Q. What is the Music City Sports Festival?
A. Nashville native and longtime sportscaster George Plaster is hosting this special two-day event to encourage health and fitness for children and their families. On May 30 and 31, there will be a wide variety of interactive sports clinics for children ages 4 to 18 at the Music City Center. Clinics include hockey, basketball, football, baseball, softball, archery, fishing, tennis, ping-pong, martial arts, soccer, lacrosse, running, gymnastics, dance, cheerleading and rugby. Another component is a world-class speaker series which has included national celebrities like future Baseball Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, ESPN analyst Herm Edwards and more.
On Wednesday, Feb. 25, George Plaster and Mayor Karl Dean will unveil exciting plans for the 2015 Music City Sports Festival. Nashville-area business and community leaders are invited to attend this special kickoff event from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Electric Room on the fourth floor of the Omni Hotel. Please RSVP to bonnie@musiccitysportsfestival.com or call 615-305-8264.
Q. How can Nashville-area business and community leaders participate?
A. Attend the Feb. 25 kickoff at the Omni Hotel to learn about sponsorship opportunities, or call Chris Kulick at 615-305-8248 or Bonnie Daniel at 615-305-8264. In 2014, several thousand children aged 5 to 18 participated in the sports clinics, made possible with the help of sponsors and staff.
Q. How does the Music City Sports Festival impact the Nashville region?
A. According to the 2014 Nashville Region’s Vital Signs report, Tennessee is among the top 10 most obese states in the nation (2012), with more than 31 percent of adults and 16 percent of children obese and 67 percent of adults and 16 percent of children overweight. Funding for athletic fitness programs continues to decrease nationwide. The Music City Sports Festival provides families with an alternative means to explore a multitude of youth sports at an affordable price. This is accomplished by offering two days of clinics conducted by professional instructors. The Music City Sports Festival draws fans from outlying communities to Nashville. In its first two years, fans have attended from Atlanta, Chattanooga, Huntsville, Cookeville, Clarksville, Bowling Green and other locations. Many fans have stayed in Nashville hotels and dined in Nashville’s wide array of restaurants, contributing to our local hospitality industry.
