Sports Organizations
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Chad Murphy has been named interim executive director of the United States Bowling Congress following the resignation of Stu Upson, who had led the organization since 2009. Murphy currently serves as the International Bowling Campus managing director of youth development, a position he’s held since 2012. Murphy will continue in both roles while the USBC board conducts a search for a permanent executive director.

NASCAR has named Richard Buck managing director of the Sprint Cup Series. Buck succeeds John Darby, who will remain at NASCAR as managing director of competition. Most recently, Buck served as vice-president for racing operations of the International Motor Sports Association.

Running USA has appointed Rich Harshbarger chief executive officer. Most recently, Harshbarger worked as vice-president of consumer marketing and communications for Detroit Media Partnership. He replaces Susan Weeks, who announced last year that she was stepping down.

The Golf Tournament Association of America has named Mark Stephens executive director. Stephens served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force for 25 years before retiring in 2008. He has worked as a communications planner for the Department of Defense and also as vice-president of program management for Abacus Solution Group.

The International Triathlon Union has announced that its Lausanne, Switzerland, office will serve as its headquarters. The federation’s headquarters had been located in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Hosts & Suppliers

The Emerald Coast (Florida) Convention & Visitors Bureau has named Ed Schroeder executive director. Previously, Schroeder served as the general manager of Marcus Pointe Golf Course in Pensacola, Florida, and as the director of the Pensacola Bay Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Red Lion Hotels has appointed Bill Linehan executive vice-president and chief marketing officer and promoted Harry Sladich to executive vice-president of hotel operations and sales. Linehan recently served as chief marketing officer and managing director at Richfield Hospitality and Sceptre Hospitality Resources. Sladich joined Red Lion Hotels in 2010 and led the company’s new brand image and segmentation. In addition, Ryan Donkers has been named national director of sales for the sports market. Donkers previously worked for Red Lion in Spokane, Washington.

Laurence Bishop has been appointed director of sport tourism for RTO4, a regional sport tourism office serving Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph in Ontario, Canada. Bishop previously worked with the Ontario Volleyball Association and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and founded St. Lawrence Sport Productions.

John Nicholson has announced his retirement from the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, where he served as executive director for the last 17 years. Nicholson, whose retirement begins April 30, is the longest serving executive director in the park’s 35-year history. Under his leadership, the park hosted several prominent events, most notably the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism has promoted Michelle Russ to director of sales for the organization’s sports commission, and Mary Statkewicz to senior sales manager for meetings and conventions. Russ joined the CVB in 2000 and the sports commission in 2007, having previously worked in sales and marketing for Covey Communications in Gulf Shores, as well as in the hotel industry. Statkewicz joined the CVB in 2005 as a sales manager after working in the hotel industry.

Sites & Venues

Las Vegas Events and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association have reached an agreement to keep the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas through 2024. Under the deal, Las Vegas Events will provide $16.5 million in purse and sponsorship money for the event.

ESPN and the Aspen Skiing Company have agreed to terms to keep the Winter X Games in Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado, through 2019. By the end of the five-year deal, the X Games will have been in Aspen/Snowmass for 18 consecutive years.

USA Baseball has announced that it will host its National Team Championships at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, and the Santaluces Athletic Complex in Lantana from 2014–2016. The Palm Beach County venues will host more than 100 teams consisting of more than 1,600 athletes from across the nation who are expected to contend for championships in the 14U, 15U and 17U age groups.

First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York, will host the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game in 2014 and 2015. The arena, which serves as the home of the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres, will host the 2014 event on September 25. A date for the 2015 game will be announced next year.

Snohomish, Washington, has been chosen to host the 2015 U.S. Youth Soccer Region IV (West) President’s Cup. The event is scheduled for June 9–14, 2015, at Stocker Fields. Qualifiers from the 14 western U.S. Youth Soccer State Associations in the under-13 through under-17 boys and girls age groups will advance to the event.
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The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersberg in Florida has secured a sponsorship deal with General Motors Company to have Chevrolet trucks and Cadillac cars serve as the official vehicles for the 2014 event, scheduled for March 28–30.

Major League Lacrosse has announced a partnership with the HEADstrong Foundation to raise awareness about blood cancers. Highlighting the deal is the first “Burn Cancer” awareness week, July 31–August 2. MLL coaches will wear lime-green shirts—the national awareness color indicating non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and the adopted color of HEADstrong— and some players will wear Warrior Lacrosse equipment specially designed with HEADstrong elements.

Rogers Communications has extended its partnership with Major League Baseball for the launch of the MLB Network in Canada on Rogers digital television and an eight-year multiplatform broadcast rights extension with MLB, MLB Advanced Media and Sportsnet through 2021.

TORC: The Off-Road Championship has announced Husqvarna as a 2014 series partner as well as naming rights sponsor for the TORC race scheduled for April 25–26 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Additionally, AMSOIL has renewed a multiyear commitment as a presenting sponsor of TORC and Cooper Tire has returned as an official series partner for the 2014 season.

And Finally…

U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker recently addressed the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, highlighting the importance of increasing foreign trade, particularly with Asia and Latin America, including Mexico. Pritzker, whose family founded Hyatt Hotels, encouraged a larger percentage of American companies to export their goods. Pritzker was sworn in as commerce secretary in June 2013 after a 25-year career in the real estate, hospitality and financial services industries.

This current issue of SportsTravel can be viewed in digital format online by clicking here.

SportsTravel, the sports world’s event magazine, is published by Los Angeles-based Schneider Publishing Company, which also publishes Association News. Founded in 1997, SportsTravel was the first magazine to identify and serve the sports-related travel and event industry. Schneider Publishing organizes the TEAMS Conference & Expo, the world’s largest gathering of sports-event organizers, which will be held November 10–13 in Las Vegas. In addition, Schneider Publishing organizes the Meetings Quest trade-show series for corporate and association meeting planners. The travel markets served by Schneider Publishing generate 106 million hotel room nights annually. For more information, visit SchneiderPublishing.com or call toll-free 877-577-3700 or 310-577-3700 if dialing from outside the United States.

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Media Contact:
Timothy Schneider
310-577-3700
Schneider Publishing Company, Inc.
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