Behind the Banner - January 2023

THE NCAA, DALLAS

BEHIND THE BANNER WITH

LEAVES NO DOUBT

By Stephen Evans

There’s no doubt that the Dallas region features some of the best sport facilities in the country. There’s no doubt that Dallas boasts a championship event pedigree second to none. And there’s no doubt that Dallas knows how to throw a championship celebration.

So when the NCAA let it be known that it was accepting bids for its Men’s Final Four and Women’s Final Four events, Dallas had one mission – leave no doubt.

Mission accomplished!

Following strong local presentations to separate NCAA committees, the NCAA announced that the 2030 NCAA Men’s Final Four would be played at AT&T Stadium and the 2031 NCAA Women’s Final Four would be held at American Airlines Center.

This is going to be madness – March Madness.

North Texas is a hotbed of hoops nationally for both boys basketball and girls basketball at the

high school and grassroots levels. And on the world stage, Dallas is home to one of the world’s very best in NBA MVP candidate Luka Doncic.

Now we have back-to-back NCAA championship events to look forward to. That’s a slam dunk for Dallas.

“Dallas is proud and ready to stand on the world’s stage once again,” said Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson. “Dallas is not just the best city in the country for sports, it’s the place to be right now. Our hospitality, restaurants, and entertainment venues are first class and getting better every day, and our people are stronger than they’ve ever been.”

Getting the 2031 NCAA Women’s Final Four was special for the Dallas Sports Commission. The 2023 NCAA Women’s Final Four will also be in Dallas in March, and being able to earn the selection committee’s trust to host another event when Dallas already has one on the books that has yet to be played showed the faith it had in the local organizers.

“The reason why it’s so exciting to be awarded the 2031 Women’s Final Four while still preparing for 2023 is it means we are creating a legacy,” said Dayna Scherf, the Big 12’s Vice President of Competition and a member of the team that made Dallas’ pitch to the NCAA. “What we did in 2017 is part of that story, too. Our goal is to continue to evolve and elevate the game of women’s basketball each time we host and it’s wonderful to have the NCAA entrust us with such a premier event yet again.”

Added Dave Brown, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of American Airlines Center: “Securing the 2031 Women’s Final Four is another big win for the Dallas Sports Commission, Big 12 Conference, and the AAC. It validates our commitment to women’s basketball and the efforts we’ve made to take the championship to another level as host. Receiving the award for 2031 prior to hosting the 2023 gives us even more motivation to deliver a world class showcase for the championship.”

The NCAA Men’s Final Four was last here in 2014, and the attendance records for that event still stand. In fact, the 2014 NCAA Men’s Final Four was one of the most successful events in the history of North Texas, breaking event records for ticket sales, generating far-reaching buzz for its fan events, and engaging North Texans from elementary school on up in volunteer and community activities.

And while it took some time for the event to return to our region, that just makes the hosts even more aware that the 2030 NCAA Men’s Final Four must become the standard bearer for all future events.

“The Final Four returning to North Texas in 2030 is a huge win for our entire region”, said Chad Estis, the Dallas Cowboys EVP of Business Operations. “There are many benefits to hosting major events including economic impact, visibility for the region, and legacy projects. The unique experience we as hosts are able to provide visiting fans, studentathletes, and the partners of the NCAA will be at its best in 2030 with new and renovated facilities and infrastructure.”

The 2030 NCAA Men’s Final Four footprint will

stretch from a newly-renovated downtown Dallas to the ever-growing entertainment district in Arlington.

“We are ecstatic to land both events,” said Monica Paul, Executive Director of the Dallas Sports Commission. “We made fantastic presentations for both. The vision of the new state-of-the-art convention center district in downtown Dallas, along with similar entertainment and hotel expansions in Arlington, allowed us to show that we are continually growing and building an infrastructure that can allow us to make these events bigger and better.

“This is going to be a celebration of basketball, and by hosting both events, it’s going to be a 3-4 year cycle. It will be a synergistic approach that will allow us to show the passion that our region has for the sport.”

Leave no doubt. That’s what Dallas did, and it was handsomely rewarded. There’s a reason why Dallas’ sporting legacy is unmatched in North America. Dallas pulls off the impossible. Dallas makes sensational an understatement. And in 2030 and 2031, Dallas will deliver. There is no doubt!

Cheers for Years

75 years of the National Cheerleaders Association

By Alex Gilbert

Founded in 1948 by Lawrence “Herkie” Herkimer, the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) quickly became a monumental institution in the cheerleading world. Herkie launched NCA, intending to help cheerleaders become well-rounded leaders. NCA continues with that mission in mind to this day.

A history-making organization, NCA was the first to host a cheer camp for athletes to develop skills such as dancing, tumbling, jumping, and stunting. Since the first cheer camp in 1948, NCA has continued to host Summer Camps for athletes to learn new skills in an optimal and safe environment.

Eventually, the organization expanded to host competitions for school and All-Star teams. In addition, many small competitions take place throughout cheerleading seasons with the hopes

that their teams will qualify to move on to the national competitions.

High school cheerleading teams are known for their spirit-boosting cheers at football games, pep rallies, and the like. However, those school teams also have a competition season outside of their appearances at school events. Local and regional competitions take place around the US through the cheerleading competition season.

The culmination of the high school cheerleading season is the NCA High School Nationals, which takes place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas in January of each year. To qualify, all teams must complete a Squad Credentialing program through Varsity Spirit/NFHS. Teams must attend an NCA Summer or Fall camp or compete at

an NCA Regional or Classic Championship.

NCA High School Nationals has grown significantly over the past few years, with the 2023 event hosting 45 divisions.

The school teams combine stunts and tumbling to enhance their school crowd leading. All-Star cheerleading routines are performance based only and have more focus on intricate choreography performing on a gymnastics spring floor.

Like the high school season, the height of all-star competitions happens each year in February in Dallas for the NCA All-Star Nationals Championship. Ages for the All-Star Nationals range greatly, all the way from tiny and mini divisions all the way to open and international divisions.

NCA High School Nationals and NCA All-Star Nationals are two of the most well-regarded events the city of Dallas hosts annually. Cumulatively, the economic impact of the 2022 events was over $64M.

“ NCA is an essential part of the Dallas sports community,” said Monica Paul, Executive Director of the Dallas Sports Commission. “We are honored that they continue to partner with us year after year. It’s evident the impact that their events make, not only economically but also on the athletes’ development. We’re excited to continue seeing both national competitions’ growth through the coming years.”

"We couldn’t ask for a better partner than the City of Dallas to provide a memory-making experience for each and every athlete, coach, and parent coming to the NCA events," said Buffy Duhon, VP Business Projects & Brand Operations, VARSITY SPIRIT. "The city and the Dallas Sports Commission go out of their way to be creative and proactive as the events grow each year. We value our relationship and look forward to many years to come in the great city of Dallas. Everything is BIGGER is Texas!"

"My earliest memories of traveling for cheerleading competitions included coming to Dallas for NCA Nationals," said Justin Carrier, Vice President All Star Experience & NCA/NDA, VARSITY SPIRIT. "It’s awe-inspiring that so many years later we are able to provide the same opportunity to over 32,000 athletes across both our High School Nationals and All Star Nationals. "

Each year, athletes from around the US come together in Dallas to prove the work is worth it and to celebrate their success throughout the season. Cheerleading has developed into more than just the herkie jump, pom pom, and spirit stick. It’s an avenue for athletes to become a leader and positively impact communities.

Learn more about the NCA High School Nationals

Learn more about the NCA All-Star Nationals

the pros at home in

2023 NCAA Women’s Final Four

Last Call To Nominate Your Local Legend

The 2023 Legends and Legacy Community Award (formerly known as the Legacy Award) honors living legends who have committed their time, resources and influence to improve and invest in their local communities. The award acknowledges and celebrates their determination to making a difference.

upcoming events

TURNING A NEGATIVE INTO A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES

Buddy League. It’s a real-life Field of Dreams in Garland.

Over the past 20 years, Buddy League has served hundreds of children with special needs through the game of baseball, attracting families from all

over the Metroplex and providing opportunities for these special needs children to help develop active lifestyles, build social relationships, and learn the values of teamwork in an accepting, inclusive, and fun environment.

The need for such an organization came from an

experience Heather and Curt Miller had in the fall of 2002 with their son, Ben. When the local little league would no longer make accommodations for their son, Heather and Curt dreamed up the idea for Buddy League.

“Ultimately parents complained so much that we received phone calls that Ben could no longer play,” Heather said. “That call changed everything for our family.”

families from across the Metroplex have converged on Bradfield Park in Garland. Game play is as close to real as possible. Players swing for the fences, speed around the bases (either on foot with the assistance of their Buddies or in their wheelchairs), and put their medical needs aside, if just for an hour. If nothing else, Buddy League offers a sense of belonging to special needs kids who, like any other kids, thrive on being active, learning from sports, and being able to participate in activities with their peers.

So each Saturday during the Buddy League season, families congregate in the stands and cheer on all of the participating kids, not just their own.

“There are miracles every Saturday in Garland, Texas, on this baseball field,” Heather said. “Buddy League is a place where parents can watch their child round third base for the second time today when the doctor told them walking wasn’t going to be possible.”

So they founded Buddy League. What started with two, 5-player teams, Buddy League has grown to serving more than 750 players over the span of 20 years and attracting more than 10,000 volunteers to help make each Saturday during the league’s fall and spring seasons a memorable one.

“It is about baseball and giving kids the opportunity to be successful and to have a good time,” Heather continued. “I wanted the kids to be able to play in the dirt, get dirty, and be carefree. I wanted every child to score, every game to be tied – everybody wins. I wanted Buddy League to be for kids to be on the field instead of always watching from the outside. I wanted every child to have fun, feel accepted, and feel that they belong.”

During more than 200 Saturdays worth of games,

An important aspect of Buddy League is the inclusion of non-disabled peer Buddy volunteers. Each player is paired with a Buddy to assist them on the field and in the dugout, often 8-17 year-old young members of the community, just like the players.

This past fall marked 20 years for Buddy League, and it will soon begin the trek to 20 more. Like baseball throughout the state and the country, the 2023 spring season will soon begin, and it can’t get here quick enough for all of the players, their families, and the volunteers who make this special organization so successful.

To learn more about how you can contribute to Buddy League – whether you have a player who would like to participate or if you would like to become a volunteer or donate financially -- visit BuddyLeague.org to get involved.