IN West County Summer 2018 | Page 11

The tournament is open to male, female and coed teams in three divisions, including Youth (ages 6-15), High School (ages 16-18) and Adult (ages 19+). The top three teams in each division will qualify for the Regional Championship of their choice. The tournament will begin at 9 a.m. and carries a four-game guarantee for each team. “Erie has a great reputation for successfully hosting large-scale soccer tournaments, so it made sense to bring our national tour to the region,” said Travis Tew, National Tournament Director for 3v3 Live. “We’re excited to give soccer enthusiasts of all ages the chance to compete in a fun tournament at a great location at ErieBank Sports Park.” Registration is open now for all divisions. Early registration prices will be available through June 17. For more information and registration, visit www.3v3live.com/erie. ErieBank Sports Park will also play host to the Flag Football World Championship Tour (FFWCT) when it brings Battle Erie: USA vs. Canada to the region for the first time Oct. 13-14 as part of its Battle Circuit. Complete details on the adult regional tournament will be released at a later date. For more information on the event, visit ffwct.com/event-calendar/battle- erie/. “To have two first-time events hosted at ErieBank Sports Park in 2018 only further illustrates the importance of the facility to our region and to the sports tourism industry as a whole,” said Ron Sertz, Executive Director of the Erie Sports Commission. “We will continue to work with our national event contacts to fill the space with new and exciting events. As the renovations proceed, the types of events we can attract to the complex will only broaden in scope and sport type. It’s a very exciting time for the sports tourism industry in Erie, Pa.” CROWDS FLIP FOR THE 17TH ANNUAL STARS AND STRIPES GYMNASTICS INVITATIONAL Erie Gymnastics Center and Team Lightning hosted the 17th Annual Stars and Stripes Gymnastics Invitational at the Bayfront Convention Center in January. The Stars and Stripes Invitational is recognized as the largest coed gymnastics invitational in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the eastern United States. 17TH ANNUAL STARS AND STRIPES GYMNASTICS INVITATIONAL The event attracted more than 50 teams and nearly 1,700 athletes from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, Ohio and Ontario. The Stars and Stripes Invitational was founded in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and each year honors a local military, police or fire and rescue-related organization as a charity partner. Since the event’s inception, Erie Gymnastics has raised more than $75,000 for related charities. The benefiting charity for this year’s event was the Fallen Soldiers Picnic Fund. Based in Erie, the organization hosts a Memorial Day picnic each year in honor of several local servicemembers who lost their lives in combat or to PTSD since 2003. The organization donates funds raised to assist local military families and causes. “It’s hard to believe this is the 17th time we’ve hosted the Stars and Stripes Invitati