By Matt High, Athletics Coordinator

Come and join us at the City of Sunny Isles Beach for some fun and excitement as we begin our winter/spring sports and activity programs. The youth sport programs are as follows: co-ed Instructional Baseball, co-ed Basketball that will be played in our new gymnasium (RK Sports Center), Travel League Soccer for the Under-10 division, and Dance Cheerleading. For our adults, we will have Walking Club, Bocce Club, and Mommy, Daddy & Stroller Club beginning in 2009.

The Instructional Baseball will be held in our new baseball facility located at Pelican Community Park. The ages for registration will be 5-12 years of age. We will host a Tee-ball team that will include basics for beginners. The age groups will be broken into two year increments. It should be a fun season as this will be the city’s first baseball program. It will run from January to April. Practice will be two times a week.

The Recreational Basketball season will start in January as well. As we have done in the past, we will be competing in the North Miami/Sunny Isles Beach League. The ages for registration are 6-14 years of age. It is an exciting time as we will be able to host games this year in our new RK Sports Center Gymnasium located at Pelican Community Park. Practice will be two times a week, including games.

Also, we will be having a Pee-Wee basketball instructional program starting in January to April. The ages for this program are 3-5 year olds. This group is instructional only learning the basics and fundamentals of basketball. They will have one practice a week.

Dance Cheerleading will be a new program that will be added in 2009. It will focus more on the dance of cheerleading instead of the chants. It will run from February to May. This program is opened to ages of 5-12. They will practice twice a week ending with a performance. The practices will be held in the RK Sports Center Gymnasium located at Pelican Community Park. Practices will be held twice a week and occasionally on Saturday mornings.

The city will be organizing a Travel League Soccer team for the under-10 age group. The season will begin in January to April. This team will consist of the best Sunny Isles Beach soccer players. We will be holding a try-out for anyone that is interested in December at Senator Gwen Margolis Park. Practices will take place starting in January and finishing in April at Town Center Park. Games will be held on the weekend along with tournaments. Practice for this team will be two times a week.

Walking Club will begin in January and end in March. We had a large number of participants last year and hopefully we can exceed that number this year. The club will meet at Town Center Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We want everyone to start 2009 exercising and meeting new friends. The program goal is to focus on individual improvements and accomplishments.

Another program that was successful last year was the Bocce League Tournament. This program will be held at Town Center Park. Bocce will start on February 19th and end on March 26th with games each Thursday. Standings will be kept to determine a champion. The champions will have a year to boast that they are the Sunny Isles Beach Bocce Champions.

A new program that will be added this year is the Mommy, Daddy, and Stroller Club. This program invites parents/guardians with new born babies and toddlers to come out and enjoy a nice leisurely walk at Town Center Park. Also, you will have an opportunity to meet other parents/guardians and can share stories and advice.

2009 will be a great year in the City of Sunny Isles Beach. Please visit Pelican Community Park (18115 North Bay Road) for more information on any of these programs, registration, program fees, and other activities that we offer. Also, you can watch SIB TV channel 77, check the city’s website (www.sibfl.net) or call us at 305.792.1706 for more information. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season and prosperous new year.