Philippa Raschker Nominee for James E. Sullivan Award

[Bruce Caldwell]

Greetings from NSGA Headquarters
One of America’s top amateur senior athletes, Philippa (Phil) Raschker, a 57-year old female track & field athlete, becomes the first track & field athlete over the age of 40 to be nominated for the James E. Sullivan award.

The NSGA is pleased to announce that Philippa Raschker has been named one of five finalists for the AAU's James E. Sullivan Award honoring the nation's outstanding amateur athlete. Please read the attached press release for further information. You may contact me with questions at the numbers below.


Gregory S. Moore
Director of National Games & Athlete Relations
National Senior Games Association

AAU James E. Sullivan Winners
2002 Sarah Hughes (figure skater)
2001 Michelle Kwan
2000 Rulon Gardner (Wrestling)
1999 Coco & Kelly Miller (Basketball)
1998 Chamique Holdsclaw (Basketball)
1997 Peyton Manning (Football)
1996 Michael Johnson (Athletics)
1995 Bruce Baumgartner (Wrestling)
1994 Dan Jansen (Speed Skating)
1993 Charlie Ward ( Football)
1992 Bonnie Blair (Speedskating)
1991 Mike Powell (Athletics)
1990 John Smith (Wrestling

PS Philippa Raschker is a Masters athlete advisor for ESSXsport.

Congrats to Phil on such a prestigious honor
http://www.aausports.org/exec/aau/Sulli ... ationID=12

The Man - James E. Sullivan
(1862-1914)

The AAU Sullivan Award was established in 1930 to honor James E. Sullivan, a founder and past president of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). Recognized as a pioneer in the amateur sports movement, Sullivan is credited with developing the current concept of the playground and organized recreation of the present day. Accordingly, he and others opened the first public playground and gymnasium in New York City in 1906.

Born in New York City, Sullivan was a founder of the Public School Athletic League of New York, which now serves as a forerunner for other cities in this country. He also was one of the organizers of the Outdoor Recreation League and served as its second president. His administrative and leadership qualities were tested outside of athletics when he served as a member of the New York Board of Education from 1908-1912.

Sullivan served as president of the Metropolitan Association of the AAU (New York) and later served as president of the New Jersey Athletic Club. Sullivan served as the Commissioner of Athletics for the 1904 St. Louis Exposition and three subsequent expositions in Jamestown, Va., Portland, Ore., and San Francisco, California. In recognition of his services as director of the 1904 Olympic Games, Sullivan was presented the Olympic medal by the International Olympic Committee, the only American other than President McKinley to be so honored at the time. He also served as the Commissioner of the Olympic Games in Athens, London, and Stockholm.

For his service to amateur athletics at the Olympiads, Sullivan received the decoration of the Golden Cross of Knights of the Royal Order of the Savior from King George of Greece, Knight Royal Order of Wasa from King Gustave of Sweden and Olympic decoration of the Golden Eagle from the Imperial German Olympic Commission.

[Bruce Caldwell]

FINALIST for the prestigious Sullivan award

http://www.aausullivan.com/news_finalists.html