November 18/05 6:39 am - CAAWS Nominations for Most Influential Women in Sport, Gears `Cross, Women's Cycling Summit

Posted by Editoress on 11/18/05
 

Nominations open for 2005 Influential Women List
Courtesy CAAWS

Nominations are open for CAAWS 2005 Most Influential Women in Sport and Physical Activity. The List will reflect activity in 2005. Women previously named to the list may be nominated again. Nominate your choice if she is a powerful woman who is influencing sport and physical activity in this country, perhaps an athlete or an executive, a volunteer, a coach, or someone in the print or broadcast media. Nominations close November 30, 2005. To nominate online visit: www.caaws.ca


“Gear’s” Cross Coulson Hill Conservation Area, Bradford, Ontario
Courtesy Robyn Gear

Come and join us for the last cyclo-cross event of the 2005 season! Thanks to Chico Racing, East Side Mario’s and Louis Garneau for their support.

Sunday November 27th.

11:00am: Master BCD Men

11:01am: All Women & Peewee/Minime Riders

1:00pm: Senior Men & Master A Men

1:01pm: Junior/Cadet Men

Medals and prizes supplied by Louis Garneau and East Side Mario’s for all categories. Hot drinks and a special treat from East Side Mario’s will be supplied for all competitors.

Overall series awards will be conducted by the OCA. Riders must start Gear's Cross to be eligible for OCA Series Awards.

Registration will begin at 9am and close 30 minutes before each race. Please note that all riders must have a valid UCI license or an OCA Citizen Permit to participate. 1 day licenses will not be available. Entry fees are $20.00 ($15.00 for all U19 riders). Please bring OCA issued body numbers (arm and back) to the event.

Directions from Toronto

• Highway 400 north
• Hwy 88 East to 10th side road (left at first set of lights)
• 10th side road to 11the line (turn left)
• Coulson Hill is on the right approx 2km west of 10th SR
• Please park in the Town of Bradford-West Gwillimbury parking lot across the street (south side of 10th side road)


Sixth Yoplait Nouriche Women’s Cycling Summit: Conference Proceedings

Women and their supporters gathered in Las Vegas at the Interbike trade show in September for the sixth Yoplait Nouriche Women’s Cycling Summit. The fall 2005 Yoplait Nouriche Summit focused on a highly successful entry-level racing program and on how teams can give more value to their sponsors. The full proceedings can be found at www.WomenCyclists.com

Cycling Made Real – a grassroots program that works

Past Yoplait Nouriche Summits have identified Cycling Made Real as the country’s most successful program for recruiting novice women to bicycle racing. CMR helps make cycling more welcoming to women by organizing entry-level racing series using existing events. The first series was established in 1995 in Maryland and was an immediate success: women’s fields increased 5- to 10-fold. The demonstrated success of this series has helped CMR spread to new regions each year, with active programs currently running in six regions from California to New England.

Even with entry-level divisions, bicycle racing is still an intimidating sport. CMR has addressed these concerns by offering skills clinics to women at the start of each season. Riders learn the essentials of bicycle handling and what to expect when they race. But, even more importantly, they gain the self-confidence to line up in the first place.

The third crucial element of CMR is relentless communications. Racers and potential racers are contacted by direct mail and individual E mails by the series organizers. Race announcers promote the series at every event. Standings are posted on web sites. And word-of-mouth can spread like wildfire when women have positive experiences.

How Teams Can Provide Value to their Sponsors

The key to strong sponsorships is a team’s willingness to understand and aggressively promote their sponsors’ marketing goals. This topic was addressed by panelists Stephanie Scott (Jelly Belly Candy Company), Danny Van Haute (Jelly Belly Cycling), David LaPorte (Nature Valley Grand Prix) and Kristy Scrymgeour (CyclingNews.com)

Team sponsors can be effectively promoted by working with the promoters of big events to schedule athlete appearances, to arrange sampling opportunities and to work with the event’s media relations team. These strategies are far more effective then traditional options like logo placement on the team jersey.

The Jelly Belly Candy Company provided an excellent case study of the value that sponsorships can offer to a company. Many of their sponsorships focus on athletes who act as “brand ambassadors”. They are the face of the brand and their interactions with spectators at events build brand loyalty among a desirable target audience. These experiences help bring a brand to life in a way that traditional advertising cannot.

Sampling at bicycle races has been an integral part of the marketing plan behind the launch of Jelly Belly Candy Company’s new Sports Beans™. Sports Beans™ are formulated to provide energy and electrolyte replacement for endurance athletes. The endorsement of this new product by the Jelly Belly Pro Cycling Team helps communicate the brand’s message that these beans are an energy product, not candy.

Media exposure is also a key element of a successful sponsorship. Event promoters are usually in the best position to work with the media in their region, but they need support from the teams. Successful teams are ready to provide content such as rider bios, interesting personal angles and photos immediately upon request. Media opportunities are often fleeting, so a fast response can be crucial.

Teams and event promoters should also work directly with the national cycling media. Well-written reports that arrive quickly will frequently be used as-is and are a great opportunity for teams to promote their sponsors.

Above all, teams should work closely with their sponsors. Teams that support their sponsors’ marketing goals and keep in regular contact will create long-term partnerships. And longevity is one of the keys to racing success.


About the Yoplait Nouriche Women’s Cycling Summits: The Yoplait Summits, which are now sponsored by Yoplait Nouriche, provide forums for women and their supporters to discuss issues ranging from recreational cycling to elite racing. The first summit was held at the 2003 Great River Energy Bicycle Festival. Summits now take place twice annually at the Festival in June and at the Interbike trade show in the Fall.

In addition to sponsorship from Yoplait Nouriche, the Women’s Summit receives generous support from Interbike. As the world's largest bicycle trade event, Interbike is the focused forum for the global cycling community to launch new products, open new accounts, and establish partnerships.

For more information, visit www.WomenCyclists.com