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AFI’s Armed Forces Bowl “Guitar Hero” Event Raises Funds for Care Packages
Leavenworth, KS (Vocus/PRWEB ) January 23, 2010 — With an enthusiastic crowd to cheer them on, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders helped raise more than $1,500 when they took on active duty soldiers via webcam in a “Guitar Hero” Challenge at the Armed Forces Bowl, courtesy of Armed Forces Insurance (www.afi.org).
The funds raised will be used to create and send care packages to men and women serving overseas in active military duty through Give 2 The Troops, a nonprofit organization.
“The event attracted a large crowd, including families of some of the soldiers who participated. One of the spectators even got the opportunity to challenge her daughter, who was among the soldiers competing,” said Lori Simmons, director of marketing and public relations, AFI. “It was uplifting to witness this unique family reunion while raising funds for care packages.”
The battle, which took place at the AFI booth in the Bowl’s Armed Forces Adventure Area on December 30, featured Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Ally Traylor, Kelsi Reich, Sunni Cranfill, Sydney Durso, Tia Williams and Trisha Trevino against active duty soldiers serving overseas in Qatar. Families of competing soldiers enjoyed reserved seating in the booth.
This is the second year AFI has served as the title partner for the Armed Forces Adventure Area, a festival designed specifically to celebrate military service. The Guitar Hero Challenge was administered by Pro vs. GI Joe, a nonprofit organization that provides troops serving all over the world with opportunities to take on professional athletes or celebrities in heated head-to-head video game competitions—both online and in person.
“Over the last few years, we’ve brought the best professional athletes to our troops stationed around the world. Having the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders battle it out in Guitar Hero tops them all, and I’ll bet the soldiers will back me up on that one,” said Greg Zinone, co-founder with his wife Addie of Pro V. GI Joe. “Addie and I are grateful to AFI for their support, and we look forward to working with them again to continue making exciting things happen for our troops.”
About Armed Forces Insurance
AFI was founded in 1887 by military leaders with a single mission: to protect the people who protect our nation. The company provides premium quality, competitively-priced property and casualty insurance to military professionals throughout the United States and overseas. Headquartered in Leavenworth, Kansas, AFI understands that military members have unique circumstances and insurance needs, enabling the company to offer a level of personalized service that’s unequaled in the industry. For more information, visit the Web site at afi.org or call 1-800-495-8234.
About the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), was televised live from Amon G. Carter Stadium on Thursday, December 31, at 11:00 a.m. (CST) on ESPN. The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl featured the University of Houston v. the United States Air Force Academy. The victory went to the Air Force with a final score of 47-20. For more information, visit www.ArmedForcesBowl.com.
About the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
First recognized by their iconic name in 1972, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders—a select group of 35 young American women who are selected each year by audition in the spring—perform precision dance routines at the Dallas Cowboys football games, as well as many charity performances, national television appearances, sponsored autograph sessions, cheer and dance camps for children, and other public appearances. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders also entertain U.S. military troops throughout the world on USO Tours.
Charting the 2009 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl & Post-Season Play
Fort Worth, Texas, January 8, 2009 – With the 20 days of bowl competition for 34 post-season college football games at 30 sites in two countries concluding Thursday, here are notes associated with the action highlighting the 2009 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl facts and figures.
The post-season was played in 14 states and the District of Columbia with Texas tying California for the second-most games (five) behind Florida (six). Five Texas cities (Arlington, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio) hosted post-season games to match Florida’s five (Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, St. Petersburg and Tampa). California’s five games were held at three sites (Pasadena, San Diego and San Francisco).
pdfCharting the 2009 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
MARINES BRING ADVENTURE TO THE 2009 ARMED FORCES BOWL
FORT WORTH, Texas — A dedicated group of leathernecks from several Marine Forces Reserve units in Texas and Louisiana sacrificed some of their holiday vacation to showcase their equipment at the 2009 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl at Texas Christian University (TCU) here Dec. 30-31.
“The Marine equipment is tremendously instrumental at the Adventure Zone,” said Brant Ringler, the executive director of this seventh annual Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. “It lets families come out and see what the military is all about. When people meet the Marines and see, feel and touch the equipment they get a better idea of what it is all about, what our service members do.” Continue Reading
Cowboys cheerleaders interact with U.S. Soldiers in Iraq
By Brian Hilderbrand, www.armedforcesbowl.com
Fort Worth, Texas, December 30, 2009 – Ally Traylor, a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader for three years, was having the time of her life Wednesday afternoon playing “Guitar Hero” with U.S. Soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan via webcam. Judging by the reaction of the troops who were taking part in the “Guitar Hero Challenge,” which played out on a large-screen TV in the Armed Forces Insurance booth at the Armed Forces Adventure Area outside Amon G. Carter Stadium on the TCU campus, Traylor wasn’t the only one having a blast. Traylor was one of six Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders taking part in Fort Worth for the program that was administered by Pro vs. GI Joe, a nonprofit organization that provides troops serving all around the world with an opportunity to take on professional athletes and celebrities in head-to-head video game competitions. “We normally do it with professional athletes but today we’ve got the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders,” Greg Zinone, founder of Pro vs. GI Joe, said. “I’ve never seen troops overseas so excited. I have to thank AFI for bringing us down here because we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. This is one of our best events ever.”
AFA hopes to end losing skid, spike MWC prestige
By Jim Benton, www.armedforcesbowl.com
Fort Worth, Texas, December 30, 2009 – New Year’s Eve is generally a time when people enjoy themselves but Air Force football players Peter Lusk and Ben Garland have not had much fun the past two years. Air Force has lost the past two Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl games, both played on the morning of New Year’s Eve, but the Falcons will get a chance to snap its losing streak Thursday morning when they take on Houston at Amon G. Carter Stadium. ”We’ve had fun during the week but at end of the day, it’s a football game and whether you win or lose it’s how you feel afterwards,” Lusk a 250-pound senior offensive lineman said during Wednesday’s pre-game press conference. “I think back to the last two years and after the game, it’s New Year’s and we all want to go out and have fun but we felt rotten. All we did is sit in the hotel room and get the night over with. We all really want to pull out a win here.’’
Cougars have a great amount of respect for Air Force
By Brian Hilderbrand, www.armedforcesbowl.com
Fort Worth, Texas, December 30, 2009 – To listen to University of Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin and his players talk, you can throw out the adage “familiarity breeds contempt” when it comes to the Air Force Academy. For the Cougars, who will meet Air Force for the third time in the past 16 months in Thursday’s Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, familiarity breeds respect. “I’ve said many times that Troy (Calhoun) does a fantastic job, he and his staff,” Sumlin said of the Falcons head coach. “They’re an extremely disciplined football team. You look at statistics (and) this is a team that has only turned the ball over 11 times. They’re number one in the country in pass defense and top 10 in the country in total defense.
Healthy Jefferson Hopes to Help AFA Contain Houston
By Jim Benton, www.armedforcesbowl.com
Fort Worth, Texas, December 29, 2009 – Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson is feeling good these days, which is a departure from the way he’s felt most of the season. Jefferson, the sophomore who was the Mountain West Conference’s freshman of the Year last season, didn’t play in three games and missed part of two others because of nagging injuries. He is rested, healthy and hopes to make an impact when Air Force meets Houston in Thursday’s Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium. “It was an up and down season for me,” said Jefferson who averaged 100.4 yards rushing and passing this season. “Getting hurt early in the season set me back for the rest of the year. It kind of lingered and lingered. I couldn’t really get over it.”
Houston’s Cleveland making the most of second chance
By Brian Hilderbrand, www.armedforcesbowl.com
Fort Worth, Texas, December 29, 2009 – One year after playing his freshman season in the Big Ten for Iowa, James Cleveland found himself at Trinity Valley Community College in Terrell, Texas, with little hope of ever playing in the national spotlight again. “When I was leaving the University of Iowa, I didn’t think anybody would ever pick me up because that’s just how the process goes sometimes,” Cleveland said. “There were some guys that never played another down of football that were at the University of Iowa with me; the dice can just roll like that sometimes. “I didn’t even have a community college to go to when I initially started the whole process of trying to find a school. Schools were telling me ‘no,’ and I was just worried that I wouldn’t be able to play again.” Trinity Valley gave Cleveland an opportunity to return to his native state and play football. University of Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin, who recruited Cleveland out of high school when Sumlin was an assistant at Oklahoma, liked what he saw and gave Cleveland the second chance he thought would never come.
