Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
Be on the lookout … Many young, well-muscled, tall, good-looking guys who look like football players, because, well, they ARE football players have invaded Amelia Island. On Christmas Day while many of us on Amelia Island were recovering from visits from Santa Claus and a surfeit of Christmas cookies and eggnog, the Iowa Hawkeyes arrived for a 10-day stay at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort. While our beaches and climate are no doubt a welcome reprieve from Iowa winters, these guys are here to prepare for the TaxSlayer Bowl on January 2 at Jacksonville’s Everbank Field, when they will face off against the University of Tennessee Volunteers at 3:30 p.m. For more information on the TaxSlayer Bowl and ticket availability, visit www.taxslayerbowl.com/
“As part of an agreement with Gator Bowl Sports, Amelia Island will be the home base for TaxSlayer Bowl teams for the next six years,” said Gil Langley, President and CEO of the Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). “This is a great opportunity for us to showcase the destination to the teams and encourage additional fans to stay on island during the bowl game weekend.”
According to Langley, the CVB has been successful in promoting the destination as an ideal home base for visiting fans attending the bowl game and other events at Jacksonville EverBank Field. The new agreement will expand that effort and, as a bonus, will help local high school football players. Fernandina Beach High School is using the TaxSlayer Bowl’s facility rental fees to upgrade the football practice facilities, where the Hawkeyes will train in preparation for the game. The renovated facilities will take two years to complete and will be available to the high school’s football team.
“This is a big deal for our school,” said Ken Roland, Athletic Director of Fernandina Beach High School. “We are very excited to host the Iowa Hawkeyes. They have a great tradition of football and we are looking forward to seeing this Big 10 power in action.”
Although the Hawkeyes’ practices are not open to the public, the sight of four large buses outside the fenced Fernandina Beach High School football field is a dead giveaway that practice is underway. On Saturday many fans and curious onlookers drove to the field to watch from outside the fence. Players and coaches were hard at work under the warm Florida sun.