Charlotte Sting To Host Olympian Send-off Night To Honor Dawn Staley
July 22, 2004 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Charlotte Sting News Release
The Charlotte Sting will host "Olympian Send-Off Night" for point guard Dawn Staley on Saturday, July 24 as they take on the Washington Mystics at the Charlotte Coliseum. The night will give fans the opportunity to honor Staley and wish her well as she embarks on her quest for a third gold medal. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 6 p.m. with doors opening at 5 p.m.
"Dawn Staley is one in a million. All that she has been able to accomplish is both amazing and inspiring," said Sting Vice President of Business Operations Kelly Chopus. "This send-off event will give our fans and the city of Charlotte a chance to congratulate Dawn and show our Olympic spirit."
The first 2,500 fans entering the game that evening will receive Sting baseball caps, courtesy of Bojangles. Halftime will feature The Hoop Wizard and fans will have an opportunity to send well wishes to Dawn by signing a special banner. It will then be combined with banners from the 12 other WNBA teams to create a unique, expansive send-off message for Team USA. The complete banner will be unveiled at WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Game at Radio City on August 5.
"Olympian Send-Off Night" will also feature special video highlights of Dawn Staley and appearances by several Olympic athletes with local ties including Dawn Ellerbe, Lisa Rohde and Robert Olesen. Ellerbe attended the University of South Carolina and finished seventh at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in the hammer throw. Rohde won a silver medal in the 1,000-meter quadruple sculls with coxswain rowing team event at the 1984 Olympics and currently practices medicine at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte. Olesen was a member of the 1998 United States bobsled team and helped the team to a seventh place finish in the two-man bobsled in Nagano, Japan.
For Staley, the 2004 Olympics will mark her third Olympic appearance. In 1996, she helped lead the United States Women's National Team to a historic 60-0 record which culminated in a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Staley continued to help lead the United States to success in international play as she earned gold medals at both the 1998 and 2002 World Championships. She added a second Olympic gold medal in 2000 in Sydney, Australia. Staley was named to the 2004 USA Basketball Senior Women's National Team on October 8, 2003.
The game is also the second annual Hometown Girls Night where the Sting will honor three of their players who have ties to the Carolinas. Allison Feaster (Chester, SC), Charlotte Smith-Taylor (Shelby, NC) and Andrea Stinson (Cornelius, NC) will each have their own special ticket section in the Charlotte Coliseum. Fans who wish to sit in these sections can purchase tickets for a discounted price and will be given the opportunity to win special prizes and autographed items throughout the game.
Tickets for the game can be purchased by calling 704-424-WNBA, online at ticketmaster.com, or at the Charlotte Coliseum box office. For more information on the Charlotte Sting, please visit www.charlottesting.com.
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- Charlotte Sting To Host Olympian Send-off Night To Honor Dawn Staley - Charlotte Sting
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