What’s New in Sports in Virginia for 2013

New sports venues, renovations and events make Virginia a top destination for sports in 2013 and beyond

RICHMOND, Va., 2013-02-06 — /travelprnews.com/ — Athletes take note of Virginia’s new and updated sports venues and events in 2013. From a new squash facility in Charlottesville to a new tennis center in Virginia Beach and 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 2013. Visit www.SportsVirginia.org for more information.

New in Central Virginia:

The Boars Head Inn in Charlottesville will open a newly constructed 33,000 square foot squash court facility in spring 2013. The facility will serve as the home venue for the University of Virginia men’s and women’s squash programs and will also be open to members of the Boar’s Head Sports Club and resort guests. When completed the new facility will include eight international singles courts, an international show court with seating for about 200, two North American doubles courts, locker rooms, offices and storage.

Mary B. Stratton Park is a new sports complex opening in Chesterfield County in 2013. Two SPORTSTEX synthetic turf fields with Musco lights and permanent lining for soccer, field hockey and boy’s lacrosse are set to open on February 15, 2013. The property is located adjacent to Ukrop Park with its seven multipurpose fields and the Collegiate School Aquatics Center. Up to four miles of trails for hiking, biking and picnicking will eventually be built on the 178 acres that make up Stratton Park.

The Richmond Region will host several new events including:

• Triple Crown Volleyball Camp and Showcase at the Greater Richmond Convention Center  – June 18-21
• The Triple Crown Volleyball Classic will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network from the Richmond Coliseum on Friday, June 21^st.
• Elite Clubs National League Finals – July 10-15 with the Under-17 National finals televised on ESPNU and GolTV.

The Richmond Raceway Complex at Richmond International Raceway will host a new Glow Run 5k on May 11, 2013.   Collegiate School Aquatics Center, a 54,000 square foot aquatics center featuring the 2008 US Olympic Trials pool, 25 yard teaching pool and a HydroWorx therapy pool has added sound and visual technology to their 2,500 square foot community room. In addition, handicap lifts and mobility support system for aquatics have been added.

New in Northern Virginia:

The D.C. area’s first public Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, Potomac Shores Golf Course, is set to open this summer. The 18-hole, par-72 course along the Potomac River and Powell’s Creek in Prince William County will feature a 7,500 square foot luxury clubhouse with wrap around porch.

Vertical Rock Indoor Climbing Gym in Manassas is hosting a multi-state regionals climbing competition open to qualifying participants May 11-12, 2013. The competition will showcase the sport of climbing by more than 300 of the best competitors on the East Coast.

Loudoun County will host several new sporting events in 2013 including:

• Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) North East Regional Championships – July 17-21, 2013.
• US Figure Skating Eastern Sectional Skating Championships – November 19, 2013.

New in Coastal Virginia-Hampton Roads:

Virginia Beach has a brand new Tennis Center with 90,000 square feet of indoor family tennis, fitness and fun. The Virginia Beach Tennis and Country Club facility will include 10 indoor, 30 outdoor and six quick start junior courts, a health club and fitness center, on-site restaurant and lounge and a junior Olympic pool.

The 4^th Annual Hampton Sports Festival is adding new events in 2013. Spectators can experience high-energy events with hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of athletes gathered to compete during this annual sports festival on February 15-17, 2013. This particular event will bring in over 20 different sports in one weekend.

Williamsburg will host several new sporting events in 2013 including:

• Revolutionary Rumble (volleyball) on April 26-28, 2013.
• Rev3 Half Triathlon on June 21-23, 2013.
• National Softball Association – Girls’ Fast pitch World Series on July 21-28, 2013.

New in the Shenandoah Valley:

The Botetourt Sports Complex will host or co-host many major sporting events in 2013 from Adult Slow-Pitch Tournaments to the ISF Senior World Cup, but new this year to Botetourt is the Bike Virginia Tour, June 21-26, 2013. Cycling enthusiasts will see the beauty of western Virginia while biking from Rockbridge-Lexington-Buena Vista to Botetourt and around the Greater Roanoke Region. The complex is also constructing four new batting cages that will allow the complex to host more teams and add incentive for some event organizers.

The Virginia Horse Center will host two new events in 2013.

• Hedrick Rodeo – December 7-8, 2013.
• Virginia High School League Region 3 Wrestling Tournament – February 8-9, 2013.

New in Southern Virginia:

The Smith River Sports Complex near Martinsville will host the Pomerstone Lacrosse Classic, a College Club Women’s Lacrosse event bringing in teams from across the United States on April 12-14, 2013. The complex will also will play host to the USA Ultimate Atlantic Coast College Regional’s (April 27-28), bringing in teams from all over the East Coast. A number of other Lacrosse, Ultimate, and Soccer events will also take place in 2013.

Martinsville has hosted several new, fun and innovative foot races in the past two years and in 2013 all seven races are being tied together into a challenge series called Miles in Martinsville. The series was created to support outreach programs of the Martinsville-Henry County Family YMCA and Activate MHC.

A new marina on Philpott Lake in Henry County is in the development stages and will be open to the public by early summer. Philpott Lake hosted the FLW Northwestern Conference College Fishing Championships that was televised internationally on December 16, 2012.

New Transportation Options for Athletes and Spectators:

• AMTRAK Virginia added a new passenger service from Norfolk in December 2012.
• Washington, DC area Metro subway’s new Silver Line Phase 1 with service to Reston, Virginia is set to open in 2013.  Phase 2 will extend service all the way to Washington Dulles Airport and is expected to open 2018.
• The Virginia Railway Express is planning a train stop between Rippon and Quantico to be completed by 2017.

Looking Ahead to Major Sporting Events in 2015:

• World Road Cycling Championships Coming to Richmond in 2015: Cycling’s pinnacle event, the 2015 World Road Championships will take place September 19 – 27 and will feature 12 races for elite men and women, men under 23 and junior men and women.
• World Police and Fire Games Celebrates 30^th Anniversary in Fairfax in 2015: Fairfax Virginia will host the 30th anniversary of this prestigious event that gives first responders from more than 65 countries around the globe the chance to showcase their athletic abilities.
• AAU Junior Olympic Games Return to Hampton Roads in 2015: The AAU Junior Olympics will return to Hampton Roads for the 5th time in July 2015. 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.

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 www.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.

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