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• Registration for the spring Adult Volleyball Clinic and Leagues is underway. A two-day preseason clinic is available for individual players and teams. The clinic will be held from 7:00-9:00 p.m. on March 25 and April 1 and all skill levels are welcome. The fee is $25.00 for individual players and $100 for a team (up to 8 players.) League play will be available for coed, women’s and men’s teams. The team fee is $305.00. Open play volleyball nights are also available on Tuesdays during the season. The clinic, league and open play nights will be held at the Sandy Springs Middle School gym located at 8750 Colonel Road.

• Registration for the Youth Introduction to Lacrosse program for boys and girls ages 7-10 will be conducted March 2-April 24. The youth lacrosse program will begin the week of May 5 and end on May 21. Practices and games will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. at the North Springs High School lacrosse field located at 7447 Roswell Road. The program fee is $40.00 and includes equipment. All program registration takes place at the Hammond Park Community Building located at 6005 Glenridge Drive, Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. For more information on these and other available programs through the Recreation and Parks Department, please visit www.sandyspringsga.org or call 404-252-6310.

RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES ONLINE  REGISTRATION

The Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks Department will launch online registration in March 2009!  Users may create an account now at www.activenet.active.com/sandyspringsga and explore the many wonderful recreation activities and facilities currently available.

In the past the event has taken place in September over two weeks and in a variety of parks and settings.

Contact John Register at john.register@gwinnettcounty.com or call 770.822.5454 to register. Get reduced early bird fee until June 12!

Basketball - Men’s Open Division 18-up Begins March 29 Play every Sunday at Rhodes Jordan Park Gymnasium $470 per team Contact Tony Hudson at 770-822-5152

Flag Football – Men’s Open Division 18-up Begins March 21 Play every Saturday at Rabbit Hill Park $430 per team Contact Dee Miller at 770-822-5149

Softball – Men’s Open, Coed & Men’s Industrial Divisions 18-up Begins March 23 Play Monday-Friday at Bethesda Park and Georgia Pierce Park Play every Monday at Best Friend park $490 per team Contact Tony Hudson at 770-822-5152

Volleyball – Coed Intermediate & Advanced Divisions 18-up Begins March 29 Play every Sunday at Rhodes Jordan Park Gymnasium $280 per team Contact Dee Miller at 770-822-5149

Register your team today! Register online at www.gwinnettparks.com or visit a registration site: Best Friend Park Gymnasium 4650 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Norcross 30071 770-417-2200 M-F 9 a.m.-9 p.m. SA 10 a.m.-6 p.m. SU noon-5 p.m.

Bogan Park Community Recreation Center 2723 N. Bogan Rd., Buford 30519 770-614-2060 M-F 9 a.m.-9 p.m. SA 10 a.m.-6 p.m. SU 1-6 p.m.

Bethesda Park/Gwinnett Senior Center 225 Bethesda Church Rd., Lawrenceville 30044 770-564-4680 M-F 9 a.m.-4 p.m. SA 9 a.m.-noon

Lenora Park Gymnasium 4515 Lenora Church Rd., Snellville 30058 770-978-5271 M-F 9 a.m.-9 p.m. SA 10 a.m.-6 p.m. SU 1-6 p.m.

Pinckneyville Park Community Recreation Center 6224 Jimmy Carter Boulevard Blvd, Norcross 30071 770-417-2212 M-F 9 a.m.-9 p.m. SA 9 a.m.-5 p.m. SU 1-6 p.m.

Rhodes Jordan Community Recreation Center 100 East Crogan St., Lawrenceville 30043 770-822-5414 M-F 9 a.m.-9 p.m. SA 10 a.m.-6 p.m. SU 1-6 p.m.

Visit gwinnettparks.com for more information.

Friday, February 13 7:00-9:00pm Daddy-Daughter Dance Rhodes Jordan Park Community Recreation Center
Daddy, come dance with your darling! A special memory for you and your daughter. Ages 4-up; $10/person; pre-registration required,
call 770.822.5414. Code: RJCC14112.

“Chairman Bannister and I have worked with area residents for several years to locate additional park land that will provide relief for the heavily-used facilities at Mountain Park Park,” said District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau. “And once again, we need to thank the voters for approving the sales tax program that allows us to buy needed park land.”

J.B. Williams grew up in Snellville on land that is now the Eastside Medical Center. He moved to Lilburn in 1942 after marrying Newtie Joe Wesley, a Lilburn native. At first, he was a sharecropper on the property before buying it in 1944. The Williams family remodeled the 1882 house and raised their son, Bobby, there.

Today, Bobby has fond memories of his childhood home and the land where he played for many years. “It was great to grow up with lots of open land,” said Williams. He built a house next door where he raised his two daughters. “It’s getting rare to see land like this preserved in Gwinnett County these days.”

Board Chairman Charles Bannister said, “This new park will be a welcome addition to the Mountain Park area and will complement our existing park there that stays busy year-round with football, baseball, softball, tennis and skateboarding.”

A master plan in 2004 identified the Lilburn area as needing more recreational space. The County will organize a citizen steering committee soon to begin planning for the new park. For more information call (770) 822-8840.

Alpharetta Mayor Arthur Letchas opened the ceremony, followed by comments from Julie Hogg, President of Alpharetta Arboretum, Inc. The Mayor also dedicated a tree in memory of Dr. John Moskaluk, who served as the city’s Director of Engineering and Public Works for many years.

Said Letchas, “The Alpharetta Arboretum at Cogburn Road Park is another example of the City’s efforts to preserve its resources while also adding attractions that provide hours of enjoyment and education, as well as opportunities for research, for visitors and residents alike.”

The City of Alpharetta Mayor, along with members of the Alpharetta City Council, Alpharetta Arboretum, Inc., and the Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau cut the ribbon to open the Alpharetta Arboretum.
Added Julie Hogg, “Opening two arboretums – the Alpharetta Arboretum at Wills Park and the Alpharetta Arboretum at Cogburn Road Park – is evidence our organization is meeting its mission and is off to the right start. The city of Alpharetta’s Parks and Recreation Commission approved this project and it was funded by Alpharetta CVB.”
A plaque beneath a Yellowwood Tree memorializes Dr. John Moskaluk.

The Alpharetta CVB published a complimentary brochure which guides people through the arboretum.
The brochure, along with one about the Alpharetta Arboretum at Wills Park, is available at the downtown Alpharetta Welcome Center. The Alpharetta Arboretum at Cogburn Road Park is sponsored by Alpharetta Arboretum Inc., Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the City of Alpharetta.

AAU/USATF qualifying season begins -end of April/early May. The Lightning Spikes Track Club is open to girls and boys, ages 7 through 18. They are currently working out of Berkmar HS on Sundays until they get approval for a home track.

The first developmental track meet will be held on February 28, 2009.

Registration fee is $360.00.  This fee will cover registration cost, uniform fees (speedsuit, windsuit, duffle bag and shoe bag) and track meet fees.

These fees can be paid in biweekly installments of $120.00 beginning January 11, 2009 at 3:00pm at Berkmar High School during regular track practice.

Registration Dates:
January 11, 2009
January 25, 2009
February 8, 2009

On the first day of registration there are few things that are needed:

1. LSTC  must have 3 copies of birth certificates on file for every athlete.  This is a requirement of AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) and USATF (USA Track and Field).   LSTC will register each athlete with AAU and USATF.  This documentation is required to verify the age of each athlete.

2. LSTC must have documentation of each athlete’s last physical.  The medical form is attached.  If your child participated in another sport this year which required medical documentation, that information is acceptable.  However, the information cannot be more than a year old.

3. Please complete the attached forms and bring the completed forms to registration.
For more information contact Quarma Cook, 404.889.7518

Online registration for the Southeastern Endurance and Multisport Expo (SEE-ME), the largest expo east of the Mississippi for endurance and multisport athletes opens today at www.seeme2009.com. Scheduled for Saturday, April 4, 2009 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, SEE-ME showcases the latest gear and hottest trends for endurance and multisport athletes. Attendees get a chance to take in even more through interactive seminars, cutting-edge training and gear demonstrations, and then take it home with special giveaways and door prizes. The expo attracts aspiring and experienced athletes who participate in distance running, road cycling, mountain biking, triathlons, adventure racing, hiking, swimming, and kayaking/paddling.

“If you’re into sports and races that require you to move more than 90 minutes at a time, SEE-ME is the perfect expo to attend,” said Mike Lenhart, senior partner, Charitable Sports Productions. “You can get a competitive edge from the seminars, learn more at the demonstrations, check out the latest gear–or even swap some of your own–and mix it up with the endurance and multisport communities.”

SEE-ME is expected to attract 3,000 athletes from around the Southeast and beyond. Unlike traditional race-related expos, SEE-ME offers interactive and informative seminars featuring top speakers alongside demonstrations of the latest gear and training techniques. In addition to the nearly 100 exhibitors showcasing the latest gear, the event offers a large “swap” section where athletes can barter, buy, or sell their own equipment. As part of registration, attendees get a top-quality, technical training shirt and a gear bag filled with information and giveaways. “It’s the kind of expo that athletes seek out,” added Lenhart. “Information, education, demonstrations, gear, a swap, giveaways, and a great technical shirt – there is more at SEE-ME than you can get anywhere else in the Southeast.”

SEE-ME is a production of Charitable Sports Productions, an event management company dedicated to providing services and financial support to named beneficiaries through the proceeds of sporting events and programs. The event will announce its two named charities benefiting from this year’s SEE-ME later this month. For the first year, SEE-ME is being held in a larger space at Cobb Galleria Centre to accommodate exhibitors and attendees. The event, which began in 2005 under the leadership of Lenhart and other Atlanta triathletes, has grown steadily from a multisport expo for Georgia athletes to its current scale as the largest expo for multisport and endurance athletes in the region.

Southeastern Endurance and Multisport Expo

The Southeastern Endurance and Multisport Expo (SEE-ME) is the single, largest expo east of the Mississippi dedicated to the endurance and multisport communities. Held each year near the start of the endurance and multisport seasons, SEE-ME provides the information, access, seminars and demonstrations of the latest gear and trends for the aspiring or experienced athlete. More information, including registration, is available at www.seeme2009.com.