By Tamas Mondovics
County Celebrates Go Skateboarding Day
Hillsborough County’s Brandon Skate Park hosted a 2014 Go Skateboarding Day celebration last month.
Giving testimony to the sport’s continued impact on both young and old, each year since 2004 skateboarders around the globe come together on Saturday, June 21, and celebrate what is considered one of the most influential outdoor activities.
Annually, the event seeks to encourage area residents to abandon televisions, video games and computers and instead put their skateboards into play.
Celebrated at the 11,000 sq.-ft. Brandon Skate Park located at 5720 Providence Rd. in Riverview, the event drew hundreds of attendees and featured free food, live music and prizes, with focus on dozens of talented skaters that brought their best tricks and joined in competitions in all age categories across four age divisions (7 and younger; 8 to12-year-olds; 13 to17-year-olds; 18 and older).
The Brandon Skate Park is an obstacle street and bowl park that opened to the public in 2012. Helmets are required and a notarized waiver must be completed.
Complete skate park rules and waiver form are available online at www.HillsboroughCounty.org/ Brandonskate.
For more information, contact Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department at 744-5319.
Local Teen Shines At Junior Golf Tourney
The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour recently hosted Dr. Bob’s Mistake Free Golf Jr. Classic tournament producing fine results by young talents throughout the region. Held at Falcon’s Fire in Kissimmee, the tourney saw Ruskin resident Latanna Stone place first in the girl’s 15-18 division.
According to Hurricane Junior Golf Tour spokesperson Brittnee L. Jones, Stone was tied for second going after two rounds, which she capped off with a phenomenal third round score of 68.
“This round proved to be the difference maker at Falcons Fire,” Jones said adding that in the final round alone, Stone posted five birdies, four of which coming on the front nine.
Finishing in a tie for second place was Radi Sauro of Lake Worth. Sauro improved her score all three rounds posting a 76, 74 and finally a 73 in the third and final round.
For more information, visit www.hjgt.org.
YMCA To Host Olympic Day Event
In less than a month, and in celebration of Olympic Day, nearly 1,800 gymnasts and their families will be traveling from across the country to Tampa for the 2014 YMCA National Gymnastics Championships.
Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA and Sarasota YMCA will co-host the five-day event, scheduled from Tuesday, July 1, through Saturday, July 5, which will see more than 100 teams from 23 states and an estimated 5,800 visitors resulting in an economic impact of $4.5 million in the community.
According to YMCA Communications Director Lalita Llerena, opening ceremonies will take place at Raymond James Stadium on Wednesday, July 2 at 4 p.m. under a Treasures Discovered pirate theme.
Megan Clementi, Miss Florida USA 2010, will serve as the keynote speaker for the event.
The three-day competition will take place at the Tampa Convention Center Thursday – Saturday, July 3 – July 5.
“We are excited to take part in Olympic Day and inspire kids in the Tampa Bay community,” Llerena said. “The Tampa Y is proud to support the Olympic movement and encourage children to lead healthy, active lives.”
The 2014 YMCA National Gymnastics Championships is one of more than 700 events taking place nationwide this summer. The events, designed to engage youth and promote the ideals of the Olympic movement, feature athlete appearances, family-friendly activities and interactive learning experiences.
Around the world, more than 160 countries take part in the annual celebration.
Olympic Day was created in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic games, focuses on the Olympic values and ideals such as fair play, perseverance, respect and sportsmanship.
In the U.S., Olympic Day events range from small gatherings to large, city-wide events.
For more information about the 2014 YMCA National Gymnastics Championships, go to www.ymcagymnationals.org. For sponsorship opportunities, e-mail mercy.powell@tampaymca.org.
BSAC Draws Hundreds As An Official Host For The World’s Largest Swim Lesson
With more than 200 kids on hand, Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center was pleased to take part in the largest simultaneous swim lesson last month.
On Friday, June 20, the center joined tens of thousands of kids and adults at aquatic facilities around the world uniting all for the fifth year in a row to set a new Guinness World Record, for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL).
“We had a fantastic turn out that led to an outstanding event promoting the participation in learning to swim and ultimately saving lives,” said BSAC Director of Marketing and Brand Development, Lori Bukaweski.
Each participating aquatic faculties are now in the process of submitting their attendance figures for final count, which will then be announced to the public.
Team WLSL holds the current Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson, which stands at 32,450 participants representing 13 different countries across five continents.
The 2013 WLSL event generated more than 50 million media impressions, spreading the event’s important message to hundreds of thousands of families.
Tragically, drowning remains the leading cause of unintended, injury related death for children ages 1-5, and the second leading cause of accidental death for children under 14. Research shows participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88 percent among children aged 1 to 4, yet many kids do not receive formal swimming or water safety training.
To learn more about WLSL, visit WLSL.org, or call BSAC at 689-0908.
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