Missy Franklin To Return to Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, This Time as Host

NEW YORK CITY, New York, August 9. AFTER appearing as a celebrity guest in 2012 and performing in Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” flash mob, Missy Franklin returns to Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day this year as co-host.

One of the brightest stars in the sports world, the 18-year-old recently became the most-decorated female swimmer in World Championships history with nine gold medals. She also is the first female swimmer to win six gold medals at a single World Championships with her record-breaking performance in Barcelona, Spain.

In her Olympic debut at the 2012 Summer Olympics at age 17, Missy won a total of five medals, four of which were gold. She swept the women’s backstroke events, winning gold in both the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke. Her successes have earned her Swimming World’s World Swimmer of the Year and the USA Swmming Swimmer of the Year award in 2012 as well as the FINA Swimmer of the Year Award in 2011 and 2012. She currently holds the world record in the 200-meter backstroke and American records in both the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke.

As a member of the U.S. National Team, Missy also holds the world and American record in the 4×100-meter medley relay and the American record in the 4×100-meter free relay.

Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day presented by Hess is the largest single-day, grassroots tennis and entertainment event in the world, with chart-topping performers, celebrities and some of the best tennis players in the game coming together to celebrate the life and values of tennis legend and humanitarian Arthur Ashe. The event takes place the Saturday before the US Open.

Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day features a ticketed Stadium Show and concert inside Arthur Ashe Stadium preceded by a free Grounds Festival on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

Among those who have performed at the Ashe Kids’ Day on their way to stardom are Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Sean Kingston, Demi Lovato, Ne-Yo, Gavin DeGraw, Carly Rae Jepsen and the Jonas Brothers. A “Who’s Who?” of the tennis world has given back to the game during this fun-filled afternoon, including Andre Agassi, Kim Clijsters, Lindsay Davenport, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, John McEnroe, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Venus Williams. They’ve been joined by celebrities including Alec Baldwin, Nick Cannon, John Cena, Ellen DeGeneres, Will Ferrell Tony Hawk, Randy Jackson, Matthew Morrison, and Kenan Thompson.

The free Grounds Festival offers interactive games, music and tennis activities for all ages so that kids and their families can enjoy the health and fitness benefits of tennis. Families can test their skills, watch top tennis pros and have a chance to win prizes. The Grounds Festival also features a free concert with exciting up-and-coming talent on the Hess Express Stage.

The proceeds from Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day help support USTA Serves, the USTA’s national charitable foundation, and the National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network. NJTL was founded by Ashe, Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder and is a nationwide group of more than 600 nonprofit youth-development organizations that provide free or low-cost tennis, education and life-skills programming to more than 325,000 children each year.

For more information on Arthur Ashe and his legacy, please visit the Arthur Ashe Learning Center website.

Arthur Ashe Day takes place August 24.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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