RISE to the ESPN Occasion

If you are a high school athlete looking to "RISE" to a challege, this it it! ESPN RISE Games are asking talented high school athletes from around the country and world to "RISE" to the challenge at the Inaugural ESPN RISE Games at the Walt Disney World Resort. Held July 19-25, the ESPN RISE Games celebrate the best-of-the-best in student-athletes from around the globe!

"I should state clearly that this is the most inspiring development opportunity I have seen for any field hockey nation in my 35 year experience in the international scene," says Terry Walsch, Technical Director for High Performance. "The ESPN RISE Games can and will be the forerunner to USA's developmment program, rivaling that of the best countries in field hockey."

Same goes for all of the other sports of Baseball, Basketball, and Track and Field offered! This is the tournament for the creme de la creme in high school sports. Treated like Olympic royalty, teams will be treated to an Olympic'esque opening ceremony at the Walt Disney World Wide World of Sports Complex, where all of the games will be held. The opening ceremony will be an elaborate production, showcasing all of the teams in the overall event. ESPN's very own Michael Smoth will head as the Master of Ceremonies and welcome all of the athletes to an exciting week of competition and Disney magic. And, in true Disney fashion, the opening ceremony will end with a vivid firework display for all to enjoy! While at the tournament, teams will even get the opportunity to attend an exclusive ESPN RISE Games special event within one of the Walt Disney World Theme parks!

Other events will be going on around the tournaments, as well. There will be an AAU 17-under Boys Basketball Super Showcase, showcasing the best-of-the-best in AAU club basketball, and a Soccer Training camp. The Champion Gridiron Kings will provide performance training, position specific training, a skills challenge, and 7 v. 7 competitions for the best in high school football. The event will also feature the Under Armour High School All-American Softball Game, which will spotlight the top 30 high school All-Star softball players ihn the nation, as selected by the high school softball experts of ESPN RISE Magazine.

There is a minimum guarantee of six games for those in the team sports and a three event guarantee for those in the Track and Field tournament, so it is definitely worth your trip. Registration has already started for this all-star event. So, if you or your club-team think you have what it takes to compete against the best in the nation, RISE to the occasion and head to Walt Disney World's Wide World of Sports Complex for the tournament of a lifetime.

ESPN The Weekend at Disney's Hollywood Studios

March Madness. Football Fever. Hockey Hullabaloo. Whatever you want to call it, sports tend to get people riled up and excited. And only one event captures the excitement of all those sports in one fan-infested weekend. Only at Walt Disney World can sports fanatics unite in one weekend that brings the hottest lineup of athletes, ESPN personalities, and sports fun and activities. That’s right – ESPN the Weekend is upon us, and Disney is ready to create a one-of-a-kind experience for sports fans of all ages at Disney’s Hollywood Studios from February 27 to March 1.

Every year, ESPN the Weekend gets bigger and better, and this year will be one of the best with a veritable “who’s who” of athletic elite. The sixth edition of ESPN the Weekend will feature some of the biggest names in sports, including Super Bowl heroes like Kurt Warner, Hines Ward, Adam Vinatieri, and Brandon Jacobs. There’ll be Major League Baseball stars too, like Rickey Henderson, Jim Palmer, Curt Schilling, and Job Chamberland. Even US Olympic gold medalists will be on hand, such as Shawn Johnson, Misty May-Treanor, and many others. Fans will be able to see them all in daily motorcades through Hollywood Boulevard and at the base of Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat for special dialogues and Q&A sessions.

Fans will also get to meet their favorite ESPN personalities, including John Anderson, Colin Cowherd, Jay Crawford, Dana Jacobson, Chris McKendry, Peter Gammons, Stuart Scott, Karl Ravech, and Trey Wingo. This year’s event will also feature live daily telecasts, including First Take, Baseball Tonight, and NFL Live, filmed from a set in front of Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat. There’ll also be live broadcasts of the “Mike and Mike” radio show, starring Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg, and The Herd with Colin Cowherd, broadcast live from the ESPN Club at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort.

And it’s not all about the athletes and celebrities – Disney guests will be able to become a sports star themselves with the ESPN Sports Zone. In this interactive area, people of all ages will be able to test their skill in a wide variety of sports, including baseball, basketball, football, and even biking on an X games dirt course. The ESPN Sports Zone will also include an ESPN Play Your Way playground, a fitness initiative designed to let kids use their imagination and create their own physically active games.

Moreover, Disney guests will even be able to try their hand at being a sports personality through a special audition experience. Select contestants will go through a series of “on-air” tasks and the audience will select the best “sportscaster” during each show. ESPN pros and athletes will help mentor contestants as part of the experience.

And a new addition to ESPN The Weekend will be a 5K race through Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Saturday, February 28. The 5K Road Race and Fun Run will challenge runners along the course with ESPN and sports trivia, and more ESPN personalities and athletes will be present for the fun. The race will benefit The V Foundation for Cancer Research and will include a Fun Run for kids as well.

Best yet, all the fun and activities of ESPN The Weekend come free with admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so all you need to do to attend is get your Walt Disney World Tickets from DWTickets.com. So what are you waiting for? Get your tickets now, so you can be part of the ESPN madness and hullabaloo.

PLEASURE ISLAND

TGIF everyone ! That's right - today is Friday, and the weekend is among us. I'm very excited to welcome in ESPN and the whole crew from Bristol, Connecticut for ESPN - The Weekend at MGM Studios. The roster of sports celebrities is incredible, and it should be a great time for the entire family. If you want to read more about ESPN - The Weekend, you can read my blog from last week right here...

Since it is Friday however, I wanted to talk about one of the coolest, most happening places on Disney World property -Pleasure Island. Pleasure Island is made up of a cluster of bars, nightclubs, and dance studios that makes you feel like it is New Year's Eve every single night of the year. There are a variety of clubs for everyone and always something cool going on at Pleasure Island. A couple weeks ago for Fat Tuesday they had something called "Party Gras". A lively New Orleans style street party with jugglers, stilt walkers, live entertainment and loads of Mardi Gras beads filled the streets of Pleasure Island, and it was a great time. In a few weeks for St. Patrick's Day, there will be a party for 3 nights from 7pm-2am ! The luck of the Irish will be in the air as everyone can celebrate this holiday with leprechauns, Irish artist videos, stilt walkers, live bands, DJ's, and lots of green beer ! Who would not want to come out and see stilt walkers - which seems to be a Pleasure Island speciality. This is all I'm going to write today, because I expect to see everyone out tonight at either Pleasure Island, or ESPN - The Weekend at Disney. This is the DW Tickets Blog Man signing off, and wishing everyone a great weekend. To buy Pleasure Island tickets, click here !