AAU WEST COAST CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

The deadline is quickly approaching to register your team for the 2014 AAU West Coast Club Championships taking place in Corona, CA from May 23rd – 26th, 2014! This event is a qualifier for the 2014 AAU Junior Olympic Games in Las Vegas, NV. Entry forms and team fees are due by May 16th, 2014 so don't delay!

For more information on how to register your team visit www.aauhockey.org or CLICK HERE.

WEST VIRGINIA DISTRICT QUALIFIER


The West Virginia District Qualifier is taking place May 31st, 2014 in Charleston, WV at the University of Charleston. The top 16 finishers from each event will qualify for the Region 4 Qualifier in Cincinnati, OH. This is the first step to qualifying for the 2014 AAU Junior Olympic Games!

For more information on how to register for the West Virginia District Qualifier, visit www.aauathletics.org or CLICK HERE.

AAU GRAND NATIONALS TRIPLE CROWN

AAU Wrestling is proud to announce a new award! At the 2014 Eastern and Western Grand Nationals, participants will have the opportunity to compete for the AAU Triple Crown award! This award will be given to participants who finish in first place in all three styles of wrestling: Freestyle, Folkstyle, and Greco-Roman.

This prestigious award will only be offered at the Eastern and Western Grand Nationals.

The Eastern Grand Nationals will take place from July 3rd – 5th, 2014 in Greensboro, NC at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. For more information on how to register for this event, CLICK HERE.

The Western Grand Nationals will be held in Billings, MT from June 12th – 14th, 2014 at Montana State University at Billings. For more information on how to register today, CLICK HERE.

AAU STARTS FIRST NATIONS NATIONALS FOR NATIVE AMERICANS IN JUNE

Written by: Bill Murdock
Native Americans have held a long and proud heritage and history. Their accomplishments have transcended the worlds of agriculture, business, government, language, medicine and innovation.

The realm of sports is no different as the names of Jim Thorpe, Billy Mills, and Jack and Gerald Brisco will forever be enshrined in the annals of the Olympics, track and field and wrestling respectively. Native American athletes have brought honor to their tribes and their country as well as excitement to the sports in which they competed. And now the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and wrestling will honor them with an event this summer which will crown a new group of national champions.

On June 3-5, the inaugural First Nations Nationals Wrestling Tournament will be held in Sisseton, South Dakota and has already garnered national attention before the wrestlers step on the mat.

As with most great events, the tournament began with a simple idea: to give Native American wrestlers a chance to compete against each other in an event which would not only spotlight the sport of wrestling but also to pay tribute to their heritage.

" We were hosting a tournament a few months ago, when a friend of mine, Dustin Kirk asked me why didn't we have something for our Native American wrestlers?" recalls Bob Johnson, chairman of AAU Wrestling. "We quickly saw this as a tremendous opportunity to give the Nations a chance to compete with others for the first time ever. We also want to give these athletes not only a great chance to compete but to give them the best experience possible by bringing in South Dakota State University head wrestling coach, three-time All-American and 1996 NCAA champion Chris Bono for a free day-and-a-half clinic on June 3 and 4 at Sisseton High School."

Derrick McCauley, Great Plains Regional Representative and event organizer is looking forward to the tournament as much as the competitors are.

" It is exciting to be able to part of the First Nations National Championships. We are looking forward to hosting 30 or more tribes and have already heard from teams from Wisconsin, Montana, Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma, Nebraska and South Dakota. It is great to be able to give these kids a chance to compete at the best level possible and for them to be able to see the accomplishments of other Native Americans and say If they can do it, we can do it."

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2014 FLORIDA STATE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT

The Florida district championship for AAU Baseball Grand Nationals will be held May 24 -26. The event, hosted by North Florida Baseball, a Division of AAUBNL, will be played in Jacksonville, Florida Memorial Day weekend (May 24-26). The entry fee is $475 for 9u through 13u age groups for a three-game guarantee.

Participating in this district championship will qualify your team for Grand Nationals. The team winning each age division in which the minimum number of required teams is met will receive scholarship for the team entry fee to Grand Nationals.

You do not need to win the event to qualify for Nationals, but if you do win and the minimum number of teams has been met, your entry fee to Grand Nationals will be paid for you. This district championship will be played at the North Florida Baseball facility in Jacksonville, Oakleaf Sports Association in Orange Park, and Southside Estates in Jacksonville.


For more information contact Chris Crawford (crawford0444@bellsouth.net; 904.382.3377) or Mark Shannahan (mark12069s@yahoo.com; 904.635.6162).

After the Diamonds are a Mom's Best Friend Super Regional at ESPN Wide World of Sports May 10-11, this is the last qualifier for AAU Grand Nationals in the state of Florida.