Region Hosts National Youth Step Championship Memorial Day Weekend

Release Date: May 25, 2010

Harrisburg, PA (May 23, 2010) - Youth Step USA tournaments have thrilled thousands of fans throughout the country each year with their stepping championship shows.

This year the Forum Auditorium in Harrisburg, PA, will host over 200 steppers on Saturday, May 29 from across the nation competing for the first championship title to be awarded in Youth Step USA's ten year history.

Tickets for the step championship being held from 5 - 10 p.m. on Saturday, May 29 are available for purchase at Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts at 222 Market St., Harrisburg; Sneaker Villa at 333 Market St., Harrisburg; and Music Man at 16 Kline Village, Harrisburg. Tickets for adults are $20 per person, teens age 13 to 19 are $10, and children 12 and under are $5. 

Sponsoring this year’s tournament are the Dauphin County Commissioners, The Hershey Company, Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau, and Sneaker Villa. Their support will significantly enhance the tournament experience for the participating teams that include:

Organized C.H.A.O.S. Brooklyn Technical HS (NY); Umoja Step Team Dudley HS (NC); Steelton Elks Steppers Harrisburg (PA); Windsor HS Step Team (CT); Christ the King HS Step Team (NY); West Haven HS Step Team (CT); Archbishop Molloy HS Step Team (NY); Gamma Phi Gamma Tampa Bay Technical HS (FL). 

Step teams and their families will arrive in Harrisburg on Friday May 28, 2010 for a three day and two night stay for “Championship Weekend”. During Championship Weekend, all Youth Step USA participants and their families will have the opportunity to enjoy the World Famous Hersheypark.  

Event organizers selected the Harrisburg area for its rich history of hosting and supporting youth-oriented competitions and for the regional tourist attractions. 

“We welcome the competitors and their families to Dauphin County and encourage them to explore all that Central Pennsylvania has to offer,” said Dauphin County Commissioner Nick DiFrancesco. “When they aren’t competing, they will find our region is filled with family-friendly attractions and exciting things to do.” 

Step is the latest craze, combining elements of modern dance, tap, cheerleading, and gymnastics. Stepping or step-dancing is a form of percussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps.

Though stepping may be performed by an individual, it is generally performed by groups of three or more, often in arrangements that resemble military formations. Stepping may also draw from elements of gymnastics, tap dance, march, or African and Caribbean dance, or include semi-dangerous stunts as a part of individual routines. Some forms of stepping include the use of props, such as canes, rhythm sticks or fire and blindfolds. 

Youth Step USA , Inc. will offer a step clinic in the Harrisburg School District this summer and fall. 

“Dauphin County was proud to host the area’s first Youth Step USA – Step Clinic in December 2009 for middle- and high-school aged youth,” said Commissioner Jeff Haste. “Step not only helps children get involved in physical activity, but it also teaches them discipline and teamwork.” 

“It’s our mission to bring new and exciting events to our region like this one,” said Mary Smith, President of the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau. “This event will not only entertain the local residents, but it promises to bring a significant influx of participants and supporters from outside of the region, which is great for our lodging and restaurant businesses.” 

“The national step competition is the perfect family-friendly activity for the whole family to enjoy on Memorial Day weekend,’ said Commissioner George P. Hartwick, III. “We are honored to host the first Youth Step competition and welcome the nearly 1,000 spectators that are expected to attend.” 

For more information about the national competition or Youth Step USA, Inc., please contact James B. Harris, III at 917-939-6503 or visit YouthStepUSA@aol.com.   

If you would like to host your next event in the Hershey Harrisburg Region, contact Sharon Altland, Director of Sales for HHRVB, at Sharon@HersheyHarrisburg.org or 717-231-7788.           

About the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau

The Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau (HHRVB) is the official non-profit partnership-based Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) serving Dauphin and Perry Counties in Pennsylvania’s Dutch Country Roads Region. HHRVB is a Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) accredited organization committed to actively marketing the region locally, domestically, and internationally to leisure and business travelers, event organizers, and group tour leaders in order to stimulate the local economy and support tourism-related jobs.  For more information on this organization and the region, visit HersheyHarrisburg.org, email: Info@HersheyHarrisburg.org, or call 877-727-8573.

Follow us at:

Facebook.com/HersheyHarrisburg; Twitter.com/HHRVB and @HHRVB4Media; YouTube.com/HersheyHarrisburg; Flickr.com/photos/HersheyHarrisburg and VacationPlanning.net/HersheyHarrisburgBlog.

About Youth Step USA, Inc.

Youth Step USA, a 501(c)3 founded in 1999, is considered a leader in working with adolescence ages 15-18. Through the support of community leaders, Youth Step USA, Inc. is able to produce step events throughout the country and offer instructional step programs, mentoring programs, reading programs, and nutrition programs for approximately 900 youth annually. The organization also produces Youth Step USA Tournaments, Youth Step USA Enrichment Programs, and Youth Step USA Expo. For more information, contact James “Brock” Harris at 917-939-6503 or visit YouthStepUSA.com.  

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