(OMAHA, Neb.) – USA Baseball and the Omaha Sports Commission have released the practice and warm-up game schedules for USA Baseball and the Japan Collegiate All-Star teams leading up to the international friendship game at Rosenblatt Stadium. The ConAgra Foods “Rosen Blast” game, showcasing some of the world’s top college baseball players, will be held Wednesday, July 21 at 7:00 p.m. CDT.

Practice and warm-up game schedules for the two teams include:

July 18 – Japan will practice at 7:30 p.m. at Fricke Field in Papillion.

July 19 – Japan will practice at 9:30 a.m. at Fricke Field in Papillion

July 19 – Japan will play a warm-up game in Clarinda, Iowa against the Clarinda A’s.

July 20 – USA Baseball will play a 5 p.m. warm-up game against the Omaha Diamond Spirit at Fricke Field in Papillion.

July 20 – Japan will play an 8 p.m. warm-up game against the Japan Omaha All-Stars at Fricke Field in Papillion.

July 21 – USA Baseball and Japan will play in the ConAgra Foods “Rosen Blast” at 7 p.m. at Rosenblatt Stadium.

The U.S. and Japan have long shared a close, competitive baseball relationship at the collegiate level.  The two nations have participated in a semi-annual international Collegiate All-Star Series since 1972, alternating each series as the event’s host.  Neither team, however, whether playing against each other or in other competitions, has ever competed in a sanctioned international event in Omaha.

USA Baseball named 1995-96 Collegiate National Team alum and 1996 College World Series hero Warren Morris honorary captain for the 2010 U.S. Collegiate Team.  Morris hit a walk-off home run against Miami in the ninth inning to give Louisiana State a 9-8 win and the title in 1996.  He was voted Most Valuable Player of the U.S./Japan series while with Team USA in 1995, and in 1996, as a member of the U.S. Olympic Baseball Team, Morris helped lead his club to a bronze medal (the Collegiate National Team represented the United States in the baseball competition at the Atlanta Olympic Games).

USA Baseball is now conducting tryouts for the team.  39 players are on the Trials roster including 11 players who were recently in Omaha competing in the College World Series.

Both the U.S. and Japan will depart Omaha for Taiwan following the competition to compete in the FISU World Championships in Tokyo.  The U.S. has won the last three FISU World Championships (2004, ’06, ’08), while host nation Japan will be looking for its first title.

Tickets for the July 21 “Rosen Blast are available at www.etix.com or calling the Omaha Royals box office at 738-5100.  Tickets are $8 and $10.

The game will feature the best collegiate players from two of the top baseball-playing nations in the world, bringing some of sport’s brightest young stars to the long-recognized home of college baseball in the United States.  Alumni of the U.S. Collegiate National Team since 2000 include MLB All-Stars Ryan Howard, Dustin Pedroia and Mark Teixeira, as well as up-and-coming stars like David Price, Stephen Strasburg and Matt Weiters.

“When you think of college baseball, you think of Omaha, and specifically Rosenblatt Stadium,” said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO.  “It is only fitting that Rosenblatt play host to a game featuring teams made up of some of the best collegiate players in the world.  We are honored to participate in this historic event.”

The U.S. and Japan have long shared a close, competitive baseball relationship at the collegiate level.  The two nations have participated in a semi-annual international Collegiate All-Star Series since 1972, alternating each series as the event’s host.  Neither team, however, whether playing against each other or in other competitions, has ever competed in a sanctioned international event in Omaha.

“You will not find any more passionate baseball fans in the country than here in Omaha, as we have demonstrated through our long-standing support for the NCAA College World Series,” said Harold Cliff, president of the Omaha Sports Commission.  “We expect tremendous fan interest for the 2010 USA Baseball/Japan game in Omaha, and hope to build on this first year experience and offer even more international baseball competition in future years.”

USA Baseball also announced Tuesday that 1995-96 Collegiate National Team alum and 1996 College World Series hero Warren Morris will be an honorary captain for the 2010 U.S. Collegiate Team.  Morris hit a walk-off home run against Miami in the ninth inning to give Louisiana State a 9-8 win and the title in 1996.  He was voted Most Valuable Player of the U.S./Japan series while with Team USA in 1995, and in 1996, as a member of the U.S. Olympic Baseball Team, Morris helped lead his club to a bronze medal (the Collegiate National Team represented the United States in the baseball competition at the Atlanta Olympic Games).

Both the U.S. and Japan will depart Omaha for Taiwan following the competition to compete in the FISU World Championships in Tokyo.  The U.S. has won the last three FISU World Championships (2004, ’06, ’08), while host nation Japan will be looking for its first title.

Tickets to the game will go on sale, Monday, April 12th at 9 am central time through ETIX. ETIX tickets are available at https://www.etix.com/ticket/servlet/onlineSale?action=selectPerformance&performance_id=1224721 or 1-800-514-ETIX (3849). If you are in the Omaha area you may also purchase tickets through the Omaha Royal’s box office.

1. Set Up/Tear Down

Set up/Tear Down for July 29-August 3

Involves putting up signage, barricades, trash cans, staging, etc.

2. Kids Triathlon

July 31

Registration, Timing, Finish Line, etc.

3. Registration/Expo

July 31-August 1

Registration, packet-pick up, briefings, expo.  Afternoon-Evening Saturday and early morning Sunday

4. Bike Check-In

July 31 noon-7 pm

Make sure all bikes are checked-in and placed properly and meet USAT rules

5. Road Guard

August 1

Stand at intersections along bike course making sure cars do not cross into course and direct them how to get around

6. Swim Start

August 1

Be at lake early Sunday morning for last minute checks and prep for race

7. Transition Area

August 1

Make sure there is no biking in/out of transition and make sure things go smoothly and help give water in transition to athletes

8. Information Booth

August 1

Answer questions from athletes, spectators, and sponsors about event in a cheery manner

9. Finish Line

August 1

Hand out finisher medals, water, take off timing chips, etc.

10. Timing Chips

August 1

Hand out timing chips for race to athletes before race start

11. Body Marking

August 1

Mark athletes for race start on arms and legs

12. Aid Stations

August 1

Hand out water, supplies, etc. to athletes running and biking by

13. Finish Festival

August 1

Help band, food, and expo vendors set up and keep clean for festival

14. Medical

August 1

Help our medical coordinators to get athletes and spectators back to normal during and after the race, most will be minor things like ice and bandages

15. Cheer Zone

August 1

Simply put, we need people to cheer the athletes on as they go by

Sign up now by following this link :

http://www.omahatriathlon.com/zap_site/docs/zaps-mr-tab1-392.htm?Register-Online

In the interest of encouraging diversity in the sport of swimming, the USA Swimming Foundation has joined forces with ConocoPhillips and the Omaha Sports Commission to promote water safety in the state of Nebraska.

WHY THIS EVENT IS IMPORTANT:

• Drowning is the second leading cause of injury-related deaths for all children aged 1-14
• Six our of 10 African American & Hispanic children are unable to swim
• The drowning rate for children from ethnically-diverse communities is more than double the national average

UNO coach Mike Denney manned the tape measure, making sure there was the perfect amount of space between the mats and the stands.

Wrestlers from both UNO and Nebraska worked the floor at Qwest Center Omaha, pushing and pulling together that massive puzzle of padding.

The 2010 NCAA Division I wrestling championships were still 48 hours away, and already on Tuesday morning the atmosphere inside the city’s downtown arena felt intense.

A small army of workers buzzed about, making sure that the Qwest Center was ready to host yet another high-profile celebration of sport. Event organizers chattered back and forth, all of them happy to have the Mavericks and Huskers making sure that center stage was up to snuff.

“Having both of those wrestling teams here was a huge help,” said Stan Benis, the Qwest Center’s director of event operations. “Our guys probably could’ve figured those mats out, but they know all the little details and know how to get everything just right.”

And rest assured, officials said, all of the necessary pieces will be in place come Thursday, when Omaha becomes the center of the college wrestling universe.

When it comes to collegiate athletics, the NCAA’s Randy L. Buhr — who has overseen the wrestling championships for the past decade — calls this three-day event “the beast of all beasts.”

It’s easy to see why.

There will be 330 wrestlers here representing 77 schools. There will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 450 workers — be they full-time, part-time or volunteer — making sure everything that needs to get done gets done. The NCAA issued 270 media credentials for the event, and that doesn’t include the additional 110 men and women who will help ESPN televise the championships.

Then there are all of those fans, who will show up 16,000 strong for each of this weekend’s six sold-out sessions.

“Of our 88 NCAA championships, it’s one of the most — if not the most — difficult events we put on,” said Buhr, the NCAA’s associate director of championships. “Just the volume of people who are involved, and all the moving parts, and eight mats going simultaneously — it’s kind of like organized chaos. It really takes a lot to pull this off.”

Fortunately, by no means is this the first rodeo for the University of Nebraska and the Omaha Sports Commission. Both entities have an extensive history of hosting NCAA championships. That’s made everything this week go smoothly, Benis and Butch Hug agreed, as this event debuts at the Qwest Center.

“This is a big one, and there are a lot of challenges,” said Hug, Nebraska’s associate athletic director for facilities and events. “But I think that past experience definitely helps a lot, and I’m comfortable with where we are at this point.”

When the event opens on Thursday, wrestlers will compete on eight brand-new mats, ones colored blue, black or green. They were provided for the NCAA through its partnership with Resilite, a leading manufacturer of athletic mats and padding.

Come Saturday night, all the action will take place on a single mat placed atop an elevated stage at the center of the arena. Following the event, the NCAA and Resilite will donate that championship mat, valued at $10,000, to Omaha’s King Science Magnet Middle School for use by its wrestling team.

“We’re really excited to have this event in Omaha, and I think it’s going to be a great atmosphere here this weekend,” Buhr said. “There’s obviously a lot of interest in wrestling in the greater Omaha area, and I think it’s great that there are so many schools located near Omaha that have a rich history of success in the sport.”

Would a city that appreciates volleyball and has supported two NCAA final fours come out for a World Grand Prix event?

What would a city that annually hosts the College World Series think about another major event if USA Baseball wanted to visit?

Those are only hypothetical’s, but represent some of the future possibilities as the Omaha Sports Commission starts 2010 with a different approach of attracting sporting events from local to international levels.

Omaha Sports Commission President Harold Cliff calls it natural evolution for the nonprofit organization created in 2003 to attract and host amateur sporting events.

“We’ve changed the focus, I think, fairly significantly from previous OSC activity,” Cliff said.

Cliff said Omaha will continue its regular pursuit of NCAA events, but supplement it by working with other agencies. It also will aim to become more proactive in the community at the grass-roots level, which should be helped by its launch this week of a revamped and more interactive Web site at omahasports.org.

The front of its new brochure reads: “Making Omaha the Leading Amateur Sports Community in America.”

Cliff, hired to organize and run the 2008 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials, decided to stay in Omaha and become Dan Morrissey’s replacement with the Omaha Sports Commission later that fall. Throughout 2009, the strategy was to start building rapport with such organizations as USA Baseball, USA Hockey, USA Volleyball and others — similar to what has been established with USA Swimming.

The Omaha Sports Commission expects that to start paying dividends with future events, including one that is set to be announced next month.

Cliff said he wants Omaha to pursue events the commission wants rather than running the gantlet with cities chasing what’s available. As an example, Cliff said, Omaha is in a situation with USA Hockey where it wouldn’t have to go through a bid process if a mutual agreement on an event could be reached.

It also has spoken with USA Volleyball about a potential Grand Prix tournament down the road. The Grand Prix events match national teams and are played around the world.

“It all comes back to how the Trials were successful and came back here (for 2012),” Cliff said. “Other sports look up to USA Swimming because it was one of the leading sports. So if they decided to come back, then I guess the view is, ‘Well, maybe Omaha is capable of doing these things.’”

Being able to lasso the 2008 U.S. Trials — and then realize the major impact of the eight-day meet — also triggered the change in vision.

Harley Schrager, Omaha Sports Commission officer and former chairman, said the CWS will always be the “goose that laid the golden egg for Omaha” in terms of amateur sports. But Schrager said nothing gave Omaha the exposure that the Swim Trials did in 2008.

“Nothing,” he repeated.

The quest for NCAA events won’t stop, and Omaha is finalizing bids for about a dozen with deadlines in February. But Cliff said the pool of interested cities continues to grow and that NCAA events don’t necessarily guarantee financial success.

“So it really behooves you to go out and find other levels of competition to be part of the mix,” he said.

Schrager said Omaha also has to look at using all of its facilities, not just Qwest Center Omaha and the TD Ameritrade Park that is under construction. Cliff said the commission even plans to arrange a meeting with Omaha Royals officials about their stadium being built in Sarpy County.

The Omaha Sports Commission also completed a survey last summer of all facilities in the city, no matter the size. It hopes its Web site, which in the past attracted minimal traffic, will help with coordinating amateur sports in the city.

“We’re going to provide them the opportunity to hook up to our site, post their information, post their event,” Cliff said. “So if you’re Joe Citizen in Omaha and you want to learn about what’s going on in sport X, or what’s going on for Y date, you’ll be able to come to the Sports Commission Web site and find that information.”

Cliff said the OSC also plans to bring together groups with scheduled sport forums. Bigger events coming to Omaha could include clinics for the community, such as the Make a Splash program funded by USA Swimming.

Cliff said the Omaha Sports Commission had to get its feet wet first before advancing to this next stage.

“I think when you get a new executive director-president, (that) is a good time to look at the vision of where you’d like to take things,” he said. “So you present those views to the board and see what the reaction is. Fortunately, the board is very supportive and helpful in bringing these things about.”

http://issuu.com/omahapublications/docs/bb0310_125/8

The Omaha Triathlon is expected to be the first major USAT triathlon in Nebraska and could host more than 1,000 athletes of all abilities from around the country.  The event will also include relay team and Aquabike competition options. A festival finish for athletes and spectators will feature live music from local artists and bands, and food and refreshments.

“We feel Omaha is a perfect arena for a premier triathlon event in the Midwest,” said Alan Kohll, founder of the Omaha Triathlon and president of Total Wellness. “As an organization and as an event, we’re committed to making Omaha one of the top 10 healthiest cities over the next 10 years and this is one of our first stepping stones to reaching that goal.”

“Triathlons are quickly becoming some of the most popular amateur sporting events in the U.S.,” said Bill Burke, race director of the Omaha Triathlon. “We think that Omaha provides a perfect venue for the start of such an elite athletic event.”

“Around the country Omaha is known as a great sports city and we are pleased another great event is coming to our community,” Mayor Suttle said.  “The competition will take place throughout our community, showcasing our great city to these top athletes.”

“The Omaha Sports Commission is pleased to serve as a supporting sponsor of the first Omaha Triathlon and we hope it will quickly become one of the top Triathlon stops in the country,” said Harley Schrager, chairman of the Omaha Sports Commission board of directors.  “This event will not only feature top athletes, but it will generate excellent economic benefits to our community and that is part of the mission of our organization.”

The event was founded to promote fitness and healthy lifestyles. Financial sponsorships of the event will support the battle against childhood obesity.

“Our organization is very supportive of the Omaha Triathlon because it features several sports that all promote a healthy lifestyle,” said Kerri Peterson of Livewell.  “Triathlon participants are in top physical condition, and we hope they serve as role models encouraging every citizen in our community to swim, bike, run or jog to keep fit and enjoy good health.”

Additional event details will be released throughout the remainder of 2009 and into 2010. You can follow updates at www.omahatriathlon.com.

“Hopefully, this is just the beginning of what will be a long list of great soccer opportunities for soccer fans in Omaha to experience,” said OSC President Harold Cliff.

The match will be part of the Canadian Team’s training time in Omaha and at Morrison Stadium, as the national team will arrive on the 21st and have several training sessions over a five-day period.  The match also gives Creighton a fifth spring exhibition match, including four at Morrison Stadium.

“I want to thank Harold Cliff and the Omaha Sports Commission for bringing this event to Omaha,” said Creighton head coach Bob Warming.  “We’re excited about it and we hope to have more international games at Morrison Stadium in the future for all of the wonderful soccer fans in Omaha.”

Canadian head coach Sean Fleming is excited about the opportunity presented in Omaha, as it will be the first time he brings his team together to start preparation for 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup qualifying.

“I’m looking forward to bringing all of our guys together and we’ll bring a larger roster than we’d typically have for something like this,” said Fleming about his team’s upcoming training.  “The Creighton program is renowned for its success and will present a good challenge for us in the match.”

Tickets for the event will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m., on Thursday, April 22 and can be purchased by phone at 1-800-745-3000, online at www.ticketmaster.com or at Ticketmaster locatcions (Baker’s, Younkers).  Fans can also purchase tickets by stopping by the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center Ticket Office on April 22.   Men’s soccer season ticket holders will have the opportunity to purchase tickets before the public, starting Monday, April 19th (letters and e-mails will be sent to season ticket holders about this process).

Lower level reserved tickets located in the grandstand on the west side are $8 each for adults and $5 each for youth (ages 3-18), while lower level general admission tickets located on the east and north sides of the stadium are $7 each for adults and $4 each for youth (ages 3-18).  Upper level reserved tickets located on the north end are $20 each for adults and $15 for youth (ages 3-18).