News
March 13, 2007
KARCH KIRALY ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH CORONA
U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball Set for September 21-23
in Huntington Beach
Volleyball Legend Karch Kiraly Announces Unique Grassroots Event and Partnership with Corona Extra
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (March 13, 2007) --- With the number of beach
volleyball players around the country growing, volleyball legend and
three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Karch Kiraly today announced plans for
the U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball presented by Corona Extra, which will
be played Sept. 21-23, 2007 in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Sanctioned by USA Volleyball and produced by The Elevation Group, the
tournament is expected to draw more than 250 volleyball teams and
approximately 1,000 beach volleyball players in the first year.
Tournament play will take place in up to 15 different divisions,
including draws for men, women and co-ed two-person, four-person and
six-person teams. In addition there are plans for two divisions
of masters’ categories for both men and women with one division
for those players 37 and older and a second one for those 45 and older.
“For years I have wanted to establish an event that would bring
serious beach volleyball players together in Southern California, the
birthplace of the sport, and thanks to USA Volleyball and Corona Extra
that dream will become a reality this year,” Kiraly said.
“Just as we did in the old days, the event will showcase the many
faces of beach volleyball with men and women competing in two-person,
four-person and six-person teams. Our hope is that we will be
able to bring this great game to more people with a nationwide
grassroots approach.”
Throughout the remainder of the year, Kiraly will partner with Corona
Extra and Spalding to promote the U.S. Open qualification process and
tournaments, conduct clinics in key markets and provide other support
for the event.
"The unique lifestyle of beach volleyball lines up perfectly with the
brand image of Corona Extra,” said Timm Amundson, Vice President
of Marketing at Crown Imports, the exclusive U.S. importer for the
Corona brand. “We are thrilled to be part of this
grassroots initiative to grow beach volleyball in this country and we
look forward to working with Karch Kiraly, USA Volleyball and The
Elevation Group to provide competitive beach volleyball opportunities
to volleyball players, fans and enthusiasts in markets across the
country.”
Qualification tournaments will take place throughout the summer in
numerous markets across the country. Winners in each division at
each official qualification event will earn a guaranteed berth in the
U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball. The schedule for the qualification dates
will be released in the coming weeks.
“Our primary goal is to grow volleyball at all levels all across
the country,” said Doug Beal, CEO of USA Volleyball.
“We have dedicated funding and resources to showcase beach
volleyball, especially at the grassroots level. We believe
strongly that to upgrade our programs and events, we must partner with
those organizations which have a strong desire to see our sport
grow.”
For more information on the upcoming U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball presented by Corona Extra, visit www.usopenbeachvolleyball.com or www.usavolleyball.org.
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Media Contact: Tip Nunn – 303.526.0994 – Tipnunn@comcast.net
About USA Volleyball
USA Volleyball is the national governing body for beach and indoor
volleyball in the United States. USAV is a member organization of the
Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) and the U.S. Olympic
Committee (USOC). For more information on this and other stories
related to beach volleyball, please contact media relations and
publications manager B.J. Hoeptner Evans at 719-228-6800 or at
BJ.Evans@USAV.org. USA Volleyball’s web site is www.USAVolleyball.org.
About Crown Imports
Crown Imports LLC is a joint venture that imports, distributes and
markets the Modelo portfolio and other fine beer brands across the
entire U.S. The Modelo portfolio includes Corona Extra, the #1
imported beer in the U.S. and #6 beer overall, Corona Light, Modelo
Especial, Negra Modelo and Pacifico beer brands. For more
information, visit www.crownimportsllc.com.
Crown Imports is a 50-50 joint venture between Grupo Modelo, S.A. de
C.V. (MX: GMODELOC), Mexico’s leading company in the brewing,
distribution and sale of beer, and Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:
STZ, ASX: CBR), a leading international beverage alcohol producer,
importer and marketer.
About The Elevation Group
The Elevation Group is an Event Production, Sponsorship Planning and Mobile Marketing organization. Elevation’s four business units are: Sports, Auto Racing, Music & Entertainment and Brand Marketing. The firm, founded in November 2002, operates offices in Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit and Los Angeles. Prior to forming Elevation, the senior management team held management and officer positions at IMG and Clear Channel Entertainment. Business partnerships and affiliations include Dick Clark Productions and Mosaic Media Group. For more information please log onto www.elevationgrp.com.