Contact: Tom Surber
Media Information Manager
USA Track & Field
(317) 261-0500 x317
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.usatf.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 2, 2002
Drossin named Visa Humanitarian Athlete of the Year
INDIANAPOLIS – USA Track & Field on Monday named two-time U.S. 10,000-meter
champion Deena Drossin the 2002 Visa Humanitarian Athlete of the Year. The
honor recognizes contributions U.S. track and field athletes have made off
the field of competition. Drossin will receive the award Friday at the 2002
Jesse Owens Award Dinner and Xerox Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held at
the 2002 USATF Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Mo.
Running more than 100 miles per week, traveling around the world and setting
records would be enough to keep most people busy. But Drossin, who in 2002
set an American record for 10,000 meters and ran a world best for 5,000
meters on the roads, also takes every opportunity to spread a message that
she lives by: setting goals for yourself and maintaining a healthy, active
lifestyle.
In 2002, Drossin carried that message from the classroom to the boardroom,
speaking at more than 15 high schools and junior colleges in California,
several youth clinics and at JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge events
around the country. With physical education no longer mandatory in many
states, Drossin has made it a mission to stress fitness to young people
while delivering her impassioned message of goal-setting, which has led her
to the heights of athletic achievement. "Your goals in life," Drossin says,
"should exceed your grasp."
“Deena does much more than train and race at the highest level,” said USATF
CEO Craig Masback. “Her activism on fitness and health issues sets an
example to all of us, and her dedication to promoting physical education
parallels that of USA Track & Field. Developing youth fitness is one of six
initiatives for USATF, and we welcome Deena’s leadership on this issue.”
In addition to recognizing Deena Drossin as the Visa Humanitarian Athlete of
the Year, Visa, a sponsor of USA Track & Field, will also donate $2,500 in
Drossin’s name to the charitable organization of her choice.
"At Visa, we encourage and celebrate giving back to the community. In 2002
Deena Drossin's work with the community was just as stellar as her running
season," said George Perry, Director of Event and Sponsorship Marketing. "We
are pleased to have a person of Deena's character receive the 2002 Visa
Humantarian Award."
Visa is the world's leading payment brand and largest consumer payment
system, enabling banks to provide their consumer and merchant customers with
a wide variety of payment alternatives. More than 14,000 U.S. financial
institutions rely on Visa's processing system, VisaNet, to facilitate over
$835 billion in annual transaction volume - including roughly half of all
Internet payments - with virtually 100 percent reliability. U.S. consumers
carry 353 million Visa-branded smart, credit, commercial, stored value and
check cards, accepted at approximately 22 million locations worldwide.
Visa's people, partnerships, brand, payment technology and security
standards are helping to create universal commerce - the ability to safely
conduct transactions anytime, anywhere, anyway. Please visit www.visa.com
for additional information.
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