Applications are due April 8 - Apply today!

The Abilene Sports Alliance is a committee under the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau.  Along with the purpose to put more “heads in beds” through sports and to host a great Champions Classic year after year, the Alliance offers scholarships to local high school student athletes.

The applicants must graduate from one of our local high schools in May 2011 and begin an upper level education; be that university, junior college or trade school in the fall of 2011.  The athletic coordinators and counseling office at all four high schools, Abilene Christian, Abilene, Cooper and Wylie have the guidelines and applications.  You can also email me at debi@abilenevisitors.com and I will send you one.  Applications must be turned in to the Athletic Coordinator on your campus by April 8.  No late applications will be accepted.

The selection committee is looking for leadership and integrity qualities in the recipient.  One boy and one girl from each of these four schools will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship at their senior awards assembly in May.  A total of $8,000 will be distributed to worthy young men and women.

If you or someone you know meets these qualifications get an application and turn it in!

Courtesy of AYSA

Baby, it’s cold outside! Brrr, two snow days allows for a little time to blog!

Baseball games have been rescheduled until our weather cooperates, most of us think of this as a springtime sport, right? Basketball is cancelled; while they play inside – we can’t ski to the gym, right? So, what’s a sports addict to do during this wintry weather? Watch Sports Center highlights? Well, maybe, but not for long in Abilene, Texas!

The Abilene Youth Sports Association 2011 West Texas Sports and Fitness Expo is going ahead as planned. Have a little cabin fever? Come out to the Civic Center on Saturday, Feb. 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a lot of fun activities, demonstrations, information on youth sports in Abilene and general fitness for all ages. For a full list of activities and events, click here.

The month of February brings a lot of sporting activities – weather permitting of course. Abilene ISD will host the Icebreaker Fast-pitch Softball Tournament at Redbud Park, Feb. 17-19. High School teams from across the area will compete in a “round robin” style tournament. Come out and watch these gals play ball. Maybe volleyball is your game and at least it is played inside –which always brings a smile to my face during this time of year! The USA Volleyball FrontierFest Volleyball Tournament runs Feb. 26-27 at Abilene Christian Schools, Craig Middle School, Cooper High School, Wylie Junior High School and Abilene High School. Over 60 select/club teams will hit, dig and bump into Abilene for a high level competition. Don’t miss this great action in a warm place.

Also, all of our high schools and universities have basketball, softball and baseball going on this month, so be sure to check out our calendar of events for times and places or our social media sites for frequent updates.

Sports are great; if you can’t play – come watch!

AHS at Action Sports Medicine Champions Classic - Photo courtesy of Abilene Reporter-News

Fall sports are upon us.  Most of us think of football in the fall and why wouldn’t we, it is EVERYWHERE!   Pop Warner, Middle School, High School, College and professional football leagues demand our attention.  I mean honestly how many people do you know with a fantasy team?  If you don’t have a fantasy team some people wonder what the heck you are doing! Then flip the channels – every third channel has a game on it.  I must say I LOVE IT!

Abilene is home to the 2009 5A State Champion Abilene High Eagles.  The Eagles have begun this season playing 3 out of state teams.  In the early going they are 3 -2.  Abilene Cooper is having a fantastic start with a 5-0 record, as is Abilene Christian High School at 4-1 and Wylie uncharacteristically is struggling at 1-4.

Our colleges leave nothing to be desired; Abilene Christian is undefeated, Hardin-Simmons ranked # 8 is 3-1 and McMurry is 2-2 adding some much needed enthusiasm.

Some of you may think it’s all about football, but you would be mistaken.  Tennis is at its peak with all of the above named schools playing each week and all in the top portion of their district or conference.  And let us not forget the USTA ZAT and Super Champs Major Zone tennis tournaments that come to town later this fall.

Volleyball is big business.  All of our local high schools are participating in volleyball, along with the colleges.  In conference play HSU is 4-1, McMurry is 3-1 and ACU is undefeated at  4-0.  I might add volleyball is played in a climate controlled facility, which takes away the weather elements from the spectators and athletes.   That is OK with me!

Enjoy the fall with all the sports going on and as your @ABITXsportslady, I’ll keep you posted. Until next time!

The month of March brings a whirlwind of sporting events to Abilene. March 13 brought the Regional Powerlifting meet to Abilene.  The talented young men that progress will then return to Abilene on March 27. This will be the third year for Abilene to host the Boys Powerlifting State Championships.  Over 400 strong young men will travel to compete in Abilene and show off their three best lifts. Friday, after the dreaded weigh-in, the guys, families and coaches will proceed to local restaurants to build up their strength for the competition on Saturday. The championship will be held at the Taylor County Expo Center, March 27 beginning at 9 a.m. It is open to the public. Admission is just $5 per person.

In other powerlifting news, the Abilene High Girls Powerlifting team qualified six members to compete in the state meet in Corpus Christi: Amanda Stephens, Shalin Martinez, Kelsey Jo Miller, Annie Newton, Romey Espareza, Mikayla Terrell. Good luck, girls!

The Players in Progress festival, also known as PIPs, will be bouncing back to Abilene this weekend (March 19-20). Over 400 young “pipsters” (K-6) and 50 PIP “old timers” (junior high to college) will be in town with their families.  During the festival, the participants will be working on different skills, levels and ball handling tricks. PIPs will have a closing performance on Saturday evening at ACU’s Moody Coliseum, which is open to the public.  It is a wonderful time to see very talented young boys and girls demonstrate their skills both individually and as a group!  PIP performs regularly at basketball games, festivals and civic programs.

On Sunday, a cold front began to sweep through Abilene providing me with the opportunity to catch some serious indoor volleyball. The USA Frontierfest Volleyball Tournament was held all over town! Five sites hosted club teams from around the state—these gals were some of the top players in Texas.

As the Sports Sales Director for the Abilene CVB, my passion is sports! I look forward to sharing that passion with you through upcoming events and tournaments. Play on!