Gold medal finalists named. (Tip-Off).

Finalists for the 2003 National Gold Medal & State Park Awards program have been announced by the National Sporting Goods Association Sports Foundation. The awards are presented annually to communities throughout the U.S. for excellence in park and recreation administration. The award program is held in cooperation with NRPA and the National Sporting Goods Association, and is sponsored by Porter Athletic Equipment Co.

"Being a finalist is an honor in itself," says NRPA President Jonathan Korfhage, CPBE "I've been traveling around the U.S. representing NRPA a lot lately, and there's pretty stiff competition out there. All these agencies do an outstanding job."

Aside from recognizing community park agencies, this year state parks are also reviewed. The Gold Medal finalists for state parks this year are the Missouri, New York, and Wisconsin state agencies.

Communities are judged on the basis of population. Here are the 2003 Gold Medal finalists by class:

* Less than 25,000 residents: Colts Neck, N.J.; Bloomingdale, Ill.; Frankfort Square, Ill.; and Ithaca, Ill.

* 25,000-50,000: Decal, Ill.; Englewood, Colo.; Glen Ellyn, Ill.; and Grand Junction, Colo.

* 50,000-100,000: Bloomington, Ind.; Denton, Texas; Plymouth, Minn.; and Schaumburg, Ill.

* 100,000-250,000: Concord, Ohio; Naperville, Ill.; Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Tallahassee, Fla.

* More than 250,000: Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission; Lee County Parks & Recreation, Fort Myers, Fla.; Fort Worth, Texas; and East Baton Rouge, La.

The winners will be chosen by a diverse group of parks and recreation professionals representing practitioners and educators. You can find out the winners at the Opening General Session of NRPA's National Congress & Exposition in St. Louis on Oct. 21. For more information, go to www.nrpa.org.