BorderWar Sports, organizers of the new BorderChallenge National XC Championship, has just announced the locations of six of the ten regional championship venues, as well as the national championship meet. As expected, the national championship meet will be held just outside of Orlando at the National Training Center (NTC) in Clermont, Florida on December 1, 2007.
Natives will tell you this venue is a break from the typical Florida course in that it is not a "pancake", but actually has some pretty intense hills to battle. The NTC has hosted other championship meets such as Florida regional meets and the NACAC Championship, but this will definitely be the largest cross country event to be held there yet.
The clear benefits of this location will be the easy access to the Florida Turnpike (and in turn the airport) and a hotel located on the premises. Clermont is famous nationwide for being a mecca for triathlons and triathletes, so while cross country is still new a relative newcomer to the city, it is certainly no stranger to athletics.
The Central Florida Sports commission have stepped to the plate as huge backers of the initiative to bring the national championship meet--and also the Gulf States Regional meet--to the location. John Saboor, CEO of the commission, said they "are excited to be working with Borderwar Sports in hosting (these meets) in Clermont, Florida. We expect both events will serve to not only create wonderful economic windfalls for our community, but more importantly help to further establish our region's reputation as one of the top sports and entertainment destinations both internationally and domestically. Our combination of year round warm weather, affordable accommodations, easily accessible airport and world renowned attractions will provide each competitor, spectator and official in attendance an unparalleled 'Experience around the Experience', second to no other."
In additional to the Orlando location, the following regional locations were announced as well:
EAST COAST
Gulf States (mentioned above) - November 17, 2007 at the NTC in Orlando (Clermont), Florida.
South Atlantic - November 17, 2007 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Mid-Atlantic - November 17, 2007 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
WEST COAST
Pacific - November 17, 2007 in Seattle, Washington.
Rocky Mountain - November 10, 2007 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Desert Highland - November 10, 2007 in Phoenix, Arizona.
The additional 4 region locations will be released on Tuesday, December 12, 2006. Due to California's unique schedule, its qualifying teams will be decided by the high school state championship meet.
If you would like more information about this topic, please call Aron Taylor, email admin@borderwarsports.com, or visit xcnation.com. More information about the NTC can be found at: usat-ntc.com.