For Immediate Release: December 10, 2010

Media Contact:  
Dawn Tolbert
NAIA Host Committee/Shorter University
706-233-7215

NAIA Host Committee Salutes Local Athletes as Champions of Character

Rome, GA (December 10, 2010) – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has a longstanding commitment to building the character of student athletes. In honor of that tradition, the Rome Host Committee for the Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship is highlighting outstanding local athletes who demonstrate the characteristics of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership.
 
Local high schools were contacted to ask for nominees for the 2010 High School Champions of Character Award, which will be presented at the FCA Champions of Character Breakfast on Thursday, Dec. 16, at 8 a.m. at the Forum. Each school was asked to nominate one male and one female athlete from their institution; 11 schools responded.
 
Nominees are:

Adairsville High School: Allie Chastain and Ethan Abernathy;
Armuchee High School: Alexandria Durall and Jake Nix;
Calhoun High School: Blaire Parlo and Ian Carmichael;
Cedartown High School: Madeline Woodhouse and Zachery Chubb;
Coosa High School: Melanie Mclean and Jared Van Curen;
Darlington School: Anna Swafford and Luke Cook;
Model High School: Cason Dempsey and Zachery Pilcher;
Pepperell High School: Elliza Casey and Dakota Ball;
Rome High School: Erica Dostie and Taylor Williams;
Sonoraville High School:  Anna Potts and Alex Detlefsen; and
Woodland High School:   Emily Clay and Ashton Shelton.
 
In addition, the teams participating in this year’s championship (Sioux Falls of South Dakota and Carroll of Montana) will return to local elementary schools as part of the game’s emphasis on character building. Players from Carroll will visit Midway and Main Elementary Schools, while the Sioux Falls players will visit Garden Lakes and North Heights Elementary Schools. The visits will be Thursday morning, following the breakfast.
 
The 2010 NAIA championship game will be played Saturday, Dec. 18, at 4:30 p.m. at Barron Stadium in downtown Rome. The game will feature the two top-ranked teams in the NAIA: No. 1-ranked Sioux Falls and No. 2 Carroll, both of whom are undefeated in 2010. The game is a rematch of the 2007 and 2008 events, when Carroll won the first meeting and Sioux Falls exacted revenge in 2008. Sioux Falls comes into the 2010 championship with a 42-game winning streak.  
 
Tickets for the Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship Game are $25 each. Tickets are also available for the FCA Champions of Character Breakfast, which will be held Thursday, Dec. 16, at 8 a.m. at the Forum, and for the NAIA Banquet of Champions, which will be held Friday, Dec. 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the Forum. Tickets for these events are $25 for an individual ticket or $300 for a sponsor’s table of 10. To purchase tickets contact The Forum by calling (706) 291-5281, (800) 858-7601, or visiting www.forumevents.org <http://www.forumevents.org> .
 
For more information on the 2010 championship game, visit www.NAIANationalChampionship.com.
 
 

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