Panama City, FL – July 23, 2018 – Panama City hosted the Florida Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Track
and Field Primary Invitational on June 30, 2018. This is the first event of its kind to come to Panama City,
thanks to the new Joe and Jeannette Chapman Field at Tommy Oliver Stadium and a collaborative effort
between local agencies.

“This soft opening for AAU was possible through efforts of the Visit Panama City Beach Convention &
Visitor’s Bureau, Destination Panama City, Bay District Schools and the AAU,” said Jennifer Vigil,
president and CEO of Destination Panama City. “All the agencies are looking forward to many more
successful events.”

Teams made up of athletes 8 and under and 9–12 from Pensacola, Panama City, Tallahassee and
Jacksonville competed in track and field events on the new Joe and Jeannette Chapman Field at Tommy
Oliver Stadium. Events included long jump, shotput and turbo javelin. Track events included 55-meter
dash and the 80-meter hurdles.

“The facility met all of our needs and exceeded our expectations. The track was marked, and the sound
system worked extremely well,” said Jacques Raphael, district sport director for AAU Florida. “This
facility has the capability of hosting more AAU, USA Track & Field (USTF), National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) and state level high school track & field competitions.”

Joe and Jeannette Chapman Field at Tommy Oliver Stadium seats 7,000, has a state-of-the-art
scoreboard and is utilized by four schools in the school district. The project, completed in 2018, cost $12
million.

“We are thrilled that our community was able to build a facility like Joe and Jeannette Chapman Field at
Tommy Oliver Stadium for our students and their families,” said Bay District Schools’ Superintendent,
Bill Husfelt. “We believe that students for generations to come will enjoy participating in a variety of
events at this facility and we’re very excited about the possibility that the stadium can begin to attract
additional quality events to our area.”

For upcoming Florida AAU events, visit floridaaau.org.

For photos of the event, visit https://bit.ly/2zKkEzf.