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Five
organizations from around the world have won the sixth annual Excellence
In Youth Sports Award for their outstanding efforts in providing quality
youth sports programs. The award recognizes special organizations
worldwide that operate diverse youth sports programs that focus on
providing positive and safe experiences for all participants.
This year's winners
of the Excellence In Youth Sports Awards are: the City of Greensboro Parks
and Recreation in North Carolina; the City of
Westerville Parks and Recreation Department in Ohio; Gainesville
Parks and Recreation in Georgia; Mountain Home Air Force Base Youth
Programs in Idaho; and the Peterson Air Force Base Youth Center in
Colorado.
"We here at the
National Alliance For Youth Sports join Athletic Business in
congratulating the winners of this year's awards," said Fred Engh, founder
and president of the Alliance. "These organizations have displayed a
strong commitment and dedication to quality youth sports experiences and
the overall well-being of children, and they have also shown a strong
understanding of the importance of training youth sports coaches, parents
and administrators."
The Excellence In Youth Sports Awards are given annually by
the National Alliance For Youth Sports and Athletic Business magazine.
This year, well-known college basketball analyst Dick Vitale will present
the awards at the annual Athletic Business Conference in Orlando, Fla., on
Dec. 2.
Jeff Althouse,
recreation manager at Westerville Parks and Recreation, said he hopes the
award will bring visibility to the importance of improving youth sports.
"A lot of communities probably don't know what resources are available to
them, and we're trying to spread the word and help them realize that they
do have choices."
Winners will receive a variety of
valuable prizes, courtesy of this year's sponsors - Sport Supply
Group, GeneralSPORTS Turf Systems, The Sports Section, VoiceBulletin and
BAGGO. Each award winner will receive a $500 e-gift certificate from BSN
Sports, a division of Sport Supply Group; $250 in cash and $250 in
coaches' and parents' certifications from GeneralSPORTS Turf Systems;
$1,000 in photography services from The Sports Section; 12 months of
service (valued at $1,200) from VoiceBulletin; one BAGGO unit from BAGGO,
Inc.; one free registration to the 2006 International Youth Sports
Congress that will be held Sept. 21-23 in Washington D.C.; a one-night
hotel stay in Orlando from Athletic Business (valued at $75); and up to
$300 in travel costs from the Alliance.
The Excellence In Youth Sports
Award winners were selected by a review committee comprised of staff from
the Alliance and Athletic Business. Eligible candidates include park and
recreation departments, YMCAs, CYOs, Jewish Community Centers, Boys and
Girls Clubs, independent youth leagues, and military bases in the United
States and abroad. To find out more about the Excellence Awards, call
(800) 729-2057 or visit
http://www.nays.org/IntMain.cfm?Page=66&Cat=11.
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