Sports
Since Norfolk contains the central business district of Hampton Roads, most of the major spectator sports are located there. While the Hampton Roads area has been recently considered as a viable prospect for major-league professional sports, and regional leaders have attempted to obtain Major League Baseball, NBA and NHL franchises in the recent past, no team has yet relocated to the area. Virginia Beach is the 3rd largest metropolitan area in the United States without a club in a major professional sports league, after Las Vegas, NV and the Hartford, CT – Springfield, MA metropolitan areas.
The Norfolk Admirals won the AHL Calder Cup in 2012.
The Virginia Destroyers, a UFL franchise, play at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex. There are two soccer teams, the Hampton Roads Piranhas, a men's team in the USL Premier Development League, and a women's team by the same name in the W-League. The Piranhas play at the main stadium of the Virginia Wesleyan College. The Virginia Beach Sportsplex contains the central training site for the U.S. women's national field hockey team.
The city is also home to the East Coast Surfing Championships, an annual contest of more than 100 of the world's top professional surfers and an estimated 400 amateur surfers. This is North America's oldest surfing contest, and features combined cash prizes of $40,000.
There are also eleven golf courses open to the public in the city, as well as four country club layouts and 36 military holes at NAS Oceana's Aeropines course. Among the best-known public courses are Hell's Point Golf Club and Virginia Beach National, the latter of which hosts the Virginia Beach Open, a Nationwide Tour event, each April.
The North American Sand Soccer Championship is held once a year at the beach. The tournament includes the Pro/Am competition, which brings teams from all over the world to compete in the tournament.
Virginia Beach is also home of a large Beach Volleyball following, both local and from out of town. Several local organizations and companies such as Tidewater Volleyball Association and Volleyball Virginia support competitive play from Pros to Amateurs alike. Affiliations with the AVP Tour, EVP Tour, Pro Beach East, and the Spalding Corona Wide Open have driven tourism by hosting Pro and Semi-Pro Beach Tournaments.
Virginia Beach is host to a Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon each year on Labor Day weekend in conjunction with the American Music Festival. It is one of the largest Half Marathons in the world. The final 3 miles (4.8 km) are on the boardwalk.
The Pro Footvolley Tour, presented by Bud Light Lime, also has an annual event in Virginia Beach. With great local athletes and significant interest from the soccer/beach volleyball communities; Virginia Beach is a natural host for the annual event held at 31st and the Oceanfront. The top athletes in the US and International teams converge in Virginia Beach for the event.
Since 2007, Virginia Beach has hosted WaveDaze, an International PWC (Jet Ski) festival. Some of world's best Moto-Surf riders travel here to participate in the event performing several stunt exhibitions.
In August 2012 it was announced that Virginia Beach was one of several cities trying to lure the Sacramento Kings to play there.
Read more about this topic: Virginia Beach
Famous quotes containing the word sports:
“It is usual for a Man who loves Country Sports to preserve the Game in his own Grounds, and divert himself upon those that belong to his Neighbour.”
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719)
“Come, my Celia, let us prove
While we may the sports of love;
Time will not be ours forever,
He at length our good will sever.”
—Ben Jonson (1572–1637)
“It was so hard to pry this door open, and if I mess up I know the people behind me are going to have it that much harder. Because then there’s living proof. They can sit around and say, “See? It doesn’t work.” I don’t want to be their living proof.”
—Gayle Gardner, U.S. sports reporter. As quoted in Sports Illustrated, p. 87 (June 17, 1991)