New York, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/27/2015 --New York Sports Connection, a local web-based hub for youth sports in New York City, has raised $1,200 of its $2,495 Indiegogo goal to present a sportsmanship essay contest for City youth ages 12 through 18. The campaign runs through April 9, 2015. The student essay contest will encourage young people to learn about and promote the values of sportsmanship and fair play.
Funds raised through the Indiegogo campaign will be used as prize money for the winning entries, and to administer and promote the contest to City residents. "Our goal is to present $500 prizes for the best essay in several age groups," says New York Sports Connection's founder, Aaron Finkel, of Manhattan. "We're very pleased that we have fully funded two prizes and we're on our way to a third."
In exchange for their donation, supporters may receive "perks" such as stickers, t-shirts, or an electronic copy of the entries in eBook format. If the project hits its "stretch" goal of $5,000, supporters may receive items such as a sweatshirt, a hard-copy book of the essays, and other perks to be announced, depending on the amount of their donation, and New York Sports Connection may be able to present cash prizes to finalists as well. Donations are being accepted at Indiegogo.com
"It seems as though many young athletes are overly concerned with winning at all costs," says Finkel, who was inspired to launch New York Sports Connection when he missed the sign-up date for a sports program that his son wanted to join. "As a father myself, I want to teach my kids about the importance of being a good sport. We're excited to use the essay contest as a way to promote the value of sportsmanship among student athletes throughout the five boroughs."
To enter the contest, a writer must be between 12 and 18 years of age, and a legal resident of New York City. Essays must be between 400 and 500 words in length, and composed entirely by the student. "Having your mom write your sportsmanship essay would definitely not be an example of good sportsmanship," Finkel laughs. The essays will be judged by a panel of experts to be announced. Prizes will depend on the amount of money raised in the Indiegogo campaign and the number of winning entries in each category. Entries are being accepted at http://www.newyorksportsconnection.com/2015-essay-contest through April 30, 2015. The contest is presented with support from CityMD Urgent Care.
Says Finkel, "I think it's especially important in youth sports for kids to understand the importance of treating others with kindness and respect...of winning without gloating and losing without sour grapes. These are skills they will use throughout their lives, not just in sports."
About NewYorkSportsConnection.com
New York Sports Connection is an interactive resource for families and youth sports organizations in New York City. Users can search http://www.newyorksportsconnection.com for information on sports leagues, teams, classes and activities, ask questions of others in the community and read pertinent content on the local sports community. The site's Weekly Sports Alert email keeps users up-to-date on upcoming deadlines for tryouts, sign-up/registration periods, clinics, camps and other sports-related events.
About CityMD Urgent Care
CityMD has 39 offices throughout New York City, Long Island, Westchester, and the Palisades. CityMD employs expert staff including medical assistants and technicians along with board-certified physicians who are highly trained in treating a wide variety of illnesses and injuries. Locations are open 365 days a year, welcome walk-ins for both adult and pediatric care and accept most major health insurances.
For more information on CityMD and a list of locations, please visit http://www.CityMD.net
About Indiegogo.com
Indiegogo.com is the world's largest crowd-funding platform, attracting millions of contributors. At any given time, there are over 7,000 active campaigns on the site, which has launched over 275,000 campaigns since its founding in 2008.