University Of Phoenix Prestige

Welcome, Cardinals -- we thought you might never show up

Who would have thought it?

Just a week ago, the NFL was still in lockout mode and the Arizona Cardinals weren't able to say when -- or even if -- there would be a summer training camp in Flagstaff this year.

But here we are on July 29 -- the date the Cards had expected to arrive at NAU long before the four-month lockout began -- and it's as if nothing is amiss.

The players are set to drive up to their dorms at NAU this afternoon, lug their suitcases up the stairs just like freshmen, then head to the DuBois Center for dinner.

And by Saturday afternoon, they'll be out on the East Fields behind Kinsey School at their first practice, with three weeks' more to come.

For the fans, training camp in a small city is the perfect chance to see close-up the players who, once the season starts, are far less accessible, whether you're watching from the bleachers high atop the stadium in Glendale or from your living-room couch. The "seats" at NAU's practice fields are right on the sidelines, and the price is right: free. There will even be an autograph session for kids on Saturday, Aug. 6. The only change this year will be closed practices when inclement weather forces the team to go inside the Skydome -- construction makes it unsafe to allow in fans.

Even non-fans, though, can bask in the reflected prestige that comes from hosting athletes who have reached the pinnacle of their sport. The fact that they are staying in college dorms and eating college food makes them seem like regular guys. Their presence at NAU makes us appreciate living in a college town and the opportunity to rub elbows with talented and interesting people we otherwise would likely never meet.

Local merchants also appreciate the Cardinals. Their fans -- mostly day-trippers from Phoenix -- might not be the biggest spenders. But every extra summer visitor has to help during the prolonged recession.

So prized are the Cardinals as summer camp visitors that the city of Flagstaff is paying the team $32,000 a year -- they are in the second year of a three-year contract with the city and NAU. It's a show of good faith by the host community, which in return gets a sign promoting the city in the Cardinals' new stadium, along with ads in the game programs and mentions on radio broadcasts.

The university is paid by the Cards for providing housing, food and training facilities. But more important, NAU gets plenty of free exposure from news media coverage of the camp, while the campus gets to introduce itself to thousands of extra visitors each summer.

The Phoenix Prestige China Tour 2011 : Whats Up in Hangzhou ...

The Phoenix Prestige started in 2008 as a two-piece guitar-drums combo. The band have been living in China since 2005 and performing in China as a three-piece band since 2009. Early days were spent experimenting and blending punk rock with new sounds, effects pedals, midi, electronic music and traditional Chinese instruments. Jay Iverson was added to the roster in late 2009 adding the furiosity and drumming intensity that the band had been searching for. In Summer 2008 The Phoenix Prestige began work on their first recorded work entitled 'First' featuring demos and out-takes from practice sessions that would later appear on future work. In March 2009 , The Phoenix Prestige released 'Antarctica sessions', a similar work of demos and out-takes and began to gain a local following and reputation for alternative music in Hangzhou, China. Summer 2009 saw The Phoenix Prestige make Shanghai and Hangzhou television and radio appearances and demo work began on 'The Bullet Catch'. Then in March 2010, they released their debut Ep, 'The Bullet Catch', and began to spread their wings to venues around China in cities such as Hangzhou, Xi'an, Shanghai, Suzhou. In August 2010, The Phoenix Prestige embarked on their first ever ten city tour of China, where they debuted at reputable venues nationwide appearing in Beijing, Tianjing, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Wuhan, Changsha, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou as well as independently connecting with underground distributers around China under their own label, IIIMedicIII Independent records.On the strength of "The Bullet Catch," the prestige of Phoenix has appeared in international music magazines, and has also had radio and television interviews in China and abroad - "The Pekinese: NC" "Time Out: Hong Kong: NC", "Shanghai Weekly: NC", "TheRedstar Qingdao: NC", "Whisperin and Hollerin: UK", "Electrical Language podcast: UK", "Alternative Ulster: Northern Ireland "Phantom FM: Ireland, WLRFM Ireland, Live95FM: Ireland ... to name a few.

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