Women ALIVE Ministries

This is part two of the social media contest that was posted here last week -

Have you ever watched one of those TV shows where from thousands of hopefuls, one star is born? Well, Pinstripe Alley readers, heres your chance to play starmaker and help pick the new voice of sports in social media!

XFINITY is looking for the next renowned sports social media star through its Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest. The winning candidate will serve as the new voice of XFINITY in the sports social media space and go behind-the-scenes at some of the biggest sporting events in 2012, sharing exclusive insights and updates with fans.

From February 9-19, you can review qualified entry videos and vote for the contestant youd like to see advance to the finals of the XFINITY Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest. The five entrants with the most votes will advance to the final round of the contest where they will cover one of five premier sporting events the weekend of March 8-11. Fans can head today to Facebook.com/XFINITY and click on the Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest tab to vote for your favorite personality (once per day)!

Will you choose the brainiac with the encyclopedia of stats, the former jock who knows the game inside out, or the corporate type who gets the marketing side of the business? You decide. Vote today at Facebook.com/XFINITY!

Go and vote! You dont want to complain later about who won, so make your voice heard.

A new position has been created within the Joplin Parks and Recreation Department for a person to manage the Joplin Athletic Complex. The person hired will organize sporting events and recreational programs at the citys sports fields as well as the complex.

Parks director Chris Cotten told the Joplin City Council last week that it is a new job title but it is not an added position to his staff. He said it was converted from the job title of facility and events manager, which formerly programmed events and entertainment at Memorial Hall and city parks.

The person who held that job left and the job went unfilled because Memorial Hall has been leased to the Joplin School District.

The job description specifies that job duties will be to plan, organize and coordinate sporting events, create revenue at the athletic complex, be on site to manage leagues and provide customer service, assure compliance with rules and policies of the city, and maintain inventory.

The manager also will assign and review the work of employees in the citys recreation programs.

Qualifications include an undergraduate degree in parks and recreation, sports and leisure management, physical education or an equivalent in experience, and an understanding of cost recovery programming. At least five years experience in revenue-generating sports, recreational programming and athletics management also is required. The person must have certification in first aid and CPR.

Applications may be made in the citys personnel office on the first floor of City Hall, 602 S. Main St. The salary range is $37,110-$53,876.

Hiring a manager is not the only step the city has taken to increase activity and revenue at the complex.

The Joplin Sports Authority will move its office to the complex in order to promote sporting events there, including tournament play at a new four-field softball complex that is being finished, as well as on soccer and baseball fields.

A contract with the JSA approved by the council would allow the sports authority to locate offices and locker rooms at the athletic complex in what currently is unused space.

The JSA will pay to construct the rooms it will use, and the city will waive rent for nearly five years to offset the cost.

The JSA also will pay a share of the buildings utility bills.

JSA board members agreed to the arrangement because the cost of the construction will be offset by savings in rent payments it currently makes for office space on Range Line Road.

The story so far

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2010: Ranae Van Roekel, 44, of Boyden allegedly claims to be a Ticketmaster franchisee and sells scores of tickets to 2012 premier sporting events, including Sunday?s Super Bowl, at a discounted rate. The tickets are supposed to arrive two to three weeks before the events.
FEB. 2, 2012: A former Iowan living in Florida complains to Iowa consumer protection officials that Super Bowl tickets allegedly bought from Van Roekel never arrived.
FRIDAY: Some buyers receive a letter from Orange City attorney Jared Weber, who represents Van Roekel, saying that Super Bowl XLVI ?tickets are unfortunately not secured.?
SUNDAY: Super Bowl XLVI is held in Indianapolis.
TUESDAY: Ames real estate developer Dickson Jensen says he bought $180,000 worth of tickets to sporting events from Van Roekel, including 156 tickets to the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl tickets did not arrive.
WEDNESDAY: Officials from Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller?s office reveal that more than three dozen complaints of phantom tickets allegedly sold by Van Roekel have come into the office. The money allegedly lost totals more than $500,000.
THURSDAY: The number of confirmed complaints against Van Roekel increases to 42. Officials from Major League Baseball, the Masters golf tournament and the NCAA tell the Register that tickets allegedly sold by Van Roekel don?t exist. Iowa attorney general?s investigators put out a call for all potential victims to contact the state with concerns.

Posted at 08:45 AM ET, 02/03/2012
The Super Bowls: Celebrating lesser-known sporting events
By Maura Judkis

This year will be the 46th Super Bowl — and for nearly as many years, the cliched phrase “The Super Bowl of [something]” has been used to describe intense competition off of the gridiron. Many of the Super Bowl designations don’t even apply to actual competitions — or they’re competitions so trivial that the “Super Bowl” designation is a blustering hyperbole. It’s a writing cliche similar to calling a creative person “The Picasso of [something]” which was previously examined on this blog.

Though the Giants and the Patriots won’t take the field until Sunday, Friday we celebrate some of these lesser-known Super Bowls.

The Super Bowl of Birding has nothing to do with ravens, eagles, falcons or seahawks.
(Sam Panthaky – AFP/Getty Images)

• The Super Bowl of Birding took place on Jan. 28 in Essex County, Mass., and Rockingham County, N.H. “It’s not THE Super Bowl, but it brings out the ‘sport’ of birding for those who participate,” the Newburyport News helpfully points out. The Maine Outdoor Journal says this year’s winning team scored 202 points, with scores awarded for the rarity of birds spotted.

• The Super Bowl of Friendship is a celebration of “girlfriendology,” according to the blog of the same name. Points are awarded for kindness and being there for a friend, and all of the game time snacks are low-cal.

• The Super Bowl of Hymn Festivals is not about praying for a touchdown. According to the Milledgeville News of Georgia, it’s an event presented each year by the Macon Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. it will take place on the same day as the actual Super Bowl, Feb. 5.

• The Superbowl of Chick Fights, according to blogger spunkybean, took place on last week’s episode of “The Bachelor.” You could be on either Team Courtney or Team Emily, two women who are totally in TRUE LOVE with Ben. They both got roses at the end of the show, so presumably the Superbowl of Chick Fights resulted in a tie? Or does that mean it’s going into overtime?

• The Super Bowl of Chicken was a delicious event at Gates-Chili Middle School in upstate New York last year. Seventh grader Elijah VanEpps gave local news anchor Nikki Rudd a taste of chicken tortilla soup while Buddy the Tyson Chicken loomed over his shoulder. No word on whether or not wings were served.

• The Super Bowl of Lobbying: A battle over a moratorium on uranium mining in Virginia that’s pitting miners and businesses against environmentalists. Jeff Schapiro, political columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, gave the match-up the football moniker, noting that the battle could last as long as a year.

• The Super Bowl of Weather Conferences — the American Meteorological Society meeting — was dubbed so by the Post’s own Capital Weather Gang. CWG’s Chief Meteorologist Jason Samenow was a spectator at this year’s bowl, which took place last month in New Orleans.

• The Superbowl for Women could be any of several events: Black Friday, the Miss America pageant, the Academy Awards, the royal wedding, and, shamefully, the film “Sex and the City 2.”

By Maura Judkis
 | 
08:45 AM ET, 02/03/2012

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In what might turn controversial, the Andhra Pradesh government has okayed consumption of low alcoholic beverages like beer, wine and Bacardi Breezers at Gachibowli and other government stadia across the state during sporting and non-sporting events.

The cash-starved government also lifted a ban imposed in 2010 on holding non-sporting events including marriages, film functions, film shoots, private parties, seminars, meetings etc. at the stadia to raise funds for maintenance.

The state had banned commercial functions after the Income Tax department had slapped Rs 86.70 crore as tax payable by the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) from 2003-2004 onwards and had frozen its bank accounts in 2010.

The I-T department, while asking SAAP to pay the tax in instalments, had dismissed the latter’s plea that it was a charitable institution stating that SAAP was using its stadia and other sports infrastructure and properties for non-sporting activities.

With the liquor issue, especially syndicates, rocking the state, the “pay, play and drink” decision is bound to become contentious.

Sources said that the decision was taken following pressure from corporates and other commercial organisers for permission to serve select liquor for both sporting and non-sporting events.

For serving liquor like beer, wine and Bacardi Breezer inside the stadia, the organisers, however, will have to make arrangements for removal of bottles, cans etc., waste disposal and security. The lessee will also have to obtain the necessary permissions from the Excise Department.

“Sale will be permitted by the Sports Authority of AP with 30 per cent of the gross revenue from such sales going towards its revenue share,” said Ms Vasudha Mishra, secretary, Youth Advance, Tourism and Culture (Sports) Department.

SAAP will also get 10 per cent of the gross gate collection, 10 per cent of ad charges, 10 per cent seats reserved for invitees of SAAP/District Sports Authority in VIP enclosure and other enclosures.

To this effect, the SAAP vice-chairman has requested the government to issue revised orders for allotment of sports stadia, other sports infrastructure and properties of SAAP for non-sporting events and commercial activities for generating revenue, for proper maintenance of the assets with a condition that these will be allowed only when the facilities are not being utilised for sporting events, according to the senior official.

On SAAP’s suggestion, the government has also revised the tariffs for both sporting and non-sporting events in all its stadia including those at Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam etc.

For marriages, private party functions etc. the rates are two and half times more than the base rate, for film/Ad shoots, film awards, film releases, audio release functions etc. it is double the base rate and for seminars, workshops and exhibitions etc. it is one and half times more.

RATE CARD

GMC Balayogi Athletics Stadium

* Gachibowli Rs 10 lakh
* Indoor Stadium Rs 10 lakh
* Swimming pool Rs 5 lakh
* Hockey Complex, Rs 5 lakh
* External Roads, Sports complex Rs 4 lakh
* Shooting Range, University of Hyderabad Rs 5 lakh
* LB Stadium Rs 7.5 lakh
* Indoor Stadium Rs 4 lakh
* Tennis complex Rs 3 lakh
* Swimming Pool Rs 2 lakh
* Stadium Gymnastics Hall, Rs 2 lakh
* Stadium Boxing, Judo, Wrestling Hall, Rs 1.5 lakh
* Stadium Coaching venues, halls Rs 35,000
* OU Campus cycling velodrome, Rs 3 lakh
* KVBR Indoor Stadium, Yousufguda Rs 5 lakh
* Saroornagar Indoor stadium, Rs 5 lakh.

If you go

A variety of sporting events are planned this weekend, including skiing at Bristol Mountain in Ontario County and floor hockey at the Convention Center downtown. For a full list of events, locations and times, go to nyso.org.

Monday nights snow has forced the postponement of several of tonights prep sporting events, including two key boys basketball conference showdowns: Hendersonville at Mitchell and North Henderson at Franklin.

Mark Cuban is chairman of HDNet and owner of the Dallas Mavericks. (He sold Broadcast.com to Yahoo in 1999 for $5.7 billion) He is the author of How to WIn at the Sport of Business, If I Can Do It, You Can Do It.

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A SUMMER of sporting events will leave a lasting Olympic legacy for children from across the north of the county.

Youngsters will take part in their own sporting events throughout this year to mark the games.

School sports manager Matthew Peleszok of the Corby, Oundle, Thrapston school sports partnership is already planning a series of events culminating in mass sporting meets this summer.

It is hoped the scheme will ensure that every single child in the area will take part in some competitive sport this year.

More than 200 children from village schools across the north of the county will take part in the Welland Valley Sports event on June 25.

Mr Peleszok said: “We are hoping to organise a baton relay beforehand where all the schools get to carry the torch before it gets brought into the stadium for an opening ceremony.”

In Corby, June 26 marks the 50th year of the schools sports day at Rockingham Triangle which sees pupils from 12 primaries take part in athletics events.

There will be a gymnastics contest at Lodge Park Sports Centre featuring Corby Gymnastics Club, and there will be a rugby tournament at Stewarts amp; Lloyds Rugby Club on March 5.

On May 22, more than 1,000 children will take part in the Steel Kids Triathlon in Corby town centre.

Mr Peleszok said: “It’s important for children to take part in inter-school competition as well as against pupils from their own school. It gives them a good sense of achievement if they do well.”

Then, on July 7, 300 young volunteers will run a huge mini-Olympics called the Northamptonshire Schools Games for 800 county secondary school pupils.

Mr Peleszok added: “They will be competing in 12 different sports, including hockey, athletics, netball, cricket and goalball, which is a disability sport played by Niall Graham from Corby, who is already in the GB team for next year’s Paralympics.

“We are hoping to leave a real legacy with these events. The Olympics are a good opportunity to encourage our youngsters to get involved in sport.”

During the build-up to the games the Olympic torch will travel to Wellingborough, Isham, Kettering, Geddington and Corby and people are planning to celebrate the event in style.

Kettering Council revealed to the Evening Telegraph at the end of last year that it will have talks with schools, sports clubs and businesses to arrange events, activities, and Olympic-themed celebrations.

The council’s community services manager, Pia Bellamy, said: “Having the torch come to Kettering is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We want to maximise this opportunity as much as we can and we’re hoping to get schools, clubs and businesses involved.”

Kettering’s Manor House Museum and Alfred East Art Gallery will also hold special events and exhibitions in the run-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

And everyone in Corby will be invited out on to the streets to welcome the Olympic Torch when it comes to the town on July 2.

As the 2011 sporting year comes to a close, there are numerous events that sports fans around the world can look at and positively reflect on. Hopefully, 2012 wont disappoint and will be another great year for sports fans.

So, here are five sporting events that fans can look forward to when 2012 rolls around.