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For more information, contact: ST. LOUIS SET TO HOST ITS EIGHTH NCAA DIVISION I CHAMPIONSHIP THIS DECADEAREA WELCOMES 15,000 VISITORS IN TOWN FOR WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS WEEKEND
ST. LOUIS – March 17, 2008 – It’s becoming a rite of spring here: thousands of out-of-town fans descending on Downtown St. Louis to experience a national championship. The ritual continues this week as St. Louis welcomes more than 15,000 visitors for the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Scottrade Center. Taking place March 20-22, the event is back in St. Louis for the fourth time this decade. It’s the eighth NCAA Division I championship to take place in the Gateway City since 2000. When St. Louis hosts the Wrestling Championships again next March and the Women’s Final Four in April 2009, the region will have produced a remarkable 10 Division I championships over a 10-year stretch. Together, these events have created more than $170 million in economic impact, brought nearly 200,000 visitors to St. Louis, and generated at least 140,000 hotel room nights. The 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships alone account for more than 10,000 room nights over Easter weekend – an otherwise quiet time for the area hospitality community. But enough about those numbers; the spotlight this weekend will be on the 330 collegiate wrestlers who will compete in 700 matches for 10 national titles to be decided over three emotional, drama-filled days featuring six action-packed sessions. “For many of the student-athletes competing here this week, this is the biggest moment of their lives,” said Frank Viverito, president of the St. Louis Sports Commission, which hosts the event with the University of Missouri. “We love hosting the Wrestling Championships because there’s so much passion and dedication brought to the sport by the student-athletes, the coaches, and the fans.” The total attendance for this year’s Championships is expected to surpass 90,000. St. Louis holds the all-time total attendance record for the event of 96,944, set in 2000. Tickets remain available to all six sessions of the 2008 Championships. Fans may purchase tickets through Ticketmaster by calling 314-241-1888; logging on to www.ticketmaster.com; or by visiting any Ticketmaster ticket center, including the Scottrade Center box office. Single-session tickets start at only $9. All-session tickets are as low as $60. Half-session and weekend packages are also available. The event gets under way at 11 a.m. Thursday. The finals take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and are preceded by the grand march of All-Americans at 7 p.m. Fans will also find plenty to experience outside of the matches. The NCAA Fan Festival will be open from noon to 7 p.m. each day of the Championships at St. Louis Union Station. Among the festival’s highlights will be a special traveling exhibit honoring 50 years of African-American wrestling excellence. Iowa’s Simon Roberts, who became the first African-American NCAA wrestling champion in 1957, will join several All-Americans in a recognition ceremony and autograph session that is free to the public at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Earlier in the week, on Tuesday (March 18), the Sports Commission and University of Missouri host a wrestling clinic for youth wrestlers at Scottrade Center from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Participants will learn from the nation’s top coaches and student-athletes, and practice on the same mats that will be used for the Championships. A schedule of events for the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and surrounding activities appears below. For more information, visit the St. Louis Organizing Committee’s official website at www.stlsports.org/wrestling. 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Schedule at Scottrade Center Session 1 11 a.m. Thursday Surrounding Events – All events at St. Louis Union Station unless noted otherwise Tuesday (March 18) Youth Wrestling Clinic at Scottrade Center 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Wednesday (March 19) Pre Tournament News Conference at Scottrade Center 1:30 p.m. (selected student-athletes) Thursday (March 20) NCAA Fan Festival Noon – 7 p.m. Friday (March 21) NCAA Fan Festival Noon – 7 p.m. Saturday (March 22)
The St. Louis Sports Commission is the privately funded nonprofit organization that benefits St. Louis through sports. |
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