San Juan Parks & Recreation December 2014 Newsletter

Editor: Elizabeth Ramirez

Behind the Scenes

San Juan Parks and Red Recreation

Hidalgo County Pct. 2 Head Start Program

Breakfast with Santa December 9, 2014

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The Parks and Recreation Department together with Santa, made a stop at the Hidalgo County Pct. 2 Head Start Program.

Slowly and in a straight line, the Head Start teachers lined up 120 students to have breakfast with Santa. Three and four year olds sat at the tables where milk, juice, and pancakes were served to them.

While the teachers and Parks Staff helped the children cut their pancakes into little edible squares, a visitor came in. The room lit up with 120 delightful faces when Santa came walking through the door. Not only did Santa have

breakfast with these kiddos, he also brought them a little surprise from the North Pole.

Santa got a little help from some kind hearted elves this year. The Parks and Recreation Staff organized a Toy drive T-Ball tournament where each of the ninety players donated a toy to play in the tournament. Some of the elves who made Breakfast with Santa possible, were McDonalds from San Juan who donated the pancakes and the Hygeia Company who donated juice boxes.

Another great contributor was Mr. Ignacio Almaguer from the CASA Association who donated more than two-hundred toys towards this event.

On behalf of the Parks and Recreation Department, we appreciate everyone’s contributions towards this event, it meant much to the kids. Everybody’s willingness to team up made this event possible.

Table of Contents Recreation Highlights 2 Fall Program Pictures 3 Q &A with Epi Flores 4 Director’s Note

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Community Corner Are you i n the N a t i on a l H on ors Soci ety, Student G ov e rnm e nt Associ ati on, B u si n e ss Professionals for Ameri ca or si mpl y som eone w ho w a nts to serve the community?

Texans v Bears Play- offs

Recreation Highlights Registration for the Fall sports started in August.

Kids from San Juan and neighboring cities came to the Parks office to sign up for Winter T-Ball, Flag Football, Volleyball, Tackle Football, and Pee-Wee Flag Football. December is all about wrapping up, not only gifts, but the Fall Program Sports as well. It was a great season. For some, it was their first time coaching, as for others, they knew the system like the palm of their hand. This might have been the case for some kids as well. Like they say, “It’s not about how good one is at playing the sport, it’s about learning and loving the game.” We are not born knowing the how to’s of American Football, learning takes place along the way while watching the NFL on Monday Night Football.

Some might of had a tough season, but there is always room for improvement and there is always a next season and the same mistakes don’t happen again. As they say, we learn from experience.

Standings for the Fall Program Sports can be found online in the San Juan Parks and Recreation Website or you can visit the following link: http:// www.cityofsanjuantexas.co m/wp-content/uploads/ 2014/11/Fall-ProgramsCurrentStandings-2014.pdf On behalf of all San Juan P&R, we want to thank all the parents and children who made the league a memorable one.

We look forward to seeing you next year.

The San Juan Parks a n d R e c re a t i on D e pa rt m e nt i s i n need of volunteer coaches all the time.

E v e n i f y ou a re n ot sports ori ented, the P&R D epartment always needs a helping hand w ith city w ide events. If you have any questions concerning how to become a v ol un t e e r g i v e us a call at 9 5 6- 2 2 3 -2 3 50 .

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Fall Programs in Action

Each child from the San Juan Parks and Recreation Winter Baseball contributed with more than enough toys towards Toys for Tots.

Muddogs Tackle Football Minor Division

The Longhorns T-Ball Team

Eagles Pink Volleyball Team Toys For Tots T-Ball Tournament

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Upcoming Events

Join us for the SJPR Basketball games. Starting January.

PONY Baseball Season is coming soon. Don’t miss out!

Q &A with Epi Flores How did your coaching experience begin?

Back in 2002 some parents were asking me to try coaching with SJPR. At first I was hesitant, but then I said, “Well why not?” So, I decided to try it. I turned in my documentation, and here I am.

Where does the passion for football stem from?

When I was a kid, my mother would buy me the Football Readers Digest magazine. I loved reading it from beginning to end and that is how I learned everything about football.

How many years have you been doing this and how many championships have your teams won?

I have been coaching with the City of San Juan for twelve consecutive years and we have won five championships.

I hear you have your own Muddogs Cheerleading Squad, is that true?

My wife is a great supporter. Two of my daughters are part of the squad. My wife, together with other mothers coordinate the routines. We all go out of our way to get sponsors for our team. The girl’s uniforms, the boy’s caps, snacks and candy all come from our sponsors.

Directors Note What have you learned though out the years?

I’ll tell you what not to do: --Never hurt anybody on purpose.

--Always remember your manners.

--Call teachers to see how kids are doing, academics come first.

--Remind players education is #1 because education is something you will retain the rest of your life.

What is your advice for parents?

Find the right coach. I’ll teach your children how to do it the right way. I don’t coach for glory or fame, but for the children to learn the fundamentals of the sport.

What is your advice for the new coaches?

My advice for all those new coaches is the following: Get a team, mold them, and use traditional coaching methods. Mingle with the kids, interact with them but most importantly, have fun!

Lessons Outside of the ClassroomAs parents we often look at the classroom as a place where our children learn valuable lessons that help them grow. Yet there are lessons outside of the classroom that are just as valuable in the development of our youth. Whether it be on the volleyball court, baseball field or on the gridiron, sports serves as a great teacher of life.

Through sports our kids will learn discipline, teamwork and goal setting. They will also learn what it takes to be successful and most importantly how to deal with failure. Only one team can win first place, but with the right attitude and approach all of our children come out as winners for participating. The foundation of our youth programs will be built on these principles.

-Armando Ponce

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