The Wildwoods: A Mecca for Youth Sports

PRESS RELEASE

The Wildwoods, NJ – November 13, 2013 – Youth sports are a family affair. The child competes, one parent coaches and the other conducts fundraisers, transports the team and cheers from the sidelines. The Wildwoods have become a mecca for this great American pastime during the fall and winter months.

Every year, thousands of competitors and spectators make their way to the Wildwoods for regional and national competitions and tournaments providing an economic boom to the shore destination, booking hotel rooms, crowding restaurants and filling the convention center with lively activity transforming it into a prime facility for youth sports.

During the winter months, the Wildwoods Convention Center bustles with just as much activity as in the summer – thanks in part to the variety of youth competition events taking place during the colder months including the National Cheer Tech Cheerleading Competition, Boardwalk Basketball Classic, youth wrestling duals, indoor soccer tournaments and more.

The Wildwoods Convention Center has become one of the most popular venues for youth sporting events, with its spacious, well-lit arena overlooking the beach and ocean, as well as its large ballroom space and 10 meeting rooms. The Convention Center can accommodate events up to 5,000 competitors with ease.

Add to that a large number of hotel/motel rooms available at attractive off-season rates, plenty of great family restaurants and lots of fun things to do and you have the perfect family location for youth events.

Here are some of the great youth events planned for the coming months at the Wildwoods Convention Center...

Cheer Tech – November 17 and December 7-8
Cheer Tech will be at the Wildwoods Convention Center on Sunday, November 17, and again on Saturday and Sunday, December 7 and 8. Hundreds of cheerleading teams will bring their dance moves, pom-poms and spirit to compete for a winning title.
All teams from each competition will compete on a 54’ by 42’ spring floor trying to impress the crowd and win the judges’ votes. All performances will be choreographed to music and sound effects, and winning teams will be awarded prizes.

For additional information about Cheer Tech events, call 866-52-CHEER or visit www.SpiritBrands.org.

Boardwalk Basketball Classic– December 12 and December 26-30
The Boardwalk Basketball Classic will take place on from Thursday, December 26 through Monday December 30, 9 a.m. -9 p.m.daily inside the Wildwoods Convention Center.

The Boardwalk Basketball Tournament was founded in 1998 and continues to be the largest single-venue coed high school holiday basketball tournament in the United States. This six-day tournament helps to raise college scholarship money for graduating seniors for the two high schools that host the tournament, Wildwood and Wildwood Catholic. The tournament has raised over $275,000 in scholarship money since its inception.

For additional information on the Boardwalk Basketball Classic visit www.bbclassic.com.

USAW Middle School National Challenge Wrestling Duals – February 7-9
The USAW Middle School National Challenge Wrestling Duals will take place on Friday, February 7 through Sunday, February 9 at the Wildwoods Convention Center. This three-day event will feature more than 40 youth wrestling teams from all over the country, competing in one of the most challenging dual tournaments in the East. The South Jersey Wrestling Association’s mission is to create a competitive atmosphere for youth wrestlers which promotes sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, courage and fair play. This purpose is met by providing supervised and competitive wrestling competitions to encourage continued participation in the sport of amateur wrestling.

For additional information on the USAW Middle School National Challenge Wrestling Duals visit www.sjwrestling.com.

N. E. Regional FUTSAL Indoor Soccer Championships – February 15-17
The United States Futsal Federation will host the Northeast Futsal Regional Championship from Saturday through Monday, February 15-17 in the Wildwoods Convention Center. Futsal is a variant of soccer that is played on a smaller area and mainly played indoors.
For additional information about the Futsal Championship, please call 510-836-USFF or visit www.futsal.com.

Youth sports continue into 2014 with a packed calendar of wrestling, soccer, gymnastics and more! Whether you are a parent, participant or spectator, the Wildwoods Convention Center has something for every youth sports fanatic.

November 17 – Cheer Tech American Rec & School Championship
December 7-8 – Cheer Tech Spirit National Championships
December 21 – Boardwalk Basketball Classic
December 26-30 – Boardwalk Basketball Classic

February 7-9 – USAW Middle School National Challenge Wrestling Duals
February 15-17 – N. E. Regional FUTSAL Indoor Soccer Championships

March 2 – Cheer Tech National Rec. & School Cheerleading Championships
March 7-9 – Cheer Tech National Cheerleading & Dance Championships
March 29-30 –Special Olympics NJ Spring Sports Festival Basketball Finals

April 12 – Cheer Tech ECC Shore Show Down Cheerleading Championships
April 13 – Cheer Tech Beast of the East Cheerleading Championships
April 17-19 –S. Jersey Wrestling Assoc. War at the Jersey Shore Youth Wrestling Tournament

May 9-11 – U.S. Assoc. of Independent Gymnastics Clubs New Jersey State Gymnastics Championships
May 23-25 – U.S. Assoc. of Independent Gymnastics Clubs Regional Gymnastics Championships

July 6-12 – Dance Xplosion Dance Competition
July 20-15 – Sophisticated Productions National Dance Competition

August 1-3 – North American Grappling Assoc. Battle at the Beach Grappling Tournament
*Please note that the information and dates above are subject to change.

For additional information about the events listed here and about the Wildwoods, visit www.WildwoodsNJ.com or call 800-992-9732.

For information about event bookings please contact sales@WildwoodsNJ.com or call Maggie at 800-992-9732.

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About the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority
The Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority (GWTIDA) was formed in 1993 to consolidate the tourism economy of its three founding municipalities: Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and North Wildwood. The Wildwoods have won numerous travel and tourism awards, heralding the resort for its beaches, boardwalk and attractions.

The Wildwoods were selected in 2013 as one of the Most Awesome Boardwalks in America by BudgetTravel.com; as the Favorite Shore Town by Delaware County Daily Times readers; as the Favorite Beach and Boardwalk by NJ.com readers; the Top Family-Friendly Beach Town by NerdWallet.com; and as One of America’s Top 10 U.S. Tourist Towns by families voting in FamilyFun magazine. They were also named “Best Beaches in New Jersey” in the 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2008 Top Ten New Jersey Beaches public survey, sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium. Wildwoods’ beaches were also named “Best Beach for Family Vacations,” “Best Beach for Tourism,” “Best Beach for Events,” “Best Beach for Eco-Tourism” and “Best Beach for Day Trips” in the same surveys. The Wildwoods were named #1 Boardwalk in the nation by FamilyVacationCritic.com in 2012; and Smarter Travel also named the Wildwoods Boardwalk, one of “Americas Best Boardwalks.” The 2012 list of “15 Destinations on the Rise” for TripAdvisor included the Wildwoods, and Home.com voted the Wildwoods one of “Americas Top 10 Scenic Seasides of the Summer.” In addition, the Wildwoods were voted “Best Town” in the 2009 and 2011 PHL-17 Philly Hot List, Jersey Shore Edition contest; and were one of Sherman’s Travel’s “Top Ten American Boardwalks” for two years in a row.

The Tourism Authority operates the Wildwoods Convention Center and acts as the island’s destination marketing organization overseeing the development, research, planning, marketing, advertising, promotion, public and media relations encompassing the tourism, meeting and convention industry in the Wildwoods. Additionally, the Authority funds, assists with and hosts more than 180 annual special events to enhance the visitor experience and extend the tourism season, including the Beach Monster Mash Truck Races, Family Nights On The Boardwalk, Friday Night Fireworks, the New Jersey State Barbeque Championships and Anglesea Blues Festival, Classic Car Shows, the International Kite Festival, Irish and Italian Festivals and the National Marbles Tournament, among others. 

For more information about the Wildwoods, contact the GWTIDA at 800-WW-By-Sea (800-992-9732) or visit its web site, www.WildwoodsNJ.com.