Whole Foods Market Pasadena Triathlon

I'm excited about this Pasadena Triathlon, wellonly in theory am I excited, because working out hasn't really been a priority of mine. But, if you're like me and need a competitive reason to stay in shape, the Whole Foods Market Pasadena Triathlon seems like a pretty reasonable start. When I say "reasonable", I only mean that the course isn't too difficult, they're actually promoting it as an event for everyone. So, I ask myself, "do I have the guts?" I haven't decided yet, but for the rest of you, maybe you'll decide much sooner than I. The race is limited to 600 participants, so I'm thinking that I need to hurry up and make a decision...oh the pressure! Another plus is that the race date is March 14, 2009, so there's plenty of time to get it together. Anyway, here are the costs and the course information (for further details, click here):

Entry Fees-
TRIATHLON - INDIVIDUAL (ages 17+): $75 through Feb. 22; $85 through March 5
TRIATHLON - YOUTH (between 13-16)$50 through Feb. 22$60 through March 5
TRIATHLON - TEAM/RELAY (teams of 2-3)$150 through February 22$180 through March 5


Course Description-
5k Run-(1 loop around the Rose Bowl) - Race Start is on Seco Dr.
15k Bike- (3 loops around the Rose Bowl)
150m Swim- (3 laps in the Rose Bowl Aquatics Pool)

Not bad, huh?

Spotlight: Lance Mitchell

Recruited in football as one of California's best two-way prospects, and ranked the 29th best prospect in the nation by scout.com, Lance Mitchell a John Muir High School graduate, is now playing for the Oregon State Beavers. Today, the Oregon State Beavers will face the Oregon Ducks in their final regular season game. By winning, Oregon State will have it's first Rose Bowl appearance since New Years Day in 1965. Lets cheer to bring one of Pasadena's own, Lance Mitchell, home for one of the biggest college bowl games, the Pasadena Rose Bowl. So....Let's Go BEAVERS!

Schools Out

I just found a really cool website called schoolsout.org. It's provided for parents, teachers, and mentors to learn about after school opportunities for children and youth in Pasadena. Of course, I went straight to the sports link and this site offers information on sports like, basketball, football, soccer, tennis, swimming, wrestling, and boxing. Other sports like bowling, gymnastics, skating, and karate are also included, making this a great resource for a wide variety of youth sports opportunities in Pasadena. I'm just loving this!

I am definitely planning on highlighting http://www.schoolsout.org/ in future postings.

My Gym Pasadena

I told you guys that this blog serviced people of all ages...even babies!!! My Gym, located at 839 S. Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena helps children between 6 weeks to 13 years of age develop physically, cognitively, and emotionally. Considered one of the best early learning programs of its kind, My Gym is a great local resource for new parents or parents looking for alternative activities for their young. The one time membership fee is $75 (ages 7 months and up). Monthly fees are:

$64/month (one class, for one child under 7 months, no membership fee)

$74/month (one class, for one child)

$140.50 (one class, two children)

Currently, they are offering a free guest class plus $25 off lifetime membership! Print the coupon here.

They also host 1.5 hour birthday parties on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The monthof December is Member Appreciation Month, where you can attend as many classes as you want! For more information, click on the post title to be redirected to the Pasadena My Gym website. I am personally looking into the Champions class for my 5 (soon to be 6) year old son and the Mighty Mites class for my 3 (almost 21, LOL) year old son. Remember childhood obesity is rapidly increasing because of the increase in stationary activities for our kids, so lets try to break the pattern. There's no investment too great when it comes to our children! Maybe I'll see some familiar faces....

Play Hard Baseball Club

I had the opportunity to watch a Play Hard practice this past spring at Loma Alta Park in Altadena, and their name suits them well. The practice was very intense, focused, challenging, and well organized. In my opinion, for boys, ages 9-16, with a passion for baseball and the potential to excel, an investment in this development based travel baseball club is worthwhile. I must admit that it is quite expensive, costing as much as $950 and at the very least $630. However, scholarships are available. But, that saying, "you get what you pay for" all too much applies after taking into consideration the benefits. Play Hard offers a 6,700 sqaure foot indoor facility, with an well designed training program consisting of pitching, hitting, defensive fundamental workouts, and weekly team practices. In addition, they have added to their program speed and agility training, and other regimens to keep the boys strong and healthy. The coaches consist of former champion players, playing either on the professional or collegiate level. Play Hard also offers a summer camp, which is a cheaper option and can be utilized as a trial period for you.

Most of the practices seem to be held at Victory Park in Pasadena and Loma Alta Park in Altadena. They average about 10 games per month during the fall and winter sessions, and they play doubleheaders every Sunday.

Visit the Play Hard website for more impressive information. Let me and others know what you think by adding your comments to this post.

Pasadena YES- Youth Education & Sports

Pasadena YES, Youth Education & Sports is based at Wilson Middle School. Pasadena YES has 900 boys and girls ages 5-15 participating in basketball, soccer, volleyball, and lacross. Basketball is offered as a winter sports program and the last remaining day to sign-up is Decemeber 6th from 10am-2pm at the Wilson Middle School Gym. Pasadena YES is also offering a mini 2 hour basketball camp for only $50 on December 13th for kids ages 7-15. For more information about Pasadena YES and the winter sports programs, click here.

Soccer, volleyball, and lacross are offered September through November (I should have started this blog a little sooner, huh?). Click here, for a spring '09 volleyball option. And, if you are interested in a local soccer program for the spring, the Pasadena YMCA offers indoor soccer.

United States Youth Volleyball League

For those of you looking for a local volleyball league for your son or daughter, I've found one. The closest youth volleyball league program to Pasadena is in Duarte at Otis Gordon Sport Park. I know its not quite Pasadena, but hey its still in the San Gabriel Valley. Volleyball League Spring '09 is an 8-weeek instructional volleyball league for boys and girls, ages 7-14. The divisions are divided based upon these age groups: 7-9, 10-11, and 12-14. The start date is Wednesday April 1, 2009 from 6:00-7:00pm and the team meets every Wednesday (same time) and on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am. Click here for the registration form. The early registration fee is $120 and is due by December 15th. So, if you have a child that really wants to learn and play volleyball, this could be the perfect Christmas gift. The regular registration fee is $140 and due by March 15th. For more information, click here.

Another great option for Pasadena youth volleyball players, is to start a new volleyball league right here in Pasadena. The five step proces for opening a new United States Youth Volleyball League (USYVL) is very simple and USYVL helps to locate a site head coach and assists with all aspects of registration. So, this may be a good opportunity to start a league in our hometown of Pasadena. For more details about opening a new site in the Pasadena community, visit the USYVL webpage.

I plan on posting information about other youth volleyball programs in the near future so continue to check here for new volleyball news.