It’s 10 a.m. on a sunny Monday, and Chautauqua Lake is spotted with tiny sailboats. Freshly launched from the waterfront of the John R. Turney Sailing Center, white-sailed Optimist Dinghies and multicolored Sunfish float a few hundred feet down the water from each other.
No, these aren’t professional sailors by any means — they’re kids.
Just down the hill from Turner Community Center, only a few feet away from courts seven and eight at Chautauqua Tennis Center, two small paths jut out from a shaggy hedgerow. Next to path on the left, the words “Play up! Play up! And play the game!” leap forth from an old plaque attached to a large rock.
Throughout the season, campers at Boys’ and Girls’ Club experience a wide range of activities. They can jump into Chautauqua Lake and learn to swim, head out on sailboats or explore the natural areas of the nearby ravine and more — all in a day.
Another popular Club pursuit often is an understated one: arts and crafts.
Last Saturday, a pair of games at Sharpe Field led to championship glory for two of Chautauqua’s eldest softball teams: the MOMS in the women’s league and the Slugs in the men’s league.
The first-place MOMS displayed their dominance over the Boomerangs, ending in a 14-3 win after seven innings. First-place men’s league counterparts the Slugs, on the other hand, slammed their way to victory against the Slamming Cheetahs, 25-22, after a full nine-inning game of big hits and stiff competition.
Tara VanDerveer has had a career full of highlights.
Since 1985, VanDerveer has led Stanford University’s women’s basketball team as head coach, landing two NCAA Division I Championships — one in 1990 and one in 1992. She took the helm of the U.S. national women’s team in the 1996 Olympic Games and led it to a gold medal and an undefeated season. She holds a place in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
At the end of Week Five, among the madness of lunchtime at Boys’ and Girls’ Club, three Group 2 Boys counselors emerged as the prestigious “Counselors of the Week.”
Runners readied themselves at a white-painted starting line adjacent to Sports Club’s shuffleboard courts. Yellow and white balloons swayed in the breeze, anchored to the adjacent hedgerow. After a singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” a whistle blew, and a sea of yellow-shirted runners and walkers disappeared down South Lake Drive, heading toward the Youth Activities Center.
Retirement for some means an end to years of hard work and heading south for warmer climates. For Tom Mann, it meant continuing to do what he loved — coaching swimmers, even if it wasn’t full time.
Summer at Boys’ and Girls’ Club means many things: fun in the sun, blossoming friendships, and — most importantly — Air Band!
Half talent show, half costume party, Club’s 28th annual Air Band drew a large crowd at 4:30 p.m. Thursday to the Amphitheater.
Last year, Melissa Long raced across the finish line just outside Sports Club after running for 17 minutes and 21 seconds in the annual Old First Night Run/Walk/Swim. Long, 26, said her victory as first female to finish that year’s 2.7-mile run came as a surprise.
