From the inaugural Newport News One City Marathon to a new ball diamond at the Botetourt Sports Complex to many new sporting events throughout the state, Virginia has much to offer competitors and spectators this year. Below are some highlights of what's new in sports in Virginia for 2015. Visit SportsVirginia.org for more information.
New in Central Virginia:
Richmond will host cycling's pinnacle event, the 2015 UCI Road World Championships on September 19 - 27 and will feature 12 races for elite men and women, men under 23 and junior men and women. Athletes compete for their country in three different disciplines including the traditional Road Race, the Individual Time Trial and the recently introduced Team Time Trial.
Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights has been selected to host the 2015 Babe Ruth 16-18 Southeast Regional Baseball Tournament (July 21-27). In addition, construction is underway to completely rebuild the dugouts at the historic ballpark.
In 2016, the Richmond Region will host the US Figure Skating Eastern Sectional Synchronized Skating Championships on January 28-30, 2016 and the US Fencing Junior Olympic Fencing Championships February 10-15, 2016.
Liberty University in Lynchburg will host the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Championships, and the Big South Conference Tennis Championship Men and Women 2016. They will also host the Virginia High School League Spring Jubilee in 2015 and 2016 as well as the State Football Championship in 2015.
New in Northern Virginia:
Fairfax County and the National Capital Region will host the 30th anniversary of the prestigious World Police and Fire Games from June 26-July 5. The event, one of the largest multi-sport, multi-venue events in the world, gives 12,000 first responders from more than 70 countries around the globe the chance to showcase their athletic abilities.
Cabela’s King Kat Tournament Trail in Triangle (March 13) and Woodbridge’s Fishers of Men National Tournament (Oct. 6-10) will draw in a large number of angers to compete for the honor of catching the largest fish that live in the local waters.
The Tiger Woods Foundation has chosen the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville to host the Quicken Loans National Tournament, his foundation's invitational professional golf tournament July 27 – Aug. 2. The field will consist of 120 top PGA TOUR professionals from around the world, competing for their share of a $6.5 million purse. The event raises funds and awareness for the Tiger Woods Foundation and pays tribute to our armed forces.
The Virginia Soccer Training Center is owned and operated by Virginia Youth Soccer Association and is one of the finest soccer training facilities on the East Coast. Situated on 50 acres of former farmland in Spotsylvania County half way between Washington, DC and Richmond, the facility boasts nine FIFA regulation fields including a small stadium. The facility will be the future home of VYSA’s State offices and indoor training facility. VSTC will host tournaments, regional and national sports events including the National Championship Series (State Cup).
Elite Shooting Sports, a state of the art indoor shooting range and training facility located in Manassas, boasts four separate ranges that operate independently - two 25-yard 12-lane ranges, one 50-yard 10-lane range and one 100-yard 8-lane range. The facility offers range and gun rentals, a wide variety of training classes and more.
The Evergreen Sportsplex in Leesburg has a new addition. The Champion Field Pavilion is a 24,000-square-foot, three-level pavilion that features a lower level locker room and field entrance, a full service concession area and an upper level executive viewing area. The pavilion will seat up to 3,000 spectators and include an enclosed VIP viewing area/multi-purpose room on the third level with views of all four turf fields.
The PONY Nationals returns to Loudoun County July 18-26. Girls ages 10U-18U will compete in the 10-day event at various venues throughout the county.
The ASA (Amateur Softball Association) Eastern National returns to Loudoun County July 29-August 2. This year, the event will be the Girls’ 16U Class “A” Fast Pitch Eastern National Championship and will be played at various venues throughout Loudoun County.
New in Coastal Virginia-Hampton Roads:
The AAU Junior Olympics will return to Hampton Roads for the 5th time July 29 – Aug. 8. Approximately 15,000 athletes from across the United States will return to Hampton Roads to participate in the ten day event. Billed as one of the largest amateur multi-sport events for youth in the country, the 10-day series encompasses 20 sports in all.
The Urbanna Cup Cocktail Class Wooden Boat Race will take place May 16-17. These exciting little boats are fun to build and exhilarating to race. Individuals build their own boat, attach a small motor and race them in Urbanna Harbor.
The inaugural Newport News One City Marathon takes to the streets of Newport News on March 15. Runners will begin their journey in the stunning setting of Newport News Park, venturing onward to the beautiful campus of Christopher Newport University. Winding their way along the James River, One City runners will continue to sample the city’s offerings as they bound alongside The Mariners’ Museum and through Historic Hilton Village before making their final approach to the world-class Newport News Shipyard where the finish line awaits their arrival at Victory Arch.
Denbigh Community Center is a new 52,800 square-foot state-of-the-art eco-friendly facility that features two gymnasiums, a dance room, fitness room, seven multi-purpose rooms and a concession/café area.
The Can-Am Police-Fire Games come to Coastal Virginia - Hampton Roads from August 20-26, 2018. More than 2,000 competitors, including emergency first responders and protective service officers, are expected to participate in 40 sporting events held at a variety of venues throughout Hampton Roads.
New in the Shenandoah Valley:
The town of Luray will be hosting several bicycle races:
Over the weekend of April 24 – 26, the town hosts the Tour of Page County Stage Race, Hooray for Luray Race, Luray Caverns Time Trail, and the very popular and exciting Downtown Luray Criterium.
On July 25, the Shenandoah Time Trial serves as the Championship Time Trial for Virginia and for the Virginia and Mid-Atlantic Regions for the Wounded Warriors Para-Cycling Category.
On August 1, the Page Valley Road Race is held on a course near Luray and has been voted the Championship Road Race for both the Virginia and Mid-Atlantic Regions of USA Cycling.
October 10, the Page County Grown Century Bicycle Race occurs. The bicycling season culminates on November 22nd with the very popular Caverns CX held at Luray Caverns.
The 10th Annual Luray Triathlon offers a fun-filled challenging weekend on August 15-16 and is held at Lake Arrowhead Park. The Luray International Race is on Saturday and the Luray Sprint is on Sunday. This year, for athletes who complete both races in the same weekend, will be awarded the Devil’s Double Award. This Triathlon has grown from a one-day event with approximately 250 athletes to a two-day event featuring over 700 athletes per day.
The planned opening of two new ball diamonds at the Botetourt Sports Complex, located at Greenfield Recreation Park in Botetourt County will be in September 2015. These new additions will increase the Sports Complex’s inventory to six championship quality fields and provide additional capacity for teams competing in various tournaments.
Virginia’s Blue Ridge – Roanoke, Salem and Botetourt play host to many fast-pitch and slow pitch softball tournaments every year. A few notable tournaments coming in 2015 include:
ASA/USA Girls Class A 14U Fast-Pitch National Championship – July 26 – August 2
Amateur Softball Association Eastern Men’s D&E and Women’s C&D Slow-Pitch Championship - September 5-7
Women’s College Military Appreciation Tournament with the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team – October 3-4
NCCAA Women’s Fast-Pitch Softball World Series – May 14-16
ISF Senior World Cup Adult Slow-Pitch Softball Championship – June 26-28
The City of Salem is known as Virginia’s Championship City for their years of experience hosting NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division II and III Championships. NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Semi-Finals & Championship on March 20-21 features top four teams in NCAA DIII. 2015 is the 20th year for Salem hosting.
For the 12th year, Salem hosts the NCAA Division III Softball Championship on May 21-25 and will host the NCAA Division III Football Championship, The Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, December 18 or 19 for the 23rd year.
New in Southern Virginia:
Martinsville will host the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Division I Men's National Soccer Tournament that will be held at the Smith River Sports Complex November 16-21.
After a successful three-year partnership, officials from the National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) have committed to returning to Martinsville-Henry County’s Hooker Field to host their Mid-Atlantic Region Championship tournaments on May 8-10, 2015 and again on May 13-15, 2016. District III, Division II will host a championship tournament on May 1-3, 2015. The tournaments in Martinsville will determine which teams move forward to the NCBA’s National Championship tournaments.
Virginia International Raceway will host a wide range of professional and amateur auto and motorcycle racing and track events including:
SCCA Spring Sprints Majors Tour – April 17-19, 2015
HyperFest – May 1-2, 2015
MotoAmerica Mid-Atlantic AMA/FIM Road Racing Championship – May 15-17, 2015
Oak Tree Grand Prix TUDOR United SportCar Championship – Aug. 21-23, 2015
Biscuitville 125 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East – Aug. 29, 2015
Sports Virginia is a statewide collaboration of professionals geared toward making the planning and hosting of sporting events as seamless as possible by providing everything needed to create a flawless sporting event.
Visit SportsVirginia.org for information on sports in Virginia including details on sporting events, venues, transportation, accommodations, local sports marketing contacts and more. Sports Virginia - we're with you from start to finish.
There are no comments
Please login to post comments