THE
ALABAMIAN A PUBLICATION OF THE ALABAMA RECREATION AND PARKS ASSOCIATION • SUMMER 2015
Innovative Water Programs
plus... What’s the Reason for all the Tommy John Surgeries?
Alabama Recreation and Parks Association
Fall Professional Growth Workshop September 8-10 Orange Beach, Alabama Tuesday—September 8 ϰ͗ϬϬ ZW ZĞĐƌĞĂƟŽŶĂů ^ƉŽƌƚƐ—,Žǁ ƚŽ ďĞ ŝŶǀŽůǀĞĚ ŝŶ ZW ĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ͘ WĂŶĞů ŝƐĐƵƐƐŝŽŶ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ŝŶƐ ĂŶĚ ŽƵƚƐ ŽĨ ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƟŶŐ ŝŶ ĂŶĚ ŚŽƐƟŶŐ ZW ZĞĐ ^ƉŽƌƚƐ ĞǀĞŶƚƐ͘ 5:30—10:00 MUSCO Dinner/Social—'ƵůĨ ^ƚĂƚĞ WĂƌŬ ĚƵĐĂƟŽŶ ƵŝůĚŝŶŐ Wednesday—September 9 9:00 am—Ben McDaniel—>ĂŶŐƵĂŐĞƐ ŽĨ ƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ tŽƌŬƉůĂĐĞ ͘1 CEU 10:30am—Terrence Ramsey—tŽƌŬŝŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚůĞƟĐ ƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶƐͬsŽůƵŶƚĞĞƌƐ .1 CEU 3:00 pm— ŽĂƌĚ ŽĨ ŝƌĞĐƚŽƌƐ DĞĞƟŶŐ Thursday—September 10
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Please check here if you plan to ĂƩĞŶĚ ƚŚĞ ŝŶŶĞƌ ŽŶ dƵĞƐĚĂLJ evening provided by our sponsor Musco _____________
Name________________________________________________ Agency_______________________________________________ E-Mail_______________________________________________ Phone________________________________________________
Registration Deadline for Workshop—August 25, 2015 Cost to Attend CEU’s Pending Approval
Tuesday/Wednesday—Educational Sessions—$50.00 Thursday—Educational Session—$75.00 Entire Professional Growth Workshop—$100.00
Make Checks Payable and mail to ARPA—P.O. Box 230579, Montgomery, AL 36123-0579 ΎΎΎΎ,ŽƚĞů /ŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶΎΎΎΎ Hampton Inn & Suites located at 25518 Perdido Beach Blvd, Orange Beach, AL. All rooms must be reserved by August 10, 2015 to receive the discounted rate of $119 per night, inland view. To make LJŽƵƌ ƌĞƐĞƌǀĂƟŽŶƐ ƉůĞĂƐĞ ĐĂůů Ϯϱϭ-923-ϰϰϬϬ ĂŶĚ ŵĞŶƟŽŶ ŐƌŽƵƉ ĐŽĚĞ ,yZ Žƌ ZW ZŽŽŵ ůŽĐŬ
Sponsored by:
ALABAMIAN
THE
Laura Leigh Chesser 2015 Publications/Marketing Chair Michael Coleman Executive Director Alabama Recreation and Parks Association 2015 Board of Directors Janis Burns - President TBA - President Elect Mike Sullivan - Past President Angie Shockley - Secretary Robin Brothers - Treasurer Jeff Studdard - Dist. 1 Chair Greg Conkle, CPRP - Dist. 2 Chair Ryan Sanders - Dist. 3 Chair Todd Russell - Dist. 4 Chair Tommie Agee - Dist. 5 Chair Tyson Carter - Dist. 6 Chair Mark Perkins - Dist. 7 Chair Willie Moore, III - CDS President John Hunt - Corp. Representative 2015 Committee Chairs Alabama Five -O - Tiffany Wade, CPRP Awards - Mandy Johnson Conference Site - Michael Coleman Conference Education - TBA COPP - Mike Sullivan Corporate Representative - John Hunt Finance - Robin Brothers Long Range Planning - TBA Marketing/Publications - Laura Leigh Chesser Membership - Jakob Stevens Nominating - Mike Sullivan Professional Development - Robin Brothers Recreational Sports - Summer Ammons Therapeutic Recreation - TBA
Published by: Creative Marketing Concepts 4264 Lomac St. Montgomery, AL 36106 334/657-6575 Fax: 334/272.3837 www.cmconline.biz
6 IN THIS ISSUE From the President ......................................................................... 4 From the Executive Director .......................................................... 5 Innovative Water Programs ............................................................ 6 What’s the Reason for all the Tommy John Surgeries? ................... 12 What’s Happening at Your Park ......................................................15 2015 Calendar .............................................................................. 19
The Alabamian is the official publication of the Alabama Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA), an affiliate of the National Recreation and Park Association. The magazine is published by the Alabama Recreation and Parks Association, Inc. as a service to its membership. Submissions of parks and recreation-related articles are welcomed. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ARPA. Comments/responses should be sent to: Alabama Recreation and Parks Association P.O. Box 230579 Montgomery, AL 36123-0579 334-279-9160 334-279-9161 fax 2015 Creative Marketing Concepts. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher.
Published July 2015
Summer 2015 • The Alabamian
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Alabama Recreation and Parks Association
From the
President Janis Burns
C
an you believe that Summer has come and gone? I hope that everyone had a wonderful Summer of 2015. I know that the City of Jacksonville was busy and had a great summer! As we head into the Autumn season, take some time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful surroundings that God has provided. The Fall workshop at Orange Beach is going to be exciting with great information and speakers. I hope to see all of you there. I also am looking forward to the State Soccer tournament this fall. There is never a dull moment with Parks and Recreation professionals.
knowledge and fun for all. The awards banquet will be on Monday, February 1. Immediately following the banquet will be a Masquerade Ball. You will not want to miss it!!!! I look forward to “Unmasking the Treasure” with my fellow professionals of ARPA. I love quotes...so please allow me the opportunity to leave you with a few of my favorites. “Don’t expect positive changes in your life if you surround yourself with negative people.” “If you’re searching for that one person who will change your life, take a look in the mirror.” And lastly, “Life is like a camera. Focus on what is important, capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don’t work out, take another shot.”
As you work toward planning your budget for FY16, Happy Fall Ya’ll!!!! please remember to add funds to attend the 2016 Conference in Orange Beach January 30 - February 3, 2016. The conference committee is hard at work with Janis Burns the sessions and socials. It promises to be a wealth of 2015 ARPA President
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The Alabamian • Summer 2015
From the State Office
From the
Executive Director Michael Coleman
W
offering more CEU credits and opportunity to share ideas and rehash funny stories from the summer. On Tuesday, September 8, we will meet at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Orange Beach to discuss the ins and outs of participating and hosting ARPA Recreational Sports events. This session will commence at 4:00pm and go at least an hour. From there we will adjourn to the Gulf State Park Education Building for a cookout sponsored by Musco. On Wednesday morning we will have two sessions dealing with supervision and youth athletics that should prove entertaining and To combat burnout and fatigue on the job, make sure informative. As usual, Wednesday afternoon the Board you take a minute to tend to you own needs. Make of Directors meets and on Thursday our Professional sure you slow down for a few minutes and enjoy the Growth Workshop will take place. Arnie Biondo will beautiful weather that Alabama has to offer this time be our presenter on Thursday and he comes with rave of year. You may find quiet time with a book, find a reviews from my old cronies in GA. bike trail or a still lake to pursue a largemouth bass. Some may even find a round on the links to be the Please make every effort to attend or send your staff relaxation they need to take their mind off the grind to be involved in this ARPA event. You might even get of work for a few hours. Whatever your choice, don’t the opportunity to spend five minutes strolling along forget to take care of yourself so you can be at your the beautiful white sands of Orange Beach. We’re looking forward to a great event and hope it will best when working with your patrons. continue to deliver strong educational opportunities Another thing to remember that can help with the to our membership. stress of work is the post summer extravaganza known affectionately as the “Fall Workshop”. This year it Michael Coleman will be expanding to include more staff members and ARPA Executive Director incorporate athletic staff into the mix. ARPA will be ith Summer upon us, temperatures rising and outdoor activities increasing our members are finding their schedules booked with work related activities. As always our duties ramp up when school is out and there is more free time for people to fill. This has changed somewhat over the years as people choose to participate in year round activities offered by the local recreation department, but summertime is always the most active and busiest time for recreation professionals.
ARPA is on facebook. Join the Group! • Keep up with members
• Share ideas
• Follow ARPA events
• Send your feedback Summer 2015 • The Alabamian
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District 2
Cullman - Kayaking Cullman City Parks & Recreation has launched a new whitewater kayaking program for locals and visitors, complete with one-day rentals and full-fledged kayaking courses from a certified instructor. The new whitewater kayaking program, which began in September 2014, has seen more than 100 participants in the last year alone. The kayaking program complements the park department’s state-of-the-art Cullman Wellness & Aquatic Center, which offers several outdoor and indoor pools, as well as swimming lessons, Dive-in Movie events, and a massively successful annual polar bear plunge in the dead of winter at the outdoor pools. In an effort to increase its outdoor offerings and reach more adventurous recreation enthusiasts, CP&R invested in five kayaks along with all necessary equipment for each boat: spray skirts, helmets, paddles, and life jackets. The boats are housed at the Cullman Wellness & Aquatic Center on the indoor pool deck, and are available for rental on weekends and anytime they are not being used for the program. Officials hope the easy access will allow thrill seekers to try the sport out at a cheaper cost than purchasing an expensive boating rig outright. The kayaking initiative also includes first-time whitewater kayaking classes taught by an American Canoe Association (ACA) certified kayaking instructor. Sessions are held in the fall and spring for six weeks, hosted at both the indoor and outdoor pools, weather permitting. The course focuses on river safety, practical skills for running rivers, and proper procedures for paddling and boating — as well as the fundamentals, such as how to paddle, brace, and learning to “roll” a boat back up from being flipped over on the river. Officials say the pool serves as a great training area due to the low level of consequence, and it allows beginners to comfortably learn in a safe environment. CP&R offers two classes in the fall and two in the spring for the beginner course,
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The Alabamian • Summer 2015
and almost two dozen people have come through the beginner classes since September. Every class culminates with real-life kayaking experience, via a trip down a Class I, II, or III whitewater river with the class. Previous trips have focused on the Mulberry and Coosa Rivers. To allow serious boaters to hone their skills during the winter, the Cullman Wellness & Aquatic Center also offers a roll clinic to work on rolling skills in the colder months when it is harder to get out to the rivers for live action. Indoor pools are utilized from 7-9 p.m. on Monday nights from December-February for $5 for the general public to bring their boat and take advantage of the clinic. The ACA instructor is also on site, offering more focused lessons for an additional cost. More than 70 boaters from across North Alabama took advantage of the clinics last winter. To keep the program running year-round, CP&R is planning to take several guided whitewater kayaking trips over the summer to destinations such as the Chattahoochee in Columbus, Georgia, the Nantahala in North Carolina, and other trips to be announced soon. Kayakers with their own boats are encouraged to tag along, or participants can rent a boat to take part in the trip. Park officials say the kayaking program has been a major success, tapping into a segment that has largely been underserved in the area. After just one year, the program has grown exponentially and paid for itself with fees from class registrants, roll clinics, and trips. Even more growth is anticipated for the future, as classes normally fill up before they are even advertised due to high demand from the public. Officials say future plans include youth kayaking camps, an expanded slate of guided trips, and the addition of even more boats to increase access for aspiring kayakers.
District 2
Guntersville - Lake Guntersville
Lake Guntersville has become a hot spot for outdoor and water activities. There are ten miles of shore that serves as a border for the Parks and Recreation Department’s park land with over a hundred square miles of water to play in. There are several water-based activities that happen in these beautiful waters and scenery. The Guntersville Recreation Center pool hosts Dive-In Movies during the summer in which an inflatable movie screen is set up. Families are encouraged to come, swim, and watch a movie. There is a Dive-In movie to kick off summer and one right before schools start back. Water aerobic classes, such as Aqua Zumba, are also offered throughout the summer in the city pool. These classes take place three times a week with two sessions at night and one in the morning. Every August, the rec center hosts Team Magic’s Mountain Lakes Triathlon. This triathlon includes a 600 yard swim that takes place in the lake, a 16.2 mile bike ride around the lake, and finishes with a 5K run on a paved trail next to the shore line. The city pool is used as a place where athletes can warm-up before the competition and then can swim with their families for pleasure at the conclusion of the race. There are also several other activities that occur in Lake Guntersville. Throughout the year, several bass tournaments, including FLW Fishing Tournament, Alabama Bass BFL, and the Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite, are held. Bassmaster has been hosting tournaments on Lake Guntersville for many years. Their next tournament on the lake is December 9-12. Along with fishing tournaments, the Spring 2 Summer Wakeboard Tournament has
been held for the last 5 years in Lake Guntersville. It is the sixth annual tournament this year and will be held June 21-23. The contest is held all day Saturday with parties Friday and Saturday nights and a demo day on Sunday. In the past several years, the Lake Guntersville Rowing Club has formed and greatly gained in popularity. National Learn to Row Day is June 6th and is hosted by the Guntersville Recreation Center. This provides a great opportunity for those to have a taste of rowing. Stand Up Paddle boarding (SUP) has also found it’s home on our lake. They offer rentals by hour or day. Starting this summer, they are also offering SUP Yoga in which yoga is performed on a stand up paddleboard. The location of the sessions will change to find a peaceful area of the lake. No prior yoga or stand up paddle boarding experience is required. Boards are available to rent and all ages are welcome. SUP Polo is also being offered starting this summer. There are three person teams with 5 minute halves. The course will be offered starting in May to begin preparing for games and tournaments this summer. On July 19th, the 3rd Annual Marshall County Habitat Dragon Boat Festival is being held at the Civitan Park in Guntersville. Dragon boat races are a fun way to enjoy a little friendly competition while raising funds. The goal is to paddle a boat of 25 across the finish line first. If water is where you enjoy spending your time, then come hang out with us on the beautiful Lake Guntersville!
Summer 2015 • The Alabamian
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District 3
Hoover - Bass Fishing 16th Annual Bass Fishing Tournament The 16th Annual Bass Fishing tournament hosted by the Hoover Parks and Recreation Foundation was held on Friday April 24. This was the largest turn out with 31 boats registered and 29 fishing. Twenty Three boats weighed in. Fisherman came from hours away to
participate in this fundraiser. First place went to Shane Underwood and Jason Hamaker with a total of 19.95 lbs. The top 4 received money prizes, as well as the Big Fish winner. Next year the tournament will be hosted by Asperger Connection and will benefit Autism Awareness.
Shane Underwood / Jason Hamaker 1st place 19.95 lbs Justin Collar /Keith Holcome 2nd place 18.05 lbs Jeff Hilton / Clay Neely 3rd place 17.65 lbs Matt Nixon 4th place 17.55 lbs Shane Underwood / Jason Hamaker Big Fish 6.15 lbs
District 5
Opelika - Fire Academy There’s no better way to battle the summer heat than spending some time in the water. The Opelika Parks and Recreation Department has numerous opportunities for the community to cool off each summer. As a part of the “Day in the Life” Series, kids have the opportunity to see what it takes to be an Opelika Firefighter. In addition to learning about fire safety, kids get to propel big metal barrels with firehoses to push their way to victory in competitive races. After taking a ride on the firetruck, trying on the uniform and crawling through a (simulated) burning home, the kids get to end the day getting soaked on a giant Slip-N-Slide. Nobody does a Slip-N-Slide better than the OFD. On Thursday nights during the summer Opelika Sportsplex Members can come out the Sportsplex Aquatics Center for Family Swim Night. Each week brings a different way to have fun. Parents and children can come out to enjoy luaus, water gun fights, popsicles and so much more. This free event is sure to please children (and parents!) of all ages.
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The Alabamian • Summer 2015
Teens also have the opportunity to spend some time in the water. “Teen Night” is specifically for 6th-8th graders who want to reunite with friends during the summer. Teen Night features pizza, swimming and dancing, complete with a DJ. Community members of all ages are invited to come out for a Float-In Movie this summer. The Opelika Sportsplex will be showing the movie Rio 2 while members and guests relax on their floats in the Sportsplex pool.
District 5
Lincoln - Blue Eye Creek Fishing Trail
Blue Eye Creek is approximately 9.5 miles long. It begins at the northern part of Talladega County Road 93 and Dills Spring. Flowing around the northeast parts of Lincoln, under Hwy 78 and entering Logan Martin Lake along Talladega County Road 207/Honda Drive and Interstate 20. The trail officially opened on May 10, 2014 with a youth Fishing Derby. Pouring rain did not keep the fishermen away, with over 400 fish caught during the derby. With sponsorship, Lincoln is able to stock this creek with over 500lbs of catfish. Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries are part of the day and are always glad to lend a hand, making sure the children have a great time. This event has now become the lead off to the Blue Eye Creek Festival, which includes an archery tournament, car show, arts and craft show, Music On Magnolia, and even a hushpuppie cook off.
The Blue Eye Creek Fishing Trail features a pavilion, 5 handicap accessible fishing stations, picnic tables, boardwalk, pedestrian bridge and connecting sidewalks to England Park/Blue Eye Trail. It is a great place to enjoy a meal, walk, fish or just relax. The pavilion is used for the “Movie in the Park” event May through August on second Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. Blue Eye Creek Fishing Trail Pavilion may also be rented for many and any occasion.
Summer 2015 • The Alabamian
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District 6
Enterprise - Children’s Festival in the Park Since 1999, the “Children’s Festival in the Park” is held every year in May at the Enterprise Recreational Complex and is host to thousands of children and adults throughout the Wiregrass. With the mission of bringing the community together, this festival is a combined effort between the City of Enterprise Parks and Recreation Department and many area business sponsors, who contributed to the success of the event. The festival brings people from all walks of life together, to enjoy a day of family entertainment in a relaxed atmosphere. Twelve inflatables provided fun for our youth and their laughter was heard throughout the park. The scents of a variety of food filled the air, the sounds of music drifted through the park, as small children with painted faces enjoyed many activities. In years past, visitors to the festival exceeded 6,000 people. This year’s event drew over 7,000 people to the event. The day was concluded with a firework that sparkled in everybody’s eyes.
Call for Articles! If you would like to be published in a future issue of The Alabamian Magazine, please send your article and any graphics to the State Office at mcoleman@arpaonline.org.
The theme for the next issue is “Behind the Scenes at Park and Rec.” To make any programs work, it’s the staff that makes a difference. If you have an amazing maintenance person, concession worker, referee, coach, front desk personnel, or any other well deserving staff member please send in an article letting everyone know what makes them so special! The deadline for consideration in the fall issue is Sept. 1st. Please call 334-279-9160 with any questions. 10
The Alabamian • Summer 2015
ARPA Five-O Beach Trip Oct 19-21 Orange Beach, AL
Cost: $175 to ARPA by October 1 Hotel: Perdido Beach Resort Room rate: $119 plus tax single or double occupancy Reservations need to be made by September 19 by calling Perdido Beach Resort 800-6334-8001, be sure to mention ARPA and booking ID #12663 in order to receive discounted rate Individual cancellations must be made a full 5 days prior to scheduled arrival to avoid penalty Registration includes: Dinner Monday night at Perdido Activities in Perdido Card Room Breakfast Tuesday morning at Perdido Sunset cruise Tuesday night Breakfast Wednesday morning at Perdido Event t-shirt Group photo
Summer 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ The Alabamian
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What’s the Reason for All the Tommy John Surgeries? Reprinted with permission from http://jugssports.com. June 2015
More than 30 years ago, a pro scout saw a young baseball player pitching in a summer youth game, and the scout was impressed with what he saw. The lefthander had nice form and got the ball over the plate. He didn’t show blazing speed, but he got batters out. The scout cornered the pitcher after the game and asked when he could see him pitch again. “Next year in the spring,” was the answer he got, “when the high school baseball season starts.” The young pitcher was also a hockey player, and he would put his baseball gear away for five months to play other sports. But he liked baseball and returned to pitching once it was baseball season. He excelled and was eventually drafted by a pro team. He had his first official pitching lesson after he signed his first professional contract. His name was Tom Glavine. He pitched for 22 years in the big leagues with the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets, won 305 games and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. Tom Glavine never had any arm trouble during his career. He made it to the Majors and had a great career even though baseball wasn’t an everyday obsession when he was a youngster. It’s easy to imagine a lot of parents, coaches and scouts reading that story and saying, “It doesn’t work that way anymore.”
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The Alabamian • Summer 2015
Indeed, it doesn’t. Just ask those young pitchers whose careers were over after their first Major League season. Bad arms means bad news. If you go to the Major League Baseball injury update, you can see a list of all the players who are currently out (June 2015) due to injury. About 35 of those names are pitchers who are out specifically because of a UCL injury. That’s an increase over last year, which also marked an increase in that injury. UCL stands for ulnar collateral ligament…but very often today it’s also referred to as the “Tommy John ligament.” That’s because the operation needed to repair the tear in the ligament is called simply Tommy John surgery, named after the first pitcher to undergo the breakthrough surgery, in 1974. Every baseball fan knows what that means. Arm trouble. Out for the season. Bad news for the pitcher and the team and your fantasy league choices. Scratched from the roster. Over the past 10 years, the number of Major Leaguers requiring Tommy John surgery has soared—to the point where some people refer to it as almost an epidemic. What’s going on in Major League Baseball? Where do all these bad arms come from? What are pitchers, or their teams, doing differently, or wrong, from what was done before?
The answer to that question from the medical experts— from the doctors who perform all those Tommy John surgeries and learn about their patients—is this: Young pitchers are coming in to the Major Leagues as damaged goods. With each passing year, more young pitchers entering the league are Tommy John surgeries just waiting to happen. Young pitchers are being overworked, from a very young age. What’s the reason for that? Young pitchers, ages nine through high school and college age, are simply throwing too hard and too often—week after week, month after month, and year after year. By throwing so hard so often, a pitcher causes constant strain and stress on his arm and ligament, slowly creating a tear. If he is somehow lucky enough to avoid the problem before he gets to college, the ligament will still likely give out at some point, under the strain of trying to throw at top velocity. But statistics don’t lie. More young pitchers than ever before are having surgery on their elbows. And we’re not just talking about Major League rookies. Tommy John surgery is becoming a predictable outcome. If you have a son or daughter who is playing ball—and they have that dream of making it to college or beyond— then you probably know what the reasons are: • There is a tremendous amount of pressure put on young baseball players to play year-round baseball. The same goes with girls who play softball. They are encouraged to play throughout the year, on different teams and in different leagues, sometimes simultaneously. • The players put the pressure on themselves to perform at their highest level. • Different coaches put pressure on the best local players (and especially pitchers) to join their teams. • Parents put pressure on kids to stay ahead of the competition and make a name for themselves, so that college or pro scouts will take notice. • And baseball scouts put pressure on kids to throw as fast as they can, especially at special “showcase” events put together to evaluate talent. That pressure leads to a different kind of stress—that on the elbows of young pitchers as they throw as much as they can with as much velocity as they can, to get strikeouts, wins and a coveted spot on a team roster. That stress does steadily wear on the UCL.
That’s why youngsters as young as 10 often start developing arm trouble. Yes, sometimes it’s mechanics—the form isn’t quite right—but typically it’s just throwing too much. Following the doctors’ advice. Dr. James R. Andrews is one of the leading authorities on sports injuries today, including UCL tears and the resulting Tommy John surgeries. He’s also an advocate for spreading the news to parents, grandparents, coaches and organized youth baseball—starting with Little League—about the factors that can contribute to arm problems. What he advises everyone to do runs against what actually takes place around the country in baseball communities: Avoid year-round baseball. Young arms are being overworked, and a big factor is year-round baseball. The doctor recommends at least two full months off every year from throwing-related sports, but he’d prefer if they had up to four months off. He points out that even professional ballplayers get that much time off each year. Play on just one team at a time. When pitchers jump leagues in the same season, it’s harder to keep tabs on wear and tear. Playing on two teams simultaneously simply adds to the strain and stress on the ligaments, especially if the player’s mechanics are a bit off—and not many coaches are trained well enough to know when that is. Stay away from showcases. The chance of coming away with an injury outweighs the possibility that a player will be discovered. These showcases don’t mean nearly as much as parents think they do, and they can produce serious injuries over a concentrated weekend period. It’s not uncommon for pitchers to attend a college camp or showcase without having pitched a game in real time for months. Probability and statistics. The chances of making a high school baseball team are slim to begin with for most young ballplayers. The chances of making it to a college team are slimmer yet. The same with getting drafted by a pro team right out of college. So the question players, parents and coaches have to ask themselves is this: Is it really worth it to risk a serious arm injury for the thousands of pitchers who will never even make it very far?
Summer 2015 • The Alabamian
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CUSTOM WEBSITES WE CREATE
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tĞďƐŝƚĞƐ ĚĞƐŝŐŶĞĚ ƚŽ ďĞ Ăůů ƚŚĞLJ ĐĂŶ ďĞ͘ Contact Terri Mendez ƌĞĂƟǀĞ DĂƌŬĞƟŶŐ ŽŶĐĞƉƚƐ terri@cmconline.biz 334.657.6575
District 1
Winfield - Summer Events Mule Day Festival- September 25-26, 2015 2015 marks the 41st year of the Mule Day Festival. The tradition was begun on September 11, 1975, by Curt Estes, Winfield Chamber of Commerce, and Max Brasher, Sr., to honor the hard working mules of the day. Mr. Robert Vickery and Mr. Jack Guin, both from Winfield, were major contributors. No one had any idea this event would grow into the successful event it has become today. Mr. Estes lived to see seven Mule Day Parades with an increase in the entries up to 93 in 1983. Since then the participants have increased to nearly triple that number with an estimated crowd of 25,000 spectators. People attend the festival from many parts of the southeast. Our Mule Day founding fathers never dreamed that honoring these hard-working, long-eared mules would have become such a big hit with folks. Well, it did, and these mules love all the attention they receive on this day. So come out and join us in Winfield, Alabama for a great Mule Day celebration. Annual Mule Day Events: Parade Mule Judging Arts and Crafts Flea Market Antique Tractors Mule Day Run/Walk Music and Dance Antique Cars Sponsored by: 3rd Sgt. William J. Martin Camp 2004, Sons of Confederate Veterans. Hosted by Seldons Battery Re-enactors Come join us for a premier Civil War Re-enactment and Living History at the Ivan K. Hill Park (Winfield City Park) during the Mule Day Festival Weekend. This event will include several hands-on living history presentations, authentic encampments, demonstrations from artillery, cavalry, and infantry. Battles will be on Saturday and Sunday, and a parade march in the Mule Day Parade.
Skirmish At The Luxapalilla 12th Annual Civil War Re-enactment Cavalry, Infantry, Artillery & Medical Branches Saturday Sept. 26th Camp Opens at 9:00 a.m. Battle at 2:00 p.m. Period Ball at 7:00 p.m. (Everyone welcome, come as you are) Sunday Sept. 27th Camp Opens at 9:00 a.m. Battle at 2:00 p.m. Beauty Pagents In addition, the Winfield Park also hosts several beauty pageants as park fundraisers. A Tiny Miss Calendar girl pageant will be held at the Pastime Theatre on Oct. 18,2015. This pageant is open to all girls 0-5 who have not began kindergarten. On November 15, 2015, The Mr. & Miss Northwest Al pageant will be held at the Pastime Theatre in Winfield. This pageant is open to all girls and boys 0-18. For more information, please call Winfield Park and Rec at 205-487-6710. Theatre Productions Winfield’s historic Pastime Theatre and Self Express Productions present “ TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD “ by Harper Lee Adapted by Christopher Sergel October 1, 3, 4 The Pulitzer prize winning story of a Southern town divided by racism, seen through the eyes of girl named Scout. Tickets $15 “ MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET “ by Valentine Davies December 11, 12, 13 The meaning of Christmas comes to life when Macy’s department store hires a new Santa Claus - a kind old man named Kris Kringle! Tickets $15 - Children 12 and under $5 Tickets and Info: 205/487-3002
Summer 2015 • The Alabamian
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District 1
Winfield – Park Fest 2015 April 11, 2015 was opening day for the spring sports for Winfield Park and Rec. We began our day with a parade honoring Ms. Barbara Farris. Ms. Farris has been our secretary at the park for 32 of our 45 years. Winfield Park Fest 2015 was an opportunity to honor her for all her years of service as secretary. Ms. Farris was the Grand Marshall for the parade. We also invited all former park directors and board members to be a part of our festivities. Park Fest 2015 was about our 32 teams participating in 42 games on this Saturday. We invited Winfield Community Helpers; fire department, sheriff’s department, Air Evac Helicopter
service, state police, state marine police, domestic violence, and Habitat for Humanity. Our hope was that the community would become aware of the services our city provides. Park Fest 2015 also invited vendors into the park so those attending the games would have opportunity to purchase items needed for the games as well as some novelty items. We also invited some local bands to provide entertainment for those attending the games when they were not playing. Park Fest 2015 – Winfield Park and Rec – was a successful and fun day for all involved, players and spectators. We are looking forward to Park Fest 2016.
District 3
Birmingham - Summer Camps On June 8, Birmingham Park and Recreation served up its eighteen summer camps with a new partnership developed with Birmingham City Schools. This new alliance will add reading, math, language, science and social studies to a crowded schedule of basketball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, lacrosse, soccer, dance, field trips and more. It is hoped that this focus on academics and fun throughout the summer will put our camp participants in a better place at the start of the new school year. It is expected that almost 1,000 kids will enjoy the activities of summer camp at our facilities. Legion Field Stadium, arguably one of the more wellknown and celebrated athletic venues in the country, was down one tenant for the last several months when the University of Alabama (UAB) Blazers abruptly decided to end their CUSA football program; however, a grassroots outcry from fans and supporters has led to a reversal of fortunes for the program: the up and
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The Alabamian • Summer 2015
coming Blazers are set to return to the gridiron in 2016. Meantime, the staff at Legion Field is not resting on the laurels of its past, a new event, the Funk Fest Music Festival, has proven that the stadium and staff can successfully play host to grand events other than the Magic City Classic, Birmingham Bowl and World Games 2021. The Old Gray Lady will be ready to welcome UAB back to the fold, but expect some exciting things to happen at 400 Graymont Avenue West in the near future. The Free Jazz in the Park concert series, a favorite of park patrons young and old, returns for another entertaining and jamming season with even more shows. If you go, you can expect to hear regional and national talent that is almost certain to soon be household names. You can get information about all of our programs and activities by calling 205-254-2391.
District 3
Hoover – Summer Fun! Free Friday Flicks May 29th kicked off Hoover’s annual Free Friday Flicks in the park. During the summer Hoover plays familyoriented movies on Friday nights in Veterans Park. All movies begin at dusk and vendors are on site for food and drink. Here’s the 2015 summer movie schedule: May 29- Big Hero Six, June 5- Alexander And The Horrible No Good Very Bad Day, June 12- Strange Magic, June 19Annie (2014), June 26- Paddington, July 10- Home, July 17- Maleficent, and July 24- Dolphin Tale 2. Summer Day Camp Summer Day Camp kicked-off on June 1st! There will be over 100 campers between 6-12 years old attending each week. Activities include field trips, arts and crafts, gym activities, archery and daily swimming in the indoor pool. Field trips will be taken to the Montgomery Zoo, Huntsville Space Center, Regions Field, and more!
Zumba Fun-Raiser The month of May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month. The Hoover Recreation Center partnered up with Children’s Healthcare of Alabama to host a Zumba fundraiser. The event took place at Sertoma Gym on May 16, 2015. There were door prizes, a raffle, and over two hours of Zumba. With over 60 women participating, we were able to help Children’s raise over $10,000 for childhood brain tumor research.
District 3
Trussville – Pickleball Comes to Trussville! Pickleball, a sort of hybrid of racquetball and table tennis, is one of the fastest growing racquet sports in the world and has found a home at Trussville Parks and Recreation. Early participation has been exceptional and growth has made it necessary to triple the number of courts and double the amount of designated court time! TPR currently provides organized Pickleball twice per week and a monthly singles and doubles tournament in addition to daily free play. If you would like more information regarding cost and organization, contact Jay Miller at jmiller@trussville.org.
Summer 2015 • The Alabamian
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Changing the Conversation by Dylan Packebush
A colleague of mine recently shared Sandy Pentland’s idea behind Social Physics (www.socialphysics.org), or the idea that innovation and creativity come from the sharing of thoughts from one person to the other. In short, he found that the profitability of a business (in this particular instance a German bank) is related to the amount of informal and face-to-face conversations it has between its levels; transferring ideas both up and down a traditional organizational structure, ultimately affecting the entire organization. Since then, I’ve been thinking about how that translates to Parks and Recreation. How can our profession take a theory about profitability and translate it to our industry, and specifically its marketing? And should we? Parks and Recreation is not a new field, and its importance in adding value to each community it serves is unquestioned. It’s a topic that’s been studied for decades. Many experts can tell you, for a scientific fact, about its benefits. So then, why does the conversation continue to be about budget cuts, consolidation, shifting expenditures, and finding new sources of revenues? We have to change the conversation, and connect with our communities in new ways. To understand what I mean by this, it’s important to tell my story: A proud Alaskan, I attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to achieve my lifelong dream of becoming an architect. Quickly learning that it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, I began searching for something new. A new path, and passionate pursuit. A classmate asked me to come work with him in the Game Operations Department at UNLV Athletics. As an avid participant in sports from an early age, I jumped at the chance and quickly found a new goal of working in athletics. Life was great. I was twenty-one building an amazing network of people, both personally and professionally, and doing well enough in school to graduate. I loved athletics, but something was missing. On March 9, 2007, I lost my mentor, best friend, and father. On June 20, I was told I had an ependymoma, a benign tumor, in my spinal cavity and I would have to go out-of-state to see a team of neurological and orthopedic surgeons. On August 3, my lead neurosurgeon at the University of California, San Francisco Medical School told me there was potential that having surgery would
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The Alabamian • Summer 2015
leave me paralyzed from the waist down, and not having surgery would almost guarantee it. On August 6, what was supposed to be three to four hours for surgery turned into thirteen and a half hours, ten days on my back, and a fight to regain and retrain my legs to walk. I was facing the biggest challenge of my life without one of my biggest supporters, but I still felt lucky and grateful for the people around me. Without the ability to do much physical exercise, I began to connect with the “Belly Off!” articles in Men’s Health Magazine, and was slowly on a quest for my own re-creation. As finishing school came back into the picture, I took the opportunity to reflect on what I truly loved… People. The question became, “how am I going to affect the lives of others through my own passions?” When I returned to UNLV, I found the Recreation and Sports Management Department in the Harrah College of Hotel Administration. I was hooked on the passionate pursuit of my own re-creation and others’. After school, I was fortunate to turn an internship into a full-time position at Special Olympics Alaska. Again, it was the athletes’ stories that continued to inspire me daily. I wanted more. More conversations, stories, and connections. The Warsaw Sports Marketing Center and MBA Program housed within the Lundquist College of Business at the University of Oregon became my dream, and my opportunity to gain a better understanding of how to tell stories in a way that truly affects an organization. My journey brought me to Denver, a hub of re-creation and sports business, where I am a Project Consultant for GreenPlay, LLC. I am fortunate to be in a position to affect a field that means so much to me, and hear the stories and perspectives of other people across the country. My own access to re-creation gave me a platform of empowerment and transformation, from losing over one hundred pounds to obtaining a Master’s degree from one of the most prestigious programs in the sports industry. The confidence from knowing where I’ve been, and knowing where I’m going is indescribable. It continues to be my motivation to passionately affect other people.
Why did I tell you this? Why should you care? Because while my story is different, I am not unique. Every person in your organization, whether that’s a patron or staff, has a story that connects them to other people. With the rise of social media, there has been a shift in how industries and products are marketed. The brands that are thriving stand for something and someone, whether it’s Nike’s “everyone’s-an-athlete” messaging or Proctor & Gamble’s “we-stand-for-moms” commercials during the Olympics. Brands are becoming people, and while the conversations about our profession and the work we do are important, they don’t often connect us to the people we serve. We can no longer just be a public service. We have to stand for values like empowerment, confidence, and achievement, and communicate these values through our stories. We need to change the conversation across internal networks, such as staff, and external networks, such as our communities. Over time these conversations will inspire and connect people to parks and recreation in new ways. Your organization has many ways to create and formalize this process. For example, you could create an opportunity for patrons to nominate a fellow user as a “Patron of the Month,” or assign staff members to bring stories from each of their departments to share in meetings. Select a “winner” that aligns with your values to share on your community touch points (e.g. social media, your website, or newsletters); using social media to share them with other departments and organizations across your community. Your goal is to be heard and inspire. Tell your community what you stand for, and prove it. Be innovative and creative! As your stories are shared through your organization’s different networks, track and compare the changes these conversations have made to your organization. These changes can happen in many forms (e.g. increased attendance in classes, higher memberships, innovative cost cutting ideas, or the results of ballot measures). Share your best practices with our field to build a bigger voice for Parks and Recreation. You may be asking, “What’s the first step?” That part is simple. Find a member in your organization, and ask them why they are there. No matter what their story is, or what tangents they go on, LISTEN. You never
know what you’ll hear or what spark of creativity they’ll give you. Share your stories. Change the conversation. Dylan Packebush is a Project Consultant at GreenPlay, LLC, the leading edge in parks, recreation, and open space consulting. He is a proud Alaskan living in Denver, Colorado. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Recreation from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a Master’s Degree of Business Administration with a concentration in Sports Business from the University of Oregon. He believes in the passionate pursuits of constant re-creation of body, mind, and spirit. He is a lover of stories, often blending one into the next to anyone that will listen. His own pursuits include: ice cream, arts and music, CrossFit, and finding the perfect Americano. He loves his family, friends, and dog, Fritz, more than they will ever understand. He can be contacted at dylanp@greenplayllc.com or 303.483.1850.
2015
Calendar of Events September 2 23
District V Meeting in Auburn 2015 ARPA Amazing Games Lagoon Park, Montgomery, AL
November 2-4
2015 LEAD
December 2
District V Meeting in Opelika Summer 2015 • The Alabamian
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Alabama Recreation and Parks Association P.O. Box 230579 Montgomery, AL 36123-0579
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