Washington Kastles acquire 2008 World TeamTennis MVP Rennae Stubbs
Team Trades Angela Haynes and CoCo Vandeweghe to Sacramento for Stubbs and Olga Puchkova
The Washington Kastles have completed a blockbuster trade sending their second and third round picks, Angela Haynes and CoCo Vandeweghe, to the Sacramento Capitals for Rennae Stubbs, the reigning 2008 World TeamTennis Female MVP and 2008 Championship Finals MVP, and Olga Puchkova. With Stubbs’ six Grand Slam championships, the team now boasts 36 total Grand Slam titles among their five players and head coach.
Stubbs, ranked in the top ten in the world in doubles, is a former #1 ranked doubles player and has won 59 career Sony Ericsson WTA titles. She has also represented Australia four times in Olympic and Federation Cup competition. She won last year’s WTT and Championship Finals MVP titles as a member of the Kansas City Explorers and helped lead the Philadelphia Freedoms to WTT championships in 2001 and 2006, and the St. Louis Aces to a title in 1996.
“Our goal this year is to win the Championship when it is played in Washington on July 26th and this trade makes us a clear favorite to accomplish that. Rennae is one of the top doubles players in the world and is a fierce and experienced competitor,” said owner Mark Ein, who brokered the deal. “With this trade, we will be tough to beat in any set, much less a complete match.”
The Kastles also acquired Puchkova, who ranked #32 in the world in singles in 2007. Puchkova played three matches for the Capitals in 2008, compiling a 10-5 game record. She has local ties, having trained at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, where she has recently begun working again. She is also a professional model represented by Elite Management.
“Olga has the ability to be one of the best women in the league and, with her recent work at the JTCC, we know she is ready to play,” continued Ein. “Both Olga and Rennae bring a lot of personality to our squad on and off the court. Our fans will love this team.”
The two newest Kastles will join their teammates on Thursday, July 2 to kick off the 2009 season on the west coast against the Newport Beach Breakers. The Kastles open the home schedule in DC on July 7 against two-time defending Wimbledon Champion Venus Williams and the Philadelphia Freedoms.
Source: Washington Kastles
NFL All Time Great Lynn Swann to be Inducted Into Bowling Hall of Fame
Four Time Super Bowl Champion’s Passionate Support for the Sport of Bowling Earns Him Nod into His Second Hall of Fame
Former National Football League (NFL) All-Pro, Super Bowl MVP and Hall of Fame wide receiver, Lynn Swann has earned many accolades throughout his career, however it’s his enthusiasm for bowling that has made him a recognizable and supportive force and an ambassador for the sport. In honor of years of support and involvement in the bowling industry, The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame announced today that Swann will be the third inductee into the Bowling Hall of Fame Celebrities Exhibit and the first to be inducted into the brand new museum to be completed in early 2010. The induction celebration will kick off at International Bowl Expo on June 24th at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay during the annual general session festivities.
“Bowling is a great activity for people of all ages and I’m so proud and honored to have helped to play a small part in helping to drive the resurgence of this great American past time,” said Swann. “The more than 67 million people who bowl every year are a testament to the sport’s tremendous popularity. Bowling is a true part of Americana and I’m humbled to have a place in the Bowling Hall of Fame.”
A prominent advocate for the sport of bowling, Swann has hosted the NFL Super Bowl Celebrity Bowling Classic for the past three years, and also served as the lane side reporter for CBS’ “Clash of the Champions” in 2008. The broadcast marked bowling’s return to network television for the first time since 1999.
“Lynn has a true passion for the sport of bowling and has been an incredible friend to the industry for many years. We’re proud and honored to welcome him as the newest addition to the Celebrity Bowling Hall of Fame and the first inductee to the Bowling Hall of Fame’s new location within the International Bowling Campus in Arlington,” said Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America President and United States Bowling Congress Director, Jim Sturm.
In late 2007, it was announced the Bowling Hall of Fame would relocate from St. Louis, Missouri to become part of the newly formed International Bowling Campus in Arlington. The campus also includes the headquarters for the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America, Strike Ten Entertainment, the United States Bowling Congress and the International Training and Research Center.
Swann will be recognized in the Celebrities exhibit at the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, joining former NFL great and fellow Steeler, Jerome Bettis, as well as famed major league baseball pitcher and radio analyst, Tom Candiotti.
“We are thrilled to recognize this champion for our sport. Lynn is an extraordinary exemplar of how involvement in sports can parlay into even greater achievements,” said Patrick Ciniello, President/Chairman of the Board of the Hall. “As a celebrity bowler inductee, Lynn continues to generate positive awareness for the sport and continues to inspire bowlers everywhere.”
The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame has served the international bowling community for more than two decades by collecting and preserving its history and making information available worldwide to help promote the sport. The new facility is being constructed at the International Bowling Campus, 621 Six Flags Drive in Arlington, Texas.
Source: Strike Ten Entertainment