Where Your Dreams Become Reality
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Where Your Dreams Become Reality |
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Visa Championship Series Bonuses Increase Drastically INDIANAPOLIS - Providing the largest first-prize cash award ever offered for a USA Track & Field championship event, the Visa Championship Series bonus pool of prize money will see a more than sixfold increase for the 2006 outdoor campaign. A total of $320,000 will go to the top male and female athletes of the Visa Championship Series, USA Track & Field announced Thursday. The cash bonus for the top individual male and female performer of the Visa Championship Series - the overall Visa Champions - is increased to $100,000 each, and for the first time, the second-through-fifth-best individual performers also will receive cash bonuses. Second will receive $30,000, with third pocketing $15,000, fourth $10,000 and fifth $5,000. Visa Champions will be crowned at the AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 21-25 in Indianapolis. The vastly increased prize pool provides even more motivation for American athletes to be at their best on the Visa Championship Series, which helps provide financial and other support for athletes as they pursue their Olympic dreams. It also adds to the excitement of the race to be crowned Visa Champion, with both athletes and fans following along each week to determine who the top performers will be. "To have that much on the line is just amazing," said 2005 Visa Champion Sanya Richards, the world's #1-ranked 400-meter runner. "Last year, I kept a very close watch over the standings and knew exactly what I needed to do to win The Visa Championship and that $25,000 bonus. Having $100,000 to go after makes the Visa Championship Series even more important this year, especially as athletes like me keep training with our eyes on the 2008 Olympic Games." Combined with $420,000 in prize money at the AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, and prize money and other support during the course of the other 2006 Visa Championship Series events (adidas Track Classic, Nike Prefontaine Classic, Reebok Grand Prix), more than $2 million will go to U.S. athletes during the 2006 outdoor season. "It is very important to USA Track & Field and to Visa that the Visa Championship Series has the greatest possible positive impact on athletes and their journeys to Beijing," said USATF CEO Craig A. Masback. "The $50,000 in bonus money for last year's Visa Championship Series got athletes highly motivated. The $320,000 of bonus pool money takes the 2006 Visa Championship Series to a new level. USA Track & Field and Visa are pleased to provide the funding for this successful program." How it works The top American male finisher and top American female finisher in each event of the Visa Championship Series, including the AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, will have their performances assigned a point total based on the IAAF Scoring Tables of Athletics. The athlete whose single-best performance has the highest point total at the end of the Visa Championship Series will be named the Visa Champion. Although the top performance can come at any of the Visa Championship Series meets, an athlete must win his or her event at the AT&T USA Outdoor Championships in order to be named Visa Champion and receive bonus-pool monies.For complete rules, visit www.visachampionshipseries.com. Fans get involved The 2006 Visa Championship Series also features an exciting Visa Championship Series Consumer Promotion that allows followers of The World's # 1 Track & Field Team to get in on the action like never before. Each week, fans can log onto www.visachampionshipseries.com to pick the athletes - male and female - they think will be leading the Visa Championship Series after each meet. Correct predictions will be eligible to win a weekly prize of a $250 Visa gift card and a Nike/USATF gift bag, and a grand prize of $5,000 is awarded for correct predictions of the overall Visa Champions. The Visa Championship Series enters its second year as USA Track & Field and Visa prepare for the road to Beijing. Visa's involvement in USATF elite athlete development continues Visa's long-standing commitment to helping USATF develop the country's preeminent track and field athletes. At the same time, it helps Visa engage its Member financial institutions and merchant partners to build their business in Olympic-related marketing activities and events between Olympic Games. For more information on the Visa Championship Series, including complete rules, visit www.visachampionshipseries.com
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Cross Country Spikes 10% off Injured?
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