Feb. 26, 2013
Huntington Beach, Calif. – February 26, 2013— Mikasa Sports enters a third decade of supporting USA Water Polo as the National Governing Body’s “official ball,” with a renewal announced today through the 2016 Olympic Games. Mikasa joins 15 other partners that have re-upped with USA Water Polo at least through 2013. These companies include: 24 Hour Fitness, Active Media, American Pistachio Growers, Antiwave, Barefruit Snacks, Big Fish Payroll, Colorado Time Systems, InterContinental Hotels Group, Katin USA, KT Tape, Napa Smith Brewery, Powerbar, Pro-form Mouthguards, RVR Neckwear, and United Airlines.
“Heading into the close of the Olympic year, we had a significant number of partnerships up for renewal,” stated USA Water Polo Chief Marketing Officer Jen Rottenberg. She added, “The number who have chosen to continue with us - in many cases increasing their level of support as well - speaks to the strength of the organization as well as the value of the partnership assets we’ve developed over the past several years and the service and return on investment we provide. We are greatly appreciative of the support of all of our corporate partners – their contributions are invaluable to our success as an organization.”
Mikasa Sports USA is proud to take its relationship with USA Water Polo into its third decade by renewing its commitment to the sport and the athletes of water polo through 2016. Henry Hasegawa, CEO of Mikasa Sports USA, stated, “Mikasa Sports USA is an original corporate supporter of USA Water Polo and will continue to partner with the national governing body in helping the sport’s participation expand across the United States. Mikasa shares the same passion for the sport as USAWP and our philosophy is ‘Sports Every Day’ here at Mikasa.”
The renewed official partners and suppliers cover a variety of products and services, within exclusive categories, essential to the needs of USA Water Polo members, staff, and National Teams.
24 Hour Fitness - Fitness Facility
Active Media - Digital Marketing (Search, Social, Mobile advertising and optimization)
American Pistachio Growers – Snack and Nut
Antiwave – Goals and Lane Lines
Barefruit Snacks - Dried Fruit Snack Chips
Big Fish Payroll - Payroll Services
Colorado Time Systems - Timing and Scoring Equipment
InterContinental Hotels Group - Hotels
Katin USA - Dry Land Workout and Lifestyle Apparel - Men's Senior National Team and Official Licensee of USA Water Polo
KT Tape – Kinesiology Tape
Mikasa Sports - Ball
Napa Smith Brewery - Beer
Powerbar - Energy and Nutritional Products
Pro-form Mouthguards - Mouthguards
RVR Neckwear - Neckwear
United Airlines - Airline
Steve Morgan, President of Napa Smith Brewery explained their continuing participation, "While Napa Smith is a small company, our employees are very active." He added, "They play golf, darts, and horseshoes. We swim from Alcatraz, bike, and we hike, run, surf, and play soccer. A couple of us even play in rock bands. And we play water polo. So, when we found an opportunity to combine one of our passions with renewing our sponsorship with USA Water Polo, we jumped at it. We couldn't be more pleased."
A number of USA Water Polo partnerships were not up for renewal and so continue into 2013 according to their original terms, including: Aquahydrate, Beachside Produce, Capital One, Deckside Pool Services, Malibu Wellness, Ospraie Management, Sea Air Federal Credit Union, Special Event Contractors, Water Marque, & ZOLL AEDs. USA Water Polo has also recently announced several new additions to its partnership roster, including Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Justin’s Nut Butters, and Crown Awards.
About USA Water Polo
USA Water Polo, Inc. is the national governing body for water polo in America, overseeing our United States Olympic program as well as 20 different championship events annually, such as Junior Olympics and Masters National Championships. With more than 40,000 members, USAWP is also the sanctioning authority for more than 500 Member Clubs and more than 400 tournaments nationwide. USAWP is committed to the development of the sport throughout the US. It fosters grass-roots expansion of the sport, providing a national system of affiliated clubs, certified coaches and officials.
Official USA Water Polo Sponsors & Suppliers
24 Hour Fitness, Active Media, American Pistachios, Aquahydrate, Athleta, Bare Fruit Snacks, Beachside Produce, Big Fish Payroll Services, Capital One, Colorado Time Systems, Crown Awards, Deckside Pool Services, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Jamba Juice, Justin’s Nut Butters, Katin USA, KT Tape, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Malibu Wellness, Mikasa Sports, Napa Smith Brewery, Nestlé Nesquik, Ospraie Management, PowerBar, Pro-form Mouthguards, Sea Air Federal Credit Union, Special Event Contractors, United Airlines, Water Marque, & ZOLL AEDs.
About Colorado Time Systems (CTS)
Colorado Time Systems, a PlayCore company, has established a reputation for precision and innovation in swim timing equipment. Since 1972, premier aquatic facilities have chosen Colorado Time Systems for platinum quality timing, scoring and display systems.
About InterContinental Hotels Group
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs) is a global organization with nine hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites®, as well as our two newest brands, EVEN™ Hotels and HUALUXE™ Hotels & Resorts. IHG also manages Priority Club® Rewards, the world’s first and largest hotel loyalty program with over 69 million members worldwide.
IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,500 hotels and more than 672,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories. With more than 1,000 hotels in its development pipeline, IHG expects to recruit around 90,000 people into additional roles across its estate over the next few years.
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.
Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.priorityclub.comfor more on Priority Club Rewards. For our latest news, visit www.ihg.com/media,www.twitter.com/ihg, www.facebook.com/ihg or www.youtube.com/ihgplc.
About Mikasa
Mikasa Sports USA has been providing elite level athletic balls and equipment to North America since 1972. With a commitment to quality, service and performance Mikasa Sports has been providing high level athletic balls to the World’s best athletes.
For more information please visit www.mikasasports.com.
About Napa Smith Brewery
Napa Smith Brewery is located at the southern gateway to Napa Valley, just south of the town of Napa. Napa Valley is internationally known as a destination for those individuals who seek the best that life has to offer. Napa Smith is proud to contribute to the Napa tradition of hard work, craftsmanship, and artistry with the introduction of its unique family of beers. It creates its beers using proprietary recipes developed by Master Brewer Don Barkley – the most experienced brewer in the craft brewing industry. Come visit us at our recently opened Brewpub in Napa or on the web at www.napasmithbrewery.com
