Oct/Nov/Dec - 4th Quarter
Upcoming Events

2008

  • Mar. 1 - US Airborne Gymnastic Invitational
  • Mar. 7 - Shootout Hockey Big Bear Tournament
  • Mar. 8 - MHSAA Competitive Cheer Finals
  • Apr. 19 - Great Lakes Lacrosse Classic
  • May 4 - Nat'l Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions
  • May 31 - MJVBA State Championships
  • May 31 - MHSAA Track & Field Finals

2009

  • Mar. 11 - ACHA DII Nat'l Championships

Volunteer Opportunities
Events We're Bidding
  • 2008 AAU Beach Volleyball
  • 2008 USA Volleyball World League
  • 2008 AAU Nat'l Softball Tournament
  • 2009 Road Runners Club of America
  • 2009 North American Society for Sport Mgt.
  • 2010 US Fencing DII/DIII/Cadet
  • 2012 US Fencing Summer National
New Team Players
  • Bob Bernecker
  • Butch Briggs
  • Blaine Brumels
  • Jim Buck
  • Daryl Delabbio
  • Brent Ewing
  • Al Koop
  • Michael Lindley
  • Terry Moore
  • Larry Oberst
  • Linda & Dave Odette
  • James Reed
  • Tom Renner
  • Mike Rocheleau
  • Jeff Schreur
  • Kevin Stotts
  • Dave Whitford
  • Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame
  • Heglund Institute of Tae Kwon Do
  • Pioneer Construction
  • Thornapple Valley Baseball League
  • Lake Michigan Credit Union
  • East Grand Rapids Public Schools
  • Greenville High School
  • Greater Grand Rapids USBC Association

Join the Team

Become a Volunteer
Staff

Mike Guswiler,
Executive Director

Eric Engelbarts II,
Events Manager

Natalie Rose,
Executive Assistant

Board of Directors
Mission
"...to promote Michigan's West Coast as the premier venue for hosting a diverse level of youth and amateur sporting events, enhancing the economy and quality of life in the region."
Executive Director's Corner
Mike Guswiler, Executive DirectorI am excited to be presenting our very first issue of "The Playbook" as the West Michigan Sports Commission's e-newsletter to our shareholders, team players, fans and supporters. We have accomplished a great deal as a start-up organization in our marketing and sales efforts along with our community outreach. The support from West Michigan continues to be outstanding as expected.

Many of our accomplishments are outlined in this e-newsletter and represent only the beginning of our potential to promote this region as the premier venue to host youth and amateur sporting events. From our Executive team to our extended Board of Directors and committed staff, we have set a course for success. Our inaugural kick-off luncheon provided an exciting launch towards our goals of impacting our local economy, enhancing our image and contributing to our great quality of life through sports tourism.

October provided an opportunity to spread our word by attending two industry conventions and tradeshows. The AAU National Convention held October 2-4 in Schaumburg, IL allowed me to meet with several national tournament directors resulting in interest by the AAU National Beach Volleyball and AAU Softball to consider our area for both regional and national events in 2008, along with interest in an existing bid to hold this same convention in Grand Rapids in 2010. The TEAMS conference held October 24-27 in Louisville, KY, is one of the industry's largest tradeshows pairing destinations with event rights holders as an opportunity to place and secure future events. This tradeshow resulted in more than 14 possible opportunities to host future events including: USA Volleyball, JAMFEST Cheer & Dance, AAU Martial Arts and others that are currently being followed up on.

Through your support and that of our local sports clubs, coaches and enthusiasts we will continue to create opportunities to host several events in our community. I look forward to continuing the communication of our successes through this e-newsletter and other means. As always, we welcome your contributions of potential events that we could host in West Michigan. Thank you for your continued support.

Until next time, GO TEAM!

Mike Guswiler
Executive Director