CENTRAL FLORIDA AND DISNEY’S WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS
COMPLEX TO HOST 2005 ESPN GREAT OUTDOOR GAMES
ORLANDO, Fla. – Many of the world’s
most talented outdoors athletes will converge on Central Florida
and Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex to compete
in the ESPN Great Outdoor Games presented by Dodge. Officials
from ESPN Outdoors and Disney Sports Attractions announced
today that the Games will be staged July 7-10, 2005 and broadcast
July 13-17, 2005 on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC Sports.
“We’re looking forward to our best
Games ever,” said Christine Godleski, Vice President
and General Manager of ESPN Outdoors. “After successful
events in Lake Placid, N.Y., Reno, Nev., and Madison, Wis.,
we’ve grown awareness in the Northeast, the West and
the Midwest. Now we’re bringing the event to the South
and Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.”
Godleski summed up the Games and their new location
with one sentence.
“It’ll be great competition, compelling
television, and we expect to draw large crowds,” she
said.
ESPN Outdoors considered a number of possible
locations for the Great Outdoor Games and eventually selected
Central Florida because it is a world-class travel destination
that also offers a number of popular outdoor sports.
“We are thrilled to partner with ESPN
Outdoors to host the Great Outdoor Games this summer at Disney's
Wide World of Sports Complex,” said Reggie Williams,
Vice President of the Disney Sports Attractions. "As
a world-class sports and recreation destination, we strive
to attract new and exciting events, and the Great Outdoor
Games – with everything from timber events to sporting
dog competitions – will provide some of the most entertaining
competitions we have ever hosted."
With the exception of the rifle and shotgun
target-sport events, all of the Great Outdoor Games events
will be held at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex
in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Rifle and shotgun events will be
held at the Tenoroc Range in Lakeland, Fla.
“The Tenoroc Range will provide a terrific
backdrop for our target sports,” added Godleski. “It’s
rustic looking and just a short drive away from Disney’s
Wide World of Sports Complex.”
The ESPN Great Outdoor Games is the ultimate
championship for outdoor sports and in 2005 will introduce
ATV skills competition to the list of disciplines showcased
over the four-day event. Target sports, timber events and
sporting dogs will return this summer, while fishing will
not.
“We are very excited to be introducing
ATV’s to the Games at Disney’s Wide World of Sports
this summer,” added Godleski. “ESPN Outdoors will
continue to feature an enormous amount of fishing throughout
the year with BASS, Salt Water Sundays and a variety of other
platforms.”
ESPN Outdoors is proud to partner with Bright
House Networks in bringing the Great Outdoor Games to Central
Florida.
“Bright House Networks is excited to have
ESPN’s Great Outdoor Games being taped within driving
distance of our two largest divisions: Central Florida (Orlando)
and Tampa Bay,” said Kena Lewis, Group Director, Public
Affairs & Communications. “We know this program
is very popular with our customers and we’re pleased
that many of them will have the opportunity to experience
the Games live and in person.”
Spread over 220 acres in the heart of the Walt
Disney World Resort, Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex
plays host to more than 170 events each year for professional
and amateur athletes in some 30 sports. The state-of-the-art
facility includes nine venues and is home to more than 40
Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Championships, Atlanta
Braves Spring Training, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp,
the Sports Experience interactive area and the All Star Cafe
sports-themed restaurant.
Since its inception in 2001, ESPN Outdoors has
strived to inform and entertain anglers, hunters, campers
and people of all ages who enjoy the outdoors. ESPN Outdoors
is committed to increasing awareness of outdoor activities,
a direction best exemplified by daily television programming
totaling nearly 1,000 hours annually on ESPN and ESPN2.
Each year, ESPN Outdoors stages more than 30
marquee events including the CITGO Bassmaster Classic and
the ESPN Great Outdoor Games. ESPN Outdoors comprises BASS,
the worldwide authority on bass fishing that sanctions more
than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation. ESPN Outdoors
also features Bassmaster.com, ESPNOutdoors.com, a weekly outdoors
show on ESPN Radio as well as a growing array of promotions
and activities that deliver a clear message of conservation
and ethical sportsmanship.
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