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The MCPRD Friday Letter
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In The News: Park Operations ATV Training
ATV Safety & Procedures
Last week, Park Operations
staff attended safety train‐
ing for use of ATV's. The
goal of this training was to
educate staff on safety pro‐
cedure when operating an
ATV. ATV's will be an effec‐
tive tool that staff will add
to their arsenal for main‐
taining and patrolling parks
and greenways.
You can watch a video of
the training by clicking on
the picture below:
Leadership Intensive Training
Park and Recreation Staff Leadership Development This past weekend Park and Recreation Staff from multiple recreation Centers and McDowell
Nature Center traveled to Atlanta, GA to attend the Leadership Intensive Training hosted By
Outdoor Nation ‐ a national organization dedicated to getting youth outdoors. Kiana Brooks,
KD Brown, Olema Edwards, Tari Turner, Chad Moore and Anthony Shaheen came together
with 90 other outdoor advocates across the southeast region to address the growing discon‐
nect between today’s youth and the natural world around them.
The weekend’s events included trainings helping reach and engage today’s youth in the out‐
doors through social media as well as grant writing from the perspective of Outdoor Nation’s
Grant administrator. Break out groups were formed to discuss the largest barriers youth in our
region face to get outdoors. And, each group attending the training created projects that ad‐
dressed an issue in order to compete for grant funding. Read more on page 4.
this issue Park News P.1
Enterprise Services P.2
Nature Preserves & Natural Resources P.4
Community & Recreation Center Services P.6
I S S U E
N o v e m b e r 9 2 0 1 2
58 WEEKLY
NEWSLETTER OF THE
PARK AND RECREATION
DEPARTMENT FridayFridayLetterLetter THE
Did You Know ~ What is a Dual Meet in Swimming There are several different
types and levels of meets.
A dual meet is a meet where
each individual event is scored
based on how individual swim‐
mers on a team swim. It is
generally limited to 2 teams,
but different variations can
have more.
In a dual meet, there is almost
always a limit to the number
of events that a certain person
can swim and to the number
of swimmers that a certain
team can enter. Generally,
there is only 1 heat in each
event and each team alter‐
nates lanes so that each team
swims in half the pool, regard‐
less of how fast each swimmer
is. While this style of meet is
generally uncommon for indi‐
vidual USA Swimming clubs, it
is by far the most common of
high school (NFHS) swimming,
YMCA swimming, college
(NCAA) swimming, and sum‐
mer league swimming.
Teams involved are very fast
and have exclusively high level
swimmers, as is the case with
college swimming.
Aquatics Wingate University Hosts Dual Meet One hundred eighty‐four (184) collegiate swimmers participated in a dual swim meet at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center from 6:30 – 10pm on Friday, November 2nd, and from 12 – 4pm on Saturday, November 3rd . Wingate University hosted the meet which included Catawba College, Gardner‐Webb University, Queens University, and Washington and Lee University.
Indoor Activities that Help Beat Winters Chill. There are outdoor winter sports to fit almost any de‐sire and physical constitu‐tion. But not everybody likes the cold or has the opportu‐nity to enjoy traditional win‐ter sports. Here are 10 activities for those who don't want to brave the winter cold. Swimming in a heated in‐door swimming pool is at the top of my list. You can find pools at recreation and exercise centers in most lar‐ger towns and cities. Some cities provide a pool at a community center. I under‐stand rich people have heated pools in their home. Bowling is enjoyed by more than 70 million people every year . You can choose from more than 6,000 bowling centers across the United States. Basketball is one of the great indoor team sports played by millions of people. City or community gymnasi‐ums are available in larger towns. Others include Indoor Ten‐nis, Table Tennis, Martial Arts, Handball, Dancing , Zumba and Weightlifting.
Adult Athletics News On Thursday, November 8th, the Men’s B Basketball League will start the play off season at Grady Cole. Men’s 30+ still continues league play at Bette Rae on Sundays. Men’s 40+ and Women’s Basketball League will start play in early December. Weekly volleyball leagues are cur‐rently being played at Tom Sykes, Wallace Pruitt, Bette Rae Thomas, and West Charlotte Recrea‐tion Centers. Thursday November 8th, concluded Women’s Volleyball League play at the West Charlotte Recreation Center. In addition to the basketball leagues, volleyball, and flag football fall softball games are being played at Renaissance Park and Nevin Park each Monday through Thursday. Softball League play at Nevin Park concluded their season as Vicious and Delicious as 2012 Fall Champions. Thursday Night Champions at Renaissance Park included 300 Plus Men’s in Division C, Wild Wings Men’s in Division I and City Sluggers in Men’s D Division II. Softball playoff games are still going on at Renaissance Park on Mondays and Tuesdays with double elimination.
Scenes from events: Flag Football Competitors
Scenes from events: Women’s Basketball
Scenes from events: Adult Baseball
(Cont’d) Cover Page Story: Park and Recreation Leadership Development Key speakers at the event were Kit DesLauriers and her team of North Face athletes that told their powerful stories about how the outdoors help them realize their potential and overcome adver‐sity in their lives. With perfect weather Saturday night all of the training’s attendees stayed at Stone Mountain campground enjoying the wonders of sleeping outside which was a first experience for some of Park and Rec’s staff. Sunday morning was the opportunity for Projects to be presented, and in “GOLD MEDAL” style the project created by Park and Recreation staff not only won $1000 in grant funding, but was the highest voted project of the event. #1 yet again! Overall it was a great experience for park and rec staff to come together and celebrate diversity in the outdoors while winning the funding necessary to pass it down to the children we impact every day. A big thanks to those who stretched out of their comfort zones and worked creatively to make it possible to win our grant. .
Outdoor Nation : History
In 2005 Richard Louv
published a book titled, Last
Child in the Woods. In his
book Louv coined the term,
“Nature Deficit Disorder”
and used it to describe the
growing divide between
children and nature. Last
Child in the Woods raised
awareness about the
problems associated with
too much time spent
indoors, and people around
the country took
notice. They began creating
projects and initiatives
aimed at re‐connecting
children with nature.
These movements were
revolutionary and inspiring,
but they spoke to young
children and their parents.
No one was speaking for
those of us left in between‐
the Millennial Generation.
In June 2010 the first
Outdoor Nation Summit was
held in New York’s Central
Park, with the support of a
coalition of retailers,
outdoor educators, and
conservation groups. 500
delegates between the ages
of 18 and 28, representing
all 50 states, attended the
summit. They left the two‐
day event committed to
breaking down the barriers
to the outdoors.
Protecting Garden Pots During the Winter — Excerpted from Simple
Steps: Containers for Patios
Bring Tender Plants Inside
Bring plants that need a
frost‐free minimum winter
temperature into a mildly
heated greenhouse or con‐
servatory, or cool room in
your home, before bad
weather sets in. Water occa‐
sionally.
Wrap Up Delicate Pots
Many pots, especially orna‐
mental containers that
aren’t designed to stand
outside in freezing tempera‐
tures, need winter protec‐
tion. Wrap them up in bur‐
lap (possibly double layers),
and secure tightly at the top
and bottom with strong gar‐
den string.
Keep Tender Plants Warm
Wrap potted plants that
need protection in low tem‐
peratures in layers of horti‐
cultural fleece before freez‐
ing weather strikes. Move
the pot to a sheltered spot,
such as a shed, away from
flaying winds. Remove the
fleece when the weather
improves.
Volunteer Ops Commonwealth‐Morningside Neighbor Association & Horticulture Staff The Commonwealth‐Morningside Neighborhood Association came out on Saturday, November 10th to display their many gardening talents at Veteran’s Park. Spearheaded by Neighborhood member and Park and Recreation Horticulture employee Brian Conroy, the volunteers re‐landscaped the park sign and a new stone planting bed. The sign and planting bed are part of a larger $25,000 City of Charlotte Neighborhood Matching Grant the Neighborhood was awarded to construct a needed pedestrian entrance from Central Avenue into the park. A big thanks to everyone who participated.
.
To learn of volunteer opportunities with Park and Recreation, contact Lori Saylor or Margaret Brown at 704‐336‐8840. ___________________
Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities
“Bionic Arm” TechXcite at Naomi Drenan: On November 6th, Naomi Drenan Recrea‐
tion Center’s BioMed Tech class finished their course on the “Bionic Arm.” During the course, they’ve con‐structed a simple device out of household items to build a Bionic Arm with homemade touch sensors and learning the difference between Hydraulic and Pneu‐matic, the definition of Compression and how protrac‐tors can help them determine how much range their arms can extend. For the next session, we will begin our course on “Imaging the Human Body.”
Teens Game Night at Naomi Drenan: On November 6th, Naomi Drenan Recreation Center began it’s first “Teen Game Room Night.” This program for ages 12 to 18 will take place each Tuesday night. They will participate in various games and activities, learn‐ing new games in addition to the traditional ping pong, foosball & board games as well as having a team tournament.
Naomi Drenan Recreation Center For more information about this or other programs or events, contact NaomiDrenanRecreationCen‐[email protected] or 704.432.5231
2012 Countywide Champions
Youth Sports –
Soccer and Flag
Football:
Congratulations to all of our
2012 Countywide Champi‐
ons! Post season play ended
this past weekend at E.B.
Moore Park and Harrisburg
Road Park as the top twenty
(20) teams competed in sin‐
gle elimination style tourna‐
ments to decide the champi‐
ons for each sport and age
division.
Elon Recreation Center took
home the gold in flag foot‐
ball while the Police Activi‐
ties League (PAL) and
Winget Recreation Center
secured the championships
in the 7‐8, 9‐10 and 11‐12
age divisions for soccer.
For more information about
the tournament or other
youth sports programs,
YouthSports@
MecklenburgCountyNC.gov
or call Revolution Park
Sports Academy at
(704) 432‐4963.
Champions pictured at right
of page.
Did You Know ~ Yoga Yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years, and currently, close to 11 million Americans are enjoying its health benefits. Yoga can hardly be called a trend. Most Westernized yoga classes focus on learning physical poses, which are called asanas. They also usu‐ally include some form of breathing technique and possibly a meditation tech‐nique as well. Some yoga classes are designed purely for relaxation. But there are styles of yoga that teach you how to move your body in new ways. Choosing one of these styles offers the great‐est health benefits by ena‐bling you to develop your flexibility, strength, and bal‐ance. Quick Tips: Don't try learning yoga on your own. Work with an ex‐perienced and credentialed instructor to learn the proper way to perform the exercises and avoid injury. Yoga is not a substitute for medical care. Yoga offers many health benefits and may even be included as part of some treatment plans. But it's still important to work closely with your regular health care provid‐ers and get proper treat‐ment when you need it.
Yoga at Elon Recreation Center The active adults at Elon Recreation Center take an hour three times a week to stretch their bod‐ies and relax their minds. During the yoga sessions the instructors teach the active adults differ‐ent yoga moves. Most moves are low impact. You are welcome to bring your own mat, but we always have mats to borrow. This class caters to our active adults in the community ages 55 and up, but all are welcome. There is a small fee of $5 per class, if younger than 55. Elon Recreation Center To learn more about active adults, contact [email protected] or call 704‐540‐2426.
Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities
Park and Recreation News:
Submissions for the Newsletter
Please submit all news for the
Friday Letter to your Division
Director for review and routing.
Park Partners may contact
Kesha Meads at
for publication assistance.
The Friday Letter Issue 58 November 9, 2012
Mecklenburg County
Park and Recreation
Senior Leadership Team
Jim Garges, Director
Michael Kirschman, Deputy Director
James Alsop, Enterprise Services
Renea Barber, Human Resources
Mario Chang, Budget Administration
Lee Jones, Capital Planning
Lola Massad, Community Services and
Recreation Centers
Jeff Robinson, Park Operations
5841 Brookshire Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 336-8840
Recreate All Year! As the weather changes, look forward to new and exciting way to continue recreating during the fall and winter months. Subscribe to the Park and Recreation E‐Newsletter to stay up to date on activities that may be available to you.
www.parkandrec.com
Come Celebrate the Carolina Thread Trail’s
Fifth Anniversary & 100th Mile! Saturday, November 17, 2012
10‐11 a.m. West Branch Nature Preserve Trail 18229 Shearer Road, Davidson, NC
free to public, mile‐marker unveiling, nature hikes, photo contest kick‐off, & refreshments!
see carolinathreadtrail.org for more info Join us in celebration of our Fifth Anniversary, with a 100th Mile Marker unveil‐ing, nature hikes led by Davidson College professors, and a photography contest kickoff! Driving Directions from 77: Take exit 30 toward Davidson College. Follow Griffith Rd. to the inter‐section with N. Main Street and turn right onto Main. Turn left onto Concord Rd. Approximately two miles down Concord Rd. follow the roundabout to E. Rocky River Rd. Follow E. Rocky River Rd. approximately 2 miles and turn right onto Shearer Rd. Follow the Carolina Thread Trail direc‐tional signs to the parking area at 18229 Shearer Rd. Pedestrian/ Biking Directions from Davidson: Follow the South Prong Rocky River Greenway from Davidson Elementary to Davidson Concord Road. Turn left on Davidson Concord Road and right onto Robert Walker Drive (near athletic fields). Follow event signs through the River Run neighborhood to the West Branch Rocky River Trailhead along River Ford Drive. Follow the trail to the event location off of Shearer Road. Please note that bikes are not allowed on the West Branch Nature Preserve Trail.