Little Things Really Do Make The Difference!
Submitted by OJ Mesina
The Springdale Sailfish swim team took to the water this year with the goals to work hard, swim well, and have fun! After a short, but energy-packed, season I am proud to say that team achieved those goals! We were 59 swimmers strong this year and this includes 17 new members to the Springdale Sailfish community. Fifteen of those new swimmers came from our “farm system”, Springdale swim lessons!
I along with Coach Amanda and the newest member of our team Coach Joanna, worked very hard to meet our goals! Our younger kids made huge strides throughout the season. Many started not knowing all the strokes or not being able to finish a single lap; but by the end of season, many had surpassed my expectations and truly became Sailfish in the water. That is more rewarding than any championship.
The Sailfish finished a strong 2nd in the small team division of the Northern Suburban Swim League (NSSL) Championships! We competed against Norwood, Reading and St. Bernard. While first place was just out of reach (95 points…in swimming terms that not that much) I am overjoyed with the way our kids performed. At championships, 47% percent of our swimmers achieved personal best times on those two hot days! It truly shows that if you work hard at practice you will see the results. We had some bad luck on the second day that cost us valuable points, but our swimmers held their heads high and continued to swim hard! That is a true sign of a champion!
As the season has come to a come to a close, I look back and see that championships are won because of the little things - like coming to practice with the desire to get better, wanting to be pushed outside of your comfort zone, listening to feedback and applying it, and treating every day of the six week season as a way to make yourself better not only as an individual swimmer, but as a member of a team who’s mission is to do their best at the right time. I have no doubt that if the swimmers of 2011 Springdale Sailfish do those small things, there may be some thing even better to talk about next year! Little things really do make the difference.
Thanks to all those people who made this season a success! I am very proud of all my swimmers, parents, and coaches who put the effort into this great season! I couldn’t have done it without you! Can’t wait to see everyone next summer - hopefully, we will have a bunch of new faces eager to swim!
Swimmingly Yours - Coach OJ
Cardboard Boats Do Float!
Submitted by Katlyn Mukuda, Assistant Aquatics Director
This past Sunday we held our very first Cardboard Boat Regatta at the Springdale Pool. Kids and parents of all ages worked extremely hard at creating boats to race (and hopefully not sink!) Our hopes seemed to be dashed when the storm clouds came rolling in. But by some strange stretch of luck we were able to hold our regatta later that day. The clouds parted, the sun shone through, and soon some of the most colorful and exciting boats began arriving.There were boats of every shape, size, and color. There were boats small enough for just one captain and others large enough to hold a crew of three! One boat had streamers and bright colors. Another paid homage to our very own Springdale Sailfish. The next boat was a pirate ship complete with a crew of fearsome pirates. There was even a terrifying dragon, ready to gobble up anyone who might cross its path!
Once all of our captains and crews arrived the race was ready to begin. The first race had five fantastic ships: Dragon Behind, the S.S. Moo, the Ro-Boat, the Floater, and B-Rad. The crews entered the water and the race was on! The Ro-Boat was the first to topple, but the crew managed to climb aboard and make it to the finish. The S.S. Moo had a great start, but soon took on too much water. B-Rad took off down the lane and left a few boats in its wake. Dragon Behind intimidated its competition, but it was no match for the Floater that sped down the lane and ended winning the first race in a mere 52 seconds!
The second race held some heavy competition. The boats competing included: the S.S. Holidae, the Pirate Ship, the Party Boat, and the S.S. Clay. The S.S. Holidae crewed by the lifeguards, needed saving right away as it toppled over and filled with water. The S.S. Clay took off down the lane (unfortunately because it was manned by one of the lifeguards, it was not able to be a winner.) The Party Boat made an impressive start before tipping over and throwing its crew of ladies into the pool. In fact, the Part Boat ladies tried several times to climb aboard their ship, but each time were thwarted by the rough waves! The Pirate Ship made the best showing in the second race and made it all the way to the end before tossing its crew of pirates into Davy Jones’ Locker!
After all of the laughing, splashing, and soaking wet cardboard, we finally had our winners. The Floater won fastest boat, Dragon Behind won Best Looking, and the Party Boat won the Titanic Award for Most Spectacular Sinking! All in all it was a fantastic day thanks to the crews of all the amazing boats. We can’t wait to do it again!
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
Written by Anna Breidenbach
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
I like to think that Dr. Seuss may be referring to traveling with the Springdale Parks & Recreation department with his popular poem!
Although the weather outside is a little frightful, it is a great time to be thinking about “the places you’ll go!”. At our 2010 Travel Preview you will learn about all the fantastic trips lined up for this year. There will be one day trips (Belterra, Columbus Ballet to name a couple), and overnight trips (Amish country, Michigan, and western Pennsylvania to tempt you).
The various trips will be provided by AAA Provident Travel, Joy Tour & Travel, and the Springdale Senior Citizens club. These groups will have representatives at our Friday, January 15th Preview that will present the trips and can answer your questions. This is always a fun day for our members and their guests. You can feel the excitement of faraway places and the camaraderie of friends traveling together. I encourage everyone to attend. Please call the front desk- 346-3910- if you plan to attend.
And of course, to finish with Dr. Seuss:
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!
The Happiest Place in Springdale
By Christy Runge
Where is the Happiest Place in Springdale? I’ll give you a few hints. There are puzzles, crafts and trucks. Want to build something? There’s a workbench complete with tools. Rather cook than construct? We have a kitchen stocked with food! Figured it out yet? Oh, come on, it’s Kids Corner, the ‘Happiest Place’ in town!
While you’re sweating it out in the Fitness Center, surfing the net in the Computer Lab or watching a basketball game in the gym, we have an experienced staff to keep your children entertained. It’s not unusual to see me, Agnes or Myra playing while “on the job”. That’s what we do, we interact with the kids a lot. We play on the mats and crawl through tunnels. Oh, wait a minute, let me rephrase that, the kids crawl through the tunnels, yeah that’s better! We read and put puzzles together. Sometimes we encourage independent play with Lego’s, coloring books and games. But, whatever we do it’s FUN!
Kids Corner is filled with everything your child needs for a FUNTASTIC time. We even have a child size bathroom with changing station, so we’re ready for anything!
Next time you want to take some time for yourself, drop your kids off at Kids Corner and see why it’s the ‘Happiest Place’ in Springdale!
Take me to my Funtastic Coupon & More Information!
Welcome to Our Kitchen!
by Anna Breidenbach
Fall is in the air and everyone is dressed in their team colors (any other fellow Hawkeyes out there?)- that can only mean one thing… Tailgate! No, don’t fight the crowds down at Paul Brown- it’s the perfect time to hold a pigskin party in your own house! What’s that?- you don’t have any ideas on what to make- no problem! Our popular What’s Cookin’? class is back and full of ideas. With a menu of homemade pretzels, hoagies, salad (yes, we threw in something green) and dessert. Everything is covered! And best of all- it is healthy, easy and inexpensive!
Are you still a little hesitant to try a cooking class? Jay and I both know our way around a kitchen and have a lot of fun teaching the classes. We try out new products, wrangle over the recipes, and fist fights are quite common…well, that is just in our practice sessions. Jay does everything by the book, while I cook off-the-cuff- pretty entertaining combination and the result is some really good food. Plus you will learn about my love of infomercials (shamWOW anyone?) and Jay’s crush on Martha Stewart. So throw some measuring cups to the wind and give us a try! Sign-ups are going on now- stop by the front desk or call 346-3910.
Do you have some late-season tomatoes and not quite sure what to do with them? Try my favorite fresh salsa recipe:
Salsa Fresca
Ingredients:
2 medium size ripe tomatoes
¼ medium size onion
4 sprigs cilantro
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp garlic salt
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 jalapeno (1/3 for mild, 2/3 for medium, all for hot and spicy)
Chop tomatoes, onion, cilantro and garlic, place in a bowl. Add chopped jalapeno if desired. Sprinkle garlic salt and lemon juice. Toss and serve with tortilla chips. Store in refrigerator in airtight container.
Say “Goodbye” to Summer
It’s always sad to see the pool close at the end of summer. The old swimming hole, now empty, looks desolate; chairs and diving boards are put away, the lifeguard office is empty and the familiar sound of kids having fun can only be faintly heard coming from a distant soccer field.
On the other hand, there is a sense of relief that accompanies the sad feeling. Relief knowing, no one was seriously hurt, no outbreaks of cryptosporidium, or near drownings. This doesn’t happen by chance, it takes a “swim team” to keep the Community Center pool a safe place to swim. The “team” includes a well-managed and trained aquatic staff, parents that watch their children, and kids that know and follow the pool rules. More than 6,000 people visited the pool this year and lifeguards alone cannot solely be responsible for the well-being of that many people. Fortunately, most pool-goers respect and listen to the lifeguards. The aquatic staff also taught over 300 adults and children how to swim. Not only is the ability to swim a lifelong skill but it can literally save you or your child’s life.
All of these things help us keep everyone safe while visiting the Community Center pool and for this, the entire aquatic staff says thank you for a great summer and being a part of our winning “team”!
See you next summer!
Amy, OJ, Zach, Shannon, Greg, Kelsey, Michelle, Jo, Amanda, Lindsey, Bailey, Marcus, Clay, Kaitlin, Sonny, Alyssa, Megan, Kelly, Melody, Nick, Abby, Andrea and Zippy too!
Welcome To Our New Website!
Welcome to our new and improved website! If you’ve visited us before, you can tell we’ve received a major overhaul. The change isn’t just cosmetic, it’s also mechanical and procedural. Our site is different in every conceivable way! We’ve rebuilt everything from “under the hood” to the bumpers! Our navigation is different. The structure is different. The coding and programming is different. Our address is different. The way we’re communicating with you is different.
We’re continuing to expand on our tagline of “Creating Community Through People, Parks & Programs.” This time, it’s through you, engaging you in our community of Parks & Recreation and all we do.
We are improving the types of things we communicate with you, the frequency of our communication, and how we communicate. We’re also asking for feedback. Tell us what you think – send us an email or comment on our site.
The website is only one way in which we’re building community. We’ve also started a blog – your backstage pass to what’s going on in Parks and Recreation. There is so much information for us to share, and the blog is a way we can do that without spamming you! Check back often for updates and information – everything from fitness tips, frugal programs, water safety, and more!
Sign up for our email. You pick your preferences, and we’ll send you programs and announcements that we think may interest you. We’ll do our best to keep you up-to-date and informed about goings-on in Springdale!
Send us an email. Have a question or comment? Don’t hesitate to contact us at GoPlay@Springdale.org and let us know. We’d love to hear from you and answer your questions!
Go old-school and visit us. Yes, that’s right, our hours are convenient and there’s always someone here when the building is open to answer your questions, take your registration, reserve your room, or just share information. Next time you’re here for a walk or a class, stop by and talk to one of us about what we’re doing to Create Community for you!