HomeCalendarVenuesSports DirectoryLodging & Visitor InformationAbout UsVolunteer
Loading

Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Commission
News Archive


SOUNDERS FC ALIGNS WITH U-23 PDL FRANCHISE

 

RENTON, WASH. - Seattle Sounders FC announced today that it has added an Under-23 Premier Development League (PDL) team to its Youth Development Program. The Sounders FC U-23s will be coached by Darren Sawatzky, Sounders FC director of youth development, and will begin play in May.

 

Sounders FC U-23 will be operated by Pierce County business leaders Lane Smith and Cliff McElroy, who purchased the former Tacoma Tide FC and Sounders Women franchises in November. The Tide, who will now be known as Sounders FC U-23, has been a member of the PDL's Northwest Division since 2006.

 

The Sounders FC U-23s will play their home matches in Pierce County. The venue for the games will be announced at a later date.

 

"By now having an affiliated PDL program, Sounders FC has added an additional piece to our Youth Development Program, creating a bridge between our academy teams and our Major League Soccer first team," said General Manager Adrian Hanauer. "This allows our college-age players to continue their development and further prepare themselves for the opportunity to compete at the highest possible level and potentially wear the Rave Green someday at CenturyLink Field."

 

The Sounders FC Academy, consisting of boys U-15/16 and U-17/18 teams in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, is now in its second season of play.

 

"Pierce County has a rich soccer heritage and we are excited to partner with the Sounders to be able to offer Pierce County soccer fans a high-level game experience," said Sounders FC U-23 co-owner Lane Smith.  "The Sounders FC affiliation will allow the U-23 PDL team greater access to top local soccer talent as well as the best college players across the United States" said Smith.

 

"We are pleased to have Darren Sawatzky as the U-23 coach.  Darren has been successful as an MLS player and USL assistant coach as well as the director of the Sounders Youth Development Program.  Darren grew up in Federal Way and he has strong ties to the local soccer community," Smith said.

 

"Coaching the Sounders FC U-23s is an exciting opportunity for me," said Sawatzky. "It will be great to watch these players grow and compete at this level and chase the dream of playing at the top level. I look forward to getting started."

 

For more information contact David Falk 425-203-8000.

 

-SOUNDERS FC-



Tacoma Gets Ready to Move

Tim Waer, executive director of the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Commission, is glowing with that combination of exhaustion and exhilaration one gets at mile 23 of a marathon. For good reason. Over the past 50 days, he and his staff of six have scrambled to give life to a long-term idea the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Commission has held, bringing the emphasis on sports back to Tacoma.

The dream suddenly became a reality when a gymnastics tournament needed some help paying for space at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center over the holiday weekend of Jan. 14-16. A lemons-into-lemonade concept was born: spin the gymnastics tournament into what Waer hopes will be an annual event, the LET'S PLAY! Sports and Fitness Fest, an ambitious, all-inclusive celebration of Tacoma's unsung amateur sports clubs.

Says Waer, "I'll walk up to a group of teens, point at one, then another and say ‘name a sport, any sport.' Chances are it's going to be represented at the festival."

One teen recently tried to stump Waer, shouting out "Fencing!"

Insert game show buzzer sound here: the Metro Tacoma Fencing Club is confirmed for both a demo and a competition.

Zumba? You got it. Karate, quad rugby and stand-up paddleboard are all participating, along with the usual suspects like baseball, basketball and tennis. Many of the sports listed on the festival home page may be unfamiliar (dragon boat racing?).

Skip Google and just show up.

Each sports club will have a booth with a representative ready to share with attendees what it's all about and how to get involved. Many will offer beginner classes as part of the festival's schedule. There will also be opportunities to participate in rock climbing, T-ball and even an interactive toddler area for the little ones to blow off some steam. Monday, the LET'S PLAY! Sports and Fitness Fest will wraps up with the "LET'S WALK" event, where non-perishable food collected on behalf of the Emergency Food Network during the LET'S PLAY Festival will be walked the 2.5 kilometers to the Tacoma Dome and delivered during the city's annual MLK celebration.

"It's all about playing and experimenting, and maybe even falling in love with a sport you've never tried before," says Waer. "Come in your sweats and get ready to move."

South Sound event producer Quincy Henry, who's behind the Grit City Fest among other things, joined Waer and his staff to arrange a line-up of entertainment designed to attract all ages, from the kids' musical sensation Recess Monkeys and the Tacoma Rainiers mascot Rhubarb to the Seahawks Blue Thunder Drumline.

Not bad for the festival's flagship event. As Henry points out, "It's a process. As the festival grows and returns year after year, the special guests will be more likely to join in early, and confirm."

Due to what initially looked like a scheduling conflict, the festival's dates (Jan. 14-16) coincide with the Children's Museum of Tacoma's long-awaited grand re-opening at their new location (1501 Pacific Ave. ). This happy accident led to a meeting of the minds in which the festival and the museum will partner to celebrate learning through play and sports. Capitalizing on the potential activity downtown, the Children's Museum of Tacoma will act as a co-host of the LET'S PLAY! Festival.

The LET'S PLAY! Sports and Fitness Festival and its partners have a mission for Tacoma that's beneficial both on an economic level and on a level closer to home for most of Tacoma's nearly 200,000 residents. Not only will the festival, its attractions and tournaments bring out-of-towners to Tacoma, meaning money spent on things like lodging and food, but it will bring a renewed awareness to health and teamwork to all who attend. Sport psychology studies show participating in sports is an effective way to help manage anxiety and build self-confidence - essential tools for success for an individual and, big picture, for the community.

To be able to say, "I was there" at Tacoma's first ever LET'S PLAY! Sports and Fitness Festival, Waer and Henry say come on down to the Tacoma Convention Center MLK Weekend. Curious observers, participants: all are welcome. So are volunteers, something the festival still needs. If you are interested in volunteering, you can call 253.327.1786 or email quincyh@ tacomasports.org.

LET'S?PLAY! Sports and Fitness Festival

Jan. 14-16, Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday "Let's Walk!" starts at 9 a.m., free, Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center, 1500 Broadway, Tacoma, letsplaytacoma.org



Skating champion Kimmie Meissner to appear in Tacoma

U.S. figure skating champion Kimmie Meissner will be in Tacoma on Saturday in advance of her performance in “Pandora Unforgettable Moments of Love On Ice” later this month.

Meissner will appear at 10:30 a.m. at Let’s Play! Sports and Fitness Fest taking place at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. Meissner will participate in some of the activities, give a brief talk on her career as a professional ice skater and  sign autographs.

The Fitness Fest is a two-day event hosted by Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Commission and the Tacoma Children’s Museum. The event has opportunities for kids and adults to participate, educate, and compete in a variety of recreational sports.

Click on “more” to learn about the “Pandora” show.

 

WHAT:  “Pandora Unforgettable Moments of Love on Ice” brings romance to the ice rink.  Olympic, World and National medalists, led by Ekaterina Gordeeva and Ilia Kulik, perform to numbers from Kenny G and Gladys Knight performed live to entertain the audience.  The show will take place on January 26 and NBC will tape the show for a February 4, national broadcast.  It is part of the Pandora NBC Skating Series. More information is available at www.dissonskating.com. Presented locally by The Joint Center at Valley Medical Center.

WHEN: Thursday, January 26, 7 p.m.

WHERE: ShoWare Center, Kent, WA

TICKETS:  $39.50, $59.50, $69.50, $100 (w/dinner), $125 (on ice w/post-event reception)  

SPECIAL GUESTS:
Kenny G and Gladys Knight  

SKATERS:
Ekaterina Gordeeva    Two-time Olympic Pairs Champion
      Four-time World Pairs Champion
Ilia Kulik     1998 Olympic Champion
      1996 World Silver Medalist
Joannie Rochette    2010 Olympic Bronze Medalist
      2009 World Silver Medalist
Sasha Cohen     2006 Olympic Silver Medalist
      2006 U.S. Champion
Kurt Browning     Four-time (1989-91, 1993) World Champion
      Four-time (1989-91, 1993) Canadian
Champion
Miki Ando     Two-time (2007 & 2011) World Champion
      Two-time (2006 & 2010) Olympian
Kimmie Meissner    2006 World Champion
2007 U.S. National Champion
2007 Four Continents Champion
Steven Cousins     Eight-time British Champion
      Three-time Olympian
Ryan Bradley     2011 U.S. Champion
      2007 U.S. Silver Medalist

HOSTS:
Kristi Yamaguchi    1992 Olympic Champion
      Two-time World Champion
Nancy Kerrigan     Two-time Olympic Medalist
      Two-time World Medalist

Read more here: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/getout/2012/01/11/skating-champion-kimmie-meissner-to-appear-in-tacoma/#more-1575#storylink=cpy



TACOMA WEEKLY: LET'S PLAY! Sports and Fitness Fest Next Weekend

The Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Commission and the Tacoma Children’s Museum are hosting LET’S PLAY! Sports and Fitness Fest, a one-of-a-kind multi-sport extravaganza, on Jan. 14-15 at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center.

“Every nook and cranny is overtaken by sports and fitness…it’s going to be an awesome event,” said organizer Tim Waer, of the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Commission.

Over 30 different sports will be represented – with booths and demonstrations for event-goers – and a basketball tournament and roller derby and gymnastics competitions highlight the event. A series of free sports and fitness clinics will be presented by coaches, players, organizers of youth sports plus health and wellness activities such as yoga, Zumba and CrossFit taking place throughout both days of the event. The event is geared for all ages, and tickets are free for kids 12-and-under. For those 12 and up, the cost is $5 or five non-perishable food items.

Waer said he hopes to have over 1,000 kids attend the event, and also wouldn’t be surprised to double that number. He added that the goal is not only to bring in organizations from out of town, but to strengthen local clubs and sports within Tacoma.

“What told us that we were doing the right thing is that everyone was so enthusiastic,” Waer said, adding that this probably will become a yearly event. “We’ve already got the dates for next year.”

The LET’S PLAY! Sports and Fitness Fest takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Jan. 14 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 15. On Jan. 16, event-goers will gather together and for LETS WALK!, where they will take all the food donations collected at the event to the Martin Luther King Day celebration at the Tacoma Dome.

Waer said they hope to have a semi-permanent schedule of events for LETS PLAY! by early next week. To check the schedule or for more info on the event, visit http://www.tacomasports.org/



Sounders FC Aligns With U-23 PDL Franchise

CONTACT: (425) 203-8000                                                                             January 25, 2011

 

Sounders FC Aligns With U-23 PDL Franchise

 

RENTON, WASH. - Seattle Sounders FC announced today that it has added an Under-23 Premier Development League (PDL) team to its Youth Development Program. The Sounders FC U-23s will be coached by Darren Sawatzky, Sounders FC director of youth development, and will begin play in May.

 

Sounders FC U-23 will be operated by Pierce County business leaders Lane Smith and Cliff McElroy, who purchased the former Tacoma Tide FC and Sounders Women franchises in November. The Tide, who will now be known as Sounders FC U-23, has been a member of the PDL's Northwest Division since 2006.

 

The Sounders FC U-23s will play their home matches in Pierce County. The venue for the games will be announced at a later date.

 

"By now having an affiliated PDL program, Sounders FC has added an additional piece to our Youth Development Program, creating a bridge between our academy teams and our Major League Soccer first team," said General Manager Adrian Hanauer. "This allows our college-age players to continue their development and further prepare themselves for the opportunity to compete at the highest possible level and potentially wear the Rave Green someday at CenturyLink Field."

 

The Sounders FC Academy, consisting of boys U-15/16 and U-17/18 teams in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, is now in its second season of play.

 

"Pierce County has a rich soccer heritage and we are excited to partner with the Sounders to be able to offer Pierce County soccer fans a high-level game experience," said Sounders FC U-23 co-owner Lane Smith.  "The Sounders FC affiliation will allow the U-23 PDL team greater access to top local soccer talent as well as the best college players across the United States" said Smith.

 

"We are pleased to have Darren Sawatzky as the U-23 coach.  Darren has been successful as an MLS player and USL assistant coach as well as the director of the Sounders Youth Development Program.  Darren grew up in Federal Way and he has strong ties to the local soccer community," Smith said.

 

"Coaching the Sounders FC U-23s is an exciting opportunity for me," said Sawatzky. "It will be great to watch these players grow and compete at this level and chase the dream of playing at the top level. I look forward to getting started."

 

-SOUNDERS FC-

Rows 1-5 of 82
Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Next
Log on