UNITED STATES NATIONAL LIFESAVING TEAM VISITS

DAYTONA BEACH & ORLANDO FOR RESCUE 2002 TRAINING

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – The United States National Lifesaving team will visit Daytona Beach and Orlando, FL, April 4-7, to train for the upcoming World Lifesaving Championships taking place in both cities May 7-19, 2002.

This elite group of lifesavers, chosen by the United States Lifesaving Association, will represent the United States in Rescue 2002ä, recognized as the most prestigious lifesaving competition in the world.

The U.S. National Team, coached by Tim Gallagher, will visit the Port Orange YMCA and Orlando’s YMCA Aquatic Facility to train for pool events. In addition, they will train in the waters of Daytona Beach for the event’s beach competitions.

“We’re extremely pleased to have the opportunity to come to Central Florida early to train for Rescue 2002,“ said Gallagher. “This will give us an opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the facilities and the waters and will definitely give us a leg-up on the great competition that will come to this event.”

Rescue 2002ä brings world-class athletes from across the globe to the world’s most famous beach to compete in a variety of team and individual lifesaving competitions. This international championship, held every two years, is comprised of several competitions including events for national teams, club teams, masters, surfboats and open still-water boats.

This 12-day competition offers lifesavers the opportunity to test their skills against athletes from more than 40 countries around the world.

Rescue 2002ä is hosted jointly by the Central Florida Sports Commission, Volusia County Government, the Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce, City of Daytona Beach and the United States Lifesaving Association.

Rescue 2002ä is estimated to generate $9 million in direct economic impact for the Daytona Beach area, combined with more than 16,000 room nights. More than 4,000 competitors, as well as 6,000 additional visitors, are expected to attend this prestigious event.

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2-2-2-2-2 UNITED SATES NATIONAL LIFESAVING TEAM VISITS

DAYTONA BEACH & ORLANDO FOR RESCUE 2002 TRAINING

Rescue 1998 and Rescue 2000 took place in Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney, Australia, respectively. Rescue 2002ä will be the first international championship taking place in the United States; however, in 1996 Volusia County hosted the highly successful national championships.

The event’s ocean competition is scheduled to take place at Daytona Beach near the Main Street Pier, while the pool portion of the competition is being held at the state-of-the-art YMCA Aquatic Facility in nearby Orlando.

“We are very excited to be bringing the largest international lifesaving competition to the world’s most famous beach,” said John Saboor, senior vice president of the Central Florida Sports Commission. “This competition serves as a wonderful opportunity to showcase Daytona Beach and Volusia County as a world-class sports and recreation destination.”

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CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Mason Moore

Kenton Smith Advertising & Public Relations, Inc.

(407) 872-7799

mason@kentonsmithadv.com