NATIONAL TEAM TRAINING

Ft. Myers, Florida – This past weekend, January 16-19, the National AAU Taekwondo Program hosted its' Annual Team Training Weekend in warm and sunny Fort Myers, Florida, and it was a resounding success on all levels!

"This was the best turnout for team training that we have ever experienced", said National Chairman, Mike Friello. "Thirty-nine of forty Cadet and Junior Team members made the commitment to attend along with nine of eleven mini-cadets (10-11 year olds) and nine of sixteen Senior Team members for a total of 57 AAU Team members. And those twenty eight cadets were each joined by an accompanying parent as required by AAU policy."

The weekend was hosted at the World Championship Taekwondo Center in Fort Myers under the direction of Master Toby Oliver, a member of the AAU Taekwondo Regional Coaching staff, what a great facility it is! A total of 11,000 square feet of nothing but state of the art equipment and supplies including closed circuit flat screen TV viewing of the entire training regimen and sparring which made spectator viewing most comfortable and readily accessible.

Heading the training was National Head Coach Greg Tubbs of Dallas, TX along with the rest of the national coaching staff; Arlene Limas (Stafford, VA), Luciano Medina (Chicago, Il), and Georgie Martinez (Arora, CO). This outstanding group of coaches was joined, for the first time, by members of our newly formed Regional Coaching Staff Dennis White and Toby Oliver-both of Florida, John Paul Noyes from Montana, and our newest Regional coach Dennis Kim of VA.

"I just can't say enough about the talent and expertise this coaching staff brings to the table. Everyone in the country recognizes the high level of coaching these people represent. And their dedication to the AAU Taekwondo Program and our athletes is without question. We just could not have enjoyed the success we have without the untiring efforts and selflessness our coaches have brought to AAU Taekwondo."

This year's training Program participants also had a surprise guest training right alongside of them the entire weekend as he was making his way over to Orlando, FL for the US Open–Mr. Aaron Cook. As everyone in Taekwondo knows, Mr. Cook holds the WORLD #1 Ranking for the men's -80 KG weight class. He is also a three-time European Champion (2010, 2012 & 2014) as well as the 2008 Olympic Games representative for Great Britain at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

"I had run into Aaron at the Pan-Am championship in Oregon, last month and mentioned that the AAU Team would be meeting in Ft. Myers this weekend. Aaron simply asked if he could join us. Aaron has been a friend of the AAU Program since we first met a few years back at the Costa Rican Open Championship. He was staying at the same hotel as our team and asked if he could work out with us while we prepared for the event. He also joined us for our typical Saturday night Team dinner and we've been 'buds' ever since", said Mr. Friello.

And what a treat! Needless to say the Team was thrilled to have him training with us and he was a real joy to be around–working as hard, if not harder, than anyone else the entire training time. He was also most generous with his time during the break times readily making himself available for pictures and autographs. "Aaron is a great champion who knows what it means to be a champion. And we wish him the best of luck next week in Orlando and look forward to the next time we have the chance to be together."

After last year's Junior Team captured First Place at the German Open and the Cadet Team's success in Montreal at the Canadian Open, I really believed that this year's team had its' work cut out for them trying to follow that lead. But the coaches assured me in September following Team Trials and now I believe-- this year's team is even better!

Of course there are some returning members from last year who bring extremely strong credentials to the 2015 team. Most notable among them are Brandon Ivey, Junior World Champion and Joshua Koslowski, Cadet World Champion.

This year's training camp began with a two hour session on Friday evening comprised mainly of discussions laying the groundwork for the weekend and the rest of year in general as well as a general warm-up of sorts to help get them in the game. Team Rules were reviewed with the cautionary tale of AAU's total inflexibility when it came to the most serious of rules regarding curfews, bed checks, and a 100% totally drug free/alcohol free environment. Master Friello and the coaches also reaffirmed AAU expectations when it came to work ethic, staying on weight, and giving 100% at all times. "We give 100% and we expect our team members to do so as well."

Saturday's training was more than a full day – 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM with a one hour lunch break and it was totally awesome. Saturday also marked the time for the annual Team Training dinner. A total of 98 people attended the 'party' hosted at Bucca di Bepppo in Fort Myers and included both Ceasar salad, traditional Italian salad, Fettuccini Alfredo, spaghetti with marinara sauce, chicken parmesan, cheesecake, along with soft drinks, coffee, etc ... All paid for by the AAU Taekwondo Program. "The dinner party is an integral part of the weekend. It's here that the athletes of all our teams get to mix socially along with the coaching staff and their parent supporters in a relaxed environment. "It helps build the team spirit and camaraderie necessary for us to be a team", says chairman Friello.

On Sunday the teams met at 9 AM once again for another two hours of training followed by a full four hours of sparring utilizing the KP&P PSS System. More than 40 non-team members from throughout Florida also made the trek in to take advantage of the opportunity to spar with the AAU Team.

The weekend wrapped up around 4:00 PM with closing statements from the coaches, Master Friello, and lots and lots of photos!

NEXT STOP: the Spanish Open in April!

To view additional photos from the event, Click Here.

RECAP: 2015 AAU INTERNATIONAL MEN'S FASTPITCH CHAMPIONSHIP

That's a wrap for the 2015 AAU International Men's Fastpitch Championship! Twenty-five teams traveled from seven different countries to the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, FL for this annual international tournament. One of the Venezuelan teams were forced to drop out at the last minute, leaving 24 teams to split into five different pools. Because of the late drop-out, they were forced to forfeit all of their games, giving each team in their pool one 3-0 victory.

In Pool A, Venezolanos, the defending AAU Fastpitch Champions, earned the top seed with a 4-0 undefeated record in their pool. Maccabi USA finished in second with a record of 3-1 and the other three teams all had a 1-3 pool play record.

In Pool B, the New York Gremlins, Equipo Sopotociento and Kanata Storm all finished with a 3-1 pool play record, with Gremlins grabbing the higher seed. Universidad de Nacional de la Mantaza and Lake Simcoe Lightning both ended pool play with 1-3 records.
In Pool C, the A1 Bombers went undefeated and secured the #1 seed going into bracket play. Universidad de Zulia went .500 in pool play with two wins and two losses. The Toronto Batmen and CPI Classics tied in one of their games, so their records were slightly different. Batmen ended with 1.5-2.5 and CPI had a 2.5-1.5 record. Puerto Rico Maviceros rounded out their pool with a 0-4 record.

In Pool D, Nacionale de Venezuela had dropped out the competition before the tournament started, so each team began pool play with one win. The Hill United Chiefs grabbed three more wins in pool play, earning them the #3 in bracket play. Team Marquez only lost one game in bracket play, which was against the Hill United Chiefs, earning the second place in their pool and the #5 seed going into bracket play. The Bar's NAFA Selects broke even in pool play with a 2-2 record and Big Eagle Express lost all their games they played, finished with a 1-3 record.

In the final pool, Pool E, Maracaibo dominated the pool, winning all four games and earning the #2 seed in bracket play. NY/PA Buffalo Big John's followed closely with a 3-1 record, Ottawa for tickets split with two wins and two losses and the Relics of Sudsbury won a game and lost three. Finishing at the bottom of the pool, Bryan's Blackhawks lost all of their games.

On Saturday morning, we had a slight rain delay in the morning, but the Florida sunshine managed to break through and we had yet another gorgeous day to play ball. The top seven teams all received byes and were able to sleep in and relax a bit until their first game of the day. In the first round of eliminations, we lost eight teams: The Relics of Sudsbury, who forfeited after not showing up on time for the game, Universidad de la Mantaza, Lake Simcoe Lightning, Big Eagle Express, AuSable Spirits, who almost pulled off a win against the Toronto Batmen but ultimately fell to them, 2-1, Puerto Rico Maviceros and Bryan's Blackhawks. The only big upset in the first round was between Universidad de Zulia (#14) and Toronto Blue Ribbon (#19). Toronto managed to put up 6 points against the higher seed, and the Venezuelan team could only manage to score 3.

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JAMES E. SULLIVAN: A FAMILY HISTORY

"He was my great uncle and I learned about him through a little pin that my dad found that had a tiny little picture. So I used a magnifying glass to look at it and I looked up AAU online and just called."

That.s how Monica McCabe found out that her great uncle was James E. Sullivan, the founder of the Amateur Athletic Union and a pioneer in amateur sports. Her grandfather used to take her dad to the track and field events at Madison Square Garden, which is how he found out about AAU. When she found the pin with the AAU logo, her father told her about the sports organization and she began to research it online.

Today, the AAU honors him by rewarding the top amateur athlete with the James E. Sullivan Award, a prestigious title based on outstanding athletic ability, strong character, leadership and sportsmanship. Some notable recipients of the award are Peyton Manning, Tim Tebow, Missy Franklin and most recently John Urschel. The 85th Annual AAU Sullivan Award will be celebrated on April 19th at the New York Athletic Club.

McCabe visited the AAU's National Office last week after speaking to Pam Marshall, the Director of Sponsorships and Partner Services. After chatting with Marshall on the phone, McCabe starting doing some research on her own. Once she found out exactly who he was and what his legacy was, she decided to take the trip from Michigan to sunny Orlando, Florida.

Once at the AAU National Office, staff gave her a tour of the building, where McCabe took several pictures of all of the AAU Sullivan Award posters and records.

McCabe remarked that discovering how she is related to Sullivan has helped her family figure out a lot of her family history.
"His sister, Julia, was my great-grandmother and she married a John McCabe," said McCabe. "Julia is my father's paternal grandmother and my great-grandmother."

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE AAU GYMNASTICS AGE GROUP NATIONALS!

All Clubs and Coaches!

It is time to make those hotel accomodations at the Riviera Hotel now befor the room blocks are all gone. You only need to pay your first night's stay to hold your reservation. These accomodations are very affordable. You don't need any additional transportation. The venue is located 7 miles from the airport and there are very inexpensive transportation choices to travel from your venue. You can make your reservation for the extended period of the event and change them seven days prior with no penalty. Click here to make your reservations today!

Information for Discount Entertainment Packages will be available soon. Go to www.aaugymnastics.org and select entry information to view tentative schedule.

Coaches, it is important that your register early! It is important that you verify your entry information with information recorded in the AAU database. The entry information is derived from the registration information in the AAU database. Correct birthdays are a must! Please help ensure that your athletes are registered with the correct birthday.

Entry site will soon be available at www.aaugymnastics.org. Don't miss the deadline – May 3, 2015! There will be a late fee of $5.00 per athlete for all athletes and coaches registered after the deadline. Late entries will be accepted only if room allows. Don't delay- register early! If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!

Meet Director
Debbie Capelotti
760-805-0682
dcapelot@tfb.com

National Chair
Liz Nichols
678-596-1374
aaunichols@bellsouth.net

AAU National Office
Tony Staley
407934-7200
tony@aausports.org

NAISMITH TROPHY HIGH SCHOOL MIDSEASON TEAMS ANNOUNCED

The Naismith Trophy High School Player of the Year Boys' and Girls' Midseason Teams presented by Hilton Worldwide were released today! Each team consists of 15 of the top players in the United States and this year all of the players on both the boys' and girls' teams are AAU alumni!

Below is the history of the award taken from the Naismith Trophy website.

The Naismith Awards were founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to recognize accomplished athletes, coaches, officials and contributors to high school and college basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the creator of the game of basketball, the first Naismith trophy was awarded in 1969 to UCLA's Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The trophy was sculpted by Marty C. Dawe of Atlanta and has become among the most prestigious national honors awarded each year to top basketball players in the nation. The Women's Player of the Year Award was first given to Anne Donovan of Old Dominion University in 1983.

Each year the club's board publishes the "Naismith Watch" list that is made up of the top 50 players to watch in men's and women's college basketball. The organization also releases a list of 30 mid-season Naismith candidates. At the end of the season the Naismith Trophy is awarded to the player of the year in men's and women's college basketball. A national voting academy of leading basketball coaches, administrators and journalists narrows the group down to four finalists based on player performance throughout the season. The final four Naismith finalists will make up the ballot and the player of the year is voted on by the group.

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2015 14-UNDER YOUTH INDOOR NATIONALS!

The 2015 14-Under Youth Indoor National Championship will be held March 7th – March 8th at Eastern Michigan University's Bowen Field House in Ypsilanti, MI. This event offers competition for ages 8 & under – 14 year olds. The entry fee is $40 per athlete for track & field events.

Online registration is now open for the event! The entry deadline is March 5th!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER YOUR ATHLETES!

 

DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR TWO AAU VOLLEYBALL EVENTS

EIVA AAU Grand Prix 17U & 18U

The Eastern Idaho Volleyball Association will be hosting EIVA AAU Grand Prix on March 14th in Idaho Falls. Divisions are available for girls from ages 17U – 18U.

The winning team in each age division with 12 or more teams will have their entry fee waived for the AAU Nationals in Orlando, FL or the West Coast AAU Championships in Las Vegas, NV. For divisions with less than 12 teams, a portion of the entry fee will be waived based on the number of teams.

The entry fee is $150 and the deadline to register is January 31st. CLICK HERE to register your team today!

Dunes March Madness Super Regional 15U-18U

AAU Volleyball also has a Super Regional on the horizon! The Dunes March Madness Super Regional will take place from March 14th – 15th in Rolling Prairie, IN. Competition will be available for age groups 15U – 18U.

Winning teams in age divisions with 12 or more teams will receive a free entry fee to the AAU Junior National Volleyball
Championships or the West Coast AAU Championships. Divisions with less than 12 teams, the entry fee will be discounted.

The entry fee is $450 per team. CLICK HERE to register today!

For more information on how to register, visit www.aauvolleyball.org or contact Rick Ashmore at dunesvbc@comcast.net.

SPRING YOUTH NATIONALS ONLINE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

Registration is now open for the 2015 AAU Spring Youth Nationals! This highly competitive folkstyle event is taking place
March 13th – 14th, 2015 in Kingsport, TN at the Vann Huss Dome. The Pre-Registration Entry Fee is only $45. Do not delay!

CLICK HERE to register your athletes today!

2015 AAU BANTAMS & MIDGETS NORTH AMERICAN NON-CHECKING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Register today for the 2015 AAU Bantams & Midgets North American Non-Checking Championships hosted by PLC Sports! This event will be taking place from April 10th – 12th at Allandale Recreation Arena in Barrie, Ontario, Canada

The age divisions available in the Bantam division are 2000 Major, 2001 Minor, and 2000/2001 Mixed. The Midget division will offer completion for payers born in 1997, 1998, or 1999.

The entry fee is $1,250 per team and the deadline to register is March 1st. For more information or to register your team today, visit www.aauicehockey.org or CLICK HERE.