Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation Event Wins National Sportstravel Award

SportsTravel magazine has announced that the 2004 ESPN Great Outdoor Games have won the Best Professional Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event. Events are nominated and then voted upon by readers of SportsTravel, the sports world's event magazine. Criteria for nomination and voting include superior organization of and attendance at the event, a superior experience for the competitors and/or spectators at the event, and how the site or venue served to enhance the event. Winners were announced at the TEAMS 2005 Conference & Expo, November 2-5, 2005, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

"We are pleased to recognize these superior sporting events. Each of the winners is a prime example of achieving excellence in organization and management for both competitors and spectators," said Timothy Schneider, publisher of SportsTravel magazine, which organizes the TEAMS Conference and Expo. "SportsTravel readers are the leaders of the sports event industry and they really know what it takes to execute high-quality athletic events-these awards reflect their expert evaluation of what makes events superior," said Schneider. "The SportsTravel Awards program is an opportunity for them to honor their peers and the cities that host sporting events for a job well done."

"It was great to be part of that event (the 2004 ESPN Great Outdoor Games). We had a lot of fun hosting it. It was a great fit for our organization and Madison really embraced it," said Ron Vincent, Executive Director of Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation. "I'm not surprised to hear it won an award such as this. I was at the TEAMS Conference and had the opportunity to accept the award on behalf of the event. It's too bad we weren't able to continue on with the (ESPN Great Outdoor) Games."

The ballot included nominees at the amateur, collegiate and professional levels in three categories each. The 2005 SportsTravel Award winners:

• Sports Event of the Year - 2004 American League Championship Series, Boston, MA & New York, NY
• Best professional sports event series or circuit - 2004 American League Championship Series, Boston, MA & New York, NY
• Best professional multi-sport or multi-discipline event - 2004 ESPN Great Outdoor Games, Madison, WI
• Best professional single-sport event - Super Bowl XXXIX, Jacksonville, FL
• Best collegiate sports event series or circuit - 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Multiple Host Cities
• Best collegiate multi-sport or multi-discipline event - 2005 NCAA Division I Men's & Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Sacramento, CA
• Best collegiate single-sport event - 2005 FedEx Orange Bowl, Miami, FL
• Best amateur sports event series or circuit - 2004-2005 Jamfest Cheer & Dance Series, Multiple Host Cities
• Best amateur multi-sport or multi-discipline event - 2004 Olympic Summer Games, Athens, Greece
• Best amateur single-sport event - 2004 20th Anniversary Schwan's USA Cup Youth Soccer Tournament, Blaine, MN

Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation is a nonprofit sports management organization that helps develop sports tourism in Wisconsin and promotes positive lifestyles and physical fitness through amateur athletic events and health education programs. WSDC owns the Badger State Games, the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame, the Wisconsin Sports Foundation, Paddle & Portage, Shape Up Wisconsin Kids, Lighten Up Wisconsin and the Fit Kids Challenge. WSDC is also the local host of Ironman Wisconsin.