Prior to Hawk, NRPA leaders spoke on the state of the profession, the association and future priorities.

Janna Rankin, chair of the NRPA Board of Directors, noted important progress of NRPA and called for park and recreation professionals to join together and be a strong voice among legislators and elected leaders. Dianne Hoover, president of the NRPA Board of Directors, announced some of the new offerings from NRPA, such as PRORAGIS and the Certified Park and Recreation Executive program, and discussed the merging of the titles of president and CEO. Barbara Tulipane, NRPA CEO, inspired park and recreation professionals to embrace conservation in their mission.

This all culminated with Hawk's much-anticipated keynote. He spoke candidly about his experiences as a youth skateboarder, his professional career and what inspired him to start the Tony Hawk Foundation. He urged attendees to harness the power of youth, especially those who might approach you with interest in bringing a skatepark to the community.

Above all, Tony Hawk's message was about providing local communities with safe places where youth have a chance to be active, practice a sport they love and feel empowered by being involved in the process.

• Class I (population 250,000 and more): Portland Parks and Recreation, Oregon
• Class II (population 100,001-250,000): City of Lakewood Department of Community Resources, Colorado
• Class III (population 50,001-100,000): Waukesha Parks, Recreation and Forestry, Wisconsin
• Class IV (population 25,001-50,000): Town of Parker Parks and Recreation, Colorado
• Class V (population less than 25,000): City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation Department, Virginia
• State Awards (for state agencies, awarded every other year): Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Congratulations to the distinguished winners!

1. PRORAGIS Training: Work Smarter, Plan Faster, Compare Better
8:30 a.m. — 9:45 a.m., Room B313b
This training will showcase NRPA's new national standards, PRORAGIS. The groundbreaking tool will equip park and recreation departments with the ability to share best practices, benchmark their operations against others, and justify additional funding and support. Have you discovered PRORAGIS yet?

2. NRPA — Get Involved
4:30 p.m. — 5:30 p.m., Room B203
Attend this session and meet with NRPA staff, receive an overview of NRPA membership offerings and discover the value of your membership!

3. Leisure Research Symposium Poster Session
6 p.m. — 7 p.m., Hallway outside Room B408
Hear from presenters from the Leisure Research Symposium on a wide range of information, from scientific data to programming ideas.

4. Student Quiz Bowl
6:30 p.m. — 9:30 p.m., Room B408
Teams of students from schools throughout the country will compete on stage in a Jeopardy-style format. Come cheer on your alma mater and wear your school colors — you even might learn something!

5. Progressive Networking Party
Begins at 6:30 p.m., Luckie Marietta District
Make sure to bring a stack of business cards to network with like-minded professionals in Atlanta's Luckie Marietta District. Designated restaurants/lounges include STATS, Der Biergarten and Max's, offering a 20 percent discount on food purchases.

Wouldn't it be great to have an opportunity to mingle and see some of the fun Atlanta restaurants and night life? Tonight at 6:30 p.m. you have your chance at the first-ever Progressive Networking Party. NRPA has mapped out a designated meeting area to enhance your networking opportunities within Atlanta's Luckie Marietta District. Designated restaurants and lounges will be offering a 20 percent discount on food purchases. Make sure you are wearing your Congress badge; you will need it to receive the discount — and you might find it handy to help break the ice.

You'll find everything from innovative playground equipment and high-tech exercise equipment to skate ramps and mobile stages. There is even an indoor leisure park this year where you can hang out and relax!

While strolling through and visiting with exhibitors, you can get into the running to win great prizes. Pull out your EXPOdition game card and, as you visit with exhibitors, ask them to give you a stamp. After you have filled up your card, drop it by booth 2727. You have until 3 p.m. Thursday to submit your entry and be in the running for an Apple iPad, a Tony Hawk signed skateboard or full registration to the 2012 Congress.

You also won't want to miss the opportunity to come by the various NRPA booths, including the Career Center, Parks & Recreation magazine (2726) and the Parks Build Community booth (2727).

As a reminder, the exhibit hall will be open today from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., and 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. are designated as exclusive hours to visit the exhibit hall so you can come by without worrying about missing something! Tomorrow, visit the exhibit hall from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

Additional resources available include:

• Top 10 Recommendations for how to implement conservation practices in your community.
• Digital library of conservation best management practices and case studies, including:
  • Rain Gardens
  • Reduced Mowing Saves Funds and Improves Natural Resources
  • Creating Partnerships to Engage Youth in Conservation and Stewardship
  • How to Develop an Energy Conservation Program for Your Agency
  • Wind and Solar Learning Center
• Conservation Discussion Group on NRPA Connect
• Park Resources Network on NRPA Connect
• NRPA Green School training program