Activities for Kids

FALL FUN!

WHAT’S BEING OFFERED IN YOUTH SPORTS ACTIVITIES

BY JUSTIN JARRETT

The start of a new school year also means the start of a new sports season, and parents looking for an athletic outlet for young kids in the Lowcountry have a wealth of options.

Both the Beaufort County Parks and Recreation Department and the Island Recreation Center offer a wide range of youth sports programs. Other groups such as the First Tee of the Lowcountry and numerous private organizations give parents even more opportunities to get their children up and moving.

Parents can find a full slate of sports leagues and programs this fall.

Among them is the return of Hilton Head Gator football, which took the season off a year ago but is ready to launch its 52nd season in August for players ages 6-12. The Gator program also offers an option for young cheerleaders.

“We’re back at it, and hopefully we can get some kids to participate,” said Bob Rozek, recreation and facilities director for the Island Recreation Center. “Our numbers are definitely coming back stronger, and all of our camps have had great participation this summer.”

Individual sports that are played outdoors, such as golf and tennis, gained popularity in the past year. Rozek said the Island Rec Center’s tennis program has picked up steam with local pro Royce Silvan leading a growing group of young players ranging from beginner to intermediate players looking to take on the

junior tournament circuit.

Another sport that continues to grow in popularity is lacrosse, and both the Island Rec Center and Beaufort County offer programs for players of all skill levels, including Island Rec’s “Scoops” lacrosse program.

Beaufort County is no longer offering tackle football — private programs such as the Lowcountry Lightning, Bluffton Bulldogs, Beaufort Wildcats and Extra Mile Club have filled that void — but the county has seen tremendous growth in its flag football program and is also offering clinics in Gaelic football.

“Flag football has been blowing up,” said Justin Petock, athletic supervisor for Beaufort County Parks and Recreation. “We’ve been doing some fun things like a little ‘Pro Bowl’ type all-star game at the end of the season, and we’ll have up to 200 people out at the games.”

Soccer remains one of the most popular youth sports in the area. Kids can get started in the county’s recreational soccer program as young as age 4, with more options available as they grow older.

“Just getting them into that team-sport mentality early is important,” Petock said. “Once they turn 5 and 6, that’s when they get the whole spectrum of sports opened up to them.”

While area all-star baseball and softball teams have been competing for state championships this summer, players who are looking for an introduction to the diamond or hoping to hone their skills in hopes of making next year’s all-star teams have the option of playing in fall developmental leagues.

The Hilton Head Baseball Association and Bluffton Youth Sports, in partnership with Beaufort County Parks and Recreation, offer non-competitive fall leagues that give inexperienced players a chance to learn the game and allow intermediate players to sharpen their skills.

The benefits of getting children started in sports early go beyond the obvious health factors and include learning how to win and lose with grace; learning discipline and respect for authority; developing persistence, dedication and patience; and developing self-esteem.

And, of course, socializing with their peers and building lasting friendships.

“I see some of these kids who met playing soccer when they were young, and 10 years out of high school they’re still good friends,” Rozek said, “and that’s important.”

That goes not only for the young athletes but also for their parents, especially those who have recently moved to the area.

“You’ll meet great people,” Rozek said. “There are a lot of great people out there, and sports just brings us all together.”

For more information, visit islandreccenter.org/fall-sports or beaufortcountysc.recdesk.com/Community/Program

SEEING THE SOUND

ARTIST ALEX GENTEMANN PAINTS THE COLORS OF MUSIC

BY BECCA EDWARDS | PHOTOS BY LLOYD WAINSCOTT

Gentemann’s painting inspired by Handels Messiah, Hallelujah Chorus.

Photo Supplied

SPECIFIC NOISES HAVE SPECIFIC COLORS. EVER SINCE I WAS A YOUNG CHILD, I THOUGHT THIS WAS SOMETHING EVERY

PERSON COULD DO. For Alex Gentemann, a Hilton Head native and recent graduate of the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, sound is not merely heard — it is also seen. And in an array of colors that correspond to the tonality of the sound. “I see dark colors for the base notes, mid-range colors for the mid-tones, and for high notes like the sopranos, I practically see white,” Gentemann said. Gentemann is among only 4 percent of the global population who has synesthesia — a neurological condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway (for example, hearing) leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway (such as vision). It was not until recently that Gentemann realized his gift. “Specific noises have specific colors. Ever since I was a young child, I thought this was something every person could do. But when I told my family, they said, ‘No, we don’t have that.’ I have what’s called chromatic synesthesia.” It was also around this same time Gentemann learned about the Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. “I didn’t know the Governor’s School was a thing until a year before I signed up,” he said. “I heard about it briefly but wasn’t sure I wanted to do the boarding school thing.” Nevertheless, Gentemann’s art teacher at Hilton Head High School encouraged him to apply and then “it just clicked that this is a good thing and I should do this.” “One problem with regular school is no matter how wonderful and dedicated the teachers are, and my teachers were wonderful and dedicated, only a few other people care about what you’re doing as much as you do, which can make you sad or not feel challenged,” said Gentemann. “At the Governor’s School I was able to have intelligent conversations about art. I was motivated to explore art and it pushed me to expand my horizons and perfect my craft.” Gentemann explained the friendly competition he experienced at the Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities.

Gentemann’s painting inspired by the 1812 Overture 3rd movement

Photo Supplied

“It was a very formative preprofessional experience and absolutely the best way I could’ve spent my last two years of high school,” he said. “It was fully immersive. During my junior year, sometimes I would be in the studio eight hours a day every day.”

Gentemann’s hard work earned him awards from the Scholastic Art Awards 2021 Southeast Region-At-Large competition and 31st Annual Upstate High School Art Exhibition at Greenville Technical College. A painting of his has become a part of the Governor’s School’s permanent collection.

His senior thesis also enabled him to embrace his synesthesia and establish a new artistic process.

“I like to have a battle plan before I begin my art, but I broke away from that with my synesthesia art,” said Gentemann, who would listen to orchestral music like Handel’s “Messiah” and Beethoven’s “5th Symphony, 1st Movement” and open his sketchbook.

“I would play a particular piece on loop, get fully immersed in the music and map out the basic composition in a linear fashion with the ups and downs of notes. I would let myself be spontaneous. Next, I would use crayons and start mapping out the colors I saw, making a childish scroll that then I could translate to a more coherent expression on the canvas.”

Before transitioning from sketchbook to canvas, Gentemann pre-mixes his colors because “trying to mix colors as you put it on the canvas is very hectic. I don’t recommend it unless you like to torture yourself.”

In the fall, Gentemann will attend the Savannah College of Art and Design to study animation and painting. He has already been commissioned to do some pieces.

His work is on Instagram at agentemann_art. He encourages aspiring young artists to pursue their passion and “enjoy the validation of people enjoying your artwork.”