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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Congratulations to the winners of the 2008 SportsTravel Awards. The winners are:

Sports Event of the Year
2008 U.S. Open Golf Championship, La Jolla, CA

Best New Sports Event
2008 Ultimate Boarder, Lake Tahoe, CA & Ventura, CA

Best Professional Sports Event Series or Circuit
2007 NFL NFC Championship Playoff Series, Multiple Host Cities

Best Professional Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
2008 ESPN Winter X Games, Aspen, CO

Best Professional Single-Sport Event
2008 U.S. Open Golf Championship, La Jolla, CA

Best Collegiate Sports Event Series or Circuit
2008 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championships, San Antonio, TX

Best Collegiate Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
2008 NCAA Division I Women’s Gymnastics Championships, Athens, GA

Best Collegiate Single-Sport Event
2008 BCS National Championship Game (LSU vs. Ohio State), New Orleans, LA

Best Amateur Sports Event Series or Circuit
2008 USA Softball KFC Bound 4 Beijing Tour, Multiple Host Cities

Best Amateur Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming, Omaha, NE

Best Amateur Single-Sport Event
2008 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, Oklahoma City, OK

Seated, Left to Right: Chris Stiepock of ESPN X Games, Chuck Wielgus of USA Swimming, Bill McCarthy of the United States Golf Association, D’Ann Keller of the NCAA and Ron Radigonda of the Amateur Softball Association of America.

Standing, Left to Right: Timothy Schneider of SportsTravel Magazine, Tim Hoover of Ultimate Boarder, Stacey Weddington of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, Wayne Burrow of the NCAA and Lisa Furfine of SportsTravel Magazine.

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A limited number of high-visibility sponsorship opportunities are available for TEAMS 2008, October 21-25, in Pittsburgh. TEAMS sponsors receive ride-along exposure in TEAMS Conference promotional materials and TEAMS Conference advertising in media partner publications.

In addition, sponsors receive a host of other benefits, including priority scheduling of appointment sessions with sports-event rights holders and the highest-visibility locations at the TEAMS Expo.

Find out why the TEAMS Conference & Expo has one of the highest renewal rates among sponsors of any industry exhibition. Contact Yvonne Garcia (Eastern U.S.), Ilana Edell (Western U.S.) or Lisa Furfine by e-mail or by calling toll-free at (877) 577-3700.

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