Fall 2006 - City of Coral Springs

ecreation
Look out for Verb Yellowball
Have you heard of Verb Yellowball? Well, it’s a big,
bouncy, world-changing idea that was created to spread
play to every kid in America. Over 500,000 Yellowballs were
scattered across the country and back in September, some
were handed out to children right here at the Coral Springs
Gymnasium.
Ian Harris, a 12-year-old Coral Springs resident, found out
about the program during his stay at an away camp this
summer. He was so impressed by the program, he decided
he wanted to help get the word out. Verb named him an
ambassador for the campaign, and he organized an event to
have Verb visit Coral Springs. “The campaign is trying to tell
kids to get out, play, be active and eat healthy,” said Harris.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s initiative
is to keep kids 9-16 physically active. The idea behind the
campaign encourages children to find their verb – such as
dance, skate, or jump.
Each ball has a code on it, and after kids play with it, they
log on to verbnow.com, enter the code online and blog
their story to the world before giving it away. Kids can use
the code to track their ball’s journey and see how other kids
have played with the same ball, and how far it travels from
their hometown. Parents have no need to worry, as the site is
secure and kids will only provide their first names.
Remember to be on the lookout, you might just find a
Yellowball around town!
Upcoming family,
teen concerts
Your entire family will not want to miss the next series
of free family concerts, held on the following Saturdays
– October 14: Breeze, classic rock; November 18: Jazzberry
Patch, jazz. More concerts are scheduled for the spring.
All concerts begin at 7PM at Betti Stradling Park, located
at the northeast corner of Wiles Road and Coral Springs
Drive. Parking and admission is free, so bring your
blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy the entertainment.
Refreshments will be available for purchase at the park
during the concert.
Also this fall, the Teen Production Group and Parks &
Recreation Department will host teen concerts. If you’d
like a recommend a band, call 954-345-2204. For the latest
details, call 954-345-2200 or visit coralsprings.org/events.
Kreul Classic attracts basketball
teams from across the nation
The Kreul Classic, a national basketball
tournament held in Coral Springs each
December, benefits the community by
both bringing national attention to Coral
Springs and funding various scholarship
programs for local students.
This year, the country’s largest and most
prestigious national high school basketball
tournament will be held December 16-23 with
boys and girls teams from Coral Springs and Coral Glades
High Schools shooting it out against powerful national
contenders. Top teams reaching the championship finals will
have the opportunity to showcase their skills regionally on
Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS) and locally on Advanced
Cable – check local listings for times and dates.
Together with the Coral Springs Basketball Club, the Kreul
will offer contests and prizes throughout the tournament
for league participants under the age of 14. Since the Kreul’s
inception 17 years ago, more than $450,000 has been
awarded to South Florida students. Specifically, the Kreul
provides funding for various non-athletic scholarships to
Florida Atlantic University (FAU) each year. This year, the Kreul
Classic, in conjunction with FAU, provided full scholarships
to two high school students – Edward Alexander and Shawn
Murray, both students from Coral Springs High School.
For a detailed game schedule, visit kreul.com or call
954-345-2200.
New classes offered at
Coral Springs Gymnasium
This fall, the Coral Springs Gymnasium is offering an
exciting lineup of classes for you and your family, including
some new programs for all ages.
Your kids will go on a voyage of discovery with the NASA
Academy of Future Space Explorers After-School Program
With unique hands-on activities, amazing demonstrations
and fun educational take-homes, this is an experience that
is really out of this world! The program is offered to children
ages 7 to 11 years of age. The registration fee is $149 per
session. Two upcoming sessions that will be offered on
Saturdays from 11AM to 1PM. The first session will begin
October 7, and the second session will begin November 4.
Other new classes available include Digital Scrapbooking,
Swing Dancing, Group Keyboarding, Beyond Beauty
Etiquette, Gymnastics, Salsa for Kids, and GoJu Karate.
Call the Coral Springs Gymnasium at 954-345-2200 or stop
by at 2501 Coral Springs Drive for the latest information on
class schedules and fees. Current program details are also
available at coralsprings.org/recreation.
16 • Coral Springs • Fall 2006 Visit coralsprings.org