 Children can learn the basics of their favorite sport through the Miami-Dade Parks Sports Development Program offered at select park sites throughout the county beginning August 31, 2009.
The sports development program, which is held Monday through Friday at various times ranging from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., follows the sports schedule of the school year. The program begins with flag football, followed later in the year by basketball, fencing, track & field, tennis, softball, and soccer.
These programs help introduce children to a sport and help them improve their techniques in order to play the sport at their school or within community leagues. Some park sites also offer their own leagues and competition games. Children will learn the language of the sport and its meaning, the basic techniques of the sport, and practice those skills daily.
In a recent survey of 3,000 households which measured leisure interest in Miami-Dade County, 13% of the households surveyed participate in basketball, 10% participate in soccer, 9% participate in football, 6% participate in baseball, and 7% participate in tennis, indicating a strong interest in various sports. Miami-Dade Parks’ sports development program provides a great value to the community by getting children interested in physical fitness and helping to combat childhood obesity.
 Children must be between the ages of 6 and 14 and must be registered directly at the park offering the program. Cost is $10 per week. There must be a minimum of 12 registrants per park for the program to take place. For more information, please call one of the parks listed below or visit the Miami-Dade Parks website at www.miamidade.gov/parks.
A list of the participating parks follows below:
North
Central
South
Miami-Dade Parks, a three-time National Gold Medal Award winner, Florida Governor’s 2009 Sterling Award winner, and an accredited agency, is the third largest park system in the nation consisting of 258 parks and more than 12,600 acres of land. It is one of the most unique park and recreation systems in the U.S. Made up of more than just playgrounds and athletic fields, it also comprises summer camps programs; after-school programs; sports development programs; programs for people with disabilities and seniors; educational nature centers and nature preserves; environmental restoration; beaches; Miami MetroZoo and Deering Estate at Cutler; Crandon Tennis Center home of the Sony Ericsson tennis tournament; golf courses; marinas; campgrounds; and more.
The Miami-Dade Parks mission is to create outstanding recreational, natural and cultural experiences to enrich you and to enhance our community for this and future generations.
|
