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Florida’s Capital City of Tallahassee
has been selected to host the 2008 Southeast Sports Festival, August
1-3, 2008. Hosting the biennial event is the Tallahassee Sports
Council, a division of the Tallahassee Area Convention and Visitors
Bureau and the Florida Sports Foundation, the official sports
promotion and development organization of the State of Florida.
The 2nd
Southeast Sports Festival features 10
sports, five team and five individual sports. The finest amateur
athletes in the Southeast have the chance to compete in Baseball,
Basketball, Flag Football, Lacrosse
and Soccer as well as Fencing, Gymnastics, Taekwondo, Tennis and Track
& Field. The 11 states eligible to participate in the Southeast
Sports Festival are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and
West Virginia. Any athlete or team participating in their 2008 State
Games event is eligible for the 2008 Southeast Sports Festival.
“Tallahassee is a perfect location for a multi-state regional event
with exceptional athletic facilities and a variety of attractions and
activities to provide athletes and their families,” said Brian Hickey,
Executive Director of the Tallahassee Sports Council. “Tallahassee
has a proven track record of hosting sporting events including the
Florida's Sunshine State Games, AAU Track and Field State
Championships, AAU National Jr. Olympic Games and many more.”
The Southeast Sports Festival was
created to give athletes of State Games programs a regional
championship in which to compete and an opportunity to progress to the
next level of competition following a statewide event. “When the
Southeast Sports Festival Committee asked Florida to host the 2008
Festival, Tallahassee was the perfect choice, having run several
successful Sunshine State Games and its central location in the
region,” said Stephen Rodriguez, the Director of Amateur Sports for
the Florida Sports Foundation. “We are looking forward to work with
the Tallahassee Sports Council again and show the athletes of the
Southeast Sports Festival the outstanding facilities and hospitality
Florida has to offer.” The 2008 Southeast Sports Festival is expected
to draw approximately 2,000 athletes to the area and provide
Tallahassee with over $1 million of economic impact. The inaugural
Southeast Sports Festival was held in July, 2006, in Shelby County,
Alabama with over 1,200 athletes participating.
The Tallahassee Sports Council will
partner with the Florida Sports Foundation along with Leon County
Tourist Development Council, Tallahassee Area Convention and Visitors
Bureau, Leon County Schools, Florida State University, Tallahassee
Community College and Tallahassee Parks and Recreation Department to
present the 2008 Southeast Sports Festival.
The following Tallahassee sports venues
will host Southeast Sports Festival competition:
Baseball
Tallahassee Community College, James A.
Messer Park, Tom Brown Park, Springsax Park, Capital Park, Meridian
Park, Godby High School, Lincoln High School, Leon High School and
Chiles High School.
Basketball
Tallahassee Community College, Godby
High School, Leon High School, Lincoln High School, Chiles High
School, Tully Gymnasium.
The Tallahassee Comets
will host and manage the basketball events at the 2008 Southeast
Sports Festival.
Fencing and Taekwondo
Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center
(Exhibit Hall).
Flag Football (Adult) and Lacrosse
Florida State University Intramural
Fields.
Gymnastics
Randy Trousdell Gymnastics Center.
Soccer (Youth)
Elinor Klapp Phipps Park - Meadows
Soccer Complex.
Tennis (Youth)
Tom Brown Park Tennis Complex (12 Hard
Courts).
Tennis (Adult)
Forest Meadows Park (Clay Courts).
Track & Field (Youth & Masters)
Florida State University Mike Long Track.
For information about the Southeast Sports Festival,
check
www.southeastsportsfestival.org. |
