Mascots from local and national sports teams will travel to US Airways Center Sunday, March 24 to celebrate The Gorilla’s birthday. The Phoenix Suns hosts the Brooklyn Nets at 6 p.m.
The night’s festivities include a birthday party for young Suns fans in the APS Gorilla’s Greenhouse, hosted by the club, and a variety of in-game activities, sponsored by Cold Stone Creamery.
At 4:45 pm, fans are invited to a special pre-game photograph session held in the Casino Arizona Pavilion where they can meet and mingle with various team mascots. Mascots expected to be in attendance include Rocky from the Denver Nuggets, Moondog from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Scorch from the Phoenix Mercury, Baxter from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Big Red from the Arizona Cardinals, Howler from the Phoenix Coyotes and Thunder from Grand Canyon University.
Following tip-off, the party will move to the APS Gorilla’s Greenhouse, where children can participate in fun crafts, play games and more. Children and their families are welcome to stop by and join in the fun through the end of the third quarter. Members of the “Gorilla Kids Club,” an exclusive Gorilla fan and activity club for Suns fans ages 2-12, will also receive a free Gorilla goody bag in the Greenhouse.
New members will receive a free ticket to an upcoming Phoenix Suns regular season home game, invitations throughout the season to “Gorilla Kids Club” events, official “Gorilla Gear” including a T-shirt, drawstring bag, lanyard and pencil, and more. Fans can register for the “Gorilla Kids Club” at sunsgorilla.com.
Single-game tickets are still available for the Suns-Nets game 800-4NBA-TIX or suns.com/tickets.
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The Phoenician Resort Park Tennis Center will host a free USTA March Tennis Fun Day event from 4 to 5pm Thursday, March 28. The center joins more than a thousand facilities across the U.S. that are hosting tennis festivals to showcase the fun and excitement of playing tennis and the benefits of involving children in the sport. The Phoenician is located at 6000 E. Camelback Rd. in Scottsdale.
Tennis Festivals welcome the whole family to play tennis at all skill levels. Parents and children are encouraged to participate and experience first-hand the way in which tennis is now sized right for their kids age and ability.
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. For more information about youth programs, visit youthtennis.com.
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The Phoenix Regional Sports Commission (PRSC) has named Katie Brown as its new president and executive director.
A Phoenix resident, Brown is a licensed attorney with more than a decade of diverse experience in athletic administration, with expertise in sports law, operations, fundraising and NCAA compliance. A native of Tucson, Brown was a three-sport varsity athlete at Catalina Foothills High School in track and field, basketball and tennis. She has been a PRSC board member for two years and for the last six months has served as secretary, general counsel and member of the executive board.
PRSC is a non-profit organization created in 1988 to enrich the community through sports. The commission collaborates with hundreds of partners to help fulfill this mission, bringing national and international sporting events to the state, assisting in the promotion of existing events and Arizona sports teams, and developing youth sports programs throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area. In 1999, it assumed oversight of the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2012, the Grand Canyon State Games. 602-258-6272 or phoenixsports.org.
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Ice packs don’t quite cut it for shin splints, elbow tendonitis, thigh pain and many other injuries, says Bob Davis at Strength of America in Mesa. “An ice massage is the key to helping them get back on track,” he says.
His suggestion: Fill a styrofoam cup with water then set it in the freezer. When needed, take the cup out and tear off the top half inch, then use it to rub on the area needed for 15-20 minutes.
“The pressure of the massage and the ice will help reduce the irritation faster than resting an ice pack on the area,” Davis says. “As a bonus, your hands won’t freeze from holding an ice cube! Be sure to put a towel under you so you don’t make a mess.”
Davis and his wife launched Strength of America in 1989 to build strength, speed, agility and self-esteem in athletes ages 9 to 17. Read Davis’s Top 7 Sports Training Tips.