Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District’s popular Turkey Trot Family Fun Run and Walk is going virtual. Participants can plot their own 5-kilometer (3.1 miles) or 1-kilometer (.6 miles) course for the activity, which is usually held each fall at Diamond Valley Lake Community Park in Hemet.

Participants must track their distance with any device (smart phone apps, Fitbits, Apple watches, etc.) and submit pictures of their time and distance to valleywidefunrun@gmail.com to be entered into a raffle.

A 2020 Turkey Trot commemorative package is available for $15 per person and includes a T-shirt, participation medal and an extra entry into the raffle.

The date for a no-contact packet pickup at the Diamond Valley Aquatic Center will be announced later. There is an additional $5 fee to receive the packet by mail.

No purchase is required to participate. Those who submit their time and distance without registering will still be entered in the raffle.

This is a fun run. Prizes will be awarded through the drawing and not based on times.

Registration for the commemorative package ends Nov. 6. Enter at gorecreation.org/2020-virtual-turkey-trot.

Time and distances must be submitted by Nov. 12. Winners of the raffle will be notified Nov. 17.

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Something Fun For All Ages

Looking to get your kids involved with sports? Valley-Wide still has room for kids to play Baseball and Softball. Ages range from ages 5-14. They have a little something for everyone, starting with t-ball, machine pitch, coach pitch, and also player vs. player.

Sign-ups end February 21st for most divisions and opening day is scheduled to be April 4th at the Diamond Valley baseball fields. The opening day events are usually a great spectacle for everyone to come out and cheer. Often times they bring out a former professional baseball player to give a speech to the kids. There are usually plenty of vendors with shopping opportunities and food trucks available if you are feeling hungry. Valley-Wide pulls out all the stops for the kids to enjoy themselves: bounce houses and jumpers and also the parade of the teams as all of the parents and fans get to watch the kids run the bases. It’s one of the bigger events in our valley and something everyone looks forward to.

However, Valley-Wide doesn’t only offer things for the kids. Maybe it’s time to dust off your old sneakers and join a basketball team? Right now Valley-Wide has sign-ups for adult basketball teams. Here is your chance to stop talking about the glory days and remind everyone how great you once were. The hardwood is calling your name…come out and show your kids what you are all about. There are also Slow-Pitch softball sign-ups available. These are generally Co-ed teams. You have to come in with a full team when you sign up. Ages are 18-up and games are played in various fields all around the valley. So get out that gear and start your stretching because it’s time to get back on the field and play some softball with your family and friends.

We often forget as adults that our health is just as important as our kids’. Physical and Mental health often coincide with each other, but we forget to take care of our physical selves. With all of the stress at work at home, it can often become overwhelming and exhausting to keep up with life and we ignore the fact that we need to keep up with ourselves. The idea of exercising or competing often makes us think, “dang that sounds like a lot of extra work.” however, an article found on www.adaa.org states that “exercise and friendly competition is the most effective way to reduce stress.” Maybe that’s just what you need to get out of your current funk. if you have been dealing with stress and feeling stuck in life maybe it’s the time step out of the comfort zone and try something to new. After all, you know what they say, “a body in motion, stays in motion.”

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Valley-Wide seeks charities to benefit from Polar Plunge

Anyone wishing to jump into an ice-cold swimming pool while raising money for charity will have that opportunity at the inaugural Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District Polar Plunge from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, January 11, 2020 at the Diamond Valley Aquatic Center.

During the event, people will have the opportunity to jump or slide into the unheated pool, which is located near Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet.

There will be no charge to enter the pool, but donations will be collected and Valley-Wide is looking for nonprofit organizations to partner with in the event.

Participants and guests will be asked to give to the participating charity of their choice, or give to a general fund. Alternatively, if someone wishes to donate money to an organization if someone specific from that group would jump in, we would notify that organization and let them decide to participate. Each organization will keep all the money donated to them. 

Nonprofit groups or donors interested in participating are asked to contact Craig Shultz at 951-654-1505 or craig@gorecreation.org.

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VALLEY-WIDE TO HOLD ELECTIONS

Board Directors for Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District have completed the process to enact election districts starting in 2020, unanimously selecting a map of the new voting areas at their Nov. 18 meeting.

Currently, board members are elected at-large and may live anywhere in the district. Under the new plan, directors will be required to live in specific areas and will be voted on by residents of that area.

The terms of three of the directors – John Bragg, Noah Rau and Steve Simpson – expire in 2020. Board Directors Nick Schouten and Jan Bissell will continue to serve at-large until their terms expire in 2022.

The move complies with the California Voting Rights Act, General Manager Dean Wetter said.

“This change will help us continue to serve the needs of all the residents in the large geographic area where were provide recreation services,” Wetter said.

The study and map options were provided by National Demographics Corporation, which has performed demography services for hundreds of local governments

Valley-Wide is a special district with more than 80 parks and recreation centers in the cities of Hemet, Menifee and San Jacinto and unincorporated communities of Aguanga, French Valley, Valle Vista and Winchester. There are some 250,000 residents in the district.

Valley-Wide offers sports leagues for children, adults and seniors and well as classes and special events. Information: gorecreation.org.

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Valley-Wide’s annual 5-K Family Fun run Turkey Trot to be held on Nov. 23

Registration is under way for the annual Turkey Trot 5K Family Fun Run which will take place Saturday, Nov. 23 at Valley-Wide Recreation and Park’s District’s Diamond Valley Lake Community Park in Hemet..

Check-in begins at 8 a.m. with the Gobble Trot for children 2 to 5 years old at 9 a.m. The 1K trot for children 5 to 12 starts at 9:15, with the 5K walk at 9:45 and the 5K Trot at 10.

The first 50 people to register for the 5K will get a free T-Shirt,  Awards will be given out for various age categories.

The cost is $5 for Gobble Trot, $7 for the 1K and $10 for the 5K walk or run if paid by Nov. 21. The price increases to $8, $10 and $15 on race day.

Activities begin near the soccer fields at the park, 1801 Angler Ave. Information and registration, 951-929-0047 or 951-927-6673 or online at gorecreation.org.

The Turkey Trot is organized by Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District, which operates 86 parks and community centers in Menifee, French Valley, Hemet, San Jacinto and Sage.

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Valley-Wide Hosts Skills Event for Football Players

Valley-Wide has done a great job over the years to help balance the teams in their recreational leagues and make the experience of playing for their organization better than others. Skills day is something they added to stop coaches from loading their teams with players with the most talent just to run through the league with no other competition. Coaches are only allowed to reserve a player or two (ideally a player that is related to them), and the rest of the players have to go through a skills day.

Valley-Wide runs five drills for the kids to compete in while the coaches are there to evaluate their talent. Each kid is assigned a number when they register, and they wear that number on their chest. The first drill was to see arm strength; kids were given two attempts to throw a football as far as they could. Even though it was an excellent way to see how far some kids could sling the ball, it’s still hard to judge if they would be a good option to be the Quarterback of your team without knowing if they could make accurate passes or not. 

Next, players would go to a Wide Receiver drill where they would get two chances to run an inside post route and catch the ball. A great opportunity to see acceleration, route running, and how good of hands some of the kids had. Former Tahquitz High School Quarterback Fernando Blanco did a great job making throws to the kids. 

In the next drill, kids took turns playing offense and defense. One kid would run the football while another tried to pull their flag. When the drill was over the ball carrier would become the defender and a new kid would come in to play offense. This drill is designed for coaches to see how kids carry the ball, and how kids react as defensive players. Both are very important and should be considered when selecting your team. 

The final drill was a 30-yard dash, a straight-up speed drill designed to give coaches an idea of a player’s natural speed. After the final drill, players were free to go home with their parents. Even though the kids were there to be judged, their spirits were high. A lot of them recognized friends for school or former teammates of previous sports teams. They all had fun throwing the football on the side and playing with each other apart from the drills Valley Wide had set up for them. Valley-Wide will be in contact with the coaches to set up a snake-draft where coaches will get the opportunity to draft the players that they scouted at the skills event. A great way to ensure a fun league and maintain a competitive balance.

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Bracket A (Big wheels) – 1. Benjamin Rau; 2. Dylan Carstensen.

Bracket B (Limo wheels) – 1. Walker Muzychenko; 2. Vincent Scola.

Bracket C (Training wheels) – 1. Illisa Baldonado; 2. Tony Shumaker.

Exhibition Bracket (Rubber wheels) – 1. Shamous Waite; 2. Katelyn Chamberland.

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Valley-Wide

It may not feel like it outside, but Fall is almost here. That means A whole new batch of sports to play at Valley-Wide, as summer is coming to an end so is basketball at Valley-Wide’s gyms which means it is time for Co-ed Volleyball to take over, registration ends September 25th which means there is a little over a month to turn those packets in. Valley-Wide offers multiple age divisions to for volleyball. Division 1 is for 3rd-5th grade, Division 2 is from 6th-8th grade, and Division 3 is for 9th-12th graders. After registration, each child will be informed of a skills day they will show up to let coaches see their skill level and abilities. Coaches will then perform a draft to select players on their team. This format is to ensure that talent is equally distributed throughout the league. However, you can still make special requests to be on a certain coaches’ team or paired up with another player. Valley-Wide isn’t always able to accommodate these requests but they do pride themselves on trying. If you are interested in signing your child up to play volleyball this season there isn’t much time left. 

Football season is here, which means Flag Football at Valley-Wide has arrived as well, right now they are accepting registration packets for the three divisions they have set up this season, but be fast the deadline is Sept.18 which is only a month away. Division 1 is for 3rd & 4th graders; unfortunately, that is the lowest they go this season. Division 2 is for 5th & 6th graders, and Division 3 is for 7th & 8th graders. I’m a firm believer that many of the skills needed to play tackle football can be learned playing flag, and it minimizes the contact and injury potential a kid may face when playing tackle football too early. 

There will be a skills day for all three divisions so athletes can show off their skills for all the coaches to see. This helps prevent coaches from stockpiling all of the good players on one team. Athletes should be prepared to put in work and impress the coaches at the skills day that way they can be a high draft pick. This is also an excellent place to play if your child didn’t make the middle school flag football team and still wants to play this season. 

All registration packets & coaching packets can be picked up at the regional office on Esplanade Ave (901 W Esplanade Ave, San Jacinto, CA 92582) if you would like more information, please call Valley-Wide (951) 654-1505. As always Valley-Wide offers a scholarship program for kids who may not be able to afford registration fees. If you fall under that category, go into the office to get more information.

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Operated by Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District, the Oldlympics will be held from Sept. 20 to Oct. 8 at various locations throughout Hemet and San Jacinto.

More than 600 people are expected to compete. Events are bench press, billiards, bingo, bowling, chair volleyball, cribbage, Fun-tathlon, golf, horseshoes, lawn bowling, pickleball, pinochle, Scrabble, shuffleboard, swimming, table tennis, tennis, Texas Hold ’em, tournament blackjack and track and field. The event concludes with an Awards Banquet on Oct. 8.

Fees start at $5 for a single event. For information, call 951-927-6673 or visit www.gorecreation.org.

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He was always involved and working hard. He wasn’t just hiding in his office and impossible to reach; many people had his cell-phone number, and he would make sure to answer their calls regularly. He spent his free time as a referee for the organization; he also would coach teams in various sports usually.

If you ask him why he didn’t have kids, he will give you a look of confusion and respond with something along the lines of “what are you talking about? I have thousands of kids.” Even though it’s impossible for him to remember every single kid he has affected while working at Valley-Wide, he treats them all the same. Over the years, he has helped kids get jobs, encouraged them to focus on their school work, and invested time to help kids who didn’t have anyone else to help them.

I’ll share a personal story of mine and my experience with Michael Paul. I was in 8th grade and playing my last year of flag football against his team. The score was tied, and we were taking the field with an opportunity to score and win the game. My quarterback Threw an Interception to one of the best players on the opposite team, and I took off after him. Running as fast as I could, I caught up with him about 30-feet in front of the endzone.

I dove and grabbed the kids’ flag, but in the process, his cleat smacked against my face, one of my teeth were knocked out, and my nose was bloody. I was trying my best to hold in my tears, but I was not very successful at it. I started to walk off the field with my head down. Michael Paul ran over to me from his sideline put his arm around me and said, “that was a heck of a playing kid, I know you’re in pain, but don’t let anyone see that. That’s not what football is about. You walk off this field with your head held high. Don’t ever let your opponent see that you are in pain. When you get home, then you can cry, but while you are on the field, you act as tough as you possibly can.”

Those are words that have stayed with me throughout my football career, construction career, and something I instill in my kids/players I coach. That night Michael Paul made a difference in my life, and I’d be willing to bet he doesn’t even remember that because he has probably said something similar to many different boys.

Valley-Wide came together to honor him by renaming the Gymnasium after him, that doesn’t even begin to touch what the community owes a man who dedicated most of his life to helping raise their children, but it will do. Michael Paul was at the ceremony and thanked everyone who showed up. There was loud applause for him, and tears spread around the crowd. We hope that his predecessors to half as good of a job that he has because his presence is already deeply missed around the facilities.

Thank you, Michael Paul, for your dedication to our community!

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