Record-Setting Travelers Championship Nets $2 Million for Charity

The 2018 Travelers Championship generated $2 million for more than 150 local charities throughout the region, the largest amount for charity generated in the history of Connecticut’s premier sporting event.  The record-setting total includes a $200,000 contribution from three-time Travelers Championship winner and 2018 champion Bubba Watson. Charity representatives joined officials from Travelers and the tournament in Hartford this week for the annual Travelers Championship Charity Celebration, where funds were distributed to each organization.

“This is always a special day because it signifies the hard work everyone puts into the tournament,” said Travelers Championship Tournament Director Nathan Grube. “Through the support we receive from volunteers, fans, players and businesses, we’re able to help charitable groups across the region make the community a better place.”

This year’s effort brings the total amount generated for charity by the tournament to more than $16.7 million since Travelers became title sponsor in 2007. The tournament donates 100 percent of its net proceeds to charity.

“Reaching the $2 million mark is an important milestone, and it will have such a meaningful impact on so many local organizations,” said Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Travelers. “Bubba’s generosity mirrors our charity-first approach, and follows a similar sentiment that runs through the PGA TOUR and many of its players.”

Watson, who became just the second player to win the Travelers Championship more than twice – he also won in 2010 and 2015 – is representing the United States this week at the Ryder Cup in France. He recorded a video message that was played during the Charity Celebration.

“Wish I could be there. I just want to say thank you to Travelers for their hard work and their dedication to the community and all the charity dollars they’ve raised over the years,” Watson said. “Especially this year; $2 million dollars, what an achievement.”

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp was the primary beneficiary of this year’s tournament, with three campers also serving as honorary co-chairs. Watson directed his $200,000 donation to Camp, which is naming the trading post at the Travelers Mini Golf Course on its campus in Ashford, Connecticut, as “Bubba Watson’s Trading Post,” in recognition of the 12-time PGA TOUR winner. Back in December, the 2017 Travelers Championship was honored by the PGA TOUR winning the prestigious “Tournament of the Year” award, along with recognition as the “Most Fan-Friendly Event,” “Best Sales” and the inaugural “Players Choice.” Award.  With approximately 4,000 volunteers working over 80,000 hours, the 2017 event generated more than $1.7 million for 165 deserving charities – totals that were exceeded this summer at the 2018 tournament. 

An economic impact study last year found that The Travelers Championship has an annual economic impact on the state of Connecticut of $68.2 million.  The study, conducted by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. (CERC), found that the economic impact had more than doubled between 2011 and 2017, due to two primary factors; a much larger total number of spectators, especially the increased number of individuals from outside the state, and increased spending by the tournament in preparing for and administering the increased number of events that occur during the tournament week.

At least 750 charities have benefited over that time. Since the tournament’s debut in 1952, more than $40 million has been distributed to local charities.

Never an effort to reset on its laurels, preparation has already started for the 2019 Travelers Championship, which will be held June 17-23 at TPC River Highlands.

Hurricanes v. Whalers: Words and Numbers Tell Different Stories

In the midst of the war of words between unrelenting fans of the former Hartford Whalers (joined by Governor Malloy) and the Raleigh News & Observer, which has aimed a cease and desist order at Hartford, it may be worthwhile to delve into the data. It prove to be a distinction without a difference, however. Gov. Malloy’s February 8 letter to Thomas Dundon, a Dallas businessman and new owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, urged that the team return to the Nutmeg State for a regular season game at Rentschler Field or the XL Center so the team could be “embraced by a grateful fan base.”  Doing so, Malloy pointed out, “would make clear that Hartford is a far more viable long-term home for the team than Raleigh.”

When asked days ago by The Sporting News about the 'Canes future in Raleigh, Dundon said: “As long as I’m involved, this is where we’re going to be. One of the best things about this is the people. They’re just nice people here. They care. There’s no reason to be anywhere else.”

In an editorial, the Raleigh newspaper added that if a game were to be played in Hartford, it would be preseason, not regular season, and only because it would be “a chance to hoover some money out of the pockets of long-suffering Whalers fans desperate to see NHL hockey again…  But that’s not going to happen.”

Last season, the Hurricanes had the league’s lowest attendance, averaging 11,776 per home game.  It was their second consecutive season at the bottom of the league in attendance.  In the 2015-16 season, average attendance was 12,203. Midway through this season, after 27 home games, the Hurricanes are averaging 13,039, 29th out of 31 teams in the league.

In the Whalers’ final season in Hartford, 1996-97, attendance at the Hartford Civic Center had grown to 87 percent of capacity, with an average attendance of 13,680 per game.  Published reports suggest that the average attendance was, in reality, higher than 14,000 per game by 1996-97, but Whalers ownership did not count the skyboxes and coliseum club seating because the revenue streams went to the state, rather than the team.

Attendance increased for four consecutive years before management moved the team from Hartford. (To 10,407 in 1993-94, 11,835 in 1994-95, 11,983 in 1995-96 and 13,680 in 1996-97.)  During the team’s tenure in Hartford, average attendance exceeded 14,000 twice – in 1987-88 and 1986-87, when the team ranked 13th in the league in attendance in both seasons.

During the 15 years prior to the past two seasons at the bottom, Carolina has been among the league’s bottom-third in  average attendance eight times, and the bottom-half every season but one.

The Sporting News has reported that Dundon purchased a 61 percent stake in the franchise last month, with Peter Karmanos, who relocated the Whalers to North Carolina in 1997, retaining a 39 percent minority stake. Dundon reportedly has an option to purchase the remainder in three years. He is a New York native, and lived in New Jersey and Houston before Dallas.

The arena's lease in Raleigh expires in 2024.  The team's current playoff drought is the longest of any team in the NHL - nearly a decade.

In the interview, Dundon pointed out “We have a really passionate, loyal season ticket base. The number is just smaller than you’d like it to be, but you have one. Every year that’ll grow. So the only challenge is just the amount of people that you have to touch. It’s inevitable that we’re going to touch them all and we’re going to get them.”

Eversource Hartford Marathon Brought $14.5 Million in Economic Benefit to Region in 2017

Just four years ago, in 2014, there was a title sponsor changing-of-the-guard at Connecticut’s premier spectator sporting events, as Eversource took over sponsorship of the Hartford Marathon, Travelers stepped in to save the state’s PGA Tour event (now the Travelers Championship), and United Technologies took the lead sponsorship that same year of what had been the Pilot Pen tennis tournament, now renamed as the Connecticut Open. Aside from a source of pride in maintaining marquee sporting events, the economic impact of the events continue to underscore the significance of local corporations coming through to sustain the events.

The latest evidence comes with news that the Hartford Marathon Foundation’s 2017 Eversource Hartford Marathon, Half Marathon, Team 26.2 Relay and Charity 5K brought an estimated $14.5 million of economic value to the area over the course of race weekend.  That figure is up from an estimated $13.6 million in 2015.  Eversource is signed on as title sponsor through 2019.

Official indicated that the Hartford Marathon Foundation (HMF) spent approximately $1 million to produce the Saturday, October 14th race in 2017, primarily working with local vendors and service providers.

In addition to a local economic boost to the city of Hartford and surrounding communities, the marathon drew 71,780 spectators, participants and volunteers to the area. Officials point out that runners, friends and families stayed in Hartford lodging, shopped in the area and dined in local restaurants. Significantly, 87 percent of participants visited Hartford primarily for the event. Of those traveling from out of state, 44 percent were visiting the city for the first time, officials specified.

Thousands of runners are motivated to use the race to raise funds on behalf of various charities and causes. Through these efforts more than $288,000 was raised and reported by the event’s 20 official charities and other groups, although charity fundraising is not required to be reported, so the true numbers may be higher.

The annual Travelers Championship has an annual economic impact on the state of $68.2 million, according to a recent study by Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. (CERC). An economic impact study conducted a decade ago, in 2008, found that the tennis tournament predecessor to the Connecticut Open contributed approximately $26 million to the regional economy, including $10 million in local economic impact.

The Hartford Marathon will mark its 25th running on October 13, 2018.  The 2018 Travelers Championship, will be held June 18-24 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.  The Connecticut Open, at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, will be held August 17-25 in 2018.

“We’re proud to host people from across the country to achieve personal goals and celebrate their accomplishments,” said Beth Shluger, CEO of the Hartford Marathon Foundation and Race Director of the Eversource Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon. “We are able to highlight the best of what the capitol region has to offer in a positive and truly inspiring event that allows tens of thousands to run, walk, volunteer or spectate. We are excited to be celebrating our 25th running in October 2018 and hope to create an even bigger positive impact through this milestone event.”

The Hartford Marathon Foundation also produces more than 30 events through the year, many that contribute to other organizations’ community fundraising goals.  The 2017 Mystic Half Marathon and 10K in May 2017 generated $28,000 to benefit the charitable works of the Mystic Rotary Club.  Additional fundraising events HMF was contracted to produce races for in 2017 include the Mahoney Sabol 5K to benefit Hospital for Special Care, CT Race in the Park to benefit CT Breast Health Initiative, Zero Prostate 5K to benefit ZERO - The End of Prostate Cancer, Achilles CT Hope & Possibility 5K & 10K to benefit Achilles International – CT Chapter, Pumpkin Run/Walk to benefit Youth & Family Services of Haddam-Killingworth, Inc. and the Norwich Winterfest 5K to benefit Reliance Health, Inc.

Economic Impact of Travelers Championship Doubles in Past Six Years, Analysis Finds; 2017 Tournament is PGA Tour’s Best

The Travelers Championship has an annual economic impact on the state of $68.2 million, according to a recent study by Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc.(CERC)  – and the recognition of its success is not only local, but national.  The tournament has been selected by the PGA tour as recipient of the prestigious “Tournament of the Year” award for 2017. The Travelers Championship also won awards for “Most Fan-Friendly Event,” “Best Sales” and the inaugural “Players Choice.” CERC first conducted an impact analysis of the tournament in 2011, and completed another impact analysis for the Travelers Championship in 2017.  The results were compared, to look at the changes over time and factors that may have influenced changes in the tournament’s economic effects.

The results: The economic impact had more than doubled between 2011 and 2017, due to two primary factors; a much larger total number of spectators, especially the increased number of individuals from outside the state, and increased spending by the tournament in preparing for and administering the increased number of events that occur during the tournament week.

“The Tournament activities and events, along with all of its associated events throughout the year has grown substantially over the past few years, which has resulted in a large increase in the number of spectators from Connecticut and beyond its borders,” said Alissa DeJonge, Vice President of Research, CERC. “Attendance increased dramatically, which increased spending at the event and among the local businesses.”

With record attendance, sales and fan engagement, the 2017 Travelers Championship raised the bar across the board through a strategic approach that focused on providing a first-class experience for fans, players, sponsors, volunteers and charity, officials pointed out. This marks the first time that the Travelers Championship has been recognized as “Tournament of the Year.”

The Travelers Championship, which donates 100 percent of its net proceeds to charity, announced last month that the 2017 tournament generated $1.72 million for more than 165 local charities, including The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, the primary beneficiary of this summer’s tournament. With approximately 4,000 volunteers worked over 80,000 hours.

It is the largest core amount raised in the history of the tournament, officials pointed out. The record-setting 2017 total brings the total money generated to $14.7 million since Travelers became title sponsor in 2007. More than 750 charities have received funds from the tournament over that time.

“We’re proud of the partnerships we’ve built with local organizations that need help,” said Travelers Championship Tournament Director Nathan Grube. “Handing out these checks to so many worthy charities is the highlight of our year. We won’t forget the week we had at TPC River Highlands, with Jordan Spieth winning in such dramatic fashion and the celebration that ensued. But knowing that more than $1.7 million is being given to such a wide spectrum of nonprofits this year reminds us why we do this. It inspires us.”

As the “Most Fan-Friendly Event,” the tournament provided options for fans of all ages, including affordable access, more than 18 food and beverage locations, fan and kid zones and public on-site concerts. The tournament increased fan engagement by 441 percent through creative video and dynamic content, and following Spieth’s thrilling hole-out to win, the tournament handle trended on Twitter for nearly four hours and the video reached YouTube’s front page within 24 hours.

The tournament continued to enhance the player and caddie experience, providing a complimentary charter flight from the preceding event, healthy food options and a variety of special features including caddie appreciation day, a performance by Kevin Nealon and multiple off-site events. To determine the new “Players Choice” category, TOUR players were asked to vote for one event based on tournament services, hospitality, player and family amenities, community support and attendance.

“We work hard on making sure everyone who attends or participates in our event has a world-class experience, so no detail toward that goal is too small,” said Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Travelers. “We are proud to associate our brand with the PGA Tour and this event, and are honored by this tremendous recognition. The best part is that any success we have means more money and attention raised for so many local charities that partner with the tournament.”

The 2018 Travelers Championship, will be held June 18-24 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.

Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Travelers; Sarah Ficenec and Bob Santy, CERC; Nathan Grube, Tournament Director at Travelers Championship; and Alissa DeJonge, CERC

State’s Larger Public Universities Have Few Men's Hoop Student-Athletes from Connecticut

When the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils took the court to open the 2017-18 men’s basketball season this past Friday night, playing the University of Hartford Hawks, not a single player on either team’s roster was a Connecticut native. The 14-man roster for CCSU’s Division l men’s basketball team includes student-athletes from Ohio, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Arizona, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, California, and Puerto Rico, as well as three from Pennsylvania and one from the island of St. Maarten.  The team, which plays in the Northeast Conference, is coached by former UConn and NBA star Donyell Marshall.

CCSU is one of four regional state universities, part of the Connecticut State College and University (CSCU) system.  The largest of four comprehensive universities within the system, CCSU serves nearly 11,800 students--9,800 undergraduates, and 2,000 graduate students.  Southern Connecticut has 7,526 undergraduates and 2,193 graduate students.  Eastern and Western each have an undergraduate student population of just over 5,000.

The University of Connecticut, which also plays Division 1 and has won multiple NCAA national championships, is governed separately.  The Huskies 16-man roster for the current academic year includes two student athletes from Connecticut.  UConn has more than 23,000 undergraduate students, including just over 19,000 at the main campus in Storrs.

On the Southern Connecticut State University Owls, a Division ll men’s basketball team, five Connecticut student- athletes have made their way onto the 13 player roster.  Those students hail from New Haven, North Haven, West Haven, Middlebury, and Stratford.  The team plays in the Eastern College Athletic Conference, led by head basketball coach - former UConn and NBA player - Scott Burrell, a Hamden native.

That’s a total of about one-sixth of the roster slots - seven Connecticut student-athletes on the men’s basketball teams out of 43 places on the three rosters.

The state’s two Division III universities reflect a very different story.

Fourteen of the 16 student athletes on the roster of the Western Connecticut State University Colonials are from Connecticut.  The only two attending the Danbury-based school who aren’t from Connecticut hail from Georgia and New York.

At Eastern Connecticut State University, which plays in the Little East Conference, the Warriors men’s basketball roster includes 13 students from Connecticut, two from neighboring Massachusetts, and one from New York City.

Feds Urged to Complete Study Assessing Safety of Crumb Rubber Playing Fields, Playgrounds

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.  That’s not only a well-worn adage from youth, it is apparently the game plan for Connecticut U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and his multi-year quest for a comprehensive federal study of the health risks of crumb rubber turf, a surface made of recycled tires that is widely used on playgrounds and athletics fields in Connecticut and nationwide. Blumenthal, along with colleagues in the Senate, are this week urging a federal task force to finish a long-overdue study into potential health risks.  The crumb rubber used in artificial turf fields is mainly composed of recycled tires, which contain man-made and natural rubber, according to the state Department of Public Health.  Chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be found in the crumb rubber.  Crumb rubber can also contain heavy metals such as zinc and copper.

After a year and a half, WTNH-TV reported, the Senators are convinced progress on a comprehensive federal study has stalled.

It isn’t the first time that Blumenthal has been a lead voice to prompt action.  In November 2015 Blumenthal and Senate colleague Bill Nelson of Florida urged the Consumer Product Safety Commission to conduct a study.  In March 2016, Blumenthal was among those urging Congress and the President to allocate sufficient funds to conduct the study.  “Parents deserve to know if there is a danger to their children playing on these fields,” he said that month at a news conference held at Yale University.

A synthetic turf study was undertaken in 2016 by four United States agencies  — EPA, Consumer Products Safety Commission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry — which has yet to be finalized.

With it’s completion in doubt, Blumenthal is highlighting the imperative to get scientific answers to guide communities that are considering how best to replace natural grass or other types of field surfaces.  It is estimated that there are more than 10,000 artificial-turf surfaces in use across the country.

Earlier this year, plans for a crumb rubber synthetic turf field in North Haven brought local opposition. The town decided to go forward with the less controversial encapsulated crumb-rubber infill over the traditional crumb rubber option, according to an article on the controversy published this month in The Atlantic.

Last year, Hamden opted not to go ahead with plans for crumb rubber, switching to a mix of cork shavings and coconut husk, called “GeoFill,” along with a “shock pad” in response to safety concerns. Bloomfield High School installed a synthetic turf field, South Windsor decided to use acrylic-coated sand instead of crumb rubber.  Madison and Guilford are also among the communities with crumb rubber surfaces for fields or playgrounds, according to published reports.

Testifying at the Connecticut State Capitol earlier this year, medical staff from the Children’s Environmental Health Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, urged that “Until the findings of these studies are available and conclusively demonstrate the safety of recycled rubber playground surfaces, we recommend a ban on the use of these materials where children play.”

Legislation that would have prohibited the installation of ground cover that contains shredded or ground rubber recycled from motor vehicle tires in municipal and public school playgrounds in Connecticut was approved by two legislative committees (Committee on Children, Committee on Planning & Development) in March, but the proposal was not considered by the full legislature in the session that concluded in June.

Blumenthal first became concerned about the artificial surface when his children were playing on the crumb-rubber athletic fields.  “I became concerned as a parent, as much as a public official, ten years ago, and at first was somewhat skeptical, but now very firmly believe that we need an authoritative, real study about what’s in these fields,” Blumenthal told ABC News two years ago.

The state Department of Public Health (DPH) website points out that “the advantages of these fields include less maintenance costs, ability to withstand intense use and no need for pesticides.”  To address public safety concerns, four Connecticut state agencies collaborated in 2010 to evaluate the potential exposures and risks from athletic use of artificial turf fields, the DPH website explains.

A two year investigation of releases from five fields during active play was conducted by the Connecticut departments of Public Health, Energy and Environmental Protection, University of Connecticut Health Center, and The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. The study was peer-reviewed by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering.

The overall conclusion of the report, according to the DPH website, is that “use of outdoor artificial turf fields does not represent a significant health risk.”  A news release issued by the department did note “higher contaminant levels at one indoor field indicate that ventilation of indoor fields should be considered.  Storm water run off findings indicate that proper management of this run off is prudent to address possible environmental effects.”

Focus on UConn Funding Includes View of Money Paid to Football Coaches

The UConn football season is underway, and UConn is in the news in a big way.  It is, however,  about not only prospects on the gridiron as prospects on the bottom line for the state’s flagship university.  Officials describe the university as being under unfair and counterproductive attack by a budget recently adopted by the state legislature that would require substantial reductions in state funding.  The budget is expected to be vetoed by the Governor, continuing the legislative stalemate that has prevented agreement on a state budget for the fiscal year that began on July 1. Also within the past week, UConn was among a handful universities portrayed as the poster children for the practice of paying multiple head football coaches simultaneously.  UConn’s situation was listed as among the most costly.

The report, by The New York Times, indicated that “when the Huskies hired Randy Edsall last winter after three losing seasons under Bob Diaco, they got their once and future head coast for a reasonable $1 million salary.”  The article went on to point out, however, that “firing Diaco triggered a $3.4 million buyout.”  Thus, the University is paying $4.4 million in head coach salary this season, to two coaches – one employed by the university, the other not.

It could have been more costly.

“Even though the move was announced in December,” it was effective in January; “an effective end date in 2016 would have cost the Huskies $5 million.  The newspaper notes that “if it had not given Diaco a richer buyout as part of a two-year (contract) extension he negotiated only seven months before he was fired,” the buyout would have been significantly smaller – only $800,000.”

Leading the list of colleges cited in the Times article was Texas, “on the hook for the salaries of current and former coaches” this season to the tune of $12.45 million.  Next was Oregon, at $8.5 million; and Florida at $6.4 million.

Some doubted that Diaco would be fired, because of the continuing cost to the university of doing so.  The website theuconnblog.com said when the firing was announced in late December that “The primary driver behind Diaco’s assumed job security was a substantial buyout owed to him had he been fired right after the season. With UConn’s strapped financial situation, it could ill-afford to be paying Diaco millions to not coach the team.”

Diaco, in January, became the highest paid assistant coach in Nebraska history when he was hired by that university to be the team’s defensive coordinator for $825,000 this year and $875,000 next year.

At the time of Diaco’s firing, UConn emphasized that taxpayers would not be responsible for the buyout.

"It's not taxpayer money," Michael Enright, who oversees communications for UConn athletics told the Hartford Courant at the time. "It's from division of athletics revenues. So ticketing, concessions, licensing, conference revenue."

The Courant went on to report that “sports-related income isn't the only source of revenue feeding the department's $72 million budget. For the 2014-15 school year, student fees provided more than $10 million and the university contributed $18 million, according to a survey by USA Today. The school has taken pains to say the university's share comes from segregated accounts that do not include tuition or state funds. But critics see the university's and athletics department's budgets as homogenous taxpayer-supported piles of money.”

The state provides approximately 28 percent of the revenue funding UConn's overall $1.3 billion budget, the Courant noted, adding that Diaco's salary was $1.7 million last year, making him the third-highest-paid state employee, trailing only the UConn head basketball coaches.

In mid-2016, Diaco and his wife have announced "they will contribute $250,000 to the University to help fund the construction of several new UConn athletic facilities,” according to the UConn website. The Diaco gift, it was announced, would be used to help build new facilities for the UConn men’s and women’s soccer, baseball, and softball teams.

No Chocolate Milk? Kids Get Used to Plain Milk, UConn Study Finds

There’s good news and bad news for chocolate milk advocates, depending upon which University of Connecticut research study you come across.  The studies don’t necessarily conflict, but provide differing points of view in the plain milk vs. chocolate milk debate. A new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut has found that most students adjust to drinking plain milk after flavored milk is removed from school lunch menus.

Flavored milk served in the National School Lunch Program contains up to 10 grams of added sugar per serving, which is 40 percent of a child’s daily allowance of added sugar. Given the nation’s key public health target of limiting added sugars in children’s diets, flavored milk has come under scrutiny in the context of school nutrition, UConn Today recently reported.

The study, published in July in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, measured plain milk selection and consumption in the years after flavored milk was removed in two schools. Key findings include:

• The first school year after flavored milk was removed, 51.5 percent of students selected milk and drank 4 ounces per carton, indicating school-wide per-student consumption of 2.1 ounces.
• Two years later, 72 percent of students selected milk and drank 3.4 ounces per carton, significantly increasing the school-wide per-student consumption to 2.5 ounces.
• Older students and boys consumed significantly more milk.
• The availability of 100 percent fruit juice at lunch was associated with a significant decrease in students selecting milk and lower milk consumption per carton throughout the years of the study. Both years, student selection and consumption of plain milk dropped significantly on days when 100 percent fruit juice was also available.

The study could have implications for school nutrition policy and efforts to reduce added sugars in children’s diets. The study was conducted in two elementary (K-8) schools in an urban New England school district during the 2010-2011 and 2012-2013 school years. Researchers assessed the selection and consumption of milk immediately after flavored milk was removed in the 2010-2011 school year, and two years later in the 2012-2013 school year.

“The decision to remove flavored milk has both nutritional benefits and potential costs. It is clearly an effective way to lower student intake of added sugars at lunch, and over time, the majority of students will switch to plain milk,” said Marlene Schwartz, professor of human development and family studies, director of the UConn Rudd Center, and lead author of the study. “However, there will always be some students who don’t like plain milk. The challenge is finding a way to meet their dietary needs by providing other nutrient-rich options at lunch.”

The study was funded by the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs and the Rudd Foundation.  In the conclusion to the study, the researchers note that “A school policy to remove flavored milk has potential public health benefits and costs—it is likely to decrease consumption of added sugars at lunch for all children, but it is also likely to decrease consumption of milk for some children and increase their risk of missing key nutrients.”

Seven years ago, another UConn researcher was touting the virtues of chocolate milk.  That study, centered in Professor Nancy R. Rodriguez’s lab, found that drinking a 16-ounce glass of fat-free chocolate milk after exercise gives the body essential proteins and carbohydrates that help refuel weary muscles better than a beverage containing carbohydrates alone.

Rodriguez, with joint appointments in the departments of kinesiology and allied health – and who serves, then and now, as UConn’s director of sports nutrition – advocated for the benefits of milk in relation to athletic performance since the late 1990’s. But the 2010 study believed to be the first study of its kind showing a direct correlation between consuming chocolate milk and improved muscle recovery after prolonged exercise.

Results showed that chocolate milk was as effective as the carbohydrate drink in replenishing the body’s stores of glycogen, a form of carbohydrate the body uses as fuel during intense or prolonged exercise. Rodriguez said at the time that the sugar from the chocolate syrup in the milk helps athletes replace depleted glycogen in their muscles to prepare them for their next workout.

Rodriguez subsequently served on the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition (PCFSN), 2014-2017. She has been a Sports Nutritionist for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and has provided services to the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Bobcats, and the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack.

The 2010 study was funded by the National Dairy Council and the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board.

Hartford Region Ranks 13th in National Fitness Ratings

The Hartford region ranks as the 13^th “fittest” metropolitan area in the nation, according to a nationwide fitness index developed by the American College of Sports Medicine.  Hartford ranked 9^th a year ago and 11^th in 2015 in the ACSM American Fitness Index, now in its tenth year. The top 10 “fittest” metropolitan areas are Minneapolis, Washington DC, San Francisco, Seattle, San Jose, Boston, Denver, Portland, Salt Lake City and San Diego. The top seven cities in the 2017 AFI are between 4-13 percentage points ahead of the rest of the pack, principally related to lower rates of smoking and cardiovascular disease deaths and higher reported physical activity, consumption of fruits and vegetables, and per capita park expenditures in their communities.

The index publication is supported by the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation.  It is a scientific snapshot of the health and fitness status at a metropolitan level using data made up of personal health, community and environmental factors.

The United States Census Bureau defines the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) as containing 54 towns of Hartford County, Tolland County, and Middlesex County. The 2015 population estimate for the MSA is 1,211,324 and is ranked as the 47th largest metropolitan area by population in the United States

Fifty regions were rated, with the Hartford MSA the only region in Connecticut.  Boston-Cambridge-Newton ranked 6^th and Providence-Warwick ranked 31^st, among the New England states.

The Hartford region’s total score has ranked among the top 12 metropolitan areas since 2009, until this year. Strengths include a high number of farmers’ markets per resident, a high percent of parkland as city land area, as well as a high number of recreational facilities per resident, including ball diamonds, golf courses, park units and recreation centers.

The region’s personal health rank was 13; its community/environmental indicators rank was 25, leading to an overall ranking of 13th.  The analysis points to “Areas of Excellence,” in the region, including:

• Lower death rate for diabetes
• Higher percentage of parkland as city land area
• More farmers’ markets per capita
• Higher Walk Score® (75% report engaging in physical activity or exercise in the last 30 days)
• More ball diamonds and basketball hoops per capita
• More recreation centers per capita
• More swimming pools per capita

Nationally, there were numerous positive shifts during the last year:

• 0% increase in the percent who met the recommendations for aerobic and strength in the last 30 days
• 5% drop in the percent with diagnosed angina or coronary heart disease
• 9% increase in walkability scores
• 9% increase in the percent who live within a 10-minute walk to a park
• 7% increase in the total park expenditures per capita
• 0% increase in the number of recreation centers per 20,000 residents

“Our ultimate goal is to offer individuals, families and communities trusted resources that can help them assess, plan and implement policies that promote positive health outcomes,” said Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., FASCM, who chairs the AFI Advisory Board and is president-elect of ACSM.

The 2017 AFI report also revealed some shortcomings over the past year:

• 7% increase in the rate of diabetes deaths
• 3% reduction in the percent of residents biking or walking to work
• 2% decrease in the percent of individuals eating the recommended number of servings of fruit
• 6% reduction in the number of tennis courts per 10,000 residents

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 50,000 international, national and regional members are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine. The Anthem Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc. and through charitable contributions and programs, the Foundation promotes the inherent commitment of Anthem, Inc. to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that Anthem, Inc. and its affiliated health plans serve, including Connecticut.

Financial Woes Aside, Dunkin' Donuts Park is Nation's Best Double-A Ballpark

With almost 49,000 voters weighing in on the top Double-A facilities, Dunkin’ Donuts Park, home of the Hartford Yard Goats, was the winner in the third-annual Best of the Ballparks fan vote from Ballpark Digest. It is the first time a new facility has won a Best of the Ballparks vote. Fans selected Dunkin’ Donuts Park over Peoples Natural Gas Field, home of the Altoona Curve, in a bracketed online competition at ballparkdigest.com that saw over 178,000 fans vote on their favorite minor league ballparks.

“We are extremely proud to hear that fans voted Dunkin’ Donuts Park as the best Double-A ballpark in the country,” Yard Goats General Manager Tim Restall said. “We want to thank all the fans for taking time to vote over the past few weeks and for Ballpark Digest for having this contest to help showcase Dunkin’ Donuts Park on a national level. This is such a wonderful honor and we have been completely overjoyed by the outstanding fan support at our games in Hartford this season.”

The Yard Goats have played in front of capacity crowds 15 times. This past weekend, 19,956 fans watched the Yard Goats in Hartford. Dunkin’ Donuts Park has been sold out completely in each of the last three weekends (Friday through Sunday) and filled to capacity in 11 of the past 17 home games.

Voters were asked to choose among Eastern, Southern and Texas League ballparks in five rounds of voting. Last year’s top vote-getter among Double A stadiums was Pensacola Bayfront Stadium, home of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.  In this year’s voting, Dunkin’ Donuts Park was seeded sixth when the voting began.

Dunkin’ Donuts Park is the first brand new venue to open in the Eastern League since Northeast Delta Dental Stadium—home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats—opened its doors in 2005, and it is seen as the biggest change to the league’s facility landscape since the extensive multi-phase renovation to the Harrisburg Senators’ FNB Field was completed prior to the 2010 season.

“Dunkin’ Donuts Park is one of the great stories in Minor League Baseball in 2017,” said Ballpark Digest publisher Kevin Reichard. “The Yard Goats front office persevered during a rough 2016 season and never wavered from a commitment to creating the best possible fan experience. That commitment to fans helped Dunkin’ Donuts Park snare a great honor in a highly competitive field.”

The stadium includes 18 luxury suites and two other suites adjacent to the dugouts, a kids “fun zone” just beyond the center field fence with an inflatable slide and bounce house and a glassed-in batting cage, which will allow fans with premium tickets to watch the players practice.

The Yard Goats are in their second year after moving 15 miles north from New Britain, where the team played through the 2015 season as the Rock Cats.  The club was forced to play its games on the road last year when construction delays caused the opening of Dunkin’ Donuts Park to be pushed back numerous times, ultimately to this season.

The team, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, is the first professional baseball club to call Hartford home since the Hartford Chiefs in 1952.  The team’s home opener earlier this year was played on the 20th anniversary of the home finale for the NHL’s Hartford Whalers.