The Secret to our Success

It is no secret that the San Antonio Sports Foundation has the best volunteers in the world! Whether they’re part of an army of 1,200 volunteers supporting the success of an NCAA Final Four, or just one person helping to answer phones at our reception desk, our volunteers exhibit consistent characteristics. They are friendly, experienced, trustworthy and enthusiastic. Our volunteers come from all walks of life, all areas of the city and every age range. Their stellar reputation has spread internationally, and they are truly our ace in the hole when we are bidding to bring major athletic events to our community.

To honor an individual who exemplifies the ideals of a volunteer for the Sports Foundation, we are initiating the Leo and Chickie Rose Volunteer of the Year award. The Rose family has been generous supporters of the Sports Foundation for years and agrees that our volunteers should be formally recognized. Please submit your nominees for the Sports Foundation’s 2004 Leo and Chickie Rose Volunteer of the Year award by November 14th. Click here for a nomination form or call 210-820-2100. The recipient will be announced during the Sports Foundation’s board of directors meeting on December 13, 2004.

We sincerely thank each and every one of our volunteers who contribute their time and talents to help the Sports Foundation fulfill its effort of creating sports opportunities for our community and its youth.

Dr. Susan Blackwood
Executive Director

 Sports Hall of Fame Names Class of 2005

Last week, the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2005 was announced during a press conference at the Alamodome. The inductees include Olympians Ross Davis, Stacey Johnson and Reuben Reina, football greats Gabe Rivera and Coach Jim Wacker, and golf pro Bill Rogers. Each will be officially inducted during the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame Tribute gala on Thursday, February 10, 2005, at the Alamodome. Tables are going fast, so reserve yours today by contacting Vanessa Richey at 210-820-2112 or vrichey@sanantoniosports.org.

	Ross Davis is a two-time gold medallist and nine-time medallist at the Paralympic Games. A wheelchair track and field athlete, Davis won back-to-back gold medals in the 100 meters in Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000, setting a Paralympic record that still stands. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University.
	A Lee High School graduate, Stacey Johnson was a member of the 1980 Olympic fencing team and a four-time NCAA champion in fencing at San Jose State. Her collegiate all-time win/loss record of 305-1 still stands. Johnson is the founder of the Sports Foundation's Dreams for Youth program. She is the immediate past-president of USA Fencing and a leader in the Olympic movement worldwide.
	Reuben Reina represented the U.S. in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona in Track and Field in the 5000-meters. A graduate of Jay High School, Reina attended the University of Arkansas and was an eight-time All-American. He was the NCAA Champion in the 3,000 meters indoors in 1990 and 1991, and won seven individual SWC titles.
	Gabe Rivera was a three-time letterman in football at Jefferson High School and during his senior year he was named a Parade Magazine All-American. At Texas Tech, was a Kodak All-American and was named SWC Defensive Player of the Year. Professionally, Gabe played two months for the Pittsburgh Steelers before a car accident ended his career.
	Coach Jim Wacker was a collegiate head football coach or athletic director, and his teams won 159 games in 26 years, including four national championships, two each at Texas Lutheran and Southwest Texas State University (now known as Texas State University). Wacker passed away in 2003.
	Bill Rogers was named the 1981 PGA Player of the Year after winning the British Open, the Heritage Classic, World Series of Golf, and The Texas Open. He was a member of the 1981 Ryder Cup Championship team and was a co-captained the Ryder Cup team to victory in 1999. As an amateur, Bill was a first-team NCAA All-American at the University of Houston in 1973 and a member of the 1973 Walker Cup Team.

Diamond Shamrock Go!Kids Challenge™ Keeps Kids Motivated

There are of lots of children and parents walking every day in San Antonio neighborhoods. The Sports Foundation’s Diamond Shamrock Go!Kids Challenge™ is inspiring thousands of local elementary students and their families to walk ½ mile every day, log their miles and earn their healthy rewards from Diamond Shamrock Corner Stores and Subway.

More than 160,000 elementary students in San Antonio, New Braunfels and Boerne took their first steps toward health in September. They’re on track to complete a marathon by the Subway Victory Lap Celebration on Sunday, December 5 from 2-4 p.m. at the Alamodome. Keep up the good work and Go!Kids!

To learn more about the Diamond Shamrock Go!Kids Challenge, click here or call 210-820-2100.

Big 12 Soccer Returns to San Antonio

The women's soccer teams of the Big 12 Conference will learn this week whether their squad has earned the right to compete in the Big 12 Soccer Championship tournament, November 3, 5, and 7 at Blossom Soccer Stadium. Hosted by the San Antonio Sports Foundation and the University of Texas, the tournament features the top eight teams in the Big 12 conference who vie for the Championship title and an automatic bid to represent the Big 12 conference in the 2004 NCAA Women's Soccer National Championship.

Individual tickets are priced at $5 per day and $10 for a tournament pass. Area league and school teams can purchase a 20-ticket Team Package for just $89.

For more information call 210-820-2101.

Buy tickets online through TicketMaster.
Download a ticket order form(pdf).
Download a Team Package order form(pdf).

Free Soccer YES Clinic

In conjunction with the Big 12 Soccer Championship, girls ages 10-18 are invited to participate in a soccer Youth Education through Sports (YES) Clinic on Saturday, November 6 at Blossom Soccer Stadium.

At the clinic, youngsters will work on their skills with college coaches and student-athletes. They’ll also learn about the six attributes the NCAA has identified as forming the spirit of the Association – fair play, character, learning, balance, spirit and community. Parents are also invited to attend a simultaneous seminar about issues related to youth sports.

Click here for a registration form or call 210-820-2100 to enroll.

International Soccer in the Alamodome

World-class professional soccer comes to the Alamodome when the Mexican national soccer team faces Guatemala on Nov. 10. The game will be a preview of their matches scheduled for the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. Mexico and Guatemala have each advanced to the final round.

For tickets visit TicketMaster.

SASF Golf Tournament

Sign up today to play in the annual SBC San Antonio Sports Foundation Golf Classic at the Dominion Country Club on Monday, November 15. In addition to having lots of fun on one of the most beautiful golf courses in the state, you'll be contributing to Dreams for Youth, the Sports Foundation's program that provides training in six Olympic sports for disadvantaged children. More than 4,000 children each year experience the benefits of sport through Dreams for Youth.

Corporate teams and individuals are welcome. For more information click here or contact Elena Stout at 210-820-2127 or estout@sanantoniosports.org.

Water Polo Championship This Weekend

Trinity University will host the 2004 Men's Division III National Collegiate Club Water Polo Championship at the Josh Davis Natatorium, October 29 through October 31. The Trinity Tigers, 2001 Division III National Champions, open tournament play at 7:30 pm on Friday, October 29 versus Wesleyan University, the 2003 national runners-up from Middletown, Conn.

Tickets prices are $5 for a day pass and $12 for a weekend pass. For complete tournament details, including game schedule, click here.

Tennis is Aces for DFY Children

Twenty-two children began learning the fundamentals of tennis last week on a hot, steamy October afternoon at Fairchild Center Tennis Courts on the city’s east side. Coaches John Roddick and Ronnie Funari lead them through proper grip and “ready position,” progressing to forehand and backhand strokes, inaugurating the latest youth sport offered by the San Antonio Sports Foundation. Children ages 6-11 will learn other basics before the six-week session ends.

Coach John Roddick, a former world-ranked professional tennis player who owns Roddick/Moros International Tennis Academy, was thrilled with the turnout. His goal is to establish a strong program at the ground level and build upon it. “Unless you belong to a club, there isn’t much beginning, grassroots tennis available in San Antonio.” Equipment is provided and the session costs $35. The lessons this fall are being offered as a pilot program. Based on the response, two more sessions will be offered in the spring.

Roddick was a four-time All-American at the University of Georgia and is the older brother of current #2 world-ranked pro Andy Roddick. To find out more about the spring sessions, contact Alma Striker at (210) 820-2113 or e-mail: astriker@sanantniosports.org.

Sisters Bond Through Gymnastics

Two years ago, Eva Rocha’s daughter came home from Cable Elementary School and told her mom about a Dreams for Youth gymnastics demonstration she had seen during PE class. She wanted to try it and convinced her mom to take her to the nearby City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Center where the class was being offered. Today, all three Rocha daughters (ages 6, 8 and 10) take gymnastics twice a week at the Meadow Cliff recreation facility.

The San Antonio Sports Foundation Dreams for Youth program offers classes in gymnastics and fencing at two City Parks and Recreation facilities (Miller’s Pond is the other) at no charge. The programs are funded by grants and Sports Foundation members.

According to Mrs. Rocha, her daughters have loved going to gymnastics from the beginning. She believes it is good for their self-esteem and helps keep them fit. She also makes sure that her girls understand that participating is a privilege and they must keep their grades up, take class seriously, and pay attention to the coach.

Coach Michael Martinez smiles when asked about the Rocha sisters. “I could work with those girls all day long! They have a great attitude.” The three sisters are in the same class, and he enjoys watching them help each other, with the oldest encouraging the middle child, and the youngest looking up to her older sister.

Mrs. Rocha’s husband drives a truck for a living and both are grateful to the Sports Foundation for providing a sports outlet for their children. “Financially, we would not be able to have all three children participate in a sport. As long as the program is offered, we’ll keep up with it!”

For more information on Dreams for Youth gymnastics, contact Alma Striker at 820-2113 or astriker@sanantoniosports.org.

Ray Carnes; Paul & Kathy Colliander; Mike Dennis; Daryl Lansdale; Stephen Souter; Carrie Baker Wells

Corporate Champions

Presenting Champions

City of San Antonio; SBC Communications Inc.

$50,000

Creative Link; IKON Office Solutions; San Antonio Express-News

$20,000

Advantage Rent-A-Car; The Dominion Country Club; H-E-B Grocery Company; Royal Oak Industries; San Antonio Coca-Cola Bottling Co; San Antonio Spurs; Valero Energy Corporation; 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; Racquetball & Fitness

$5,000

George Becknell; Bender & Associates; BudCo., Inc.; The CE Group - Communication & Events; ChapmanSchewe/CDP; Comet Neon Advertising; Frost Bank; Humana; JP Morgan Chase; KPMG; Michael Imbimbo, Inc.; Miner Corporation; The Plaza Club; Nathaniel Sanderson, M.D.; Security Service Federal Credit Union; Soccer Sports Complex; Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio; Jon Turner; Zachry Hospitality, Inc.

$2,500

Bank of America; Carneiro, Chummney & Co.; Cox & Smith; Ernst & Young; Host/Chelsea Joint Venture of San Antonio; IntelliSolve Group, Inc.; Dr. Susan Marenda-King; Lyda Builders, Inc; Catering by Don Strange; Contemporary Constructors, Inc.; Dublin & Associates; Fintan Technologies; Flowers Bakeries; Fulbright & Jaworski; GLI Distributing.; Gunn Automotive Group; Initial Security; Marmon Mok; Marriott Plaza San Antonio; Marriott Rivercenter/Riverwalk; Pape-Dawson Consulting Engineers, Inc.; SpawGlass Contractors, Inc.; Sterling Bank; Sterling Foods, Inc.; Tesoro Petroleum Companies, Inc.; 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