For the first time in our 18 year history the nations largest amateur Winter Sports Festival eclipsed the magical "10,000" athlete threshold. The 17 weekend marathon, except for Easter weekend ,captured 10,313 athletes!! 23 sports were up and 11 were down.
A special thank you to my loyal staff,supportive board members,competitive athletes,tireless volunteers, and knowledgeable commissioners for their unconditional commitment to this worthy endeavor!
Next up the Summer Games, followed by the crowning jewel of our year long format, The Lori Piestewa National Native American Games!
Thank you one and all!
Wid
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Awards Aplenty and Scholarships!
The celebration honoring the 2010 Art and Essay Contest winners drew a capacity crowd at Southwestern College in Phoenix on April 23. The top essay winners from grades 11 and 12 each received four-year scholarships to the College, and two-year scholarships were presented to the adult winners. These scholarship awards benefited 20 individuals and amounted to a total of $115,000 if utilized in full by attending Southwestern College.
The essay contest drew 2,924 entries from 49 states, of which 105 were selected as medal or certificate winners. The aggregate over the past 15 years now stands at 47,790 participants. Shea Van Slyke, an eighth grader from Bios Christian School in Gilbert, and Sadhana Kumar who attends kindergarten at the Ahwatukee Foothills Montessori School, read their gold medal essays for the assembled families and friends.
Eighty-eight art contest winners out of 1,570 received gold, silver or bronze medals or honorable mention certificates. Samar Waterworth spoke about her inspiration for the illustration which appeared on the cover of the evening’s printed program. Many of the winning entries were on display for the enjoyment of all in attendance.
Special recognition went to Alan Lambert, Commissioner of the Year; Desert Dolphins Synchronized Swim Team, Athletes of the Year; 76-year-old Mary McBain, 2009 Premier Power Player; and John Startt who is retiring from the GCSG Board (including two years as President.) John faithfully made the 420-mile round-trip from his home in Sierra Vista and never missed a meeting in nine years!!! That’s dedication!!!
~Wid
The essay contest drew 2,924 entries from 49 states, of which 105 were selected as medal or certificate winners. The aggregate over the past 15 years now stands at 47,790 participants. Shea Van Slyke, an eighth grader from Bios Christian School in Gilbert, and Sadhana Kumar who attends kindergarten at the Ahwatukee Foothills Montessori School, read their gold medal essays for the assembled families and friends.
Eighty-eight art contest winners out of 1,570 received gold, silver or bronze medals or honorable mention certificates. Samar Waterworth spoke about her inspiration for the illustration which appeared on the cover of the evening’s printed program. Many of the winning entries were on display for the enjoyment of all in attendance.
Special recognition went to Alan Lambert, Commissioner of the Year; Desert Dolphins Synchronized Swim Team, Athletes of the Year; 76-year-old Mary McBain, 2009 Premier Power Player; and John Startt who is retiring from the GCSG Board (including two years as President.) John faithfully made the 420-mile round-trip from his home in Sierra Vista and never missed a meeting in nine years!!! That’s dedication!!!
~Wid
Friday, April 16, 2010
"Birthdays!"
Today my son Dallas is 30 years old! I quit keeping track of my own a long time ago....for obvious reasons.What started out to be a small family BBQ has mushroomed into a full scale gig at, you guessed it, our house! That pleases me.Erika, Adam, and grandson Kael arrived by plane last night. Cindas' folks Barb and Doyle are driving from San Diego today as are Adams folks Rick and Judy from L.A.! Jessica flies in from Vegas tomorrow and Dallas' friend Lincoln is going to surprise him from Seattle!
Add in some friends from Dallas' work,and Punks entourage plus some neighbors of course,and there you have it....A small casual family get together.
Should be fun!
Happy Birthday my son!
Wid
Add in some friends from Dallas' work,and Punks entourage plus some neighbors of course,and there you have it....A small casual family get together.
Should be fun!
Happy Birthday my son!
Wid
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
It’s Up to Us!
With all the talk about controlling healthcare costs, one statistic that hit me revealed 70% of what is spent for healthcare is for diseases linked to our behavior in some way and how we live our lives.
Two examples cited indicated that the average annual tab for someone with diabetes is over $2,100, and for asthma, it’s $1,100.
More and more companies are urging employees to adopt healthier lifestyles and enroll in programs to manage chronic illnesses.
On a previous blog, I quoted Dr. Andrew Weil who stressed the importance of making smart decisions if you want to eat for optimum health and achieve a healthy weight. His bottom line prescription is to cut down on all food products with any kind of flour and sugar. He advises people to fill their shopping carts with vegetables and lean meats and to stick to the outside aisles in the supermarket where you’ll usually find unprocessed foods.
You may also have read that buried in the 2,400-plus pages of the Healthcare Reform Act is a provision requiring chain restaurants around the nation to post calorie counts for each item they serve.
All of this helps to make the public more aware that we should focus not only on how much we eat, but also what we eat.
~Wid
Two examples cited indicated that the average annual tab for someone with diabetes is over $2,100, and for asthma, it’s $1,100.
More and more companies are urging employees to adopt healthier lifestyles and enroll in programs to manage chronic illnesses.
On a previous blog, I quoted Dr. Andrew Weil who stressed the importance of making smart decisions if you want to eat for optimum health and achieve a healthy weight. His bottom line prescription is to cut down on all food products with any kind of flour and sugar. He advises people to fill their shopping carts with vegetables and lean meats and to stick to the outside aisles in the supermarket where you’ll usually find unprocessed foods.
You may also have read that buried in the 2,400-plus pages of the Healthcare Reform Act is a provision requiring chain restaurants around the nation to post calorie counts for each item they serve.
All of this helps to make the public more aware that we should focus not only on how much we eat, but also what we eat.
~Wid
Thursday, April 1, 2010
"Recognition!"
Everyone likes to be recognized for their accomplishments! On April 23rd at Southwestern College we will try to do just that!
Our Annual Celebration Banquet is in the planning stages and the momentum is growing.
We plan to acknowledge our Art/Essay contest award winners,Volunteer of the year,Athlete of the year,Commissioner and venue of the year recipients.Our Power Player award winners have also been invited.Sponsors and board members will also be in attendance.
New Executive Commissioner Ron Wolfley will emcee the evening and Mogollon will provide the entertainment.Plus,there are always some special surprises!
You are invited! Reception and registration starts at 5pm with dinner and show at 6pm. Cost is $15 a person (beat that),with the address for the College being 2625 E Cactus Rd,85032,Phx Az. Please RSVP to Tara Heinrichs at 480-517-9700 by April 21.
It's all about"Recognition!"See you there!
Wid
Our Annual Celebration Banquet is in the planning stages and the momentum is growing.
We plan to acknowledge our Art/Essay contest award winners,Volunteer of the year,Athlete of the year,Commissioner and venue of the year recipients.Our Power Player award winners have also been invited.Sponsors and board members will also be in attendance.
New Executive Commissioner Ron Wolfley will emcee the evening and Mogollon will provide the entertainment.Plus,there are always some special surprises!
You are invited! Reception and registration starts at 5pm with dinner and show at 6pm. Cost is $15 a person (beat that),with the address for the College being 2625 E Cactus Rd,85032,Phx Az. Please RSVP to Tara Heinrichs at 480-517-9700 by April 21.
It's all about"Recognition!"See you there!
Wid
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
"An Honor and a Privilege!"
Yesterday morning I was for the seventh straight year in attendance for The Seventh Annual Lori Piestewa Memorial sunrise service at the base of Piestewa Peak. It truly is one of my favorite days of the year. The outpouring of love, respect and culture strikes my heart each and every year.Terry, Percy, Baby Shaq, and Carla are so gracious and sincere in making sure the ceremony honors ALL fallen soldiers, it takes my breath away.I feel very fortunate to pay my respects and witness a legacy that continues to sustain itself on a grander scale as time moves on.Dear ones..."It was an Honor and a Privilege!"
Rainmaker
Rainmaker
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
"Forty Years is a Long Time1"
This past weekend I had the privledge to attend my forty year Cal Western University football reunion! It was nothing short of amazing! I would be lying if I said I wasn't somewhat apprehensive about attending...I can't really explain why. Bottom line, once the evening got under way with a social hour I couldn't get enough of it. I realized it was a very important part of my life and the coaches ,players ,and friends from this era are relationships that fill up a chapter of significant influence that I still hold dear to my heart. I was also pleased my wife Cinda was there to share in the evening as she came along in the next phase.
I have a sense of guilt that I haven't done a better job of making the effort to stay in contact with some amazing people represented in this contingencey. I've promised myself to improve in this area from here moving forward.
"Forty Years is a Long Time!"
Wid
I have a sense of guilt that I haven't done a better job of making the effort to stay in contact with some amazing people represented in this contingencey. I've promised myself to improve in this area from here moving forward.
"Forty Years is a Long Time!"
Wid
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