GCI Relay And The United States Sports Academy Partner Again For 2014

ATLANTA - Oct. 28, 2013 - PRLog -- As a valued sponsor, the United States Sports Academy (USSA) helped GCI Relay make history in April 2013 as it launched the first ever cycling relay AND overnight running relay in the United States. At 263 miles, the course from New Orleans to Pensacola Beach is the longest relay in the South.

“We believe in the Academy’s sports education mission and purpose and are so excited about their involvement and enthusiasm for our event,” said GCI Race Director, Sarah Sadd. “This partnership is a win for all involved, especially our athletes!”

Expanding Role
The 2014 route will again pass through the Academy’s national campus in Daphne, Alabama, at Transition 24 (T-24), where approximately two-dozen volunteers will be on hand to support the athletes at a pivotal point in the course. USSA will also provide use of their parking lots and locker room facilities so athletes can sleep, shower, eat, and rejuvenate for a strong finish.

“Our employees that participated in hosting the transition grew closer as a team,” said USSA Operations Director, Matthew Cope. “I look forward to our expanded support role in April 2014.”

In addition to the campus stop, USSA will host T-25, T-26, T-27, T-28, and T-29. The Academy will also be responsible for marking all course legs and turns between USSA-sponsored transitions, and will host two promotional meet and greet events.

“As a runner who has completed 30 marathons, and as a representative of the United States Sports Academy, I am extremely excited to partner with the Gulf Coast Interstate Relay,” says Dr. Steve Butler, Dean of Academic Affairs, USSA. “We at the Academy believe we are the very best at what we do, Sports Education. It was apparent to us last year in the inaugural event that GCI Relay will soon be recognized as one of the very best events in the country. It seems an ideal partnership between two exceptional organizations that will only improve in the coming years as the event continues to grow.”

“Walk of Fame”
The bond between GCI Relay and USSA doesn’t end at the 2014 finish line. The Academy will be dedicating a brick to GCI Relay in their “Walk of Fame” area on campus. Each year, graduating USSA students are given a brick with their name, degree and hometown. Athletes of the Year are also given a brick, as are significant athletic events. GCI Relay will share in this esteemed tradition in the 2013 bricks with the likes of Jessica Ennis, Gold Medal winner in the 2012 London Olympic Heptathlon, John Harbaugh, the Baltimore Ravens head football coach, and Rosie Napravnik, the first female jockey to ride in all three races of the Triple Crown.

The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission Sports University created to serve the nation and the world with programs in instruction, research and service.  The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports.  They provide Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral programs, as well as continuing education.

Watch the Inaugural Event Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jMcfOEHC-w