ESPN Wide World of Sports

WDWNT on October 8, 2008

We finally know the name, Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex will be becoming the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Here is a press release regarding the Walt Disney World sporting complex:
 

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – With the sports tourism industry expanding by $200 million last year, Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex outlined plans to further grow its business and bring new visitors to Central Florida.

The strategy includes plans to expand facilities, enhance existing events, diversify the Complex’s events portfolio and create more one-of-a-kind, immersive sports experiences that only Disney can provide.

Expansion plans for the complex reflect a nationwide trend in which more youth are participating in sports and are willing to travel longer distances for competition. Last year in the United States, the sports tourism industry grew from $700 million to $900 million, with an overall economic impact of $6.1 billion.

“Our goal is to be recognized as the pre-eminent multi-sports venue for amateur and professional sports and create events that benefit guests, the community and business,” said Ken Potrock, senior vice president of Disney Sports Enterprises.  “Each year, Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex draws more than a million spectators who might not otherwise visit Central Florida, resulting in a significant economic benefit to our region.”

At the center of the complex’s growth strategy are plans announced earlier this year to re-brand Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex as ESPN Wide World of Sports, aligning the world’s No. 1 family vacation destination with the worldwide leader in sports.

“Through the collaboration of two powerful brands we will be able to help make the ultimate sports dreams come true for young athletes and further establish the Wide World of Sports Complex as the place to compete and watch sports,” said Potrock.  “Athletes will be able to compete and train on world-class fields and courts and be immersed in an experience that only Disney and ESPN can provide.’

Creative teams are still in the early stages of working together to bring this experience to life. Initial concepts involve incorporating many signature elements of ESPN, such as sports programming, sports events, breaking news, on-air talent and sports celebrities to complement the event management and renowned hospitality already evident at the Sports Complex.

As part of this commitment to growth, Potrock announced that Disney Sports and ESPNare creating a week-long, multi-sport event planned for July 2009 that will feature some of the top high school athletes in the country.  The ESPN RISE Sports Festival, scheduled for July 18 to 25, will involve more than 2,000 young athletes, many of whom are among the most heavily recruited in the nation, competing in six sports – softball, baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse and track & field – at the Wide World of Sports Complex.  The competition will be televised live on ESPNU and other ESPN Web outlets. 

This growing demand in sports tourism has prompted expansion plans throughout the Sports Complex, including several announcements this year.

  • Earlier this summer, the sports complex opened Jostens Center, a new state-of-the-art field house that will enable Disney to accommodate twice as many indoor sports events each year such as basketball, volleyball, wrestling, cheerleading as well as other competitions.
  • In June, the complex announced plans to partner with Osceola County and the Central Florida Sports Commission to bring 13 United States Bowling Congress tournaments to Osceola County – each of which could bring 70,000 to 85,000 athletes and spectators to Central Florida.  As part of this agreement, Disney will make land available for a new 100-lane bowling center that is large enough to accommodate the tournaments.
  • In December 2007, the sports complex debuted additional outdoor playing fields for football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey competitions.

    • Each year, the Disney sports complex stages more than 180 events.  Since its inception, the complex has hosted athletes from more than 70 countries involved in more than 50 different sports.  “A majority of the athletes and spectators who compete in a Disney sports event are first-time visitors to Disney,” said Potrock.  “In fact, roughly 85 percent of these guests would not have come to Disney if it weren’t for an event at our sports complex, and many of them, particularly coaches, are repeat visitors.”

    For example, one of the largest events is the Walt Disney World Marathon, which draws nearly 80,000 runners and spectators to Central Florida annually, making the event the largest sports event in Central Florida and on-par with some of the area’s largest conventions.  In addition, an overwhelming majority – nearly 90 percent of Marathon and Half-Marathon participants – travel from outside of CentralFlorida, which has an economic ripple on area hotels, restaurants, retailers and more.

    Since Disney opened the sports complex in 1997, nearly 2 million athletes and enthusiasts have competed at the venue including many of the biggest names in amateur and professional sports, such as Tiger Woods, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Mia Hamm, Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, Serena Williams, Shaquille O’Neal and Pete Sampras, among others.

    The Wide World of Sports also hosts the Atlanta Braves spring training season, a Tampa Bay Rays regular-season series, the Major League Baseball Draft, the NBA Pre-Draft Camp, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp, Chelsea Football Club-sponsored events, the Pop Warner Super Bowl, Amateur Athletic Union National Championships, Varsity All-Star Cheerleading competitions and USSSA events. ESPN televised 20 sporting events from the complex in the last year. Walt Disney World Resort and ESPN also annually work together to host the popular ESPN The Weekend event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

    She Wants Her Mullet Back

    WDWNT on October 8, 2008

    Here’s a video from yesterday morning’s Good Morning America highlighting Miley Cyrus’ Sweet 16 event:

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on4Qs6M9790[/youtube]

    All I can say is put the Princesses back on those Fantasmic barges!

    MiceAge Disneyland Update

    WDWNT on October 8, 2008

    A treat I look forward to every other month is a Disneyland Update from MiceAge‘s Al Lutz. Al knows his stuff very well, & the articles always feature interesting information that usually comes to pass. Let’s take a look through some of the things spoken about in today’s update:

    • DCA’s upcoming re-do has been split in to 4 phases of sorts. Here’s how the phases pan out:

      World of Color, Paradise Pier       makeover, completed spring 2010
      Main Entrance       makeover, Red Car trolley, initial Hollywood work, completed mid 2011
      Little Mermaid       pavilion and E-Ticket attraction, completed late 2011
      Cars Land       attractions, shops, restaurants, completed mid 2012

      Al says that the current financial crisis in this country shouldn’t have any affect on DCA’s re-do. The first phase will actually start in just 2 weeks, with the closing of the Sun Wheel. Around Thanksgiving, the Paradise Pier lagoon will be drained in preparation for the World of Color nighttime show.

    • Plans just keep expanding for The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Adventure. This attraction is going to be so extravagant, that Ariel’s hair will actually be a seperate animatronic from Ariel herself, due to her hair flowing, as we are supposed to be “Under the Sea”. The various Ariel animatronics in the attraction are said to be some of the most sosphicated ever produced by WDI.
    • While it’s too much to explain in a short recap, Al does have a complete listing of what you will be able to find in the Blue Sky Cellar once it officially opens on October 20th. Check the second page of the linked article for that.
    • Get ready for the controversy to start. The Disney characters & the American scene (this scene replaces the old Rainforest scene before the Grand Finale scene)have both been installed in It’s a Small World. But don’t expect to see them when the attraction re-opens as It’s a Small World Holiday on November 21st. For they will both be hidden from view until the original version of the attraction debuts sometime in February (yes, there will be a 1 month long refurbishment in January, beginning January 5th).
    • Sometime this winter, all 3 Mark VII Monorails will go under the knife to fix the horrible problems that they are currently faced with. The windows will be completely ripped out, & replaced with windows like those seen on the Mark V’s.
    • An idea being thrown around for next year’s What Will You Celebrate? campaign is to “plus” a couple of attractions in the Resort, with some Celebration themed things. One such idea is for some new elements added to the Many Adventure of Winnie the Pooh attraction, with similar decor around Critter Country.

    There’s plenty more to be found in this article, including Disney possibly buying both the Anaheim GardenWalk & SeaWorld San Diego (of all places). Be sure to check it out.

    “Make it Blue?” and Other News From WDW

    WDWNT on October 7, 2008

    Here is a collection of news stories now making the rounds regarding the Walt Disney World Resort:

    -Those famous toy guns that have been sold in Adventureland and Frontierland at the Magic Kingdom since opening day back in 1971 will be going through a rather large appearance change soon. Those guns that you probably either own or have seen a small boy walking around with in the parks are going to be turning a bright blue over the next few months, so they won’t be easily mistaken for real firearms. This change is actually coming much later than expected, with laws already passed in most states that require toy guns to be brightly colored. Should be interesting to see how sales of these guns hold up after the change.

    -The Walt Disney World Monorail spiel has already been altered to mention the Bay Lake Tower addition to Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The change took place last week, only days after the official announcement of the project.

    -The 2009 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival will be running from March 18 through May 31 next year, a few days shorter than last year. Here is the official press release for the 2009 edition:

    An elaborate “Cinderellabration” topiary featuring four Disney princesses dressed in “blooming” finery will set the scene for the 16th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival March 18-May 31.

    Cinderella and Prince Charming, Snow White and the seven dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip, and Belle and Beast from “Beauty and the Beast” will debut as the grand front-entrance topiary during the 75-day festival.  Princess Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” also will greet guests by the front-entrance fountain.

    And that’s just the beginning. More than 70 topiaries in all showcasing the extraordinary craftsmanship of Disney gardeners will dot the park landscape.  Sweeping floral beds and exhibits will feature 30 million blooms.  The art of bonsai will “wow” guests at the Japan showcase, and a large “green” garden between France and Morocco pavilions will reveal the many ways home gardeners can “go green” with their own landscapes.

    Festival highlights also will include:

  • Disney Gardening at Home presentations: Disney horticulturists share gardening tips and lead guests in a hands-on, take-home activity.
  • The Great American Gardeners series: Gardening celebrities and authors from across the country will share their gardening secrets.
  • The Garden Town festival center: Guests can shop for festival merchandise, attend speaker presentations and demonstrations and ask gardening questions of the experts.
  • The family-oriented Growing Future Gardeners: A garden of delight where kids and parents can get colorful (and tasty) planting ideas.
  • Kids’ activities and character meet-and-greets.
  • Flower Power concerts: Popular bands rock the open-air America Gardens Theatre every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m.  The concert lineup is slated to include Davy Jones, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Jose Feliciano and other top acts.

    • The Lounge at the Golden Vine Winery

    WDWNT on October 7, 2008

    In a unexpected turn of events, a new dining concept, The Lounge at the Golden Vine Winery, recently opened replacing the Vineyard Room. This new lounge serves only a selection of wine & apetizers to guests. It opens daily at noon.

    We will have more information, including pictures & The Lounge’s menu soon, so stay tuned…

    Bolting Up the Parade Route

    WDWNT on October 7, 2008

    An parade audition is being held tonight, which calls for the following:

    Disney Entertainment Productions is seeking energetic males and females to perform roles in a brand new Parade experience inspired by Walt Disney Pictures’ Bolt. Be prepared to learn a movement combination.

    Especially seeking performers with experience working with Tall Flags. These performers should bring their own rehearsal flags if possible.

    This audition confirms that there will be a pre-parade to Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams for the upcoming animated movie Bolt. I don’t quite know what to make of it yet, but as stated above, tall flags will be involved.

    More Miley Coverage

    WDWNT on October 6, 2008

    The amazing Around Disney blog over at the OC Register has put up some great coverage from Miley Cyrus’ Sweet 16 event yesterday. There’s way to many posts to even think of quoting here, so I’m just going to link you over to them all:

    LIVE COVERAGE: Miley Cyrus’ Disneyland Birthday
    Miley Cyrus’ Sweet 16: At The Press Station
    Sheesh. The Purple Carpet Is Hetic
    Cyrus’ Famous Pals Plan for Fun
    Was It Worth the Dough? The Tweens Think So
    Miley Cyrus Too Expensive? The Jury’s Still Out

    There are also a bunch of photos from the event, including Miley’s performance on the River of America, stars parading up the purple capret, & much more. The guys over at Around Disney have also put up a short video that has interviews with some of the stars & guests that attended the event.

    Miley performing along the Rivers of America.

    Brady MacDonald over at the LA Times Travel Blog also attended the event, & post this roundup:

    Miley Cyrus celebrated her Sweet 16 at Disneyland on Sunday with a jam-packed schedule that would take 10 years off the life of any mere mortal. (View a photo gallery from the party.)

    In the space of 12 hours, the “Hannah Montana” star:

    • Sat down for a one-on-one interview with “Good Morning America” at the Anaheim theme park.
    • Hopped on the Indiana Jones Adventure ride with some kids from her favorite charity. (Later she presented them with a check from Disney for $1 million.)
    • Filmed a segment with the Food Network.
    • Met with international media at Sleeping Beauty Castle.
    • Gave an exclusive interview to Extra television in the Disneyland Dream Suite.
    • Rode down the theme park’s parade route in a vintage automobile.
    • Raced through a gauntlet of media on the Purple Carpet (her favorite color).
    • Jumped on a floating stage on the Rivers of America to entertain 5,000 fans with a four-song set (“See You Again,” “Fly on the Wall,” “Breakout” and “Girls Night Out”).
    • Navigated a mob of screaming fans surrounded by a phalanx of security guards before taking refuge with her boyfriend in the Dream Suite.
    • Received a “Happy Birthday” serenade from her fans on Main Street U.S.A. followed by a “Best of Both Worlds” fireworks finale.
    • Spent another two hours after the park closed riding her favorite attractions with friends and family (her favorite: the Mad Tea Party teacups).

    “This is probably the coolest thing that has ever happened to me in my life,” said Cyrus, without breaking a sweat.

    And when the evening was over, what was she most excited about? The puppy her parents got her for her birthday.

    New WDWNT Podcast and Videocasts Now Available

    WDWNT on October 6, 2008

    We are happy to inform you that you can now download episode 62 of the WDW News Today Podcast, as well as WDWNT Videocast episodes 14 & 15 recorded by Jose Eber. We are happy to have Jose back after his well-deserved summer away from the site and hope you will enjoy his newest videos.

    On WDWNT Videocast Episode 14:

    Jose Eber is back!!! To mark his return after a long summer off, Jose brings us to Disney’s Contemporary Resort to see the transformation of the hotel and the construction of the all-new Bay Lake Tower coming in the fall of 2009.

    On WDWNT Videocast Episode 15:

    Jose Eber brings us to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort to see the hotels newest addition, a pirate themed pool area at Old Port Royale. The new pool area matches the “Pirates of the Caribbean” themed rooms coming to the resort in 2009.

    On WDWNT Episode 62:

    Join me, Tom Corless, and a cast including Justin Heyman, Jason Diffendal, Jose Castillo, Kyle Duffield, Luke Manning, Lee Scott, Adam Roth, and Jackie Steele for a show that Bridges the Gaps Between You and the World. I hope you enjoy all of the Walt Disney World information and fun we have to offer on this “I’m back from Walt Disney World” edition of the WDW News Today Podcast.

    To kick off episode 62, we have all Walt Disney World news and rumors from the last week to discuss. This time around, we’ll be telling you about where you can pick up some 1970’s Magic Kingdom merchandise, just how good the newly refurbished Nine Dragons restaurant at Epcot is, and the future of the ABC Super Soap Weekend at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

    After that, we’ll have a special round-table discussion re-capping WDWCelebration’s World Wide Weekend event that just wrapped up at Walt Disney World. I’m joined by the rest of the team for what we hope you will find an entertaining and informing discussion. We’ll also give you a hint as to what’s next for the group in 2009.

    To subscribe to the WDW News Today podcast on Itunes, go to this link. If you do not have Itunes, visit our Podcast Download Directory to download or listen to all of our shows

    This episode is also available in an enhanced version. An enhanced podcast is a podcast with added features that standard podcasts don’t have. Enhanced podcasts include many features like Chapter listings, this lets you skip through chapters or see what is in store for this weeks show. Enhanced podcasts also have images to let you differ the chapters by. Enhanced podcasts have one negative feature, you can not play them on most MP3 players. The file format for this is a .m4a which can play on Apple’s iPod and Microsoft’s Zune. You will also need iTunes or Windows Media Player to be able to skip through chapters. If you need or would like the standard edition, download the normal edition listed below this file both on Itunes and in our podcast directory.

    Miley’s Birthday Blast

    WDWNT on October 6, 2008

    ANAHEIM, Calif. – Fireworks sparkled in the night sky at Disneyland and more than 5,000 party guests sang “Happy Birthday” to Disney star Miley Cyrus Sunday at “Miley’s Sweet 16 – Share the Celebration,” a music-filled bash kicking off Disney’s “What Will You Celebrate?” invitation to guests of all ages.

    Miley, star of the wildly popular Disney Channel series Hannah Montana, celebrated her milestone birthday with family, friends, fans and special guests from Youth Service America, an organization that shares her passion for promoting youth volunteerism.

    In one of the evening’s big highlights, Disney CEO Bob Iger presented a special gift of $1 million to Youth Service America on behalf of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Disney has worked with YSA since 2004, providing “Disney Minnie Grants” to support youth-led community service projects that engage young people between the ages of five to 14 from around the world.

    “On behalf of everyone at Disney, I’m happy to wish Miley a very happy birthday and celebrate this special occasion with a donation to Youth Service America,” Iger said. “We’re delighted to have Miley join in Disney’s great legacy of giving back through volunteerism while encouraging kids everywhere to do the same.”

    Miley arrived at the Disneyland bash on a purple carpet (her favorite color), joined by her family, pals and fellow Disney Channel stars.

    “I always love coming to Disneyland and this is the most amazing Sweet 16 celebration a girl could ask for,” Miley said. “This is a night I’ll never forget.”

    Guests of the “Sweet 16” party celebrated like rock stars alongside Miley and other celebrities, including actress Jennifer Love Hewitt, actor Steve Carell, super model Cindy Crawford and “Dancing with the Stars” performers such as Cristián De La Fuente. The party came to life for fans in a big way as the world’s most popular teenager rocked the Rivers of America, singing four of her popular songs, including “See You Again” and “Girls Night Out.” The Hollywood Records musical artist dazzled the crowd by boarding a floating stage to cross over to the banks of the river, getting up close with her fans as she sang.

    Miley also invited 10 “Service Stars” from Youth Service America to the party to honor their extraordinary volunteer service. They joined Miley and her fans for the fun in Disneyland park, riding favorite attractions such as Splash Mountain and Haunted Mansion, watching a “Stars in Cars” celebrity cavalcade, and playing at the party zones, including Rock Out Stage and Hannah Montana Makeover Zone.

    The gala ended with a spectacular farewell in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, featuring Miley, her father Billy Ray Cyrus and a beautiful birthday cake. Everyone posed for a commemorative photo and sang “Happy Birthday” and Miley thanked them for celebrating with her. Just as she blew out the candles, the sky lit up with a glitzy fireworks display set to the Hannah Montana smash hit, “Best of Both Worlds.”

    Jack Skellington Came Here From Halloween Town….

    WDWNT on October 6, 2008

    Former DLNT Podcast Cast Member Chuck Canzoneri was at the Disneyland Resort today & managed to catch a glimpse of the Jack Skellington & Sally meet ‘n greet characters in their premiere appearance as walk-around characters:

    Jack Skellington & Sally are scheduled to appear daily through Halloween. Of course, that information can change at any time.