The Buzz | March

THE BUZZ MARCH

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NEWS AND NOTES F I ESTA B O W L OVERWATCH®

FIESTA BOWL RUNNING OF THE BILLS

COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIP

DUCK RACE PRES EN T ED BY S RP

The Fiesta Bowl hosted the first-ever Fiesta Bowl Overwatch Collegiate National Championship at Arizona State University on February 17.

In partnership with Blizzard Entertainment’s collegiate arm, Tespa, the ASU Fitness Center was transformed into a gaming arena as UC Berkley, UC Irvine, UC San Diego and the University of Toronto dueled it out in front of a sold-out crowd. Complete with a kickoff dinner, community outreach event and media day, the players enjoyed a Fiesta Bowl-style weekend in the Valley. UC Berkley, the defending national champion, upset UC Irvine in the finals to take the title.

On Saturday March 10, 15,000 ducks raced down the Scottsdale Waterfront Canal during the Fiesta Bowl Running of the Bills Duck Race, presented by SRP. Participants enjoyed a blockparty style atmosphere, complete with, live music, cornhole, backyard games, food trucks and drinks while watching the ducks float down and compete for various prizes. The Yellow Jacket Committee’s very own Brian Bednar had the winning duck and took home the grand prize of $7,500. All proceeds from the event were donated to Fiesta Bowl Charites.

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NEWS AND NOTES FIES TA BO WL CHARIT IES

F I ESTA B O W L ANNOU NCES NEW

GRANT CYCLE OPENING SOON!

3 ON 3 CLASSIC

The Fiesta Bowl and Special Olympics Arizona have come together to create the new Fiesta Bowl 3 On 3 Classic, presented by Ak-Chin Indian Community, which will raise funds for Special Olympics Arizona Unified Programs and provide a new street basketball experience.

Teams of four can register for the event, which will take place April 14-15 at Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale. Click here register a team or here to become a volunteer!

REGISTER HERE

The 2018-19 Fiesta Bowl Charities grant cycle will begin accepting applications on April 9 and will close on May 7. Arizona nonprofits are invited to submit an application for review by the Fiesta Bowl Charities Charitable Giving Committee. The committee individually reviews each application and ensures that the three pillars of the Fiesta Bowl – youth, sports and education – are the core of every decision.

This past year, nearly 400 applications were received, resulting in $2.5 million distributed to 67 Arizona nonprofits.

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VOLUNTEER AWARD WINNERS Please help us in congratulating our 2017-18 Volunteer of the Year Award winners!

READ PRESS RELEASE G EO R G E L E ONARD ROOK I E OF THE YEAR AWARD Starting with the Fiesta Bowl as a general volunteer before becoming an ambassador and ambassador chair, Davina Seville exceeded her fundraising goals by implementing creative strategies to build support for the Fiesta Bowl.

F I ESTA B O W L CHA I R OF THE YEAR AWARD As chair of the Fiesta Bowl pregame parties, Greg Stark led one of the smallest Fiesta Bowl event committees to successfully execute one of the largest organizational events. Stark’s dedication to his role and to fellow committee members and volunteers helped the APS Stadium Club and Fiesta Bowl Fan Fest pregame parties run as smooth as possible.

OU T STA N D IN G F I ESTA BOWL CO M M IT T EE M EM BER O F T HE YEAR Since 2014, Andy Western has contributed to the Fiesta Bowl in various ways and this past year alone he was chair of the Honeywell Fiesta Bowl Aerospace Challenge, assistant chair for the Game Operations Committee and served as a sales coach for the Yellow Jacket Committee during a record-breaking fundraising year.

R A N DI K N A P P ENBERGER AMBA S S ADO R O F T HE YEAR AWARD Serving as the ambassadors’ community outreach chair, Simone Janssen led by example when encouraging the group to give back to the community and provided innovative experiences that touched the hearts of all involved.

G LEN N H AW KI NS VOL U NTEER O F T HE YEAR AWARD Since the early 2000s, both Tibor and Susan Szelinger have given their time to the organization.

This past season, they provided unparalleled support to the Youth Football Clinic, the Fiesta Bowl Wells Fargo Par-3 Challenge, pregame parties and the media operations committee.

F R A N K S N E L L L I F ETI ME ACHI EVEM ENT AWARD Since joining the Yellow Jacket Committee in 2005, Mike Comstock has been involved in almost every facet of the organization and chaired the Game Operations Committee, winning chair of the year in 2009 and has continued his presence and leadership on the committee ever since.

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SHORT AND TWEET

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Who said the Madness only happens in March? Lace up your high-tops and continue the fun with the #FiestaBowl 3 On 3 Classic!

Register here: https://fiestabowl.org/ events/3on3classic/

#FiestaBowlChairites will be adding to the $10 million given to AZ nonprofits in the last seven years. 2018-19 Grant Applications open April 9, get yours in!

More: https://fiestabowl.org/charities/grantapplications/

Looking to help put on world-class events including the PlayStation #FiestaBowl and #CactusBowl, all while giving back to the AZ community? Volunteer with the Fiesta Bowl today!

More: https://fiestabowl.org/volunteer/

Stay up to date on the latest Fiesta Bowl news and follow us on social media so you don’t miss a beat!

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UPCOMING EVENTS APRIL COMMITTEE MEETING WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

5:30 p.m. | Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass

FIESTA BOWL 3-ON-3 CLASSIC

PRESE N TE D B Y A K - C H I N I N D I A N C O M M U N IT Y

SATURDAY - SUNDAY, APRIL 14 - 15, 2018 Westgate Entertainment District | Glendale, AZ

KABOOM! PLAYGROUND BUILD SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2018

8:30 a.m. | Boys & Girls Clubs of the Colorado River

YELLOW JACKET GOLF CLASSIC FRIDAY, MAY 11, 2018

Time TBD | Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass

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B O A R D S P O T L I G H T: B R YA N S P E R B E R First Year on Board: 2016

Favorite Fiesta Bowl Game: The 1990 Fiesta Bowl that pitted Florida State against Nebraska. That FSU team started the season with two consecutive losses, then went on an absolute tear. By the end of the year, they were a real force and beat Nebraska 41-17.

Most Memorable Moment: I love the 2003 Fiesta Bowl that featured Ohio State versus Miami for the National Title. What an exciting game. The famous “pass interference” call in OT that gave OSU new life and ultimately led to the win.

Favorite Job: I really enjoy serving on the Board. With nearly 30 years of professional sports experience I feel I have been able to contribute to the dialog regarding trends in the business, emerging technology, and best practices.

Favorite Event: Besides the games themselves, I love the Fiesta Bowl Parade.

Interesting Fact: I’ve attended National Championship games at the Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl ( both old and new stadiums), Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl.

S TA F F S P O T L I G H T: J A C K M E R T E S Staff Member Since: 2014

Position at Fiesta Bowl: Ticket Sales Manager

Responsibilites: Managing team of Ticket Sales Representatives, as well as selling all ticket products. I also make coffee for the staff every morning.

Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

Alma Mater: University of Illinois at Chicago

Favorite College Football Game: 2009 NJCAA National Championship. Blinn College vs.

Fort Scott Favorite Taylor Swift Song: All Too Well

F I E S TA B O W L C H A R I T I E S S P O T L I G H T Fiesta Bowl Charities donated the game field from the 29th Annual Cactus Bowl to the Laveen Elementary School District as the newest addition to the David Glasser Athletic Complex. The inaugural Day of Pay hosted children from Laveen Elementary to officially break in the field with a ribbon cutting ceremony and flag football game. As part of a $200,000 Fiesta Bowl Charities Legacy Project, the donation includes 70,000 square feet of grass plus a custom Fiesta Bowl Charites Scoreboard. Over 1,000 children and families are expected to utilize and benefit from the new field every year.

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