#1 – Thomas Milner, Amateur Athletic Union
Thomas’ involvement with the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) began in 1996 when he was asked to volunteer for the AAU National Baseball Championships in Sarasota, Florida. As a father of two boys playing baseball and president of his local little league, he agreed and never looked back. During this time, he really believed in the AAU. He was eventually nominated to be on the National Baseball Committee and the Sullivan Award Committee which represents the best amateur athlete in the United States each year. Volunteering for the Basketball World Championships has also kept him busy during the last several years. Thomas says best part of his association as a volunteer is to see the smiles on the faces of all of the athletes.
#2 – Arion Herbert, Main Attraction Recreational Sports
Arion Herbert is the co-founder and CEO of Main Attraction Recreational Sports (MARS), which was established in 2016. He helped shape it into a community driven organization aimed towards promoting a healthy and social environment to all of participants. MARS is responsible for creating, among other events, a series of adult kickball tournaments called “Turf Wars,” which was recently featured on ESPN and has grown to become the largest and most exciting adult kickball tournament in the nation.
#3 – Greg Thomas, International Senior Softball Association
Greg Thomas is a 56-year-old sports event organizer who has spent most of his life working with the International Senior Softball Association (ISSA). He participated in amateur sports in a number of roles through his life: as a player, team manager, umpire, administrator, and commissioner. In the 1990s, he began helping organize and conduct the ISSA World Championships and today he works full-time on a full slate of senior softball tournaments around the U.S. His experience provides the background to present players and guests with the highest level of satisfaction at the high quality events. He now provides the tournament scheduling for more than 20 events each year, some of which have up to 200 teams and include more than 550 games.
