The Kids' Fitness Festival was a Huge Success

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission produced another successful Kids' Fitness Festival of the Palm Beaches, presented by Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida. The event took place on July 16th and 17th, 2009 at the Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds, where over 5,000 of South Florida's youth gathered for two days of fitness and fun.

Chairman of the Kids' Fitness Festival, Jeff Zipper from the Private Client Group - National City/PNC, stated "The event drew over 5,000 kids over the two days and was a great success. Children ranging in age from 5 to 13 had the opportunity to learn and participate in over 44 different sport clinics, partake in midway games, interact with professional athletes and meet and greet with various mascots."

Throughout the two day event, the Americraft Expo Center was converted into an ultimate youth sports experience. Sports that were represented included: archery, badminton, baseball, basketball, bowling, cheerleading, croquet, dance, darts, fencing, field hockey, fishing, fitness, football, golf, gymnastics, hanet ball, hockey, judo, karate, lacrosse, malletball, netball, polo, powerboat racing, rugby, running, skateboarding, soccer, surfing, tae kwon do, tai chi, tennis and wrestling.

Other standouts at this year's event were the U.S.A. National Netball team, professional basketball trainer James Taylor and his organization Taylored Athletes, Jay Howard a professional driver for Palm Beach International Raceway Firestone Indy Lights car, and the AMF race team with their boat, Miss Gieco, a 52 foot catamaran that goes over 200 miles per hour.

Zipper further commented, "The event could not be the success that it has become without the help of our community partners and sponsors. This year alone we were able to, with the help of Prime Time Palm Beach County, Inc., give scholarships to eight camps with over 800 kids to attend the event at a discounted rate. Calvin, Giordano & Associates. Inc. also supported the festival by helping offset the ticket costs for unemployed families to attend the event. Not to mention the 250 plus volunteers that donate their time and expertise for the two days. This is what makes the event so unique and valuable to the youth of Palm Beach County."

The Kids Fitness Festival is presented by Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida. We would like to thank all of our sponsors for making the event a success; Calvin, Giordano & Associates, Inc., ESPN Radio 760, KOOL 105.5, Florida Marlins Community Foundation, Parenting Plus, Prime Time Palm Beach County, Inc., and the Palm Beach Post.

About the Palm Beach County Sports Commission
The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is a private, not-for-profit organization contracted by Palm Beach County to promote and market the County as a sports and sports tourism destination. The Commission brings sporting events and activities to the County, enhances economic impact, stimulates bed tax revenues (primarily in the off-season), and maximizes utilization of County facilities. The Commission offers a full range of event service support, corporate partnerships, sponsorships and a local membership program that support its goals. Local, regional, national and international marketing efforts are ongoing by the Commission with sports organizations and event owners. The Commission also produces sports-related programs for the residents of Palm Beach County including the annual Lou Groza Awards program, the Sports Hall of Fame, the Kids Fitness Festival and awards the annual Sam Budnyk Student-Athlete Scholarship. For more information on the Palm Beach County Sports Commission go to www.palmbeachsports.com.