News from the San Jose Sports Authority
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The San Jose Sports Authority is a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the City of San Jose’s economic development, visibility and civic pride through sports.
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A Letter from Executive Director, John Poch
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We’re excited to
finally
share our new website with you! Our last website redesign was over ten-years ago, and we decided it was time for a refresh.
From the initial brainstorming to the final launch, our staff treated this project the same as our event planning. It was important for us to follow the steps of our typical process–research, focus on the user experience, content strategy, mobile-friendly design, development, and content transfer from our previous website.
It was also necessary to define our objectives for the redesign. After numerous collaborative sessions with Anthony Baldini – a phenomenal local PR specialist who donated his services for the project, we came up with four primary goals:
1. Take a mobile first strategy
– There was no doubt that our newly designed site needed to remain responsive to accommodate mobile users. With Anthony’s guidance, we kept this mobile focus in mind throughout the design process, making sure the site functioned well on all screen sizes.
2. Reflect our personality and culture in the site’s design and content
– Our team is made up of extremely talented and knowledgeable individuals – both staff and our Board - with high standards for our work. However, that doesn’t mean we are all business and no play. We wanted our website to reflect the friendly, collaborative mindset of the Sports Authority and give our visitors a glimpse into who we are behind our name. The new website includes our philosophy, a history of our work, updated events, and quite a bit of new content describing our services and work and why San Jose is such an amazing destination.
3. Expand our Work section to better showcase our programs and services
– We are proud of the amazing events and partnerships we have created since 1991, and we love to show off our work – both past and present. Our new Event page gives the inside scoop on what’s coming-up and allows us to shine the spotlight on our events and partners. The Hall of Fame and REACH pages focus on our Community Initiative goals, the steps we took to reach them, and the results of our partnership with so many outstanding board members and patrons.
4. Present a familiar, but modern, look and feel
– We wanted to pay homage to our founding in 1991 which led us to use the Sharks “color-theme” and a play on the “arena”. Teal is unique and truly identifies with the City of San Jose and the building of the “arena” was the catalyst for the creation of the San Jose Sports Authority – so we felt it was appropriate to include the “colors and the SAP Center” in our opening page. Scroll down our homepage and check-out the photo for our link “Our Story” … truly a stroll down memory lane with the groundbreaking of the SAP Center! We incorporated lots of white space to make the website feel clean and simple, and we used fresh typography and sporting icons. You’ll find plenty of memorable photos sprinkled throughout the site, and a revamped Event page with current photos with a new grid-style layout. The final product is fresh and new, yet still recognizable as the Sports Authority.
Take a look around, explore our new pages on
https://sjsa.org/
, and let us know what you think! Feel free to reach out to us on social media or send an email at john@sjsa.org.
In community spirit!
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The Tradition Continues with 24th Annual REACH Youth Scholarship
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The REACH Youth Scholarship Program is an annual community event that has provided college funds to high school students over the past 24-years who have overcome adversity to excel in academics and sports. Each year, Santa Clara County high school seniors are nominated for the program, which stands for Recognizing Excellence, Adversity, Courage and Hard Work.
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The REACH Breakfast Ceremony features honorary chairs, Hall of Fame San Francisco 49er Safety, Ronnie Lott and two time World Cup and Olympic Gold Medalist, Brandi Chastain. Lott and Chastain will be present at the awards breakfast for all who participated in the program.
The 2020 REACH program has seen a record number for participation from Santa Clara County with 31 high schools nominating over 120 student athletes as potential scholarship candidates. The San Jose Sports Authority is now in the process of reviewing nominees, stay tuned to learn about the incredible stories these student athletes have to offer.
If you are interested in donating to our REACH Youth Scholarship program, please contact Carrie at carrie@sjsa.org to become involved
Visit our new website to learn more about REACH and past recipients at:
sjsa.org/reach/
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National Collegiate Judo Championships Visits San Jose State
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The National Collegiate Judo Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting collegiate judo in the United States. The NCJA is now celebrating its 57th year of service to the sport of Judo. In 1961, Yosh Uchida (San Jose State) & Phil Porter collaborated to organize the National Collegiate Judo Association, shortly thereafter in 1962, they organized the 1st National Championships held at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. One of the standouts from the 1962 Championships was Paul Maruyama who won the Gold Medal in the 165 pound division, 2 years later he represented the United States at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Maruyama was coached on that Olympic team by the co-founder of the NCJA, Yosh Uchida.
Collegiate programs have always played an important role in the development of Judo players in the United States. There has been a rich history of success from athletes that were part of the National Collegiate Judo Association. Roughly half of all the Olympic Judo Coaches and half of Olympic medals that the United States has produced were by products of Judokas from Collegiate Judo programs. Our national championship tournament is recognized by USA Judo as an “E Level” event.
The 2020 National Collegiate Judo Championships are Saturday, March 21 at San Jose State University. For more information about the NCJA Championships, please visit:
https://www.ncjajudo.org/
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Cheer on the Quakes as a VIP
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The San Jose Earthquakes season kicks off at home this Saturday, February 29 vs Toronto FC (2:15pm). Now is your chance to experience 2020 matches as a VIP with field-side suites. These VIP suites place you just feet away from game-winning goals, team celebrations and all the historic moments as they happen. Premium suite experiences include:
- Unmatched proximity to the action
- Private suite space
- Food & drink package
- VIP parking and stadium access
The Quakes have very limited inventory remaining and these VIP suites are sure to sell out. Click the link below to learn more and secure your premium experience while you still can!
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Earthquakes Stadium to Host USWNT Friendly Against Brazil on April 14
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The San Jose Earthquakes and U.S. Soccer announced earlier this month that Earthquakes Stadium will host the United States Women’s National Team for a friendly against Brazil on Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m. PT. The match will be televised nationally on FS1.
“We’re extremely excited to host the U.S. Women’s National Team for the fifth time at Earthquakes Stadium,” said Earthquakes Chief Operating Officer Jared Shawlee. “We’re always thrilled to bring matches of this caliber to San Jose and showcase our incredible market for soccer.”
The match on April 14 will be the first for the USWNT in the Bay Area since winning the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, claiming their fourth World Cup in team history. The USA have won all 10 previous matches in San Jose, most recently a 4-0 win vs. Chile in Sept. 2018.
The USWNT features some of the biggest names in soccer, many of which have Bay Area ties, such as Cal alumna Alex Morgan, Santa Clara University alumna Julie Ertz and Redding, Calif. native Megan Rapinoe. The match will be their 11th all-time in San Jose and fifth at Earthquakes Stadium.
For more information about the event and to purchase tickets
click here
.
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Spartans Send Seniors Out Successfully With Historic Victory
San José, Calif. - It was a great day to have a great day as San José State enjoyed its Senior Night to the tune of a 76-38 victory over Utah State on Monday night.
Seniors
Fieme'a Hafoka
and
Alexis Harris
both shined as the Spartans (17-11, 11-6 Mountain West) cruised to the program's largest conference victory since the 1979-80 season. Three players finished the evening in double figures and it was sophomore
Ayzhiana Basallo
who led the team with 18 points and five assists.
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Spartan Football Begins Spring Practice
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Spring ball schedule is just around the corner. Come out and support the SJSU football team as they prep for the 2020 season starting March 2nd. All practices are open to the public.
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Santa Clara Baseball Rallies Past No.5 Georgia
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ATHENS, Ga.
– Santa Clara baseball scored two runs in each of the final three innings topped by
Connor Henriques
' go-ahead, two-run home run in the eighth to rally past fifth-ranked Georgia 8-4 in Sunday's series finale.
Santa Clara's (6-3) win helped salvage the four-game series and snap Georgia's (7-1) seven-game win streak to start the season.
The game was all knotted at 4-all in the eighth when
Matt Jew
drew a leadoff walk against Georgia reliever Darry Pasqua and Henriques followed with his first home run of the season, sending it over the left field wall for the go-ahead runs.
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WCC Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament Tips Off in March
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The Santa Clara Men’s and Women’s basketball teams will look forward to competing at the WCC Conference Tournament in Las Vegas. The WCC tournament will be held during March 5th - 10th, 2020.
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Stanford Football Spring Ball Starts Today
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The Stanford Cardinal football team kicks off the first day of spring football today. The Cardinal will build momentum into their spring finale on April 11th.
For more information about the Cardinal and White Spring Game, visit
here.
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Upcoming: Pac-12 Conference Basketball Tournament in March
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Both Stanford basketball programs will be wrapping up their regular season play and head to Las Vegas next month for the Pac-12 Conference Championship. The #4 Stanford women (24-4) and men (18-9) will look to compete for a conference title at T Mobile Arena during March 11-14.
For tickets, please visit the Pac-12 Tournament
website
.
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San Jose City Council Approves Expansion to Solar4America Ice
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SAN JOSE, CA
-
The San Jose City Council unanimously approved a 200,000 square-foot expansion of
Solar4America Ice at San Jose
, which will add two additional recreational ice sheets to the facility, increasing the building's total ice sheets to six. The expansion will make Solar4America Ice at San Jose the largest ice facility under one roof west of the Mississippi River. One of the additional ice sheets will be located inside a 4,200-seat, two-story spectator arena which will serve as the new home for the
San Jose Barracuda
, the
American Hockey League
(AHL) development affiliate of the National Hockey League's
San Jose Sharks
.
Construction for the facility is expected to begin in late April 2020, with a targeted completion date of April 2022. The expansion will double the facility's footprint to just under 400,000 square feet, making it one of the premier recreational ice facilities in North America. It will be LEED certified Silver when complete.
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The expansion will also include 20,000 square feet for a dedicated medical facility, expanded and enhanced restaurant facilities, a homework study area and a fitness center.
The 4,200-seat spectator arena will include locker rooms, training facilities and executive office space for the Barracuda, an in-arena center hung scoreboard display with a 360-degree LED display ring, 12 suites, eight loge boxes, one theater suite, a 46-person party deck, three bar locations, seven food concession stations, a press room and press box and two team merchandise stores.
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SF Pride Pro-Am Returns in June 2020, Registration Opens in March
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The Second Annual San Francisco Pride Pro-Am will take place Wednesday, June 24th, 2020 at TPC Harding Park, site of the May 2020 PGA Championship. Taking place during PRIDE week in San Francisco, the event combines golfers from the LGBTQ community, its allies, and NCPGA Golf Professionals for a fun, casual scramble format to create awareness and raise money for the SF Pride Foundation.
The Inaugural event in 2019 was a huge success with support from the PGA of America, Northern California PGA, First Tee of San Francisco, and TPC Harding Park. It was such a success in bringing the Bay Area LGBTQ community to the golf course, that the PGA Championship has committed to having a Pride Day during the Championship week in May at TPC Harding Park.
Registration opens in March for the June Pro-Am, for more information contact Greg Fitzgerald at
sfpridegolf@gmail.com
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REMINDER: U.S. Figure Skating Tickets are on Sale Now
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The U.S. figure skating championships, the sport's most prestigious annual American competition, will return to San Jose in 2021 in what is expected to launch the buildup to the Beijing Winter Games.
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Jared Shawlee, Chief Operating Officer at San Jose Earthquakes
Jared Shawlee was hired as the Chief Operating Officer of the San Jose Earthquakes in November of 2016. He oversees the business side of the club and has played a crucial role in the team’s rapid rise in ticket and sponsorship sales. He was honored as Major League Soccer’s Corporate Partnerships Executive of the Year at the end of the 2015 season.
He served as the Earthquakes’ Vice President of Sales and Strategy from Oct. 2013 to Nov. 2016, during which he secured major partnerships with Sutter Health and Avaya on a jersey sponsorship and stadium naming rights deal, respectively, among others.
Shawlee began his career working for the Oakland Athletics in ticket sales from 2005 to 2007, following his graduation from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. A lifelong fan of the Earthquakes and Clash, he was among the first employees hired by the team upon its return to Major League Soccer in 2008, helping identify and negotiate corporate partnerships. Shawlee was crucial in securing Amway as the team’s first-ever jersey sponsor in 2009 and was promoted to Director of Corporate Partnerships at the end of the season, where he remained until May of the following year.
Shawlee left the Quakes to pursue an MBA from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. While in South Bend, he was recruited by newly appointed club President Dave Kaval to return upon graduation and moved back to San Jose in May of 2011 as the Senior Director of Ticket Sales. Shawlee immediately began preparations for the club’s first-ever match at Stanford Stadium and helped lead efforts to sell nearly 30,000 additional tickets in his first two months.
He was promoted to Vice President of Ticket Sales and Strategy in Nov. 2012 and has seen the Quakes’ season ticket base nearly triple during his tenure. He also negotiated the agreement between the Earthquakes and Levi’s® Stadium for the venue’s inaugural match in 2014 as well as the two organizations’ goal to bring large international soccer matches to the Bay Area.
A native of San Jose, Shawlee frequented Clash matches at Spartan Stadium as well as 1994 FIFA World Cup contests at Stanford Stadium. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and finance from Cal Poly and an MBA from Notre Dame. He currently resides in Willow Glen with his wife, Ashley, and daughter, Montana, and is a passionate supporter of Operation Care and Comfort and the Positive Coaching Alliance.
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Larry Stone, Santa Clara County Assessor
San Jose Magazine named him one of Silicon Valley’s 100 most powerful leaders. Pulitzer Prize winning author and Washington Post reporter, Haynes Johnson, described Larry Stone in his bestselling book, Sleepwalking Through History, as “bright, articulate; an American rarity, a proven political success in a time of political failure.” He was first elected Assessor in 1994 and overwhelmingly re-elected five times by the residents of Santa Clara County, which stretches north to Palo Alto, south to Gilroy, and includes San Jose, the “Capital of Silicon Valley.” The County boasts a population of 1.9 million—greater than that of 13 states.
Stone has been a financial manager on Wall Street and co-founded a successful Bay Area real estate investment and development firm. He served 16 years as a council member and mayor of Sunnyvale, a period during which the city earned an international reputation for effectiveness and became a model for President Clinton and Vice President Gore’s efforts to reform the federal bureaucracy. President Clinton said, “The National Performance Review was modeled in part upon the remarkable reinvention efforts pioneered by the City of Sunnyvale, where Larry Stone served as mayor.”
As County Assessor, Stone has overseen remarkable improvements to streamline the operations of his office, eliminate backlogs, and achieve higher levels of public service, all while consistently operating substantially under budget. The State Board of Equalization acknowledged his office as one of the best-managed assessors’ operations in California. Larry Stone also has been an active and effective civic leader in many fields ranging from the arts, to education, to the environment. A native of Seattle, he has an MBA from the University of Washington and has studied at the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He and his wife, Carmen, have lived in Sunnyvale since 1970, where they raised three sons.
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Upcoming Event Schedule
June 20: Bocce Battle
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San Jose Sports Authority | info@sjsa.org | www.sjsa.org
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