The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), one of the nation's oldest and largest non-profit, volunteer sports organizations, has announced that UC Davis will host the first-ever West Coast AAU Junior Olympic Games next summer.

The games are expected to attract 2,500 athletes from across the nation, mostly 8 to 14 years old, along with their coaches and families.

While some details still are being worked out, the plan is for the athletes to compete in about a dozen sporting events at venues on campus and throughout the communities of Davis and Woodland.

The five-day event is scheduled for June 29-July 3. The AAU is considering a wide range of events, including: baseball, boys and girls basketball, dance, diving, golf, in-line hockey, jump rope, karate, taekwondo and wrestling.

"We are looking forward to bringing the excitement and tradition of the AAU Junior Olympic Games to the West Coast," Bobby Dodd, AAU president and CEO, said at a Nov. 21 press conference at the Activities and Recreation Center.

"The AAU Junior Olympic Games has a long history of who's who in amateur sports," Dodd said. "We are delighted to partner with UC Davis to make opportunities available to athletes who have not had the experience previously."

Many of the athletes who travel to Davis for the games will come from Western states, but some are expected to come from as far away as Florida and New England. The AAU is billing next summer's event as the "1st Annual West Coast" games, with the hope that a West Coast competition will continue for years to come. Meanwhile, the AAU will continue to sponsor its long-standing AAU Junior Olympic Games each year throughout the United States. Indeed, the 40th annual AAU Junior Olympic Games are scheduled for July 26-Aug. 5 in Hampton Roads, Va.

AAU officials said they selected UC Davis and the surrounding area to host the first-ever West Coast AAU Junior Olympic Games because they wanted a community that would be safe for young people, and they were particularly interested in a university setting.

"Davis is a natural to host the games," said Paul Campbell, chairman of the AAU Junior Olympic Games. "Historically, the AAU Junior Olympic Games got their start decades ago on college campuses. The atmosphere and the energy can't be beat."

For the summer games, UC Davis is planning to create an "Athletes Village" on campus, where the young athletes will play games and have access to a climbing wall, DJ-led dances and outdoor movies. In addition, the athletes will be invited to live in on-campus student dormitories and eat in dining halls; others are expected to stay in area hotels and motels with their families.

Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef said the event will be a great opportunity to showcase the campus's first-rate athletic and academic facilities as well as spread the word about the school's well-deserved reputation as home to the scholar-athlete.

Local economy

"We're all very excited about the opportunity to host these games on our campus," Vanderhoef said. "The Junior Olympics will expose many young people to a college campus, it will stimulate the local economy and it will bring added national recognition to UC Davis."

Joining Dodd, Campbell and Vanderhoef at the Nov. 21 announcement were representatives of the host communities, including Davis Mayor Ruth Asmundson and Keltie Jones, incoming president of the Davis Board of Education, as well as current and former AAU athletes and AAU administrators.

"As the mayor of Davis and an alum of UC Davis, I couldn't be more proud that the city and the campus are joining together to help host these games," Asmundson said. "I look forward to the days next summer when our city's streets, ball fields and basketball courts will be teeming with enthusiastic young athletes and their families from across the country. Davis' reputation as a friendly, hospitable town will be on display for all to see."

Jennifer Gross, an assistant coach for the UC Davis women's basketball team and a former AAU basketball player, said some of her fondest basketball memories stem from her days as a San Diego youngster playing in AAU tournaments across the country.

Promotes amateur sports

"My AAU experiences gave me the tremendous opportunity to travel throughout the country, to places like Orlando, Fla., and Shreveport, La., where I was exposed to different social and cultural environments. As an AAU basketball player, I played against some of the best athletes in the country in my age group, making me a better all-around player and competitor," said Gross, one of the Aggies' top basketball players throughout the mid-1990s before playing professionally in Denmark and Israel. Gross was inducted into the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.

The Amateur Athletic Union is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. The organization was founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in amateur sport. During the early years, it served as a leader in international sport, representing the U.S. in international sports federations. The AAU worked closely with the Olympic movement to prepare athletes for the Olympic Games.

After the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, the AAU has focused its efforts on providing sports programs for all participants of all ages beginning at the grass-roots level. The philosophy of "Sports for All, Forever," is shared by nearly 550,000 participants and more than 50,000 volunteers. The AAU is divided into 56 districts.

These districts annually sanction more than 34 sports programs, 2,500 individual national championships and more than 100,000 local events.

The AAU boasts a long list of well-known alumni. They include Olympic gold medalists Evelyn Ashford (track), Tracy Caulkins (swimming), Bart Conner (gymnastics), Dan Gable (wrestling), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (track and field), Carl Lewis (track and field), Lisa Leslie (basketball), Greg Louganis (diving), Cheryl Miller (basketball), Shaquille O'Neal (basketball) and Kerri Strug (gymnastics).

For information on AAU programs, go to http://www.aausports.org. The AAU will has launched a new Web site exclusively for the West Coast AAU Junior Olympic Games at http://www.wcaaujrogames.org.