American Heroes Challenge Scheduled Nov. 6-7 in Las Vegas
Second annual competition for law enforcement, military teams benefiting Las Vegas Veterans Memorial
The American Heroes Challenge announces its second annual two-day multi-stage firearms and tactics competition will take place Nov. 6-7 at the Clark County Shooting Park, 11357 North Decatur Blvd. in Las Vegas.
The event is open to the public and presented by American Shooters, a veteran-owned Las Vegas business and Nevada’s largest, state-of-the-art firearms store and shooting range. All proceeds will go toward raising at least $1 million for the construction of a world-class veterans memorial in Las Vegas, the only major metropolitan city without such a memorial.
American Heroes Challenge was designed to test the technical, tactical and physical capabilities of the nation’s armed forces and first responders from across the country.
During the two-day competition, teams of five consisting of military, first responder and law enforcement professionals will use innovative problem-solving methods, teamwork, and their special skill to complete tasks in scenarios designed to push the limits of their abilities and determine which team is the best of the best. Participants will compete in events encompassing low-light operations, manual breeching, building searches, injured operator rescue and rapid deployment skills.
The Clark County Shooting Park opened last December and has received a five-star rating from the National Shooting Sports Foundation Association of Shooting Ranges. The park will offer American Heroes Challenge participants and attendees increased spectator viewing of the entire event and diversity in range types, allowing for complex stages of competition.
The American Heroes Challenge is a charitable organization created to pay tribute to military, law enforcement and first responders. Its goal is to provide a long-term ongoing charitable vehicle to fund projects benefiting and honoring those who give selflessly to making the country and communities a safer place. The Las Vegas Veterans Memorial is the debut project.
“The American Heroes Challenge is a means to honor those who go beyond the call of duty on a daily basis, and I am proud to have the opportunity to give back to a community that puts the needs of others before themselves,” said Michael Millett, president of American Shooters and director of American Heroes Challenge.
For further information or participation in American Heroes Challenge, visit www.americanheroeschallenge.com.
Are you a Champs Sports champion? The Champs Sports Scholarship Challenge to award $50,000 in College Scholarships!
Champs Sports is giving away 23 scholarships to participants of the Champs Sports Champion Scholarship Challenge. The top three finalists will receive a $5,000 college scholarship and a trip for two to the Champs Sports Bowl, which takes place on Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Fla. At the game, one of the finalists will be named the grand prize winner and will double their scholarship to $10,000. The twenty runner-up winners will receive a $1,500 scholarship.
As part of the nationwide “Are you a Champs Sports Champion?” scholarship program, participants must write a 300-word essay on how they make a difference on their team — the team could consist of a sports team, family, school, community, etc. The program is open to applicants ages 14 and older and submissions to www.champssports.com/scholarship will be judged on content, originality, and creativity. The deadline for submission is November 29, 2009.
“We are always looking for new and innovative ways to provide our customers with unique experiences to show our gratitude for their loyalty and patronage,” said Rob Brodersen, vice president of marketing at Champs Sports. “We are proud to give these young winners money towards their future education, and hope to continue our efforts of enriching the lives of customers within the communities we serve.”
In its sixth year of sponsorship, the Champs Sports Bowl is a match up of the ACC and Big Ten – Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 8:00 pm.
Source: Champs Sports
Cyclists will pedal 850 miles across Texas in the Rise Across Texas Challenge
Lance Armstrong Is Honorary Captain, Mack Brown and Gene Stallings Honorary Coaches
To celebrate his 50th birthday Austin businessman Steve Hicks hosted 100 friends at a Caribbean getaway; Jimmy Buffet and the Beach Boys entertained. Hicks turns 60 in February and will mark the milestone in a dramatically different way: rallying 49 people to join him in bicycling 850 miles across Texas.
On March 6, 2010 Hicks and his fellow bicyclists will set out from the Louisiana/Texas border and head west, averaging 60 miles a day. Starting from Orange, they’ll wind up in Presidio two weeks later on March 20.
Hicks, owner and executive chairman of Capstar Partners, conceived of the ride, the Rise Across Texas Challenge, as a fundraiser for the Rise Schools of Texas, which educate typical children alongside those with developmental disabilities. Lance Armstrong is the ride’s honorary captain; Mack Brown and Gene Stallings are honorary coaches.
Hicks is appealing to riders as determined as he is. “For my 50th I showed lots of people a good time, but for my 60th I want to give something back to the world,” he says. “Some adventurous types have already signed on for the full ride. Anyone raising a minimum can join for part of the ride, too.”
Proceeds will launch a campaign to build a permanent home for the Rise School in Austin, which currently leases space. Subsequent funds will benefit Rise Schools in Dallas, Houston, and Corpus Christi.
Hicks is not an elite biker — far from it, at least now. When not recruiting sponsors, he’s relearning something that one proverbially never forgets. “I got my cycling merit badge as a Boy Scout, and that’s pretty much it,” he says. “Right now I’m trying to get used to being on the bike without falling.” Never fear, though: Kevin Livingston, six-time Tour de France Rider and U.S. National Champion, has agreed to train the riders for their venture.
Towns slated as ride stops include Kountze, Montgomery, Brenham, Bastrop, Austin, Wimberley, Kerrville, Leakey, Brackettville, Del Rio, Sanderson, Marathon, and Marfa.
Event sponsors to date include DMX, Harden Healthcare, Livestrong, Mellow Johnny’s, Pedal Hard and Texas Monthly. Trek Travel is the official bike tour operator.
For more information on the Rise Across Texas Challenge, please visit riseacrosstexas.org
Source: Rise Across Texas Foundation
The 50 Million Pound Challenge Finds Its Stride as Cities Across the Country Hold the First Annual Challenge Walk Off on May 16
Mayors and Local Leaders Unite to Help Their Communities Adopt a Healthy
With more than one million people already a part of the online community at 50millionpounds.com, Dr. Ian Smith’s 50 Million Pound Challenge, announced that it has teamed up to hold health walks in fourteen communities across the nation. The walks will be held on May 16 and will bring people together in their own communities and in unity with others across the country to draw attention to the number one health issue facing America – obesity and illnesses that stem from being overweight, like diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and some forms of cancer. It will be an opportunity for people from all walks of life to join others and publicly support the national movement and take symbolic first steps toward a healthier lifestyle.
At the recent National Conference of Mayors, Dr. Ian encouraged the mayors to use The Challenge and its free resources as a platform for addressing the health concerns of their citizens. “Time and time again, we hear from our Challengers that community support is the key ingredient in their success,” says Dr. Ian Smith, founder and creator of The 50 Million Pound Challenge and NY Times bestselling author of The 4 Day Diet. “With The Challenge Walk Off on May 16 we can bring entire communities together as part of our commitment to helping the entire country be more focused on personal physical well-being. I applaud the mayors of these fourteen inaugural cities for their leadership. No more simply talking about obesity we are finally going to do something about it.”
Alexandria, VA, Mayor William Euille is putting his city on the Challenge, “A city that is physically fit and healthy contributes to the fiscal well being of the city. I want to lead by example.” Williamsport, PA, Mayor Gabriel Campana is proud of his city’s many assets, but says like many cities across the country, “We have issues of people that are at risk for heart disease, cancer and diabetes. By engaging in this program, we can educate the general public how proper diet and exercise can improve their quality of life.”
Thousands are expected to join Dr. Ian, the Challenge, and their fellow citizens to take the first steps together in a life-long journey of wellness through the outdoor events that will happen simultaneously in each city on May 16. Local officials will coordinate the details in participating cities. Click on city names below to go to the individual city team pages for more information (pages will be updated as information becomes available).
Alexandria, VA
Alexandria, LA
Birmingham, AL
San Leandro, CA
Stratford, CT
Greenville, MS
Buffalo, NY
Garden City, KS
Las Vegas, NV
Morristown, TN
Niagara Falls, NY
Williamsport, PA
Houston, TX
Wilmington, DE
The 50 Million Pound Challenge is also inviting all other cities across the nation to join The Challenge Walk Off. Fellow citizens can sign up to host their own walks in their respective cities by logging onto 50MillionPounds.com. The first 50 teams with 50 team members who host a walk on May 16 will receive 50 free t-shirts branded with the 50 Million Pound Challenge logo and have their team’s picture featured on the site.
Two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and for the first time ever, new reports show that there are more obese people in the country than there are those who are merely overweight. Studies show that in the weak economy many are trying to shed extra pounds without joining an organized plan and that when strapped for resources, personal wellness efforts can become a low priority. The Challenge enables people to follow their own diet and gives them free resources and tools to succeed.
Anyone can join The Challenge at 50millionpounds.com, the campaign’s online support community. The site tallies total pounds lost and offers participants free resources including a 30-day diet plan, online journal, personal weight and activity trackers, and Challenge teams to make fitness easier and more fun. Currently, more than 30,000 Challenge teams–which anyone can join or start their own–are helping those on teams lose 23 percent more weight than the overall campaign average. It’s a winning formula–and cities, churches, civic groups, friends and families across America are teaming up to help reverse the epidemic of excess weight and turn it into a culture of healthier living.
Already the site has helped more than a million people “Give up the pounds not the fight,” and shed a collective 4 million pounds. For more information on The 50 Million Pound Challenge Walk-Off please visit 50MillionPounds.com. The 50 Million Pound Challenge is sponsored by State Farm.
The 50 Million Pound Challenge
Dr. Ian Smith’s 50 Million Pound Challenge is a call-to-action for all Americans to come together and help people take control of their health by getting fit, losing excess weight and turning back the deadly toll of weight-related diseases that threaten nearly half of Americans. The Challenge, a campaign supported and endorsed by leaders across the community and national civic and health organizations, is sponsored by State Farm.
Source: The 50 Million Pound Challenge
Think You Can Set the Field of 65? NCAA.com Offers Selection Sunday Challenge
Unique challenge gives fans a chance to be the NCAA(R) Division I Men’s Basketball Selection Committee
NCAA.com, the official home of NCAA sports on the Web, is offering fans of NCAA basketball a unique opportunity as Selection Sunday approaches: Become a one-person Division I Men’s Basketball Selection Committee.
Located at ncaa.com/games/selectionchallenge, “Selection Sunday Challenge” provides fans with an interactive Web application that allows them to choose the 65 teams they think will make it into the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Designed to teach the fan the selection process and get inside the minds of the Selection Committee, the game allows fans to create their own bracket of 65 teams, or join groups so they can play against their friends.
With NCAA.com’s “Selection Sunday Challenge,” fans use a highly interactive online application to stack the field with their favorite teams, randomly choose from all 330 eligible Division I men’s basketball programs or use the research and tools that the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee puts to use such as RPI, schedules, recent results and more.
“For years, NCAA Basketball fans have wanted a chance to set the field of 65 and ‘Selection Sunday Challenge’ gives them admission to their own selection room,” said Greg Shaheen, NCAA, senior vice president for basketball and business strategies. “Time and pressure from all directions will make for a realistic experience for fans to set their own field – and compare it with the actual bracket once announced.”
Fans have until 6:00 PM ET Sunday, March 15, to submit their predictions for the field of 65, which will include 31 conference champions and 34 at-large teams. At that time, the official field of 65 will be unveiled by the Division I Men’s Basketball Selection Committee on CBS and fans can compare their predictions to the real results.
Participants receive points based on correctly selecting teams that make the Tournament, seeding the teams, and placing them in the correct region. A leaderboard displays who is the best at predicting the bracket.
CBS Interactive is the official Online Interactive sports partner of the NCAA and produces NCAA.com.
NCAA
The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletics opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.NCAA.org and www.NCAA.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions – AT&T, Coca-Cola and Pontiac –and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners – Enterprise, Hershey’s, The Hartford, Lowe’s, Sheraton and State Farm.
NCAA and Selection Sunday are trademarks owned or licensed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.