Olympian’s McLain Ward and Beezie Madden Attend Yankees Spring Training Game

Tampa, FL – United States Equestrian Team Olympic gold medalists McLain Ward and Beezie Madden will be traveling to Tampa, FL, to attend a New York Yankees Spring Training game this Monday. The game will be a match up between the New York Yankees and reigning World Series champions the Philadelphia Phillies, and will be held at 1:15 p.m. on Monday, March 16, 2009, at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, FL.

Ward and Madden, both show jumpers from New York, will be invited to the pitcher’s mound where Ward will throw the first pitch at the start of the game.

“It is a great honor,” Ward commented. “I am a life-long Yankee fan, a New Yorker, so it is very exciting. I’m taking my little brother and my god-son with me, and they are both six and seven years old, so it’s very exciting for them as well.”

Ward and Madden will both be in Tampa for three weeks competing at the 2009 Tampa Equestrian Festival, which is produced by one of the top horse show production companies in the world, Stadium Jumping, Inc. Both riders will compete in Tampa from March 1 to April 4 at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center and will ride in one of the most prestigious events in the equestrian sport, the 37th Annual $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational, held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on April 4.

Eugene Mische, President of Stadium Jumping, Inc., arranged for Ward and Madden to participate in the Yankees game prior to the start of this exceptional three weeks of equestrian competition.

“Of course I jumped at the opportunity,” Ward stated. “Hopefully it will bring people to town, and the more exposure we can get, the better. I think it’s a good idea to tie a lot of these great sporting events together.”

Anyone interested in media credentials and attending the game can contact Media Relations at George M. Steinbrenner Field at 813-875-7753

Tickets are on sale to the general public at www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 813-287-8844, or at the George M. Steinbrenner Field Box Office.

For more information on the 2009 Tampa Equestrian Festival and Budweiser American Invitational please visit www.stadiumjumping.com.