South Run Source

MEET THE STAFF:

 Laura Mquardt Park Manager  Laurie Strickland Fitness Programs  John Sifrit Aquatics Programs  Claudia South Aquatics Asst.  Deanna Holz Land Programs  Robin Marshall Land Programs Asst.  John Yamada Opening Manager  Kurt Lauer Volunteer Coordinator  Abby Kelly Newsletter Editor  Matt Daly, Kathy Roche, Ken Wade, Peter Adelman, Larry Sitney Managers On Duty

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Fitness Forum

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Springfield Days

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Swimmer’s Corner

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Land Lines

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Summer Camps

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Sensational Springtime

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Park News and Staff Spotlight

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South Run Source 7550 Reservation Drive, Springfield, VA 22153 Phone: 703 866-0566 Fax: 703 455-7056 TDD: 703 866-9563 Q U A R T E R L Y

N E W S L E T T E R

S P R I N G

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Manager’s Message By: Laura Marquardt We tend to make our healthrelated resolutions at the New Year, but spring is a natural time for new beginnings. So if your fitness resolutions have fallen to the wayside, think fresh and start anew with us at South Run RECenter. We are committed to providing you with “Exceptional Experiences!” and encourage you to take advantage of our many programs and services. Whether it’s working out in our state-ofthe-art fitness center, swimming laps in our 25x25 yard lap pool, playing a game of racquetball or participating in one of our wide variety of classes, we promise you and your family will find a way to renew and maintain your commitment to a healthy and active lifestyle at South Run RECenter.

ing South Run RECenter for your recreation, fitness and leisure activities. We look forward to helping you spring alive. We hope you enjoy this spring edition of our newsletter and if you have any questions or feedback about the newsletter or on how we can continue to create “Exceptional Experiences!” please feel free to contact us at 703 866-0566

Upcoming Holiday Hours: Memorial Day: 5am-6pm Independence Day, July 4 5am4pm

Spring Pass Sale— Sign Up Today!  On sale now - June 15  Save 14% on a four-month pass and 17% on a twelvemonth pass  For more information, stop by the front desk.  You can also buy your pass online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ passesonline.htm

Thank you once again for choos-

Meet A Member By: Abby Kelly “South Run RECenter is first class in every respect,” Jim Porter told me. Porter has been coming to South Run for nearly five years.

After a busy life of traveling, working and moving, his health had slowly begun to decline and

his weight steadily climbed. “I gained 40 pounds between the ages of 48 and 55. I decided it was time to do something about it.” In two years, Porter has lost an amazing 35-40 pounds.

Five years ago, he hired Laurie Strickland to be his personal

trainer. Then life got in the way.

Three years later he ran into her at a restaurant. She encouraged him to start exercising again.

“She’s been keeping me accountable ever since,” he added.

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Fitness Forum By: Laurie Strickland

Power Nutrition

Health Starts Here Grocery Store Tour

The adage “we are what we eat” may sound “old fashioned” but the fact of the matter is, there is a lot of truth in it. What we eat has a huge impact on how we feel and how our body functions. If we’re not getting the essential nutrients our body needs on a daily basis, there are certain areas of the body that simply cannot do their jobs. Calorie counters, starch avoiders, carb counters and other individuals who are keeping whole foods groups out of their diets might be surprised to learn that by doing so they are greatly reducing their body’s ability to keep itself healthy and energized. Join Dr. Chris Frey as he discusses what to eat, how to eat it and how to compliment these eating habits with healthy lifestyle choices so you can achieve your nutrition goals.

Join Whole Foods Market Healthy Eating Specialist, Pericles Sliva, for a healthy and helpful tour of the Whole Foods Market in Reston.

Discover new healthful foods and ways to incorporate them into your daily eating habits.

Location: Whole Foods Market 11660 Plaza America Dr., Reston, VA. Available dates and times:

Cardiovascular Equipment Time Limit To ensure fair usage for all customers, all cardio machines (treadmills, bike, cross trainers, etc.) have been set for a 30 minute workout which includes the cool down. Thank you for your cooperation with this new policy.

Monday, May 9 from 12-1pm; Wednesday, June 15 from 5-6pm; Tuesday, July 19 from 9-10am. Fee: Free Space is limited to 10 participants per tour. REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Please email: Take12@fairfaxcounty.gov to register.

Location: Government Center—Herrity Building 12055 Governement Center Pwky, Fairfax, VA. Room 106.

Available date and time: Tuesday, May 10 from 12-1pm Fee: Free Registration is required. Please email: Take12@fairfaxcounty.gov to register.

The 2nd annual Springfield 15K/5K is Springfield’s hometown race!

Saturday, June 4, 7:30 am.

Held in conjunction with the Springfield Days festival, this is a signature race event for southern Fairfax County. More than 1000 runners and walkers will start at Lee High School, wind through neighborhoods then charge up Commerce Street through the historic district. Music and cheering fans always line the way. The final miles tour through Crestwood before racers make their way to Lee High School for a great track finish.

Online registration and printable registration forms are available at www.springfielddays.com.

And there’s more…

Summer unofficially starts June 2, when Springfield Days returns! Festivities include PetFest, children’s rides and amusements, the annual cardboard boat regatta at Lake Accotink Park and more.

South Run RECenter will host the Party in the Park and OutdoorFest on Saturday June 4 from 4-10pm. Take a hayride through the woods to learn about who lived in South Run District Park before it was a park, join Huntley Meadow Park naturalists for a unique walk to learn about native plants and animals, play the games early Fairfax County children would have played and get up close and personal with some of the woodland residents from 4-8pm . But not all the fun is outside!

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CONTINUED FROM PG. 2 There's a FREE pool party and RECenter tours from 6-8pm. The evening culminates with a fun, family-friendly movie on a giant, inflatable screen in the grassy space behind South Run RECenter. Food will be available for purchase so make it a night! See you there!

Coming Soon…South Run RECenter All Star Game!

June 13—August 14 Stay healthy and fit with us this summer through this exciting and motivating exercise program! Choose your favorite baseball team and start scoring runs through performing various cardiovascular and strength training workouts. The team with the most runs at the end of nine innings wins!

More details and registration forms coming soon.

Contact Information Do we have your current and correct contact information? Next time you register for a program or sign up for a membership online or at the RECenter please make sure all your contact information is up to date so if we have to notify you for any reason we have accurate information.

Burke Lake Park…

Currently, Burke Lake Park is only open on the weekends. Beginning Memorial Day the park will be open daily. Come enjoy mini golf, the carousel, an ice cream parlor and more!

Swimmer’s Corner By: John Sifrit Lap Lane Etiuette “Darn! A million swimmers in every lane, again,” I moaned to myself.

Okay, a million is an exaggeration, but you know what it’s like to have to share a lane with a slower swimmer, a faster swimmer, a jogger or a floater. Frustrating. A few rules might help ease the tension.  Swimming, jogging and walking are not compatible aquatic activi-

ties. Swimmers share lanes with swimmers. Jogger with joggers, etc. Select a lane where others are swimming at your speed. Swim side by side when two persons are in a lane. Swim in a circle when there are three or more persons in a lane.

A tap on the foot is the signal to pass. Allow faster swimmers to pass at the wall. Take care not to bump other swimmers. Always ease into the water feet first and clear of other swimmers already occupying the lane.

Tap a swimmer on the hand or foot at the wall to let them know you are joining their lane.

Land Lines By: Robin Marshall SRRC Playground News Spring is officially here and it looks like Mother Nature is finally getting the hint! As the days grow warmer and the sun shines brighter, the SRRC playground will once again become a popular spot for our young patrons. In an effort to provide both a fun and safe

playground experience, our duty managers have begun conducting hourly playground checks to ensure safe and proper usage of the equipment, grounds cleanliness, and appropriate playground behavior. In addition, we will be installing our playground canopy by late May. Until then, keep the water bottles filled and the sunscreen applied. As

always, we appreciate your help in our effort to keep the playground safe, clean and fun.

Please do not hesitate to let us know if you have any concerns.

Your input and/or suggestions are of great value to us.

An optimist is the human Personification of spring. ~ Susan Bissontte

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Man is most nearly

Summer Camps!

The SRRC 2011 summer camp season is just around the corner and our land programmers are working diligently to ensure that this year is the best ever! While many of our former counselors have graduated college and gone off to work in the real world, we are lucky to have a few veteran counselors as well as an amazing group of new counselors.

Additionally, we are extremely fortunate to have Melissa Williams returning as our camp director. Among the many fun and exciting day camps we are offering this year are the

By: Robin Marshall

Summer R.O.C.S., Afternoon Fun, and Kiddie camps. Also returning are the Multi-Sports camps such as Sports Zone.

Or try a sport specific camp like baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer or tennis. In addition to our fun-filled day and sports camps, we are thrilled to offer a fantastic array of specialty camps including gymnastics, drama, dance and outdoor nature camps. Campers will enjoy daily pool time and a session-ending party full of fun activities.

We are excited about Summer Camp 2011 and encourage all former and future campers to COME OUT AND PLAY! All of our Summer Camp programs can be found in the PARKTAKES catalogue or online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks.

Extended care options are also available. The summer PARKTAKES mailed in early May and registration begins on May 17th. Don’t wait! Sign up early to get your spot and take advantage of the early registration discount.

himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.

Heraclitus

Sensational Springtime We have new neighbors. Actually, maybe we are the new neighbors! The eastern bluebird is a year-round resident in Virginia. You can enjoy watching these sapphire colored birds on South Run’s new bluebird trail.

through August, volunteers take turns monitoring the boxes. Each box is opened and inspected. Volunteers make notes of new nests, eggs and then... baby birds! They also check for damage to the houses and signs of predators.

“A bluebird trail is really just a collection of houses that people monitor. They are a way to increase the habitat for bluebirds and encourage them to nest and raise their young in Virginia,” said Carmen Bishop, the Fairfax County trail leader for the Virginia Bluebird Society.

“Wasps or ants can bother the houses. In the case of ants, we put Vaseline on the post, it discourages the ants from climbing up to the house,” Bishop said.

There are over 50 bluebird trails in Fairfax County. Last year, eight boxes were erected at South Run. The houses were built by a local boy scout.

South Run’s bluebird trail is located along the edge of the property.

Every weekend from April

Volunteers watch closely for about three weeks. Then one day, the nest is empty again.

The old nests must be removed; cleaning house between residents. If a bluebird couple raises a happy family in one house, they might return again later that year. Otherwise, perhaps another native bird - a chickadee or a tree swallow - might find a home.

By: Abby Kelly

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Staff Spotlight What time did you get up this morning? Chances are John Yamada had already been hard at work for two hours.

Yamada is the opening manager at South Run RECenter. His list of responsibilities is long, and he does far more than is required.

In the course of three years, he’s held almost every job at SRRC. “I started as a volunteer, working with Kurt Lauer,” Yamada said. “I did a little of

By: Abby Kelly

everything, indoor and outdoor odd jobs: lawn maintenance, writing for the newsletter, cleaning and working at the front desk. I’ve also been a fitness assistant and a personal trainer.”

Before SRRC, Yamada studied computer science and worked in construction among other things. Those skills make him the go-to man at SRRC. You might think after staring work at 4:30am, Yamada goes home at 12:30pm and takes a long nap. Not true.

“I enjoy a lot of things, especially outdoors. I can’t be still,” Yamada said. “My girlfriend and I did a lot of hiking last year and I’m looking forward to warmer weather to warm up so we can try some new places.”

Yamada volunteers with Friends of Homeless Animals on the weekends, walking dogs and giving them much needed attention. He speaks fluent Korean and he loves to write and cook. Yamada laughs, “I like change. I don’t even cook the same recipe twice!”

Lake Mercer Trail Upgrade By: Kurt Lauer As many of you know, there was a 2300 foot section of the trail around Lake Mercer that was not paved. This spring, the Park Authority Board will hear a proposal to upgrade this section by replacing the existing gravel trail with an eight foot asphalt trail. They will replace one of the scout bridges with a new fiberglass bridge and relocate the trail to higher ground so that the second bridge is not needed.

This will also straighten the trail a little, avoid public streets

and minimize tree cutting. The FCPA Project Team was impressed with the Scout’s work, much of which will be incorporated into the new trail.

Pending approval by the Board, design and construction phases should begin sometime in 2012.

Would You Like To Help Out? All of South Run RECenter landscaping is done by a great group of volunteers. However, we are in need of a lawn mower (even a push, reel-type mower will do.) If you would like to donate a working lawn mower, in good condition, please contact Kurt Lauer at 703-866-0566 or email: joseph.lauer@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Easter Eggstravaganza

Here is how the Easter Bunny

By: Laura Marquardt

stays in shape to

On Saturday, April 23, approximately 225 children, ages 8 and over, participated in the South Run RECenter annual Easter Egg Hunt. Due to all the rain we had the week before the event, everything was held in our indoor field house, but the indoor location didn’t stop the fun!

Arts and crafts, Easter games, face painting and of course pictures with the Easter Bunny were all a part of this fun-filled event.

The actual Easter Egg Hunt went in three waves (3 and under, 4-5 yrs., and 6-8 yrs.) and when it was time to get those eggs, it was a mad rush.

In fact, some of the staff were almost run over due to the excitement and enthusiasm of the hunt. There was one golden egg for each age group and the lucky finder won a special prize.

Thanks to all who participated and we look forward to more fun at next year’s Easter Eggstravaganza.

The Easter Bunny waiting for the kids to arrive.

deliver all his eggs.

Editor’s Note Welcome to the first issue of a revitalized newsletter. We are planning to make this a quarterly publication that will more or less coincide with the release of the Parktakes magazine and our new class sessions.

It is our intention to provide information that will help you get more out of your membership.

Each issue will have:  Information from the manager covering many aspects of our operations and changes to the facilities  Articles by our fitness, aquatics and land directors (Before you ask, land programs include all non-aquatics programs other than fitness. These include camps and everything from art, dancing and dog obedience to science and Tai Kwon Do.)  From time to time, other staff may contribute article that will be of interest to you.  To flesh all this out, I will highlight members, volunteers and staff in each issue and throw in a few one-liners as food for thought.

Welcome to the SRRC Newsletter!!

Thanks for reading!

We’re on the web! http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/rec/ srunrec.htm

SOUTH RUN RECENTER M–F Sat Sun

Facility Hours 5 am – 9 pm 6 am – 6 pm 8 am – 8 pm

Pool Hours* 6:30 am – 9 pm 9 am – 6 pm 8 am – 6 pm

Please stop by and pick up the monthly pool and fitness calendars plus the latest Parktakes magazine if you did not receive one in the mail.

If ADA accommodations and/or alternative formats are needed, please call (703) 324-8563, at least 10 working days in advance of the registration deadline or event. TTY (703) 803-3354