For Opinion, click here for View from the Racetrack Grandstand

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Dan Patch Awards Returns to Rosen Shingle Creek In 2022

by U.S. Harness Writers Association

It's time to start booking rooms for the 2022 Dan Patch Awards banquet, conducted by the U.S. Harness Writers Association (USHWA), which returns to Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday, Feb. 20. Room reservations are now available by using the USHWA link to the hotel's reservations page as described below.

This will mark the fourth year the Dan Patch Awards banquet has been held at Rosen Shingle Creek. Rosen Shingle Creek played host to the Dan Patch Awards weekend for the first time in 2018 and the stunning 230-acre property proved such a popular venue that USHWA returned in 2019 and 2020, but the 2021 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was instead held virtually.

"We couldn't be more excited to be returning to Rosen Shingle Creek Resort for the 2022 Night of Champions and Dan Patch Awards," said USHWA president Kimberly Rinker. "The facilities at Shingle Creek are first-class, and they provide USHWA with the perfect venue to hold our national meetings and to honor all of the well-deserving horses and humans in the sport of harness racing."

The Dan Patch Awards banquet annually honors the best and brightest performers, both human and equine, of the previous season. The award winners are selected by USHWA, with all winners announced in advance except for Pacer of the Year, Trotter of the Year, and Horse of the Year, which will be revealed the night of the banquet. USHWA will hold its annual directors meeting on Saturday, Feb. 19, and its general membership meeting the morning of the banquet.

Located just off Universal Boulevard, within 10 minutes of the Orlando International Airport and minutes from the many area attractions, the 1,500-room Rosen Shingle Creek is a five-star property that is ranked a top-20 U.S. meeting hotel by Cvent.

The property includes four swimming pools, two lighted tennis courts, a spa that includes nine treatment rooms, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and an 18-hole, Arnold Palmer redesigned golf course. There are also 15 restaurants/lounges, including the upscale steakhouse A Land Remembered, the fine-dining bistro Cala Bella, Cafe Osceola, Tobias Burgers and Brews, Banrai Sushi, Mi Casa Tequila and Taquiera, and a 24-hour deli.

Dinner ticket prices and menu will be announced later, with a reduced price for children 12 and under. All attendees will receive a 10-percent discount at all of the above-mentioned restaurants, a 10 percent discount at the Spa at Shingle Creek, and a green fees discount at the Shingle Creek Golf Club.

All standard rooms under the USHWA block are $199 nightly (plus applicable taxes). For room reservations, please click on the USHWA website www.usharnesswriters.com for the Rosen Shingle Creek link, within the story starting on the front page. Attendees can also contact the Rosen Shingle Creek reservations department directly at 866-996-6338 or 407-996-6338 and asking for the Dan Patch Awards/USHWA rate.

To inquire about several sponsorship opportunities for the weekend, including live video streaming, the Red Carpet reception and live feed hosted by Heather Vitale and Heather Wilder, please contact USHWA President Rinker at trotrink@aol.com.

(USHWAns: We are asking that all directors and any others who are definitely planning on attending to please book their rooms as soon as possible. The hotel will not charge any cards until a few days before the event so you can book now and then also, if need be, modify your dates. Thanks greatly.)