon of the Americas, which started as the Las Colonias Marathon in 1975, will take place this weekend.  Best of luck to all the runners participating in the marathon, ½ marathon or 5K fitness challenge or walk and congratulations to Sam Idrogo and the San Antonio Road Runners for another great event.

Circle of Champions members (left to right) Marc Licon, Wes Wilson, Kelly Larsen, Jim Pitman, Robert Thomas and Sam Beltran meet in October.

Circle of Champions

The Sports Foundation’s Circle of Champions are making friends and influencing people as they promote Sports Foundation membership in the community.  At October’s luncheon, hosted by Coca-Cola and Sports Foundation board member Carlos Ramos, Marc Licon received a gift certificate to Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar for top sales to date.  On December 7, the Circle of Champions will meet again to discuss sales and marketing with Texas business icon Red McCombs.  

The Circle of Champions is a group of young leaders who are working together to increase membership in the nonprofit Sports Foundation.  They enjoy fun networking and leadership development opportunities and get the inside track on Sports Foundation events and programs.  If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the Circle of Champions, contact Mary Ullmann Japhet at 210-820-2123 or mjaphet@sanantoniosports.org.

Facilities Issues Vetted

The citizens committee charged by Bexar County Commissioners Court to examine, prioritize and recommend regional amateur sports facilities using visitor taxes will meet twice in November.  Eleven presentations by groups and organizations requesting funds are on the agenda.  Each project must demonstrate and meet specific criteria including tourism impact, matching investment (public/private), a long-term plan for maintenance, operations and programming, return on investment, and a need for the facility in Bexar County. 

For more information, visit www.bexar.org/communityvenues.  The committee will meet one last time in December to vote on final rankings and recommendations to the Commissioners.

The Road to San Antonio™ Starts This Week

The 2007-08 college basketball season officially begins this week as teams across the country take it one game at a time toward the ultimate season-ending reward: a trip to San Antonio next April!  With fewer than 150 days until tip-off in the Alamodome, NCAA officials and SALOC representatives are also gearing up for the season with their own kick-off next week. 

The 2008 NCAA Men’s Final Four host institution, University of Texas at San Antonio, will take on Navy Saturday, November 17 at 7pm in the Alamodome as a Final Four rehearsal event for game management staff, facility staff and NCAA tournament managers.  The Alamodome will be set-up in Final Four configuration for the game as a prerequisite to the Final Four.  Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for juniors and military and can be purchased by downloading an order form here or at the Alamodome box office the day of the game.

Join us a week from Saturday to cheer on our UTSA Roadrunners as they begin their quest on the Road to San Antonio™! 

Go!Kids Take Their Victory Laps

On Sunday, October 28, thousands of young San Antonians received their finishers’ medals and t-shirts at the Valero Go!Kids Challenge™ Subway Victory Lap Celebration.  After eight weeks of exercising 30 minutes a day, six days a week in the Sports Foundation program, the youngsters earned the title of Go!Kid and the opportunity to celebrate with their families in a fun-filled afternoon  Thanks to Olympians Josh Davis and Liza Hunter-Galvan and to San Antonio Spur Matt Bonner for attending and to the many young performance groups for sharing their talents with the crowd.  A photo gallery of the event is available at www.gokidschallenge.com.

The Sports Foundation is grateful to all of our sponsors of the 2007 Valero Go!Kids Challenge:  Valero, Subway, Coca-Cola, Smith Barney, AT&T, Frost Bank, Methodist Children’s Hospital, Oak Farms, CATZ Sports Performance, Alamo Travel, KCI, United Healthcare, Washington Mutual, esd & associates, and Freeman.  Media partners included:  Clear Channel Radio, KENS 5, San Antonio Express-News and KWEX/Univision 41.

We often say – and mean it – that Sports Foundation volunteers are the backbone of our organization.  They are knowledgeable, generous, and friendly and deserve recognition.  Every month, we will tip our hat to one of our many volunteers here in Sidelines.  This month, meet Larry Hernandez (pictured left).

Larry has volunteered with the San Antonio Sports Foundation since the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival, usually helping to oversee critical transportation issues.  He’s helping to move Big 12 soccer teams around the city this week during the championship and will co-chair the 2008 NCAA Final Four transportation committee with fellow volunteer Duane Divitch.

“It’s fun!” says Larry, who uses his vacation and personal leave from his job as the executive director of the HEB dairy on Goliad Road to make time to volunteer.  “In transportation, we’re often the first people visitors meet when they come to San Antonio.  We’re ambassadors who get to say ‘this is San Antonio,’ ‘this is who we are.’”

Join Larry and become a Sports Foundation volunteer today.  Whether you can give a few hours or a few days of your time, there is a job for you!  Learn more or register online at www.SanAntonioSports.org or contact Michelle Rodriguez at 820-2191 or mrodriguez@sanantoniosports.org.

The Sports Foundation wishes to say good-bye to project manager Anna Gomez Gonzalez, who has taken a position with a family business.  Anna played a critical role in the growth and success of the Valero Go!Kids Challenge, as well as helping launch the GoGirlGo! San Antonio grant program. We wish Anna and her family the best in their new ventures.

Several new faces have joined the Sports Foundation team.  Monica Robles, who joined us as a coach and intern for our Dreams for Youth program in 2006 is now membership and sponsor fulfillment manager.   Monica graduated from the University of Incarnate Word in May with a degree in Sports Management. 

Myrna Reyes is the Sports Foundation's new special events manager and is charged with overseeing the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame and other fundraising events, member and VIP hospitality functions and will be very involved in staging the Games of Texas next summer. She joins us from the staff of long-time Sports Foundation member, ChapmanSchewe Benefits Consulting.

Carol Smith has joined our staff as a grant writer.  She has 20 years experience and previously worked for Northside ISD and as an independent consultant.  

Priscilla Macias will join the staff next week as our new youth and facilities director.  She comes to us from the City of San Antonio aviation department where she was assistant to the director.  Priscilla’s background in facilities includes a position with Boerne ISD.

Welcome to all our new staff!

Champions Club
Individual Members at $1,000+

Justin Aglialoro; Tom Akin; Dr. Lawrence Anderson; Gary & Shelia Arthur; Rich Attkisson; William Avila; Scott Beckendorf; Col. George Becknell; George P. Becknell, III; Morton Baird; Ralph Bender; James Blackwood; Susan Blackwood; George Block; Carolun Blumit; Steve Bonnette; Diana Braschler; June Bratcher; Howard Burris; Jim Callaway; Pete Cangany; Dana Carter; Jeff Clark; Bud Curtis; Ross & Laura Davis; John Disler; James Doyle; Alan Dreeben; Jim Dublin; Charlie Ebrom; Steve Edlund; Donald Engelhardt; Tally Estrada; David Fevsdahl; Lisa & Frank Fichtel; Buddy Ford; Lisa Friel; Pat & Kelley Frost; James Gianopoulos; Claude Gilmer; Frank Gittinger; William Greehey; Bob Gurwitz; Bill & Marcia Hanson; Scott Helbing; Ronnie  Hengst; George C. Hixon; Janet Holliday; Michael Imbimbo; Steve Isom; Mary & Chuck Japhet, Gary Joeris; Stacey Johnson; Michael Jones; Kent Krauss; Dr. Gary Lawton; Michael J. Lynd, Jr.; Greg & Leigh Ann King; Lowry Mays; James Mickey; Phil Miner; Dr. Edward Mueller; Randel Norris; Kelly O'Connor; Manny Ortiz; Juan Rangel; Bob & Laura Raymond; Tom Reardon; Jim & Katie Reed; Matthew Reedy; Mike Riordan; Charlie Roberts; Marty Roos; Lynn Roper; Dr. David Schmidt; George Scofield; Daniel Simons; Dr. Earl Smith; Tom Stephenson; Michael Stoltz; Virginia VanSteenberg; Richard Wade; Carri Wells; Jeff Wentworth; Robert Wright, Jr.; Paul Young

Corporate Champions

City of San Antonio; AT&T

$50,000

IKON Office Solutions; San Antonio Express-News; Time Warner Cable; Valero Energy Corporation

$20,000

Pepsi Bottling Group; San Antonio Coca-Cola Bottling Co; Valero Energy Foundation

$10,000

Budget Car & Truck Rental; Corporate Travel Planners; Enterprise Rent A Car; Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar; Langley & Banack; Maverick Video Production; NuMedia; Paladin IT Services; Spectrum Health Clubs; Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio

$5,000

The Alamo Travel Group; George Becknell; Bender & Associates; BudCo., Inc.; The CE Group - Communication & Events; ChapmanSchewe Benefits Consulting; Comet Neon Advertising; Core – Mark International, Inc.; Ernst & Young; Frost Bank; H-E-B Grocery Company; The Gambrinus Company; KPMG; Merrill Lynch; Methodist Healthcare System; Miner Corporation; The Plaza Club; RunTex; Security Service Federal Credit Union; Sterling Bank; SWBC; The Trust Company; US Global Investors; Walton Signage; Wells Fargo Bank; Zachry Hospitality, Inc.

$2,500

Accenture LLP; Allegra Print & Imaging; Allied Advertising; Broadway National Bank; C H Guenther & Son; Chelsea’s Sandwiches of Texas Inc.; Colonial Supplemental Insurance; Cox Smith Matthews Incorporated; Don Strange of Texas, Inc.; Ear Medical Group; FIRSTMARK Credit Union; GLI Distributing; Halo Distributing; HMS Host; Jefferson Bank; MassMutual/The South Texas Agency; MarmonMok Architecture; Marriott Plaza San Antonio; Marriott Rivercenter/Riverwalk; Mission Pharmacal; Pape-Dawson Consulting Engineers, Inc.; PMG, Inc.; Republic Beverage Company; San Antonio Economic Development Foundation; Sterling Foods Inc.; Tesoro Petroleum Companies; Texas Automotive Paint Supply Co., Lp; USSA; Yantis Company

Grants/Foundations

The AT&T Foundation; The Alfred S. Gage Foundation; Bexar County Health & Human Services CDBG; Brown Foundation; Charity Ball 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; USSA Foundation; Women’s Sports Foundation

Founding Sponsors

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