Sports Activities

It's time again to sign up for the swim team for spring and summer. Listed below are the Marin Swim League local swim teams throughout the county and their registration dates. Click on the team name to go to their website.

Larkspur:

• Tidalwaves
  Online Registration opens: January 4–30

Mill Valley:

• Scott Valley Sea Serpents
  Registration: January 30–February 10
• Strawberry Seals
  Registration: February 8

Novato: 

• Riptide
  Indian Valley College campus
  Registration: February 27 from 10–noon at IVC

• Rolling Hills Stringrays
  Registration: January 31 from noon–2 pm, February 6 from noon–2 pm (events held at Zoe’s Café at RHC)

I decided that I’m going to do something for myself this year—I finally joined our local health club and I’m going to get myself back into shape. I signed up at the Marin YMCA a few weeks ago, and have to say that it was the best decision I’ve made so far this year. Not only am I able to take advantage of the workout room, but our entire family can participate in the classes and programs they have to offer as well.

One of our favorites features so far is the indoor pool. Believe it or not, we have been making a lot of use of it during on these recent rainy weekends, and my kids are able to burn off some energy as well as brush up on their swimming skills. My son wants to join the swim team in the spring and he needs to be able to swim the length of the pool first, so we’re getting in some valuable practice time.

There’s something I love about swimming in an indoor pool on a rainy day. At first thought it seems a little odd to want to go swimming when it’s cold and wet out, but once you get to the pool it’s warm and pleasant and a contrast to the yucky weather going just on the other side of the windows and walls.
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Christmastime is very busy for my family. Both my and my husband’s immediate family (including parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and assorted nieces and nephews) live locally, so there are lots of parties and get-togethers during the season. After all of this holiday togetherness, I need to take a break and forget about Christmas and do something fun with friends.

This year we decided to go to pizza and bowling. I haven’t been bowling in at least 10 years and my kids have never tried it. I use to bowl at Nave Lanes in Ignacio when I was younger, but since it is no longer there, we headed up to Southern Petaluma and went to AMF Boulevard Lanes. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the whole experience. Boulevard Lanes was spacious, clean and the staff was friendly.

For the kids, they offer bumper bowling, which consist of metal barriers on either side of the lane so the ball can’t go in the gutter. The kids played in one lane—with bumpers, naturally—and the adults in the lane next to it. The family in the lane next to us even had a special slide like ramp, so they could roll their balls down the lane.
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Even though it's an activity that you can do year-round, ice skating seems to be something that's especially appealing around the holidays, and, with the addition of several temporary outdoor ice rinks, more prevalent this time of year. Unfortunately, you're not going to be able to go ice skating in Marin (although those of us who grew up in the county surely remember Raydine's in Corte Madera, at the site of what is now Gold's Gym on Lucky Drive), but there are several locations close by in the Bay Area where you can hit the ice this holiday season.

Fairfax Parks & Recreation Holiday Ice Skating

The Fairfax Parks & Recreation Commission will sponsor their third annual ice skating event on a synthetic rink in the Pavilion on Saturday and Sunday, January 2 and 3 from noon–5 pm. There will be lots of family fun, so make sure you purchase your tickets early! Prices: $5 for adults and $3 for kids for a half hour of skating. Rental skates are included in the price of admission. Hot cocoa and baked goodies will be available for sale as well. Tickets will be sold at the door, beginning at 11:30 am on both days. For more info, call Maria Baird, Community Resources Coordinator, at (415) 456-5652 or at www.townoffairfax.org.

Snoopy's Home Ice

In Santa Rosa you can find Snoopy's Home Ice at the Redwood Empire Ice Arena. Opened by the late Santa Rosa resident and Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in 1969, the Redwood Empire Ice Arena offers daily public skating hours (check their schedule for details), skating lessons, birthday parties, and special events. The entire place is decorated with a Swiss theme and offers an alpine ambience. The Redwood Empire Ice Arena is also home to Snoopy's Warm Puppy Cafe, where you can sit by the fire and eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or just have a hot chocolate and watch the action on the Snoopy's Home Ice.

Of course every Holiday season Santa Claus is a pretty popular guy. He'll be making the rounds for photos, breakfast, and other holiday fun at various shopping centers and other locations in Marin County.

Photos with Santa:

• Santa Photos at the Mall at Northgate
  November 13 - Monday, December 24
  The Mall at Northgate in San Rafael invites all the children to visit Santa and have their picture taken with Santa Claus at his new home in Center Court by GNC. Individual photos and packages are available. For more info, go to their website.

• Corte Madera Town Center Santa Photos
  November 20 to December 24
  At 770 Office Building Lobby (near Barnes & Noble). For more info, go to their website.

• The Village at Corte Madera Santa Photos
  November 22 to December 24
  Saturdays and Sundays, 11 am to 6 pm
  Visit Santa in his cottage near Macy’s. For more info, go to their website.

• Photos with Santa at Winter Fest at the Marinwood Community Center
  Friday, December 18
  5:30-7:30 pm
  Meet Santa and take a picture with him! See Marinwood transformed into a winter wonderland and fun for the entire family.  Suggested donation is $5. The Marinwood Community Center is located at 775 Miller Creek Road in San Rafael. For more info, go to their website.

 Breakfast with Santa:

• Breakfast with Santa at the Mall at Northgate
  Saturday, December 5
  9:00 am-10:00 am
  Northgate is bringing back Breakfast with Santa at Applebee's on December 5, 2009. This up-close moment with Santa is hosted by Applebee's-all proceeds donated to the Marin Community Food Bank. The cost is minimal and all proceeds go to charity making this an affordable way to feed the family, have fun and give back to the Marin Community. The cost is $3/person or $5 at the door. Seats are limited; RSVP to (415) 472-3212 by December 4. For more info, go to their website.
  

• Breakfast with Santa at the Sausalito Yacht Club
  Saturday, December 5
  8:30 am-11:00 am
  Santa's coming! It will be a magical morning where the kids will make holiday crafts and visit with Santa while the elves prepare a delicious breakfast of pancakes, sausages, milk, juice and coffee. There will be photos with Mr. Claus himself and special memories will be made. Don't forget your wish list and camera! Bring a toy to donate to the Southern Marin toy drive and receive $1 off admission. Admission is $10, free for children age 2 and under. For more info, go to their website.

• Breakfast with Santa at the Margaret Todd Senior Center in Novato
  Sunday, December 6
  9:30 am-noon
  Enjoy a breakfast with family and Santa. Also, make sure to take your photo with Santa. Adults: $5 at the door; children under 12 are free. Reservervations not required. Call (415) 899-8290 for more info.

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Looking for fun kids' activities this fall? There's still time to sign up for one of the many classes and programs offered by local parks and recreation departments and other organizations. Find your local recreation resource on our list below. We've also included links to the winter camps offered by the Marin YMCA and the Osher Jewish Community Center.

• Belvedere-Tiburon Recreation

• Corte Madera Recreation

• Fairfax Parks & Recreation

• Larkspur Parks & Recreation

• Novato Parks & Recreation
  

• Marin JCC Winter Camps

• Marin YMCA Winter Camps

• Marinwood Recreation Activities Guide
  

• Mill Valley Parks & Recreation

• Ross Recreation Department

• San Anselmo Recreation Department

• San Rafael Recreation Department

• Sausalito Parks & Recreation

• Strawberry Recreation District

Marin Mommies is pleased to present a guest post by photographer Norm Levin, owner of Natural Portraits: Family and event photography as nature intended. He offers some valuable tips on photographing your children's soccer games (and any other sports activity). Read on to learn how to capture that perfect sports photo. You can visit Norm online at www.naturalportraits.smugmug.com

Where did the summer go?

It seems like yesterday that school was out and we were taking the little ones off on a family trip, or to camp, or swimming and baseball practices. As a parent with a camera, which eliminates practically no one, you’ve attempted with varying degrees of success to capture your child actively enjoying his or her outdoor pursuits.

Those cherished summer events are mostly behind us now, living on in our memories and stored on our digital devices.

If your refrigerator door is anything like ours, it’s already displaying your child’s fall soccer team assignment precariously held under a magnet. When the soccer season starts, which should be any minute now, you know you’ll be there digital camera in hand to get the photo goods. May the god of pixels be with you.

The annual Esurance Tennis Classic at Mill Valley's Harbor Point Tennis Club is always a fun event, but this year legendary Grand Slam winners and tennis power couple Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf make it even more exciting with their special appearance. This fundraiser takes place October 2–4, and raises funds for a variety of charitable causes, including the To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation, Prostate Cancer Education & Support, and the Youth Tennis Advantage. Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for juniors ages 6–18, and free for kids under 6.

In addition to Agassi and Graf, there will be appearances by the Cal and Stanford tennis teams, and Marin's own Brad Gilbert. We attended last year and everyone had a great time. It's a fantastic event for tennis lovers, so make sure to put it on your calendar!

The Harbor Point Tennis Club is located at 475 East Strawberry Drive in Mill Valley. For more information, call (415) 383-6114 or visit www.tennisclassic.org.

Photo courtesy Harbor Point Tennis Club.