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Columbus Crew
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hen the weather turns chilly, Columbus sports fans’ excitement heats up. The season’s red-hot gridiron action is delivered by The Ohio State University Buckeyes, led by new coach Urban Meyer. More than 100,000 fans fill Ohio Stadium on home-game Saturdays, beginning with a pre-season game against Miami (Ohio) Sept. 1 and ending the regular season with a matchup against archrival Michigan Nov. 24. As the OSU Marching Band spells out Script Ohio, prepare to be awed by the display of Buckeye spirit. OSU also supplies some of the hottest college hoops in the country. The OSU men’s basketball team, led by coach Thad Matta, includes dynamic point guard Aaron Craft and shooter Deshaun Thomas. The OSU women’s basketball team, guided by coach Jim Foster, always can be counted on for a great game; the team won its third consecutive Big Ten Championship in 2010-11. Both men’s and women’s home games are held at the Schottenstein Center’s Value City Arena.
OSU Buckeyes More basketball action comes to town March 23-26 when Columbus hosts the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball at venerable St. John Arena on the OSU campus. Ohio State’s 36 varsity sports offerings also include ice hockey, gymnastics, swimming, volleyball, diving, fencing and wrestling. For game and ticket information on any sport, call 800-GO-BUCKS or visit ohiostatebuckeyes.com. There’s more athletic action on the ice. The National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets ignite plenty of excitement. The team plays at Nationwide Arena, ranked the No. 1 stadium experience in professional sports by ESPN The Magazine. Watch the pucks fly October-April; the home season kicks off Oct. 19 with a game against the Vancouver Canucks. Nationwide Arena will be at the center of the hockey world when Columbus hosts the 2013 NHL All-Star
Game Jan. 27 (and the All-Star Skills Competition Jan. 26). This midseason showcase will bring in the league’s best players, along with their most passionate supporters. The eyes of U.S. Soccer fans will focus on Columbus Sept. 11 when the U.S. men’s soccer team takes on Jamaica in a World Cup qualifying match at Crew Stadium, home of Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew. Cheer on the Crew in home games, including the Philadelphia Union Sept. 29 and the regular-season wrap-up against Toronto FC Oct. 28. Up for some horseplay? Scioto Downs, located just south of the city, hosts live harness racing ThursdaySaturday through Sept. 8 and simulcasts races from leading thoroughbred and harness tracks across the country seven days a week through Oct. 8. Scioto’s new casino also houses 2,100 video slot machines. For spirited show jumping, mark your calendar for The New Albany
Call 1-866-397-2657 for more information
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