HIGH SCHOOL SULLIVAN

The AAU Sullivan Committee is proud to announce the 2014 AAU High School Sullivan Award and Scholarship Program.

The Committee will be awarding a total of $35,000 in Scholarship Funds to eight (8) High School Seniors; four (4)
male and four (4) female athletes.

The AAU will be awarding the 4th AAU High School Sullivan Award and Scholarship. This award is to honor AAU member athletes in a particular sport who is a well-rounded individual, shows outstanding athletic abilities, leadership skills, great sportsmanship and strength of character; not only during sporting events but in their community as well.


Apply today on the AAU High School Sullivan Website – Click Here.

AAU BOYS' BASKETBALL ELITE TOURNAMENTS COMING TO LOUISVILLE

Louisville, Ky. – December 10, 2013 – Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Boys' Basketball President Henry Forrest and Louisville Sports Commission Executive Director Karl Schmitt announced today that the AAU has awarded its high school Boys' Grades 10 through 12 Division I National Championships and Gold Super Showcases - the elite AAU competition - to Louisville, Ky., for three years starting in 2014. The AAU Boys' Basketball events will be held at the Kentucky Exposition Center (KEC).


"Louisville is a perfect location for the AAU Boys' Basketball Division I National Championships and Super Showcases for so many reasons," Forrest said. "We will be in the heart of basketball country where there is tremendous fan avidity and enormous media interest in the sport. Louisville is centrally located in the US and easy to reach for a large number of our teams and their families, fans and college coaches; and the Kentucky Exposition Center is a premiere, event-friendly facility located in close proximity to hotels, inter-state highways and the airport."


"Besides location and facilities, another reason we're coming to Louisville is the experience and cooperation of our partners in the local community," added Forrest. "We are working closely with the management teams from the KEC, the Convention & Visitors Bureau and Louisville Sports Commission, all experts in staging major events. In addition, we forged a tremendous partnership with Eddie Ford, one of the longtime, premiere promoters of youth basketball in the Midwest and South."


Ford, owner and operator of the 31-year-old Kentucky HoopFest, the nation's oldest travel team basketball tournament held annually at KEC, will provide 12 hardwood courts as well as his expertise and operational support for the AAU event.


"Hosting the AAU Boys' Basketball National Championships and Showcases is a huge win for Louisville," Schmitt said. "Sports fans in the local community and the region will have a chance to watch the best high school basketball players in the nation every summer. Additionally, the event will generate more than 8,400 hotel room night stays every year, and attract significant media, high profile coaches and sports personalities to our town. We look forward to the opportunity."


"When it comes to high school and college basketball, our city and region is best in the world, so it's fitting and exciting that the AAU Boys' Basketball competition is coming to Louisville," Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said. "Many of the super players we've cheered and appreciated in recent years in our local programs have been showcased at AAU, so it will be great for our local fans to see them compete at these elite Championships and Showcases."


The 2014 AAU Boys' Basketball National Championships is expected to attract 340 teams, 200 officials, more than 900 college coaches and scores of national media and will generate more than $3 million in annual economic impact. Detailed information regarding general admission tickets will be announced in January 2014.


"Our national championships and showcase events attract the best-of-the-best AAU teams and elite high school players in the US and several foreign countries," said AAU Treasurer Ron Crawford. "Alums of these games help fill the rosters of the leading college programs and NBA teams on a regular basis. Our championships take place during an open recruiting period for colleges, so representatives from nearly every team in all divisions of the NCAA and the NAIA will attend, including the biggest names in the coaching business." Players participating in the event the last three years have included:

2012 – Andrew Wiggins (Kansas); Julius Randle, Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison and Dakari Johnson (Kentucky)

2011 – Nerlens Noel (Kentucky/Phil. 76ers), Anthony Bennett (UNLV/Cle. Cavs), Montrezl Harrell (Louisville), Archie Goodwin (Kentucky/Phoenix Suns), Mitch McGary (Michigan), Alex Poythress (Kentucky)

2010 – Chane Behanan (Louisville), Austin Rivers, (Duke/NO Pelicans), Bradley Beal (Florida/Wash. Wizards), Ben McLemore (Kansas/Sac. Kings), Andre Drummond (UConn/Det. Pistons), Michael Carter-Williams (Syracuse/ Phil. 76ers), Wayne Blackshear (Louisville)


"AAU Boys' Basketball has worked diligently and successfully for several decades to develop young players and promote basketball," said Marcellus "Boo" Williams, Jr., AAU's National Chair for Boys' Basketball. "Our national championships have helped bring together college coaches and elite players in a positive environment, and we believe the move to Louisville will help us grow the tournament and better serve the game."

The AAU national championships will be held in the South Wing of the KEC, which is comprised of more than 420,000 square feet of modern convention center space and amenities. KEC is located one mile from the Louisville International Airport, three miles from downtown Louisville and within a five-minute drive from 13,000 hotel rooms.


"We're elated that the AAU Boys' Basketball has selected Louisville and KEC to host its most high-profile events," said Kentucky State Fair Board President & CEO Rip Rippetoe. "Along with the Sports Commission and the Convention & Visitors Bureau, our team at KEC is dedicated to delivering a great experience for all the AAU participants, fans, coaches and media who come to Louisville. And we appreciate Eddie Ford working diligently to help us put all the parts in place to ensure a seamless transition for the AAU."


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1st AAU TAEKWONDO REGIONAL TRAINING
1/2/2014 Written by: AAU Taekwondo


Colorado - The AAU Taekwondo National Program recently introduced a new Regional Training Program to conduct Seminars all over the United States. We are proud to announce that our 1st Regional Training Seminar was held on the 14th of December.


National AAU Coach Georgie Martinez and Regional Assistant Coach John Noyes held the first Regional Training Seminar in Denver, Colorado at Master Tiger Kim's Academy.


Eighteen AAU athletes from Montana, Florida, Minnesota and Colorado took part in the six hour seminar. The seminar was split into two sessions a morning and an afternoon. The morning session consisted of footwork/stepping, speed drills with paddles, heavy shield drills and various situation drills. The afternoon session consisted of some hogu drills followed by a sparring session using the Daedo-Truescore PSS system.


Everyone really enjoyed the training camp, gaining new friends and learning new techniques/skills. Coach Martinez highly encouraged the athletes to bring a notebook and pen, so that they could take notes throughout the day and was very impressed because just about everyone did just that.

Special thanks to Master John Noyes, Master Tiger Kim, AAU National Team Coach Georgie Martinez and Cadet AAU National Team Member Camron Stephenson for their help with the camp.

2014 MEN'S INTERNATIONAL FASTPITCH CHAMPIONSHIP!
12/11/2013 Written by: Amanda Szylin


The 2014 AAU Men's International Fastpitch Championship is coming to town next month! The tournament will start January 23 and continue for three days, ending on the 26th. More than 40 teams from Central and South America, the Carribean, Canada and the United States will travel to Orlando, FL to compete against some of the best men's fastpitch players in the world. Last years' champions, the Hill United Chiefs, will return to the Fastpitch Championship hoping to claim the crown again, but with this years' team attendance at an all-time high, they will have a lot of tough competition.

For more information on this tournamnet, CLICK HERE.


Good luck to everyone who is competing and we can't wait to see you out there!

TWIRLER CLEANS UP AT 2013 AAU JUNIOR OLYMPIC GAMES
12/13/2013 Written by: Amanda Szylin

Winning an AAU gold medal to some is one of the biggest achievements they've ever accomplished. To others, like Samantha Williams, it's just another day of baton twirling. Williams, 13, has won a total of more than 100 medals, with 26 coming from the 2013 AAU Junior Olympic Games alone.

She's competed in every AAU Junior Olympic Games since 2006 and began twirling when she was three years old.


Williams didn't necessarily want to be a Baton Twirler, in fact, she stumbled upon Baton Twirling when the ballet class she was attending was full. Parents of Baton Twirlers happened to be waiting outside of the ballet class Williams was trying to attend, and seeing how disappointed she was that she couldn't participate, they suggested she try baton. The rest is history.


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