Beverage Company Sponsors Teen Games

As part of an effort to contribute to the community that has added to its success, Fire Mountain Beverage Co. recently sponsored this year's L.A. Watts Summer Games, the largest high school athletic competition in the nation.

"Our goal here is to support elite high school athletes by giving back to the same markets that support our sales," said Anthony Miller, chief executive officer of Fire Mountain Beverage. "This event helps to accomplish one of our objectives by promoting healthy living through education."

Since the passage of the Pupil Nutrition, Health and Achievement Act of 2001, California schools have banned the sale of sugared, carbonated beverages and are moving toward juices, certain sports drinks, diet sodas and bottled water. And recently, major beverage distributors have followed suit, agreeing to stop selling sugary drinks to the nation's public schools.

Fire Mountain's Five O2 oxygenated bottled water is enriched with vitamins A and C, niacin, potassium and calcium, making it a more nutritious alternative to beverages containing sugar, caffeine, sodium and carbohydrates. Five O2 also comes in fruit flavors that are appealing to consumers of any age. By sponsoring the games, the company hopes to show teen athletes that they have healthier options with which to quench their thirst.

The L.A. Watts Summer Games started in 1968, three years after racially charged riots tore the Watts neighborhood apart. The goal was to foster understanding and camaraderie among the area's high school students. The games now include competitions for both boys and girls in soccer, track and field, volleyball, tennis, cheerleading, music, art and poetry and more. Nearly 200,000 young people have participated in the games to date.

To promote the achievements of high school students in areas other than athletics, scholastics were added to the mission of the games. In 1992, a scholarship program was established for youth dedicated to serving the community through volunteerism.