2nd Annual Best of the 757 Athlete Showcase
The Best of the 757 aims to showcase and celebrate the tremendous talents and athleticism of local high school athletes in a Nike-SPARQ event and to support youth obesity prevention in the 757
Chesapeake, VA -- The 2nd Annual Best of the 757 is a celebration of high school athletes from Hampton Roads. In 2008, several hundred athletes from high schools throughout Hampton Roads participated in the inaugural Best of the 757. The 2009 event sponsored by Velocity Sports Performance, Nike-SPARQ, Gatorade, Z-104 and the YMCA of Hampton Roads will showcase the amazing athleticism of the area's athletes and to see who might be tomorrow's next great athlete of the 757, with a portion of the proceeds going to support youth obesity prevention in partnership with the YMCA of Hampton Roads and Velocity Sports Performance. Hampton Roads' area high school athletes in each of the major sports will compete individually and as a team in a regional Nike/SPARQ combine. The event will culminate with a celebration and awards ceremony in which the area's top teams and top athletes by sport and by gender will be recognized and honored based on their SPARQ athletic score. These athletes will have earned the right to say they are truly the Best of the 757 for 2009!
'First and foremost, our goal in developing the event was to create a fun and competitive event for the high school athletes of the 757 to showcase their talents and stake claim to being the best in the 757, an area rich in athletic talent', says John Cunningham, the event's founder and co-owner of Velocity Sports Performance. 'Equally important, however, we want to help support efforts to combat the growing issues and consequences of youth obesity in Hampton Roads. The YMCA has a fantastic program to help support this cause, and we are excited this year to offer an award to help two needy families receive additional resources.'
'The YMCA of South Hampton Roads is excited to once again partner with Velocity Sports Performance on the 2nd Annual Best of the 757,' says Tom Button, YMCA District Vice President. 'This is a wonderful event that celebrates and profiles our high school student-athletes while also supporting a very important initiative to the YMCA, youth obesity prevention. With Velocity, we are both committed to developing healthy lifestyles for our young people.'
Over 26 schools in the 757 were represented in last year's inaugural event including Bayside, Bethel, Cape Henry Collegiate, First Colonial, Great Bridge, Hampton, I.C. Norcom, Jamestown, Kecoughtan, King's Fork, Lafayette, Norfolk Collegiate, Oscar Smith, Phoebus, Smithfield, Woodside, and many others. The 2009 event will be held on consecutive weekends during late May and early June at Virginia Wesleyan College on Saturday and Sunday, May 30th and 31st for South Hampton Roads athletes and at the Boo Williams Sportsplex on Sunday, June 7th for Peninsula athletes. Athletes in all sports (football, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, track & field, volleyball, wrestling) are welcomed to participate.
All athletes will have their results posted on the Best of the 757 website, with special recognition for the Top 5 athletes in each sport. In addition, winners of the Top Athletes (boys and girls) and Top Teams (boys and girls) will receive a $500 donation to their school's athletic department. Last year's winners included the Hampton High School's Varsity Football Team, Kecoughtan High School's Varsity Field Hockey Team, Najee Curry (football) from Woodside High School and Shareyna Chang (field hockey) from Kecoughtan High School. In an effort to support youth obesity prevention in the 757, the event will also donate a $500 award to two different families of Hampton Roads area youth (age 8 to 18) who are at risk for child obesity. Winners will be selected by the event committee based upon responses submitted from any at risk Hampton Roads area youth between the ages 8 to 18 who answers in a 300-word essay the question: 'Why is YOUR health important?' In addition, 10% of the event's net proceeds will go towards supporting the YMCA's Greater Youth Obesity Initiative.
Both coaches and athletes of the inaugural event in 2008 were excited to participate in this unique competition in which athletes can test their measure against the best in the area in an exciting and unique competition. Great Bridge High School Varsity Baseball Coach, Wiley Lee, whose team participated in the inaugural event believes that the Best of the 757 provided a great platform to showcase his up and coming baseball athletes. "The Best of the 757,' says Coach Lee, 'provided my athletes with invaluable exposure and a great benchmark on how they compare to athletes from across the 757. This knowledge can be used as a platform to increase their performances when they step out on the showcase circuit."
One of last year's participants and current freshman softball athlete at James Madison University, Gillian Giarizzo, also felt that the event helped her identify areas to focus on going into her freshmen year at JMU and was beneficial for all of her softball teammates. 'The Best of the 757 was an amazing event which provided positive exposure for my teammates at King's Fork High School,' says Gillian. 'Not only did my friends and I have a fun time but we were able to compete against girls from the entire 757 ' both the Peninsula and Southside!'
Scotty Tyson, coach of Kecoughtan's Varsity Field Hockey team, agreed that the event was extremely beneficial for his girls and is eager to compete again in 2009. 'Kecoughtan Field Hockey will definitely be back to defend its title,' says Coach Scotty. 'The Best of the 757 was well run, provided great exposure for our girls and had a significant impact on our preparation heading in to the season. With the budget cuts in the school system, as winners, we were also able to utilize the $1,000 donation on much needed equipment and practice turf time. I highly recommend teams and individuals to come out for a great day of high energy, competition and fun. Our girls had a blast!'
About the Best of the 757
The Best of the 757 is a celebration of high school athletes from Hampton Roads. The Nike SPARQ combine showcases the amazing athleticism of the area's athletes and to see who might be tomorrow's next great athlete of the 757. Hampton Roads' area high school athletes in each of the major sports compete individually and as a team in a regional Nike/SPARQ combine. For more information, please visit www.bestofthe757.com.
