INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., and BELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 13, 2006 ? The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and T-Mobile USA, Inc., are teaming up to promote the importance of participating in high school activity programs. The unique partnership features a landmark event in high school sports, the ?T-Mobile Invitational,? which was created to bring national attention to the positive ways that interscholastic activity programs enrich the lives of students.
The T-Mobile Invitational high school basketball tournament, set for December 27-28 in Seattle, Wash., is the first-ever national event sponsored by the NFHS. The tournament will bring together eight of the top high school teams determined, in part, through USA TODAY's ?Super 25? high school basketball rankings. The inaugural eight-team tournament, with four boys and four girls teams, is comprised only of schools from NFHS-member associations.
The partnership between T-Mobile and the NFHS, the national leadership organization for high school sports and fine arts activities, strives to encourage student participation in interscholastic activities and emphasizes the importance of these programs in preparing students for life. In addition to the basketball tournament, which will take place at the University of Washington's Bank of America Arena in Seattle, the multi-year agreement between the NFHS and T-Mobile includes T-Mobile's sponsorship of the NFHS annual student leadership conference, plus other initiatives and events. T-Mobile also becomes the Official Telecommunications Partner of the NFHS as part of the agreement.
?All of these national educational initiatives, including the T-Mobile Invitational, help us communicate the important impact interscholastic programs play in high school education,? said Robert F. Kanaby, NFHS executive director. ?We?re looking forward to expanding the reach of our programs with T-Mobile in the future.?
Mike Belcher, director of Sponsorships and Promotions, T-Mobile USA, said, ?T-Mobile believes in the positive impact of participation in sports and activities in high schools, so we?re proud to work with the NFHS in bringing attention to the importance of interscholastic activities. In addition, the T-Mobile Invitational gives the top high school athletes, coaches and programs in the country an opportunity to perform on a national stage.?
Each boys team and each girls team will be guaranteed two games during the two-day event. First-round pairings will be announced at a later date.
The high schools, with cities and states, that will participate in the first T-Mobile Invitational are as follows:
High School City/State
BOYS
Fairfax High School Los Angeles, CA
Solon High School Solon, OH
LeFlore High School Mobile, AL
O?Dea High School Seattle, WA
GIRLS
Winter Haven High School Winter Haven, FL
Collins Hill High School Suwanee, GA
St. Elizabeth High School Wilmington, DE
Issaquah High School Issaquah, WA
