Convention bureau, sports commission create partnership The San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau (ConVis) and San Diego Sports Commission (SDSC) have reportedly entered into a new strategic partnership designed to establish San Diego as a dominant player in the lucrative sports marketing field.    The announced partnership — also designed to showcase San Diego as a premier sports destination in North America — is expected to combine existing resources of ConVis and the SDSC, along with additional funding from the San Diego North Convention & Visitors Bureau, to create a single sports marketing and sales organization for the San Diego region.  According to officials involved, the partnership also provides a single point of contact for sports-related events and event rights-holders, ensuring that San Diego continues to be an attractive and competitive player in the sports marketing field.  Funding for the new partnership comes primarily from revenue generated by the San Diego Tourism Marketing District (TMD).  Founded in 2008, the TMD collects a self-assessment paid by all hotels in the city of San Diego with 70 rooms or more; the revenue from this assessment is reinvested into destination sales and marketing in support of the local visitor industry. The U.S. Travel Association reports that nearly two out of five U.S. adults (38 percent, or 75.3 million people) attended an organized sporting event, competition or tournament as either a spectator or participant in the past five years. In 2009, an estimated 2.4 million people — or 8 percent — of San Diego’s annual visitors attended a sporting event in San Diego County. According to the new sports partners, premier sporting events like the annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, Pacific Life Holiday Bowl and Poinsettia Bowl not only enhance the quality of life for San Diegans, but they also drive visitor demand to economically benefit the San Diego region. For more info, call (619) 234-2544, or visit www.sdsportscommission.com. Baja-Ha-Ha boat race to wrap up in Cabo More than 200 boats will wrap up their 750-mile oceanic race into Cabo San Lucas on Saturday, Nov. 6, after setting sail from Shelter Island in the 17th annual Baja-Ha-Ha Cruiser’s Rally. The race was launched locally Oct. 25. The rally, which takes in boats of all types, featured stops in Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria on the way to Cabo San Lucas, bringing economic boosts to each of those areas, including its launch point in San Diego. The rally is open to all boats more than 27 feet long that are designed for open-ocean sailing. For more information, visit www.baja-haha.com. Run/walk to benefit PLHS cross-country programs Peninsula residents and families will join a 5K run/walk to benefit the Point Loma High School (PLHS) cross-country teams next month. Known as “Galadash,” the event begins at 8 a.m. on Nov. 13 and is being held in conjunction with the 85th anniversary celebration of PLHS that evening at Liberty Station. Both the 5K event and a shorter one-mile version will begin and end at the school stadium on Voltaire Street. Persons with strollers are welcome, and the 60 members of the boys and girls’ cross-country teams will be on hand to lend support and encouragement. For a minimum donation of $10, participants will receive an event T-shirt (subject to supply). Larger donations and contributions are also encouraged, according to members of the team’s parent Booster Club. A raffle will also be conducted. The Booster Club is part of the school’s Pointer Association, a 501(c)3 organization. For more information or to make donations, e-mail [email protected]. – Scott Hopkins Girls’ soccer team dons pink for cancer awareness The Point Loma Soccer Association’s “Girls Under 12” Riptide Team has been wearing special pink uniforms sponsored by a local business to help support and increase awareness about breast cancer. Backed by a $500 donation, the cost of the uniforms is being sponsored by the owner of the local Point Loma-area woman-owned business SDC Tax and Business Services. The team wore the pink uniforms for the first time on Oct. 23 during a game at Cleator Park at the northeast corner of Nimitz and Famosa boulevards in Point Loma. Coach Jeff Taylor, a health professional and soccer league organizer, helped bring together the idea to have the “Girls Under 12” team help promote breast cancer awareness by wearing the pink uniforms. A group of mothers from the team have also been raising funds to participate in The Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure walks in San Diego this November. Each walker in the group is raising a minimum of $2,300 in donations to participate. Still in its first year of operation, the Point Loma Soccer Association has already made strides to teach more than soccer skills to youth players. As a nonprofit organization, volunteering, training and community involvement are demonstrated by parent and community volunteers and involving the players as an important component to developing a positive focus and a winning spirit. For more information, visit www.plsa4kix.com/.