“Fun in the Sun”
By Matt High, Athletics Program Coordinator, CHS

The annual Family Fun Day is an event that the Cultural and Human Services Department provides for the residents of Sunny Isles Beach. It was held on May 6, 2006 at Senator Gwen Margolis Park. It was an event where families could bring their children and have fun while meeting their friends and neighbors. The spring youth sport teams were invited to attend this big gala where awards were given to each participant along with some special awards that were chosen by their coaches. The sports included basketball, soccer, and cheerleading (the first time city has sponsored this sport). Through a raffle, participants won several prizes, including a basketball, soccer ball and the grand prize, an Apple IPOD Nano.

The day started off being hot, but a water slide kept kids cool. Some of the children did not know where to begin, there were so many games attracting each child to a different activity. We had a rock-climbing wall, tug-a-war, hoola hoops, balloon games, and a merry-go-round (for the younger children). The DJ played some interactive games with the kids. An airbrush artist that provided ‘fake’ tattoos was another big hit with the kids. As the pictures indicate, the children had lots of fun making it a successful day for our residents and youth participants.

Each participant of the youth programs received a trophy in their respective sport. Vice Mayor Roslyn Brezin, Commissioner Gerry Goodman, Commissioner Danny Iglesias, Commissioner Lewis J. Thaler and our new City Manager A. John Szerlag were on hand to present the athletic trophies to the participants.

This season we had nine basketball teams, four cheerleading squads, and two soccer teams. The names listed below are the special awards that each coach selected for their team. The Most Valuable Players in basketball were: Gabriel Hernandez, Marison Siqueira, Marlon Ramirez, Eugene Soto-Beregovoy, Julian Sola, Lorriane Smith, Franco Sola, Jay Osborne-Clark, and Nahuel Casella. The Most Improved players were: Ruben Munoz, Eyon Tomlinson, Ezequiel Priven, Angela Rodriguez, Marcos Ramirez, Daniel Grek, Julian Moreira, William Landaeta, and Sergio Castro. The Good Sportmanship awards: Ben Vaittsman, Delbert Perez, Daniel Gelman, Isiah Arrazcaeta, Nicolas Sanchez, Elizabeth Pantaleon, Claudia Castro, Pedro Krum, and Elan Rodick.

In cheerleading, the Most Valuable Players were: Erica Silver, Genesis Ramirez, Francisca White, and Micaela Martinez. The Most Improved awards went to; Camila Rubinovich, Leila Lencina, Milena Alvarez, and Tatiana Garcia. The Most Spirited awards went to: Raquel Esquenazi-Baez, Shannon Castaneda, Maria Selva, and Isabel Rodriguez.

The soccer awards went to Juan Diego La Rosa and Julio Sergio Castro for Most Valuable Players, Edgar Alza and Sebastian Marquez for Most Improved, Justin Espinal for Most Goals Scored and Ivan Barriga for Most Improved.

One of the many highlights from the event included the Under-16 soccer team presenting the championship trophy from the Greater Hollywood Soccer League to the city. The Vice Mayor, Commissioners, and City Manager accepted the trophy with great honor. The Under-16 soccer team had a record of 11-0-1, finished first place in the league.

I would like to thank all of the coaches for their hard work and continued dedication in making the youth sports programs run smoothly. Family Fun Day was a great event for everyone.

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