SportsTravel magazine announced the winners of the 2009 SportsTravel Awards at the TEAMS 2009 Conference & Expo held October 13-17 in New Orleans. The 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Boise and Sun Valley, Idaho, won the top prize as Sports Event of the Year. Paralympic champion Chris Waddell provided the moving keynote address as part of this year’s ceremony. In late September, Waddell became the first paraplegic to summit Mount Kilimanjaro.

The SportsTravel Award winners were nominated and voted upon by readers of the magazine. To be eligible, events had to occur between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2009. Criteria for nomination and voting included:

1. Superior organization of and attendance at the event.
2. The event provided a superior experience for competitors and/or spectators.
3. The event’s host city or venue served to enhance the event.

The ballot included nominees at the amateur, collegiate and professional levels in three categories each. Each event’s host city was also acknowledged during the awards ceremony.

The 2009 SportsTravel Award winners are:

Sports Event of the Year
2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games, Boise and Sun Valley, ID

Best New Sports Event
2008 National Youth Baseball Championships, Memphis, TN

Best Professional Sports Event Series or Circuit
2009 NHL Stanley Cup Finals, Detroit, MI and Pittsburgh, PA

Best Professional Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
2009 ESPN Winter X Games, Aspen, CO

Best Professional Single-Sport Event
Super Bowl XLIII (Pittsburgh vs. Arizona), Tampa, FL

Best Collegiate Sports Event Series or Circuit
2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four, Detroit, MI

Best Collegiate Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
2009 Collegiate National Finals Rodeo, Casper, WY

Best Collegiate Single-Sport Event
2008 Texas vs. Oklahoma football game, Dallas, TX

Best Amateur Sports Event Series or Circuit
2008 Little League World Series, Williamsport, PA

Best Amateur Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games, Boise and Sun Valley, ID

Best Amateur Single-Sport Event
2009 USA Hockey Pond Hockey Championships, Eagle River, WI

Standing, Left to Right: Timothy Schneider, publisher of SportsTravel magazine; Roger Walters, commissioner of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association; D’Ann Keller, associate director of championships for the NCAA; Chip Fisher, chairman of the board and CEO of the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games; Linda Moore, senior director of business administration for ESPN; Kevin Couture, manager of adult hockey with USA Hockey; and Lisa Furfine, associate publisher of SportsTravel magazine.

Seated, Left to Right: Frank Supovitz, senior vice-president of events for the NFL; Eddie Einhorn, founder of the National Youth Baseball Championships and vice-chairman of the Chicago White Sox; and Pat Wilson, vice-president of operations for Little League Baseball.

Not Pictured: Pete Schenkel, board member of the Texas State Fair; Don Renzulli, senior vice president of events for the NHL; and Timothy Shriver, chairman and CEO of the Special Olympics.

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