By Bari Auerbach

‘Going for Gold’

At the Olympics in Beijing, medals were awarded to the world’s best athletes – but right here in Sunny Isles Beach there are activities going on year-round that merit recognition and at least a few gold medals…

Shopping Gymnastics: Have you ever seen agile shoppers vaulting over each other to grab the last must have “label for less” item at Marshall’s– or executing the perfect floor routine across an RK Shopping Center to be first in line for a buy one get one free sale? Some moms have even said they’d rather do a few balance beam backward flips than go back to school shopping…for sure they deserve gold medals for scoring perfect sets of matching Hannah Montana backpacks, lunch boxes and note books.

Vanity Swimming: Michael Phelps may be the fastest swimmer in the Olympic swimming pool – but poolside at Sunny Isles Beach condos, there are even more intense competitions to see who has the best bikini body and the darkest tan (orange streaks are instant disqualifiers). Ironically, the gold medal usually goes to the bronze god or goddess making the least effort to conceal their biggest assets.

Road Warrior Relays: When all the snowbirds start coming back and traffic on Collins Avenue is reminiscent of Beijing at rush hour - gold medals should be given to smart residents opting to run instead of drive (possibly reaching their destinations even faster). Extra points could also go to anyone clearing hurdles like intersection blockers, accidents and lost tourists.

Service High Jumps: Sunny Isles Beach strives to maintain a reputation for being home to stores providing the best customer service. – so it would be a great idea to give stellar merchants gold medals for adhering to the philosophy “Jump, how high?” – especially if you can still get a refund without the receipt you could easily find up until the day you went to return something.

Political Volleyball: While many other cities have to deal with rotating political controversies, Sunny Isles Beach is lucky to have a competent set of compatible elected officials serving to ensure residents enjoy all the net rewards of living in Sunny Isles Beach – the “gold medal” champion city.