It has been a very busy year in the athletics department. We hit the ground running starting in January with youth basketball, youth cheerleading, Under-12 travel league soccer team, soccer academy practice, adult league soccer, and our soccer tournaments.
The basketball teams played in the North Miami/Sunny Isle Beach League; games were played at home, RK Sports Center Gymnasium at Pelican Community Park, North Miami Senior High School, and Alonzo/Tracy Mourning High School. We sponsored two teams in under-8, one team in the under-11, and two teams in the under-14. We had a very good season with the Under-14 team, Space Jam. They compiled a record of 12-0 and won the league championship.
The under-12 travel league soccer team has played in several tournaments including our own at the City of Sunny Isles Beach. This is the first time the team has been ranked. They are ranked #76 in Florida and #399 in the Nation. They have also played in the Regional Cup Tournament and the Miami Lakes Shootout Tournament. They will conclude the season playing in the 33rd Annual Seminole Memorial Tournament in Tampa on May 28- 30.
The cheerleading squad has performed at several soccer games this year. They won first place in Cheer Sports Challenge for recreational pee-wee division in December 2010. They continue to practice to prepare for the upcoming fall season.
The Sunny Isles Beach Adult Soccer League this spring has 16 teams competing for a playoff space. The games are played at Senator Gwen Margolis Park each Sunday. The playoffs are currently underway and a champion will be crowned on May 16th. We have a Sunny Isles Beach team still in the playoffs that won the coveted trophy last fall. This will conclude the fourth season of Adult League Soccer.
Soccer Academy has been sold out each month. This was the first time the city has offered soccer year round. We have beginners to advanced skill levels players practicing at Senator Gwen Margolis Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They have played in Northeast Miami Soccer League and all games are held at Senator Gwen Margolis Park. The first tournament was from February until the end of March and the second tournament is on-going from April until the middle of May. The tournament attracts many teams from South Miami to Broward County amassing 800 participants and 50 teams.
Youth volleyball and flag football started a couple weeks ago. Flag football is contested at Senator Gwen Margolis Park and volleyball practices are in our own RK Sports Center Gymnasium at Pelican Community Park. Both seasons will come to an end in June before our Sports Summer Camp starts.
The Athletics staff is looking forward to the camps this summer. We offer basketball for ages 5-15. Since basketball is one of the most popular sports in the summer, we added a couple of extra weeks. Some weeks are being offered for elite players. We also have soccer camp for ages 5-14 years of age with the first week focused exclusively on girls. Additional weeks have been added and one of the weeks the campers will be showcasing their skills. We also have weeks in volleyball, cheerleading, flag football (new this year), baseball and Olympics Sports Camp, which will be the week before students go back to school. The Olympics Sports Camp is always popular, because campers have a chance to try a different skill each day and it gives them an opportunity to challenge their skills against other campers. On Fridays, each camp goes on a field trip to different venues with lunch provided.
For more information, please contact the Cultural and Human Services Department at 305.792.1706 or visit us at the Pelican Community Park, 18115 North Bay Road.
We are looking forward to a fun filled summer keeping your kids active, safe and having fun.
