3rd Annual Mercedes-Benz Classic Returns To St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, FL On April 5, 2006 Event Features Jim Courier And John McEnroe Additional Players To Be Announced
Who: 3rd Annual Mercedes-Benz Classic
Featuring Jim Courier and John McEnroe
When: Wednesday, April 5, 2006 - 7:00PM
Where: St. Pete Times Forum
Tampa, FL
What: The 3rd Annual Mercedes-Benz Classic returns to Tampa Bay April 5th! This World-Class Tennis event produced by Inside Out Sports & Entertainment will feature a celebrity-packed line up, including Jim Courier and John McEnroe, coming together in support of this 3rd Annual charity event!
Additional tennis players for this event will be announced at a later date.
Proceeds from this event benefit the Raymond James Courier's Kids Foundation, which assists underprivileged children through mentoring, academic assistance, and tennis programs through the St. Petersburg Tennis Center and First Serve Program.
The First Serve Program is the USTA's national initiative to introduce inner city youth to the life-long sport of tennis. Now in its second year, the program was launched in Florida and has 4 basic components: tennis instruction, computer classes, academics and mentoring. First Serve offers its programs free to participants.
The St. Petersburg Tennis Foundation is a living testament to the colorful history of world-class tennis. For three-quarters of a century, the center has been the site of major tournaments headlined by some of the sports most recognizable names. In the Golden Era, Jack Kramer, Don Budge, Bill Tilden, Doris Hart and Shirley Frye all played on our courts. In the modern era, Arthur Ashe, Billy Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Anna Kournikova have all played here.
The center opened in 1928 with five clay courts and moved to its current Bartlett Park location seven years later. The center has since grown to 15 Hart-Tru clay courts- the only public clay courts in town. Today, the center is home to Rick Crockett's First Serve program, which is designed to bring tennis to a new generation of future champions.
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is the proud title sponsor of this event. Headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, Mercedes-Benz USA is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States. In 2004, MBUSA achieved an all-time sales record of 221,610 new vehicles, setting the highest sales volume ever in its history and achieving 11 consecutive years of sales growth. More information on MBUSA and its products can be found on the Internet at www.mbusa.com and www.maybachusa.com. Mercedes-Benz has 3 locations in the Bay area: Mercedes-Benz of Tampa (4636 N. Dale Mabry Hwy Tampa), Crown Eurocars (6001 34th St. N., St. Petersburg) and Lokey Motor Company (19820 U.S. Hwy. 19 North Clearwater).
About InsideOut Sports & Entertainment:
InsideOut Sports & Entertainment is an independent producer of proprietary events and promotions. In 2005, the New York based company has produced Serving for Tsunami Relief at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX, the Grand Slam Jam at the Erwin Center in Austin, TX, the Mercedes-Benz Classic II at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, FL, the Mercedes-Benz Classic at the Office Depot Center in Sunrise, FL and Legendary Nights - Ottawa, at the Corel Center in Ottawa, Canada. Upcoming events include the Mercedes-Benz Classic III at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, FL, Champions Cup - Naples at the Players Club and Spa at Lely Resort in Naples, FL from March 10-13, 2006, Champions Cup - Boston at Bosse Sports Club in Boston, MA from April 27-39, 2006, Stanford Financial Champions Cup - Memphis at the Racquet Club of Memphis in Memphis, TN from October 4-8, 2006 and the 2006 Stanford Financial Champions Cup - Houston in Houston, TX.
For more information please log on to www.insideoutlive.com or www.championscuptennis.com.
Tickets: Tickets went on sale on Friday, December 16 @ 10:00 a.m. at the MCDONALD'S BOX OFFICE at the St. Pete Times Forum and all ticketmaster outlets. To order by phone, call Ticketmaster at 813.287.8844 or 727.898.2100. Tickets are priced at $96.75, $56.75, $31.75, and $21.75. Prices do not include service charges. Group discounts are available by calling (813) 301-6900. For more information please call 813.301.2500 or visit stpetetimesforum.com. For dinner reservations at Medallions Restaurant on the night of the event please call (813) 301-6926.
