GCT Foundation to sponsor Freedom All-Star Classic
Annual basketball exhibition slated for April
By Brad Milner
News Herald Writer
747-5065 / bmilner@pcnh.com
PANAMA CITY
The Gulf Coast Triathlon Foundation has become tournament sponsor for
the fourth-annual Freedom All-Star Classic high school basketball
showcase.
The GCT Foundation pledged $5,000 to the event, which brings together
some of the best high school senior boys and girls basketball players in
the Panhandle. In doing so, the foundation became the first major
sponsor for the Freedom Classic held at Billy Harrison Field House on
the campus of Gulf Coast Community College.
The 2008 Freedom Classic will be held in April.
The one-day basketball exhibition has grown both in scope and spectator
attendance since its creation in 2005. The announcement of a tournament
sponsor reflects a commitment of the newspapers that conceived the event
to increase its exposure.
The News Herald in Panama City and the Northwest Florida Daily News in
Fort Walton Beach both are owned by Freedom Communications Inc.
"We didn't have to do a lot of convincing to make this happen,"
GCT Foundation board member Kevin Porter said. "This goes back to our
affinity for helping youth sports, and this was really a no-brainer."
Sponsorship of the Freedom Classic also helps the GCT Foundation dispel
any negative perceptions that might be attached to the annual triathlon,
Porter said, which will be held for the 26th consecutive year in May.
"A lot of people associate it with a traffic jam, and we're more
than that," Porter said. "Unless you've been a participant or
volunteered, you won't know how it has helped the community."
Porter said the GCT is a triathlon that isn't all about the bottom
line. Many other triathlons are guilty of being solely money-making
machines, where costs are minimized to increase revenue.
The GCT, which has maintained lower entry fees compared to most
triathlons its size, takes care of its costs first and then disperses
money to various groups and organizations each year. The goal is to give
back tens of thousands of dollars to the community, said Porter, who
also is an assistant managing editor at The News Herald.
Past benefactors have included the Bay County Sheriff's Office Youth
Ranch, Panama City Marine Institute, local swimming clubs and youth
football teams.
Partnering with the Freedom Classic is the first step in targeting new
demographics for the GCT Foundation, Porter said. Becoming tournament
sponsor gives the organization greater reach with print, television,
radio and Internet advertising campaigns, and promotional spots on the
horizon.
"Communication is one of the areas we've been lacking, but we're
working on it and this will help," Porter said. "This will show
people we're more than a race and show we're committed to investing
in the future of children.
"We run the gamut of support for sports. All athletics instill a
sense of values and discipline that bleeds over into the rest of your
life, and we want to be a part of that."
The Freedom Classic is seeking additional sponsors at various levels of
participation ranging from $250 to $2,500. Any business or organization
interested in sponsoring the Freedom Classic can contact News Herald
Marketing Director Vickie Gainer at (850) 747-5009.
Porter said the GCT Foundation is set to enhance its Web capabilities
in the coming weeks. Anyone interested in become involved in the race or
wishing to send in a donation request is asked to log on to
gulfcoasttri.com in the near future for more information