[ Contact Info ] • Web Site: www.greatLVsoccer.com • Telephone #: 607-432-4365 • Fax #: 607-432-4430 • E-mail: greatLVsoccer@colassoc.com • E-mail: tournaments@colassoc.com • Mail: Great Lehigh Valley Soccer Festival % Lehigh Valley Sports Commission PO Box 20785, Lehigh Valley, PA 18002-0785		[ Press Releases ] April 20, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Michael Kuzy, (610) 882-9200 mkuzy@lehighvalleypa.org Bethlehem to Host the U.S. Speed Skating National Spring Conference National Event to Bring Hundreds of Visitors to the Lehigh Valley (Lehigh Valley, Pa) – The Lehigh Valley Sports Commission – an arm of the Lehigh Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau, in conjunction with the East Penn Speed Skating Club – has successfully landed the 2005 National Spring Conference and Hall of Fame Banquet for U.S. Speed Skating. The event will be held April 21-24 at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem. When you think of speed skating you might think of Lake Placid, New York, where Eric Heiden won every event, taking home 5 gold medals. Lillehammer, Norway, site of the picture-perfect 1994 games, where Bonnie Blair capped off her fourth Olympic games with another gold and where Dan Jansen finally grabbed his Olympic gold, also comes to mind. But, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania? That’s right! Some of the biggest stars in speed skating, including Bonnie Blair, Dan Jansen and contemporary speedsters Joey Cheek and Jennifer Rodriquez will be in town April 21-24 as part of the annual spring meeting of the U.S. Speed Skating’s Governing Council. The U.S. Speed Skating board members will convene in the Historic Hotel Bethlehem, holding meetings which will be open to the public. The agenda also includes a Saturday evening Hall of Fame Banquet. While there’s no Olympic-size speed skating oval in the region, there is a local speed skating club. Members of the East Penn Speed Skating Club convene on the ice of the Steel Ice Center in South Bethlehem each Saturday morning from 9:00 -10:30 am for short-track style skating and training. Club members compete in regional and national short track, long track, and marathon events. The club even has a large group of recreational skaters for those who prefer skating with a non-competitive edge. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, East Penn’s own Allison Baver was a member of the short track team and will likely be a member of the U.S Team competing in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. Club co-founder, Hence Bollinger was responsible for persuading U.S. Speed Skating to come to the Lehigh Valley. “Bethlehem was perfect for the meeting.” says Bollinger, “It has a great, pedestrian friendly downtown. The Historic Hotel Bethlehem is comfortable and well suited to the meetings, and it’s close to the Lehigh Valley International Airport.” Bollinger also stated that some of the board members are local, including 1976 Summer Olympic Cyclist Leigh Barczewski. Fred Zahradnik, Media Spokesperson for the East Penn Speed Skating Club adds, “We’re honored to host this event featuring these elite athletes right here in the Lehigh Valley. We’re sure they will find Bethlehem a terrific venue and we’re looking forward to the Hall of Fame Banquet.” Local and regional media are encouraged to attend the U.S. Speed Skating National Spring Conference and Hall of Fame Banquet. Additional opportunities to conduct interviews will be made available. For additional information please contact East Penn Speed Skating spokes person Fred Zahringer at 610-807 5738, or refer to www.usspeedskating.org . The Lehigh Valley Sports Commission is an arm of the Lehigh Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau, the designated tourism promotion agency of Lehigh and Northampton Counties. Its mission is to attract sporting events to the Lehigh Valley through effective marketing, bid coordination and hosting activities. For information on the Lehigh Valley Sports Commission please call (800) 747-0561 or visit www.lvsports.net .