Miami-Dade County - Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces

The 2014 Mayor's Cup Youth Sports Championship Series Ends its Summer Games with a Splash

(MIAMI, September 5, 2014) — The Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department, as host of the county’s year round Mayor’s Cup Youth Sports Championship Series congratulates all Miami-Dade youth who came out and participated in the series of athletic events that took place at Miami-Dade parks, golf courses and pools this summer. The summer events ended with a splash, as more than 175 participants from Miami-Dade County Parks swim programs, summer camps, and disability services sites competed for awards in the Mayor’s Cup Swimming Championship at the Tamiami Park Aquatics Center on August 16, just days before the start of the 2014-2015 School Year. The event provided children with the opportunity to compete against other youth swimmers from across Miami-Dade, and for most it was their first time competing in a swim meet.

The Youth Sports Championship Series is an initiative created by Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez that aims to increase participation in youth athletics for kids ages 14 and under. The series has been touted with the 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award and is a finalist for the National Youth Sports Alliance Excellence Award. The winner will be announced November.

As a father, grandfather and lifetime advocate of the long-term health benefits of regular exercise for children, Mayor Gimenez knows first-hand the esteemed values developed from continuous involvement in athletics. “We are very proud of all the youth that participated in the Mayor’s Youth Sports Championship Series sporting events this summer,” said Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “Thanks to Miami-Dade County Parks’ partnership with the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade, more and more children are learning how to swim, a critical life skill that will help keep them safe and physically fit. Through organized sports, such as swimming, they can also learn good sportsmanship, leadership, fair play and respect for others, lessons which will help them be champions for life.”

Miami-Dade County Parks, through its longtime Learn-to-Swim Program, holds beginning swimming classes at pools county-wide during the summer months. Together with the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade, they advocate the urgency for all youth to receive swimming lessons and water safety instruction to prevent drowning and seek to provide as many children as possible with Learn-to-Swim opportunities, no matter what their income. Since 2012, the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade has provided a total of 2,269 Learn-to-Swim Scholarships.

The 2014 Mayor’s Cup Youth Sports Championship Series has included these memorable youth sporting events to date:

SNAG Youth Golf Challenge at Tamiami Park, August 11 – The event welcomed 90 kids from around the county enrolled in Miami-Dade County Parks summer camp program. The innovative “Starting New At Golf” (SNAG) program offers players of all ages and abilities the opportunity to learn and play the game of golf in almost any environment. Since 2013, SNAG/JNLL (Jack Nicholas Learning League) has been a component of the Miami-Dade County Parks’ Fit2Play® after-school and summer camp curriculum. The format uses lighter, kid-friendly golf clubs, Velcro balls, targets, and other teaching tools. Over 250 kids competed at three regional competitions leading up to the final Challenge.
Youth Golf Tournament at Crandon Golf, August 10 – There were 40 youth golfers in the championship tournament. Qualifying tournaments with 100 youth participants were held at Miami-Dade County golf courses during the summer months leading up to the championship.
Youth Flag Football Tournament, as part of the Miami Football Festival at Tropical Park, July 26 – The event included 500 youth participants from Miami-Dade parks summer camps and football organizations from throughout the county. The family fun day also included football contests, a free football clinic and an appearance from University of Miami and FIU football players, cheerleaders and mascots.
Miami Junior Tennis Cup, as part of the former Sony Open (now Miami Open) at the Crandon Park Tennis Center in Key Biscayne, March 27-29 – Sixty of the Miami’s brightest young tennis stars battled it out, all in the name of fun and had the unique opportunity to walk on center court and meet their favorite professional tennis players at this world renowned tennis event.
Breakfast of Champions at the Port of Miami, April 16 – There were 125 attendees, representing administrators, supporters and youth participants from local community based organizations, who came out to network and discuss how to improve youth sports in Miami-Dade County. Speakers included Parks Foundation board president and former Miami Dolphin Dick Anderson and two-time NBA champion and Miami Heat player James Jones.
Youth Track Meet at Southridge Park, May 10 – In all, there were 300 youth participants, representing youth from Miami-Dade Parks and other track clubs from around the county, who came together to compete for medals and awards in track-and-field events.

About the Youth Sports Championship Series:

The Youth Sports Championship Series featuring the newly coveted Miami-Dade County Mayor’s Cup, is the vision of Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez who as a father, grandfather and volunteer youth sports coach believes in the values and benefits children derive from participating in organized sports. Awarded the 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award, The Mayor’s Youth Sports Championship Series aims to build and support a strong foundation of organized sports throughout Miami-Dade County through a series of sport championships coordinated by the Miami-Dade Parks Department and the local governing body of the individual youth sport. Champions will be crowned in 10 sports at 15 events, predominantly at Miami-Dade County owned parks and facilities. Winners of championships in tennis, track and field, basketball, baseball, flag football, golf, swimming, cross country, cheer and dance, and soccer will be crowned with the Mayor’s Cup.

About the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department:

Nationally accredited, a three-time winner of the NRPA National Gold Medal Award, winner of the 2013 Florida Governor’s Sustained Excellence Award and the 2009 Florida Governor’s Sterling Award for excellence in management and operations, Miami-Dade County Parks is the third largest county park system in the United States, consisting of 260 parks and 12,825 acres of land. It is one of the most unique park and recreation systems in the world. Made up of more than just playgrounds and athletic fields, it also comprises out-of-school, sports-development, and summer-camp programs; programs for seniors and people with disabilities; educational nature centers and nature preserves; environmental restoration efforts; arts and culture programs and events; the renowned Zoo Miami and the Deering Estate at Cutler; the Crandon Tennis Center; golf courses; beaches; marinas; campgrounds; pools; and more. For information about Miami-Dade County Parks call 3-1-1, or visit www.miamidade.gov/parks/.

Miami-Dade County Parks is supported by The Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade a non-profit 501(c)3 organization supporting the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department’s efforts to further develop Miami-Dade County’s world-class parks system for residents and visitors. Its mission is to create a healthier, more livable and sustainable Miami community by ensuring the implementation of the Parks Open Space Master Plan and the development of year-round park and recreation programs for local children, adults and people with disabilities. For more information on the Parks Foundation, please visit www.liveaparklife.org.

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