CONTACT:
Sarah Caminker, Sports Travel Magazine, (310) 577-3700
sarah.caminker@schneiderpublishing.com
Scott Powers, Columbia regionial Sports Council, (803) 545-0009
spowers@columbiasportscouncil.com
Bill McMillan, Charlotte Regional Sports Commission, (704) 688-8519
bmcmillan@charlottesports.org

Columbia, SC - (August 22, 2008) SportsTravel magazine has announced that the 2007 ICF Junior Wildwater World Championships, hosted in Columbia, SC and Charlotte, NC, has been nominated for a 2008 SportsTravel Award. Events are nominated and then voted upon by readers of SportsTravel, the sports world's event magazine. Criteria for nomination and voting include superiororganization of and attendance at the event, a superior experience for the competitors and/or spectators at the event, and how the site or venue served to enhance the event. Final balloting is open through September 15, 2008. Winners will be announced at the TEAMS 2008 Conference & Expo, October

21-25, 2008, in Pittsburg.

Official ballots are available in the August and September issues of SportsTravel magazine. Readers may also find more information and vote online at www.SportsTravelMagazine.com. The ballot includes nominees in amateur, collegiate and professional categories. Awards in those three categories will be given for best single-sport event, best multi-sport or multi-discipline event, and best sports event series or circuit. Voters will also pick best new sports event and an overall Sports Event of the Year from among the nominated events.

"Since the location of the event is a major part of the criteria for being nominated, the people of the Carolinas should take great pride in knowing that an event held in their community is being recognized for its excellence," said Timothy Schneider, publisher of SportsTravel magazine, which organizes the TEAMS Conference & Expo. "SportsTravel readers are the leaders of the sports event," stated Schneider. "The SportsTravel Awards program is an opportunity for them to honor their peers and the cities that host sporting events for a job well done."

TEAMS and SportsTravel are owned by Schneider Publishing, the Los Angeles-based company that also publishes Association News magazine. The group travel markets served by Schneider Publishing generate 106 million room nights annually. For further information, please call toll-free 877.577.3700.

The Columbia Regional Sports Council is a non-profit organization committed to serving as the central clearinghouse for information regarding the sponsorship, promotion, and coordination of sporting events, facilities and associations in Columbia. If you would like additional information on the Columbia Regional Sports Council, please visit our website at http://www.columbiasportscouncil.com or contact Scott Powers at (803) 545-0009.