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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From the Executive Director...
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For me, the month of November has it all … the Sharks have begun their season, NFL Thanksgiving football, college football rivalry games at the end of the month, college basketball begins, European soccer and their rivalry matches, the MLS championship, my birthday and my all-time favorite San Jose Sports Authority event – the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame! It is hard not to be excited for the month of November …but to quote the great Jim Mckay of my childhood favorite Saturday afternoon show ABC’s Wide World of Sports
“…the thrill of victory…and the agony of defeat…the human drama of athletic competition”
accurately describes the beginning of November 2019.
The Sports Authority experience both the
“thrill and the agony”
this past few days with the excitement of being awarded the
2021 US Figure Skating National Championship
and the notice that AEG is shutting down the
Amgen Tour of California
. What an incredible span of emotions in a 24-hour period.
The San Jose Sports Authority is
“thrilled”
to announce that for the third time in the past 10 years, San Jose has been selected to host the U.S. Figure Skating National Championship. One of the city's favorite events, San Jose and the SAP Center looks forward to welcoming figure skating fans from across the country and the globe. There’s nothing like the spontaneity of a live skating competition — the skill, the beauty, the competitive spirit and the drama the sport brings to the audience. We are so excited to host the nation’s most prestigious figure skating event in January 2021 … please be sure to read the article listed below.
Then we received the
“agony”
with a call from AEG, owners of the Amgen Tour of California, notifying us that the race has been placed on “hiatus” for 2020 and the future of the event is uncertain. I have attached the press release below.
Despite experiencing the
“thrill of victory and the agony of defeat”
we will truly celebrate
“the human drama of athletic competition”
to its fullest with the 25
th
edition of the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday, November 14 at the SAP Center in San Jose. I hope you can join me as we induct soccer star John Doyle, ultra-cyclist Seana Hogan, champion volleyball coach John Dunning and golf icon Juli Inkster in what promises to be a night to remember!
Thank you once again for your support of our efforts to make San Jose the PREMIER Sports destination for the West Coast!
In community spirit.
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US Figure Skating National Championship Returns to San Jose
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The 2021 U.S. Championships will return to San Jose for the fourth time (1996, 2012 and 2018), and the first since 2018. The annual event, held since 1914, is the nation’s most prestigious figure skating event, with past champions including
Michelle Kwan
,
Kristi Yamaguchi
,
Brian Boitano
and
Scott Hamilton
. Champions will be crowned in ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dance at the championship and junior levels.
“The Bay Area is synonymous with so many skating greats, so it’s special to return our marquee domestic event to the city of San Jose in the year of our organization’s 100-year anniversary,” U.S. Figure Skating President Anne Cammett said. “We’re confident that with the strong support of the local community and the many activities that will take place as part of our centennial celebration, the 2021 U.S. Championships will be exciting for skaters and fans alike.”
In San Jose, the event will take place at the SAP Center at San Jose, with Solar4America Ice at San Jose serving as the official practice venue and the host of U.S. Figure Skating’s newly established National High-Performance Development Camp.
The U.S. Championships return to California for the 13th time. Northern California is/was home to several figure skating greats including Olympic champions
Brian Boitano
,
Kristi Yamaguchi
and
Peggy Fleming
, 1986 World champion
Debi Thomas
and 1996 U.S. champ
Rudy Galindo
, who won the U.S. title in his hometown the first time San Jose hosted this event. 2014 Olympian and three-time U.S. medalist
Polina Edmunds
lives San Jose, and the Bay Area is also home to the reigning U.S. champion,
Alysa Liu
, 2017 U.S. champion
Karen Chen
and 2019 World bronze medalist
Vincent Zhou
. The event will serve as a kickoff to U.S. Figure Skating’s 100-year anniversary celebration.
“San Jose is proud to host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships for a fourth time,” said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo. “Deeply immersed in skating tradition and culture, our community is home to some of the sport’s greatest legends. We look forward to extending our Silicon Valley hospitality to some of the world’s best athletes.”
“Sharks Sports & Entertainment is elated to have been selected to host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at SAP Center at San Jose once again in 2021,” said Sharks Sports & Entertainment President John Tortora. “With two state-of-art ice venues in SAP Center and Solar4America Ice and two great partners in the City of San Jose and the San Jose Sports Authority, we look forward to making the 2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championships another fantastic, high profile national event that will proudly represent the City of San Jose and the Bay Area skating community, boost the downtown economy, and bring thousands of skating enthusiasts to San Jose for the event.”
“We are thrilled to host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, one of the country’s most high-profile sporting events, in San Jose, celebrating the centennial of U.S. Figure Skating” added John Poch, Executive Director of the San Jose Sports Authority. “With leadership from the Sports Authority, SAP Center at San Jose, and the continued support of our key community partners, including the City and its Office of Economic Development and Team San Jose of the San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau, we are eager to showcase our world-class city as the Championships return to SAP Center.”
In the lead up to the 2021 U.S. Championships, U.S. Figure Skating will work with the San Jose Sports Authority, SAP Center, Sharks Ice at San Jose and local figure skating clubs to plan the event.
The 2021 U.S. Championships will be broadcast live on NBC Universal, and streamed live, commercial-free and on demand with the Figure Skating Pass on NBC Sports Gold.
Tickets to the 2021 U.S. Championships will go on sale later this fall. For more information and to sign up for ticket alerts click
here
.
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SAN JOSE SPORTS HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES CLASS OF 2019
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JOHN DOYLE, JOHN DUNNING, SEANA HOGAN & JULI INKSTER
TO BE HONORED AT INDUCTION CEREMONY ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019*
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SAN JOSE, California
– The San Jose Sports Hall of Fame will mark its 25th year of honoring South Bay sports legends when it inducts four new members on Thursday, Nov. 14, at the SAP Center at San Jose. The inductees hail from the upper echelon of collegiate, professional and/or Olympic competition. Although from different sports in different eras, they have made a lasting impact both on and off the field of play.
The San Jose Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2019 Inductees are:
• John Doyle: All American, MLS Soccer Star, Olympic and US National Team Member
• John Dunning: US National Champion Volleyball Coach
• Seana Hogan: Record Setting Cross Country Cyclist
• Juli Inkster: All- American, Amateur and Professional Golf Champion
“San Jose’s incredibly rich and diverse sports history makes the Hall of Fame selection process very difficult each year,” said Charlie Faas, Chairman of the San Jose Sports Authority Board of Directors. “The Class of 2019 is a wonderful representation of the deep and meaningful impact athletes and coaches with South Bay connections have made in their respective sports, locally, nationally and internationally. We are excited to welcome these four remarkable individuals into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame.”
Each inductee will be recognized with a bronze plaque permanently installed on the concourse at the SAP Center at San Jose. Including the 2019 inductees, there will be 114 South Bay sports icons enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The annual induction is an event of the San Jose Sports Authority, San Jose Arena Authority, SAP Center Management/San Jose Sharks, and the City of San José. The event benefits Special Olympics Northern California and high school sports programs.
Executive Director John Poch of the San Jose Sports Authority states, “The San Jose Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2019 represent all that we value, including integrity, work ethic, sportsmanship, and excellence. Individually and collectively, their accomplishments, both in the Bay Area and across the world of sport, are the stuff of legend. We look forward to honoring their legacies in November at our Hall of Fame induction ceremonies at the SAP Center in San Jose.”
The November ceremony kicks off with a reception followed by dinner and induction ceremony. Individual tickets begin at $300 each; sponsorship and table packages are available starting at $3,000. For information and to purchase event tickets call (408) 288-2936.
San Jose Sports Hall of Fame / Inductee Bios
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John Doyle
John Doyle is a Bay Area soccer icon, starring at the high school, club, college, Olympic & professional levels who represented USA Soccer at the highest level. He was a founding member and Team Captain of San Jose’s Major League Soccer franchise, the Clash, in 1996. He played in the first game in MLS history and was named the league’s first Defender of the Year. He remained a critical component of the team for the next five years as it reclaimed the Earthquakes nickname and re-established itself as a San Jose sports institution. Following his playing career, he served as an assistant coach from 2004-05 and then become Earthquakes General Manager from 2008-16. Doyle played college soccer at the University of San Francisco and was named a second team All-American before beginning his professional career with American and European club teams, including a stint with the German first division club FC Lokomotive Leipzig. He earned fifty-three caps with the USA National Team including starting in the 1990 FIFA World Cup and played in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.
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John Dunning
Dunning, who led Stanford’s women to three national championships, is a college coaching icon. A graduate of Fremont High in Sunnyvale, he began his career at his alma mater in 1977 and won six straight CCS titles. In 1985, he was named head coach at University of Pacific, where his teams compiled a 437-102 won loss record and earned NCAA titles in 1985 and 1986. He moved on to Stanford University in 2001 and immediately coached the Cardinal to Pac-10 and NCAA championships while being named Coach of The Year in the Pac10, Western Region and the United States. Dunning is one of only two coaches to have captured national titles on three different levels --high school, club and college. His overall won-loss record is 888-185 for a winning percentage of .828. He was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2011. He retired in 2017 after directing Stanford to three national championships and eight league titles during his 16 years at the university.
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Seana Hogan
An ultra-cycling legend, Hogan has won the grueling transcontinental Race Across America six times and holds several world records. Her 1995 transcontinental speed record of nine days, four hours and two minutes has stood the test of time and has never been bettered. Hogan commuted by bicycle to San Jose State University, where she earned a BA in Mathematics, then attained a Masters at UC Berkeley that led to her career as an IBM software engineer. She began riding after hours with a group of co-workers and discovered her calling as a distance rider. She has won the Race Across America a record six times and also holds the San Francisco to Los Angeles record of 19 hours, 11 minutes. On the track, she owns the 12-hour, 24-hour, 100-mile and 200-mile records. In 2004, she was inducted into the Ultra Cycling Hall of Fame. In 2017, Hogan set the women's 50-and-over transcontinental mark of 12 days, 13 hours and 25 minutes.
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Juli Inkster
Inkster, a San Jose State graduate who resides in Los Altos, is Santa Clara County’s most accomplished golfer in history, male or female. Raised in Santa Cruz, she dominated the amateur golf scene winning the California State Amateur title and three straight U. S. Women’s Amateur titles. At San Jose State, she holds the school-record with 17 tournament victories. As a professional golfer, she has 45 tournament victories including seven major championships. Her career professional earnings places her among the top 10 female golfers of all time. In 1984, she became the first woman to win two LPGA majors in her rookie season. In 1999, Inkster won the U. S. Open with a record score of 16-under-par 272 and become just the second woman to complete the women’s modern Grand Slam -- the LPGA Championship, US Open, Dinah Shore and du Maurier Classic. She won the US Open again in 2002 and earned induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame. Inkster is also is a member of San Jose State’s Hall of Fame and the World Golf Hall of Fame. Along with her 31 LPGA titles, she represented the USA nine times as a Solheim Cup competitor and captain and set an American record for most match victories in the event.
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Amgen Tour of CA Put on Hiatus for 2020
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The Sports Authority would like to thank Lt. Johnson of San Jose Police Department and his staff for their incredible efforts on our behalf working the route and coverage as well as the staff of Team San Jose (our convention & visitors bureau) for their efforts in securing the lodging components of the race. The cancellation of the ATOC is extremely disappointing for our cycling community as well. The race produced a direct spending estimate of $2.5M and a total Economic Impact of $3.7M. Introduced in 2006, the Amgen Tour of California had a 14-year-long run and San Jose has been featured in all but one year.
The multi-stage race was the only one at the UCI WorldTour level held in the United States, for both men and women. The men’s race consisted of seven stages, and the women’s race—known as the Amgen Tour of California Women's Race empowered with SRAM—consisted of three stages. It also offered equal prize money for the men and women, starting in 2018. In recent years, the Tour of California has become known as a stepping-stone for emerging talent. Egan Bernal, at 21, earned his first world-level victory in the 2018 ATOC race, then went on to win the Tour de France the following year. On the women’s side, a shorter competition has drawn Olympic and world champions such as Kristin Armstrong and Anna van der Breggen by offering equal prize money for its stage races.
Please click
here
to read the Official Press Release for the Amgen Tour of California.
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Discounted College Cup Tickets for Groups and Youth Soccer Leagues Still Available
Tickets for the 2019 NCAA Women’s College Cup at Avaya Stadium in San Jose are now on sale to the general public. The tournament’s two semifinal matches will take place on Friday, Dec. 6 and the final will take place on Sunday, Dec. 8. Tickets will grant access to all three matches.
The NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament includes 64 teams that qualify by winning their respective conference tournament, claiming the conference regular season championship, or earning an at-large bid based on their regular season performance. Those 64 teams are divided into four sectional brackets, with the winner of each bracket reaching the NCAA Women’s College Cup at Avaya Stadium.
Tickets can be purchased online at
Ticketmaster
or by calling 800-745-3000. Groups of 10 or more can purchase discounted tickets by calling the Earthquakes Front Office at 408-556-7700.
For players and parents of youth soccer leagues, the Youth Ticket Initiative offers a discounted $20 ticket for all 3 games (2 Semi-Final matches, 1 Final). Also, tickets purchased using the link and code provided to each league will guarantee group seating together. Mid Field seats are still available. Please contact
darren@sjsa.org
to sign up your youth soccer league today!
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Upcoming Event Schedule
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San Jose Sports Authority | info@sjsa.org | www.sjsa.org
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