Some of Washington’s powerhouse politicians, newsmen and other notables will vie for the Kastles Cup while raising money for a great cause during the fourth annual Washington Kastles Charity Classic this Wednesday, July 22 at the Smith Center, located on the George Washington University campus.
Members of Congress and the national media will join the five-time Mylan World TeamTennis champion Washington Kastles for this one-of-a-kind tennis event.
Democrats, Republicans and even the Kastles will be separated into Team Stars and Team Stripes for a series of fast-paced tiebreakers. The team with the most cumulative points at the end of the final tiebreaker will capture the Charity Classic championship.
The 2014 Charity Classic ended dramatically when Representative Charlie Dent (R-PA) rallied Team Stripes to a 47-46 comeback victory, earning MVP honors along the way. Representative Dent returns this year, joining his 2014 teammates Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL), ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, and former Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling.
Founded in 2008, the Kastles have made more than $1 million in charitable donations. The Charity Classic is an extension of those efforts with 100% of ticket proceeds benefiting Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), DC Public Education Fund, and Food & Friends. Fans can choose which organization to support when they make their ticket purchase.
“Our franchise’s founding mission has been to give back to the D.C. community, which makes the Charity Classic such a meaningful night,” said Kastles owner Mark Ein. “People who don’t agree on much can agree that tennis is the sport of a lifetime and a wonderful way to come together. Kastles players and fans are very much looking forward to this year’s event.”
Representing the Kastles at the Charity Classic are reigning Wimbledon and Australian Open mixed doubles champion Leander Paes, Top 25 doubles player Anastasia Rodionova, big-serving American star Sam Querrey, and head coach Murphy Jensen. They will be joined on the court by:
- Representative Joyce Beatty, D-OH
- Representative Cheri Bustos, D-IL
- Representative Charlie Dent, R-PA
- Representative Bob Dold, R-IL
- Representative Jared Huffman, D-CA
- Representative Bobby Scott, D-VA
- Representative Kevin Yoder, R-KS
- Senator Jeff Flake, R-AZ
- Senator Jeff Merkley, D-OR
- Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV
- Bret Baier, Fox News
- Mark Ein, Washington Kastles Owner
- John-Paul Flaim, The Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan
- Ed Henry, Fox News
- Jonathan Karl, ABC News
- Ben Olsen, DC United Head Coach
- Gene Sperling, Former Director of the National Economic Council
More Charity Classic players will be announced on WashingtonKastles.com as the match approaches.
All ticket proceeds go to charity and general admission tickets cost $10 through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.com, 202-397-7328). VIP dinner tables, boxes and seats start at $50 and can be purchased by calling 202-4-TENNIS (483-6647).
Kastles Stadium at the Smith Center is located at 600 22nd Street NW, three blocks from the Foggy Bottom-GWU stop on Metrorail’s blue, orange and silver lines. Parking is available for $10 at four George Washington University parking garages located within three blocks of the Smith Center.
The only triathlon held in Washington, DC is gearing up for its 10th annual event, and 15 triathletes have participated every year. Events DC Nation’s Triathlon To Benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will take place on Sunday, September 13, 2015. Triathletes can register at NationsTri.com, with opportunities to join one of the many races-within-a-race challenges—ranging from military to congressional challenges.
Celebrating and recognizing the community of survivors and supporters, the Susan G. Komen Foundation brings in multiplatinum singer/songwriter Matt Goss. Proceeds fund breast cancer research around the globe.
The 2015 Georgetown Gala, the annual Citizens Association of Georgetown (CAG) event that brings together over 400 residents, organizations, businesses, and politicos to celebrate Georgetown and CAG’s mission of historic preservation and improving the life of the community, will be held on Friday, October 23, at the swank Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown.
This year’s event, titled “Bar 1878: Georgetown After Dark” will highlight Georgetown’s unique combination of history, style and allure. The gala committee, chaired by Tricia Huntley, Leslie Maysak, and Jennifer Altemus, is planning a special evening that will include cocktails, a high end silent auction, an exceptional menu and live music from DC’s favorite BroadSide Sound band. CAG looks forward to dancing the night away with friends and neighbors — and celebrating this amazing city in which we live!
The high-end silent auction will include homes in Paris, Aspen, and Nantucket, unique photos from award winning artist, Ramin Abrahim, a rare Redskins package with former GM Charlie Casserly, fine wine, a full access Colonial Parking Pass and a Rooftop 4th of July celebration.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.cagtown.org
About: The Musical Celebration of Hope Gala will present an evening of jazz while guests join together for a spectacular evening of dancing, celebration and inspiration. Proceeds from the Gala will support lung cancer research that will save lives and offer new hope in treatments and survivorship.
Place: Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20240
Time: 7:00 pm Cocktail Reception; 8:00 pm Dinner, Awards Presentation and Dancing
Website: www.LUNGevity.org/hopegala
Price: Tickets starting at $500
On Wednesday, October 28 – America Abroad Media (AAM) will host its third annual “Power of Film”Awards Dinner at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. to honor four outstanding leaders whose work exemplifies the power of media to inform, educate, and empower citizens about the critical social and public policy issues of our time.
This year’s honorees include two highly-praised films: Argo,
Individual honorees include Turkish journalist and broadcaster, Mithat Bereket, and Emirati media executive Noura Al Kaabi, CEO of twofour54 Abu Dhabi. Aaron Lobel, founder and president of America Abroad Media, said, “We are truly delighted to be honoring Noura Al Kaabi, a dynamic and outstanding leader. Her enormous contribution to the success of the media sector in Abu Dhabi, as well as her personality and leadership style, is an inspiration to women in the UAE and across the Middle East and an honorable reflection of the values of her country.”
The event’s host committee includes a notable roster made up of several distinguished AAM Board members, among others, Peter Ackerman, Paula Dobriansky, James Glassman, Martin Indyk, Dennis Ross, and Doug Wilson, as well as numerous international supporters, such as, Turki Aldakhil, Mohammad and Hoda Kanoo, Caroline Faraj, and H.E. Princess Rym Ali. The event co-chairs are Lester Crown, Lee Hamilton, Michael Hayden, and Dina Powell. To conclude the evening’s program, attendees can expect an entertaining collaborative live musical performance by top talent from the U.S. and Middle East.
Tickets to the 2015 AAM Awards Dinner are available for purchase online, here: http://www.
WHEN:
6:00-7:00PM Award recipients available to media for interviews and photos
6:00-7:00PM VIP Reception
6:30PM General Admission
7:00-10:00PM Dinner and Program
*All media must be in place by 5:45PM
WHERE:
1301 Constitution, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240
TICKETS:
Friday, November 13, 2015, 7:00PM–10:00PM, Come celebrate Fashion Fights Poverty 10 years of doing good while looking good in fashion that empowers with commentary from celebrity guest host Will Thomas (Fox 5 News). Get your ticket herehttps://ffpgala2015.
The British Embassy and the U.S. Department of State are celebrating the launch of “Try Rugby USA,” a campaign to grow international community outreach and youth development around Rugby in the U.S., with a friendly rugby match.
WHAT: U.S. v UK Friendly Touch Rugby Game
WHEN: 12:30-2:00pm Wednesday 24 February 2016
WHERE: Cooper Field at Georgetown University
3700 O St NW Washington DC 20007
Playing on the UK team is Ken Harvey, a former Washington Redskins player, to help highlight the affinity for sports on both sides of the Atlantic and the NFL international series in London. Other members of the UK team consist of British Embassy staff and British Defence staff. Tosh Askew, who has coached England U19s for 5 years and won Grand Slam in 2004, Nic Rouse, rugby union player for London Irish in the Aviva Premiership, and Caryl Thomas, head coach of the University of Bath Women’s rugby team and has played for Wales Women in the Six Nations Championship and in two World Cups (2010, 2014), will coach the UK team.
Playing on the US team includes Whitney Stowell, President of Washington Irish RFC, and Chris Howard, a Tiger Rugby coach. Other players will include U.S. Department of State staff. James Walker, founder of Tiger Rugby, will coach and play on the US team.
The event is open to the public and media and free to attend. Parking is extremely limited, public transportation is recommended.
Rugby Facts:
- Rugby is the fastest growing sport in the US.
- The UK hosted the Rugby World Cup in 2015.
- Rugby will be part of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, having last been an Olympic sport in 1924. The US won gold that year, so have been the gold medal holders for more than 90 years.
- Famous rugby players include Sean Connery, Daniel Craig, John F Kennedy, JRR Tolkien, Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Russell Crowe, Chris Farley, Meat Loaf and Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
History of Rugby:
Rugby lore has the game originating in 1823, when a pupil at Rugby School, William Webb Ellis, picked up the ball during a football match and ran with it. This new game slowly spread around public schools and universities, with the first formal rules inked in 1845. A Rugby Football Union (RFU) followed in 1871, with an inaugural international – England versus Scotland – played that same year. 1883 then witnessed Britain’s Home Nations Championship, the first international rugby competition. By 1908, with the sport having long spread into many former British colonies, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa had all sent touring teams to compete.
Despite continued growth, rugby union didn’t turn professional until the International Rugby Board (later the IRFB, now World Rugby) removed player-payment restrictions in 1995. Continental club competitions soon followed, including Europe’s much-vaunted Heineken Cup and Super Rugby in the southern hemisphere. Today, World Rugby boasts 117 member countries.
For the first time, Premiership Rugby will host a game in the US. The London Irish v Saracens game will be played at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey on 12 March 2016.
Try Rugby USA
Hosted by British Council USA, Friends of the British Council USA, and USA Rugby geographical unions and state based rugby organizations, the coaches from the Aviva Premiership Rugby Clubs will be joined on the road by coaches from US based Tiger Rugby. Together they will deliver a range of coach education sessions, coaching clinics for schools, universities, clubs, youth programs as well as linking with existing rugby based social projects like Play Rugby USA. They hope to build a sustainable network of coaches, clubs and players designed to bring together, develop the skills of and inspire the US rugby community to build pathways to introduce the sports and its values to youth.
Activities will take place in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington, DC, and Texas in the coming months.
For more details: http://www.britishcouncil.us/programmes/society/try-rugby-usa
