Ryan Orce is dedicated to his sport.  Blessed with a gymnasts body, big heart and tireless work effort, Ryan recently qualified for the Junior Olympics.  But qualifying for the Junior Olympics comes with a big responsibility and a bigger price tag.  The Oregon Convention Center hosted the Junior Olympics this year and Portland, Oregon isn’t exactly around the corner from Gainesville, Florida.  But money and location were not going to be an obstacle to the 15 year old gymnast from Gainesville.  Ryan and his mother made the close to 3,00o mile trek to Oregon at the end of April for the event.  In Portland, Ryan competed against hundreds of other skilled level 9 gymnasts who had also qualified for the event from gyms and locations all around the country.  On day 1 of the event, Ryan qualified for individual events that take place on day 2.  Day 2 turned out to be Ryan’s time to shine.  Ryan competed individually, with the top 48 qualifying other athletes, on parallel bars and rings.  He took 2nd place on parallel bars and 3rd place on rings.  Both are outstanding achievements for Ryan but his goals are a bit more lofty.  Ryan said, “It would be really cool to go to the Olympics and that’s my main goal…  be able to get a nice scholarship for college and be able to go to the Olympics would be really nice but maybe, maybe not”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyt-qEvge5I

Drowning is a leading cause of injury and death for young children ages 1 to 4, and the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury and death for people of all ages.  For toddlers, swimming pools pose the greatest risk of submersion injury.  For every child less than 15 who dies from drowning, another 10 receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.

Florida has the highest drowning rate of toddlers ages 1 to 4 in the United States.  At Sun Country, we have the great pleasure of working with children of this age every day and are committed to keeping every one of them safe.

Sun Country is offering a new program that can help!  Water acclimation is a critical component to swim instruction and ultimately saving lives.  Sun Country is offering FREE water acclimation classes to children under the age of 6 months.  We want these very young children to get comfortable in the water as quickly as possible.  Children are not born with a fear of the water. It surfaces in the toddler years. The earlier a child becomes acclimated to the water, the quicker they become comfortable. When a child is comfortable and confident, then they can focus on developing their motor patterns and acquiring the skills they need to swim.

Sun Country’s swimming pool in Jonesville is the perfect place for your child to start.  The pool is kept at a comfortable temperature (around 82 degrees) and the instructors are well trained.

The program is FREE until your child reaches 6 months old and then they can confidently advance towards becoming a more complete little swimmer.  Sun Country is doing their part to help keep children safe – now it’s your turn to sign your child up today and start getting them acclimated to the water.

One very important aspect of coming to Sun Country is encouraging a culture of pride.  We certainly are proud of the athletes who compete at Sun Country and represent our teams so well in local and national competitions.  But it’s really about developing pride in those students and athletes that is important to us.  We encourage them to be proud of what they are accomplishing here at Sun Country.  We have been know to create champions and college athletes but, in truth, not every gymnast or swimmer is going to achieve these lofty levels.  And that’s just fine with us.  Every athlete or student is working hard, developing good attitudes, staying fit and achieving their own level of success.

We encourage the families that come to Sun Country to show off their “Sun Country Pride” by wearing their Sun Country shirts to the gym and around in the community.  It’s always great to see people around town showing off their Sun Country pride.  Having a good feeling about the gym you compete for and being proud of what you are accomplishing there is something we at Sun Country encourage on a daily basis.  We are creating a culture of pride in every gymnast, athlete and student we have the opportunity to work with.

At Sun Country, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to watch talented young men and women grow and excel in everything from gymnastics meets to rock climbing events.  This, of course, makes being involved with Sun Country very satisfying. But, we also have the opportunity to help make a difference in the community.  Our involvement with the March of Dimes is one that we are very proud of and committed to.  Recently, the March of Dimes held an award breakfast to recognize those in the area that were actively raising money to help the cause.  Sun Country was the 18th highest team fundraiser in Alachua County out of well over 100 teams.  Sun Country also received an award, the Gold Battered Boot, for exceeding the $10,000 level and a 3rd place award in our division for the amount of money raised.  The awards are certainly appreciated and cherished by Sun Country but, as with all that raise money for this important cause, the true joy comes from being able to help and hopefully make a difference.

Those darn E-cards.

We all laugh at them with the thought “yeah that’s true,” when reading about how as parents we get no sleep, the kids are picky, they won’t eat vegetables or, my favorite, the “Having one child makes you a parent. Having two makes you a referee.” But sometimes as parents, we take these moments for granted. Those moments when you find little Johnny writing on the walls and get so upset, you’ll find you miss when he leaves for college. I know when I watch new parents with a baby it melts my heart, and I start to miss those “first” moments I had with my child.

With Mother’s Day coming up, I always pull the memory lane card with my kids and I tell their spouses the cute crafts I received.

So enjoy the little things. It doesn’t mean to let kids get away with murder, but take the situation as a learning experience and laugh about it later. These moments will be ones that you’ll treasure forever, especially when they are said on an e-card.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this picture does exactly that. So instead on fantasizing about it, treat yourself to some sleep by bringing your children to Sun Country! Friday, on May 10, Sun Country is hosting a Mother’s Day sleepover for children ages 3 and up. Drop off the kids at 6:30 then go relax in your now quiet home! And there’s no need to worry about packing dinner or breakfast for the kids too! Sun Country will provide pizza and breakfast for the kids. With all of the activities you child will be enjoying, they might even want to sleep on the way home! Sign up now for a discounted price at www.suncountrysportscenter.com/mothersday.html