D.C. Priority Program

WHAT IS THE D.C. PRIORITY PROGRAM?

The D.C. Priority Program is an option for clubs and/or teams wishing to "pre-book" the "prime" hotel blocks for the NIKE National Harbor Showdown BEFORE general booking opens! 

With an increasing demand for walking distance hotels, the ability to pre-book hotel rooms has been requested by many of our regularly participating clubs. This program has been created in order to reward ‘loyal’ clubs and teams by providing priority booking opportunities at high demand properties.

The program will be instituted ONLY for the following tournament in 2022-2023:

• NIKE National Harbor Showdown

Similar to frequent flyer programs, this program rewards clubs and teams that consistently attend D.C. area events and book more rooms at a THS approved hotel. By combining team and parent room reservations, everyone has the chance to qualify for the program!

WHAT ARE THE RULES?

• You must register the team(s) for each event on SportWrench AND pay the entry fees for the teams you wish to block rooms for through D.C. Priority.
• You must block a minimum of 5 rooms with a maximum of 15 per team.
  • NOTE: ​If your club has picked up more than 15 rooms per team at previous years' THS event, you MAY be awarded more than 15 rooms per team.
• Block a minimum of 5 rooms and a maximum of 15 rooms for a minimum of 2 nights  -> NO EXCEPTIONS!
• ALL ROOMS are required to have a minimum of 2 nights  -> NO EXCEPTIONS!
• Of the number of rooms requested, you MUST guarantee 90% of the room nights utilized.
  • If not, you will be given a time frame in which to cure your deficit.
  • If the deficit is not cured, your team will face a penalty of $50 per room-night short of the 90% guarantee.
  • If not paid by set deadline, your team will be removed from the event.

IMPORTANT: It is ok to transfer this agreement from one team to another within the same club if an age group drops or cannot compete.

HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?:

1. Register your team(s) for each event on SportWrench AND pay the entry fees! 
   • ​​Registration opens on October 1st at www.SportWrench.com.
2. Submit your D.C. Priority application via email to josephaj1@aol.com between 11AM EST on October 10^th and 5PM EST on October 21^st.
   • Applications for D.C. Priority will ONLY be accepted online between those dates & times.
3. Accept and return the D.C. Priority contract no later than within 24 hours within receipt of the contract!

HOW CAN I APPLY FOR THE D.C. PRIORITY PROGRAM?

IMPORTANT: Applications are available to be submitted ONLY VIA EMAIL between 11AM EST on October 10^th and 5PM EST on October 21^st.

To apply for the D.C. Priority Program, please email AJ Joseph at josephaj1@aol.com directly with the following information to receive details: EVENT NAME below: 

• Club Name
• Club or Travel Director Name
• Contact Email
• Contact Cell Number
• Address
• Name & Age Group of EACH TEAM attending
• Number of rooms PER TEAM requested

Gaylord National Harbor Resort (NOTE: this is the ONLY D.C. PRIORITY HOTEL)
201 Waterfront Street
National Harbor, MD  20745
Double/Double or King Rooms
RATE: $194 (plus tax & $22 resort fee per froom-night) 

HOW ARE ROOMS AWARDED?

Once the D.C. Priority application is completed priority will be given this first year of the event based on the followng:

• Distance teams are traveling.
• Number of teams attending and number of rooms requested per team.

IMPORTANT: For all Club Applications, number of rooms will be allotted based on previous THS pick up and request history from other events, if available! 

Once your club is selected and rooms awarded, all contracts must be accepted within 24 hours of the issue date. Additionally, each club will be responsible for booking 90% of the total contracted room-nights by the rooming list deadline to avoid penalties.

WHAT ARE THE PROGRAM LIMITATIONS? 

The D.C. Priority Program may present challenges for JVC and THS, which could result in a shortage of inventory for some applicants. This is due to the amount of available hotel rooms within the defined area and the number of applicants requesting space. If you are contacted by THS because your Application has been "deferred", you have several options that will still afford you some D.C. Priority​ benefits:

• Allow THS to book your rooms at the next best hotel location. The club will still get to request their preferred hotel selection before general booking opens.
• Clubs and teams have the option to split up their blocks between hotels in order to have access to possible space within walking distance.  

IMPORTANT: Teams may have to accept some rooms at a location outside of walking distance properties. 

THS will do their best to give deferred applicants the opportunity to move into walking distance hotels, but does not guarantee that team blocks will be moved, and do not offer a waitlist.

WHAT IF I DO NOT WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN D.C. Priority​ BUT NEED HOTEL ROOMS FOR MY TEAM(S)? 

General booking (for teams not participating in D.C. Priority) will open on the following date:

• Tuesday, November 1st for the NIKE National Harbor Showdown

If you have any questions regarding the D.C. Priority Program, please contact AJ Joseph directly at josephaj1@aol.com or call (719) 201-7323!