Sports Testimonials

"When you drive through Lowell, Massachusetts the last thing you would expect is that this little city could host a major sporting event like the Fed Cup. But once you stay here and look around, once you soak in the atmosphere and emotions that were put into this week, you realize that you can't measure heart and enthusiasm by the mile"
Greg Laub, USTA.com - Expert from article discussing the 2003 Fed Cup, USA vs. Czech Republic held at Lowell's Tsongas Arena

"The UMass Rec. Center in Lowell was a excellent site for the 2003 Mass. State Championships! The support and help from the UMass Crew and The Greater Merrimack Valley Vistiors Bureau was awesome. Can't wait to do another event!"-Master Richard An, Past President, Massachusetts Tae Kwon Do Assoc., discussing the 2003 State Tournament held in Lowell, MA

"Deb Belanger, Executive Director of the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, and her staff make it possible for a group of parent volunteers to organize and run an event like a professional promoter. Their contacts, clout, and creativity allow us to continue to host the largest annual figure skating competition in the Northeast which brought close to $3million in revenue to the region last year alone."-Patrick Ronan, Colonial Skating Club, Host of the 2005 National Synchronized Skating Championships and annual Figure Skating Championships

"When Colonial Figure Skating Club arrived at Paul Tsongas Arena in Lowell in 1999, our annual synchronized team figure skating competition was a well-established and moderately successful local competition that was beginning to attract interest from other parts of the country. We had outgrown our previous venues, but transitioning our event to the beautiful Tsongas Arena was an overwhelming task. It was at this critical juncture that we were introduced to Deborah Bellanger and her wonderful staff at the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau. She helped us build our relationship with the local community, especially the Mayor and City Manager, the area hotels, the UMass Lowell and Lock Monster staff (to resolve occasional scheduling conflicts), and especially the management staff at the Tsongas Arena who were able to accommodate our many unique operational requirements. Through the continued support of the GMVCVB, we were able to grow a GOOD event into a GREAT event. The Colonial Classic is now one of the largest synchronized skating competitions in the country, hosting both National and International Competitions. The CVB showed us how to grow our little acorn into a world class oak!"-Mike Majors, Colonial Figure Skating Club, January 2006