In The News

June 29, 2006
Olympic Champions for Children Run/Walk/Skate Debuts August 12 at the Wisconsin State Fair Bonnie Blair Honorary Chair

The Pettit National Ice Center, a U.S. Olympic Training Facility, is proud to announce the debut of the first Olympic Champions for Children Run/Walk/Skate on Saturday, August 12 at the Wisconsin State Fair. All event participants will receive free admission to the Wisconsin
State Fair.
.
Created by the Pettit National Ice Center and presented by McDonald’s, the Olympic Champions for Children event will raise funds for the Olympic Training Facility and Ronald McDonald Charities of Eastern Wisconsin. Bonnie Blair, the most successful American female athlete in the history of Winter Olympic competition, will serve as the event’s
Honorary Chair.

The 5k run, which is being produced by the Badgerland Striders running club, features a unique course that winds through the fairgrounds and incorporates the Milwaukee Mile racetrack as well as the Pettit Center’s indoor running track. The 2-mile walk will be led by Ronald McDonald and will follow a route through the Wisconsin State Fair Midway. The skate-a-thon will be held on the Pettit Center’s Olympic Oval, made famous by Bonnie Blair and several other Olympic speed skaters including Dan Jansen, Chris Witty, Casey FitzRandolph and Kip Carpenter – all with Wisconsin roots.

Registration for each event is $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the event. Registration brochures can be picked up at all local participating McDonald’s restaurants and at the Pettit Center. You can also register online at www.thepettit.com.

“Participating in the Olympic Champions for Children run, walk or skate is a great way to kick off your day at the Wisconsin State Fair,” said Honorary Chair Bonnie Blair. “You’ll help raise funds for two great organizations, each with a remarkable history of supporting children.”

“We are very excited to be part of this fantastic event,” said Pam Buckley, Executive Director of the Ronald McDonald House. “We invite everyone around the community to join us!”

In addition to presenting sponsor McDonald’s, the Olympic Champions for Children event is being supported by WKTI 94.5 FM, Metroparent magazine and Dasani.

The Olympic Champions for Children event is just one of the activities planned for the Pettit Center Cool Zone during this year’s Wisconsin State Fair. In addition to free skating on the Olympic Oval and free skating lessons, fairgoers can look forward to cream puff curling. Several new features are in development including a Mascot Skate on August 12.

An average of 10,000 students each year – or more than 100,000 since the Pettit Center opened in 1993 – visits the Pettit Center for field trips. Almost all students get the opportunity to skate on the Olympic Oval. In the fall of 2006, the Pettit Center will debut a new field trip component called The Science of Speed Skating. In part, funds raised through the Olympic Champions for Children event will help launch the new program and support the Pettit Center’s other youth outreach initiatives.

Since 1984, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Wisconsin has hosted 26,000 families representing 568 Wisconsin communities. Sometimes families will donate $10 for each night they stay at the House. For most, even that is not possible. In reality, our cost for a family to stay just one night is over $100, yet no one is ever turned away for lack of funds. With the help of over 350 volunteers and contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations, the doors of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Wisconsin are open 365 days a year.

Attached to this message, please find the logo for the Olympic Champions for Children event.

For more information on the Olympic Champions for Children or any of its events please contact Rob Multerer by phone at 414.266.0100, ext. 132 or by email at rmulterer@thepettit.com.

Contact: Rob Multerer
Director of Operations
Pettit National Ice Center
414.266.0100, ext. 132
rmulterer@thepettit.com