Greetings to all of the World Sport Chicago volunteers. I hope everyone has been enjoying the Vancouver Olympics and the strong performance of the US team. It’s also been great to see so many Chicagoans on the medal stand as well as a number of Chicago 2016 folks working at the Games.
WSC has also had a busy month. Our most exciting announcement was that we will be hosting two gymnastics events this summer. June 23rd through the 27th we have an international rhythmic gymnastics competition returning to Chicago. Last year's event was such a hit with the US and international competitors that we’ve been asked to host it once again. This year’s event will be at the Broadway Armory. Then in July we will host the Cover Girl Classic at the UIC Pavilion. July 23rd through the 25th the top 100 female gymnasts will be in town to begin the road to the London Olympics in 2012. We will be posting volunteer roles for these, and other events soon to be announced, on our volunteer website.
Beyond the announcement of events we also teamed up with the Chicago Cubs to host a skating event at Wrigley Field to celebrate the Olympic Opening ceremonies and the selection of our 56 WSC Scholars. These 56 juniors were selected for their commitment to their sport and academics and their demonstration of the Olympic values. We’re very proud of these students. For more information about them please see our website.
Our programs also continue to grow. We have continued to work with theparks, schools and sport organizations to grow the opportunities for Chicago’s youth to participate in sports. Expanding our archery and learn to swim programs, planning for the second summer of our track program and launching an Olympic weightlifting program are all activities that are underway.
This month is the third anniversary of the launch of World Sport Chicago. Over those three years we’ve matured from simply an idea and concept for bringing events to Chicago and helping youth experience sport to an experienced organization with a growing national and international reputation. Through the commitment and expertise of you, the volunteers, we’ve been able to leverage a relatively small staff to significantly extend our reach and bring sports to many youth of the city. I want to thank all of you for your continued interest and I promise that the next three years will bring even more significant opportunities to you and the kids in our city.