New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/23/2015 -- Thursday, April 30th is the deadline to enter to win up to $500 in New York Sports Connection's first annual teen essay contest, announced the contest sponsor. Aaron Finkel, its founder, noted, "We've received entries from many parts of the City, but we would love to have participation from all five boroughs. Our goal with the contest is to promote sportsmanship in youth sports, so naturally we want to take that message into every neighborhood."

The essay contest is open to residents of The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island who are between twelve and 18 years of age as of the entry deadline. "We are hoping to uncover and celebrate true stories of sportsmanship throughout the City, but that's not a requirement," Finkel explains. "To enter, young people simply have to write an original essay of between 400 and 500 words based on the theme, "what sportsmanship means to me."

A panel of judges including WFAN radio personality Craig Carton and former New York Mets relief pitcher John Franco of NYC All Star Sports Group will award top prizes of $500 for the best sportsmanship essays in several age groups. "Those of us on the judging panel will be looking at the writer's use of the theme, the emotional impact of their essay, and the quality of the writing itself—including mechanics like grammar and spelling," notes Finkel.

Instructions and complete rules are available at NewYorkSportsConnection.com.

Finkel's website, NewYorkSportsConnection.com, is a clearinghouse for youth sports information in New York City, offering registered members reminders about registration deadlines and try-outs, plus details about the many teams, camps and sports clinics available to young athletes. "As a father of two teenaged athletes myself, I want to do everything I can to promote fair play and good sportsmanship," says Finkel. "The essay contest—and the collection of essays we hope to publish—aims to showcase athletes who do the right thing, and play with class—win or lose."

CityMD, an urgent care provider with offices throughout the five boroughs and the metro area, is a Supporting Sponsor of the contest.

About New York Sports Connection
New York Sports Connection is the premier online resource for families and youth sports organizations in New York City. At NewYorkSportsConnection.com, users can search for information on sports leagues, teams, classes and activities, interact with others in the site's online forum, and read the latest news about the local sports community. The site's free Weekly Sports Alert email keeps members up-to-date on upcoming deadlines for tryouts, sign-up/registration periods, clinics, camps and other sports-related events.

About Craig Carton
In addition to hosting the Boomer and Carton show on WFAN, Carton is also the founder and director of TicTocStop, a foundation that funds medical research for children and adults who have Tourette's Syndrome. The foundation also runs Camp Carton, a sleep away camp for kids with Tourette's.

About John Franco
Four-time All Star pitcher John Franco was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 2012. He is also a partner in NYC All Star Sports Group (NYC ASG), which he co-founded with Carton and Brooklyn Cyclones Assistant General Manager Gary Perone. A marketing and events company dedicated to building sports in the five boroughs, NYC ASG is responsible for several initiatives, including the Borough Cup baseball tournament, which New York Sports Connection supported in its inaugural year.

About CityMD Urgent Care
CityMD has 39 offices throughout New York City, Long Island, Westchester, and the Palisades. CityMD employs expert staff including medical assistants and technicians along with board-certified physicians who are highly trained in treating a wide variety of illnesses and injuries. Locations are open 365 days a year, welcome walk-ins for both adult and pediatric care and accept most major health insurances.

For more information on CityMD and a list of locations, please visit http://www.CityMD.net