2019 State Games of America Reveals Medals and Exciting Partnerships
Virginia Amateur Sports (VAS) announced today some exciting news for the 2019 State Games of America (SGA). 2019 is set to be a big year for VAS, it will be the 30th anniversary for Virginia Amateur Sports and the Virginia Commonwealth Games and the first time Virginia will be hosting the State Games of America. There will be 5 new sports added to the schedule for this Summer – Outdoor Soccer, FootGolf, Floorball, Yoga and Ninja Challenge. Partnerships with American FootGolf League, USA Yoga, USA Floorball and the Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association are helping to bring these new events to not only State Games of America but to Virginia. For the first time ever, State Games of America will feature three (3) National Championships within the event:
FootGolf- U.S. FootGolf National Championship
Floorball- USA Floorball National Championships
Yoga- USA Yoga National Championships
Also new for Virginia and State Games of America will be the addition of a Ninja Challenge event with a professional Ninja Warrior course, several veterans of the popular Ninja Warrior show and fun other elements available to fans and aspiring ninjas. The event was part of the Cornhusker State Games in Nebraska in 2018 and is being coordinated by American Ninja Warrior competitor – Maggi Thorne. There will be a couple of different options to get involved with the event – Train & Play will be available in the days leading up to the main competition on August 3rd. More details on Train & Play and the competition will be available on StateGamesofAmerica.com. VAS and the Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association are working to develop an event for central city youth of Lynchburg to get some time on the course and working on an additional community partnership event as well.
In addition to the event partnerships, VAS Games Director – Amanda Mangum and VAS President - Dan Foutz revealed the new medals for the 2019 State Games of America, by placing them on former medalists on a set of podiums ready for competition. The medals are modeled after the medals presented at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. They are double sided with a unique wave, and the iconic SGA Star featured front and center.
State Games of America is an Olympic-style event featuring competition between medal winners from other State Games events throughout the country and will be held in conjunction with/place of the Virginia Commonwealth Games at Liberty University for 2019. The State Games of America are held every two years, with the 2017 Games being held in Grand Rapids, MI. This is the first time Virginia will host the national festival, slated for July 31-Aug. 4, 2019. Like the Virginia Commonwealth Games, the 2019 State Games of America will also be a community effort. Virginia Amateur Sports, Liberty, and the City of Lynchburg will also be working with Lynchburg City Schools, Randolph College, Sweetbriar College, University of Lynchburg, local businesses, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
Previous State Games of America have had an economic impact of $10+ million on the region where they were held, with as many as 5,000+ room nights at area hotels. About 15,000 athletes from 40+ different states are expected to participate in the 2019 State Games of America in Lynchburg.
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About the Virginia Commonwealth Games at Liberty University: Modeled after the Olympics, the Virginia Commonwealth Games welcomes athletes regardless of age or skill level. The Games embody the values of participation, sportsmanship and healthy living amongst residents of Virginia and surrounding eligible states. The rights holder for the event is Virginia Amateur Sports (VAS). VAS has been organizing the event for 29 years and it is truly a grassroots effort that relies on the dedication of thousands of volunteers and support from local sponsors and organizations across the Commonwealth. VAS is a member of the National Congress of State Games. As the host state for State Games of America, all Virginia residents are automatically eligible to participate.
About the National Congress of State Games: The National Congress of State Games (NCSG) is a membership organization comprised of 34 Summer State Games and 9 Winter State Games organizations and a member of the United States Olympic Committee’s Multi Sports Organizational Council. The mission of the NCSG is to support State Games member organizations in the promotion of health, fitness and character building through Olympic – style competitions and physical activities.
The NCSG is also the rights holder of the State Games of America, an Olympic-style event featuring competition between State Games medal winners (gold, silver, bronze) from across the nation.
For more information on the Games, visit: www.StateGamesofAmerica.com
For images to download and press kit, visit: www.CommonwealthGames.org/news
Member of the National Congress of State Games—learn more at www.stategames.org