Pentathlon Volunteer Instructions

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Dear Modern Pentathlon Volunteers,

It is time to really get psyched!  Soon, over 200 athletes from around the world will descend upon the Sarasota-Bradenton area to compete in
the 2015 Modern Pentathlon World Cup #1 (Feb. 20th-22^nd) at Nathan Benderson Park and at the Selby Aquatic Center located at Jan Potter Park.  Each one of you is vital to the success of this very special event.  As volunteers, our hope is to give these Olympic-caliber athletes, coaches, and visiting spectators the 'time of their lives'.  We can accomplish this through our teamwork, having a positive attitude, and by displaying a huge smile.

Please look over the following information:
Nathan Benderson Park (5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota, 34235):

Nathan Benderson Park is a unique 600-acre park which provides the public access to a 500-acre lake. The county purchased the site in the early 1990’s. Before that, the property had been an active shell excavation pit for road construction fill. Cooper Creek enters the east side of the large lake and exits at the northwest corner.

Nathan Benderson park is situated west of Interstate 75 and east of The Meadows residential community. The newly constructed Cattlemen Road extension provides access to the park from Fruitville and University Parkway.  One of a handful of sites in North America identified as having all of the natural attributes that make up a premiere rowing facility, Nathan Benderson Park began hosting organized regatta competitions in 2009.
Directions to Nathan Benderson Park:
Directions to the regatta island from the NORTH:

    From I-75 take University Parkway, Exit 213.
    Drive WEST on University Parkway approx. 0.3 miles
    Turn SOUTH (left) onto North Cattlemen Road (traffic light).
    Drive approx 0.5 miles, following signs and pass thru 3 traffic circles.
    Continue SOUTH on North Cattlemen Road to the regatta island.
    Rowing facility will be on your right.
    Follow Parking Staff instructions.
Directions to the regatta island from the SOUTH:

    From I-75 take Fruitville Road, Exit 210.
    Drive WEST on Fruitville Road. approx. 0.2 miles.
    Turn NORTH (right) on North Cattlemen Road (traffic light).
    Drive approx 2.2 miles to the regatta island.
    Rowing facility will be on your left.
    Follow Parking Staff instructions.
Parking (Nathan Benderson Park):

Parking is free for all Volunteers.  Please follow the directional signs and enter regatta island by using the east bridge off of Cattleman Road (the southern bridge).  There will be parking staff on duty to guide you to a parking space.  Please lock your valuables in your trunk and proceed directly to the volunteer check-in tent which will  have banners clearly marked in red lettering, "VOLUNTEERS".  There, you will be asked to sign a liability waiver and be given an OFFICIAL Modern Pentathlon Event Staff T-Shirt.  There will be a venue layout map at the check-in tent that shows the various locations for the volunteer posts.  It is recommended that you arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled shift.  Please dress appropriately for the weather (consider bringing sunblock, a hat and/or a rain jacket).

Selby Aquatic Center at Jan Potter Park (8301 Potter Park Drive, Sarasota, 34238):

The Selby Aquatic Center at Jan Potter Park has a newly renovated pool that includes state-of-the-art starting blocks and touchpads, three timing and start systems, two-button backup for all lanes, a scoreboard displaying all lanes, and a loudspeaker system. The Aquatic Center also includes adequate onsite locker rooms and restrooms, a climate-controlled meet management area, and a covered bleacher seating for up to 1,200 spectators or athletes. A recreational waterpark and leisure area is located adjacent to the competition area for spectators to enjoy.

Directions to The Selby Aquatic Center:

Location Name:

Selby Aquatic Center

Directions:

Directions coming from the North: Take I-75 south to Sarasota - Clark Road Exit (#205) Take Clark Road west to McIntosh Road (4th traffic light) Turn LEFT onto McIntosh Road after crossing RR Tracks Continue south on McIntosh Road to Sarasota Square Blvd. (3rd Traffic Signal). Turn RIGHT onto Sarasota Square Blvd - Continue about 1/4 mile. Turn LEFT onto Potter Park Drive (just before Mall & Cinemas) Continue south on Potter Park Drive about 1/2 mile to YMCA on LEFT Turn LEFT into YMCA Complex - Aquatic Center is on Right as you turn in Please park in the grass field on the south side of the pool or in the designated volunteer parking lot Directions coming from the South: ·        Take I-75 north to Sarasota- Clark Road exit (#205) Take Clark Road west to McIntosh Road (4th traffic light) Turn LEFT onto McIntosh Road after crossing RR Tracks Continue south on McIntosh Road to Sarasota Square Blvd. (3rd Traffic Signal). Turn RIGHT onto Sarasota Square Blvd - Continue about 1/4 mile. Turn LEFT onto Potter Park Drive (just before Mall & Cinemas) Continue south on Potter Park Drive about 1/2 mile to YMCA on LEFT Turn LEFT into YMCA Complex - Aquatic Center is on Right as you turn in Please park in the grass field on the south side of the pool or in the designated volunteer parking lot

We are still in need of event volunteers.  Please help us spread the word to your family and friends

to visit Volunteer Mark and sign up to be a Modern Pentathlon World Cup #1 event volunteer.

If you have any questions or need assistance, email me at john@sanca.us. 

Thanks again for your support!

Sincerely,
John Krotec

Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates, Volunteers941.400.7333

Sincerely,

John Krotec

Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates

Volunteer Coordinator

Nathan Benderson Park

Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida

Email:  John @SANCA.US

Cell:  941.224.1861

SATURDAY CHINESE FEATURE FILM SERIES

Spring 2015

SATURDAY CHINESE FEATURE FILM SERIES

Ringling College of Art and Design / Academic Center Room Room 207

Admission is free.

All films have Mandarin sound-tracks and English subtitles.

Feb 14: 1:30 pm

Ip Man 叶问 Mandarin Ye Wen Director Wilson Yip 叶伟信 Yé Wěixìn Hong Kong, 2008, 108 min.  Stars Donnie Yen 甄子丹Zhēn Zidān    Martial Arts Choreographer Sammo Hung 洪金宝Hóng Jīnbǎo

teo-education.com

This award-winning movie is set in 1935-40 during the Second Sino-Japanese War when Japanese occupied the southern Canton广东省（Guangdong）city of Foshan 佛山, famous for its various martial arts schools.  The tenacious resistance and unswerving cultural pride of Chinese people in the face of cruel and implacable invaders is embodied in the portrayal of Ip Man 叶问 (Mandarin Yè Wèn), Grandmaster of Wing Chun (咏春Mandarin yǒng chūn) martial arts who much later became Bruce Lee’s teacher.  Historical accuracy is elided in favor of an action-packed compelling national narrative.    

Mar 21: 1:30 pm

Pingounica.com

Letter from an Unknown Woman 一个陌生女人的来信 Yīgè mòshēng nǚrén de láixìn Director Xu Jinglei 徐静蕾 (女) 2004.  90 min. Based on German writer Stefan Zweig’s1922 novella Stars Jiang Wen 姜文

On his birthday in the winter of 1948, a famous Beijing author receives a letter from a woman who recounts their relationship, which he has totally forgotten.  She describes her teenage crush on him when he moved into their courtyard neighborhood, and their brief affair several years later when she was a college student, how she found herself pregnant and gave birth to their son during the Sino-Japanese war, and how eight years later he did not recognize her when they met again and spent a night together.  A tender and artfully made film from one of China’s few women directors. 

Apr 4:  1:30 pm

Take Out Directors Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou USA, 2004.  87 min.  (in Mandarin and English)

dvdbeaver.com

Shot in the Upper West Side of Manhattan using both professional and nonprofessional actors, this gritty cinema verité film follows a “day-in-the-life” of an illegal Chinese immigrant working as a bicycle deliveryman for a Chinese take-out.  By the end of the day he must give the ‘snakeheads’ who smuggled him into the States $800 cash in overdue payments.  After borrowing $650 from friends and relatives, he must accrue the rest by earning twice his normal day’s tips, which come from an infinitely diverse and unpredictable but always interesting population of ordinary New Yorkers.   A remarkable low-budget independent film.

Apr 25:  1:30

Ocean Heaven  海洋天宫 Haiyang tiangong Director Xue Xiaolu 薛哓璐 (女), 2010. 96min. Stars Jet Li 李连杰 Cinematographer Christopher Doyle 杜可风

Pinimg.com

A widower with a 21 year-old autistic son works as a technician at Qingdao’s Ocean Park, and brings his son to work every day.  Fortunately the son is a natural born swimmer and spends his time in the tanks with the fishes.  But when the father receives a diagnosis of late stage liver cancer, he struggles to find a way to insure that his son will be respectfully taken care of after he dies.  Martial arts superstar Jet Li accepted this completely dramatic role without any pay in the interests of bringing viewers to an awareness of autism and the dilemmas it presents to both victims and their parents.  By another of China’s few women directors. 

Series is designed and hosted by Dr. Carolyn Bloomer to supplement the Liberal Arts Cross-Cultural Perspectives curriculum

and is co-sponsored by the Gulfcoast Chinese American Association,

the Sarasota Chapter of the U.S.-China People’s Friendship Association, and Sister Cities Association of Sarasota.

For more information contact: cbloomer@c.ringling.edu.

Location:  Films will be screened on the campus of Ringling College of Art and Design in Room 207 in the Academic Center on the west side of Old Bradenton Road south of Martin Luther King Boulevard.  The building is #34 on the campus map available on line at https://www.google.com/search?q=ringling+college+campus+map&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8/

Luncheon Friday Feb 6, 2015 - Program Merida, Mexico

 

Click for more photos           

      

Vicariously experience the old Colonial City of Mérida at Sister City's February Luncheon February 6, 2015 Sister Cities Citizen Diplomats and Friendship Force Touristas share their recent tour experience! Get the inside report on our Sister City relations and developments from Mérida's offices of the mayor, economic development, and tourism. Explore the tour designations such as Chichén Itza, the zenith of Mayan culture in the 1^stcentury AD.  Learn about their economy and business with a virtual tour of Merida's market place, chocolate factory and tequila producer.

RSVPs, meal selection and $25 payment are required by February 3 to meet requirements of the Sara Bay Country Club.

The luncheon will open at 11:30 a.m., with lunch beginning at 12:00 pm. La Fiesta Mexicana! 

Buffet Style Luncheon featuring
Tijuana Tequila Soup
Make Your own Taco Stations with:

Corn & Flour Tortilla

Grilled Chicken, Ground Seasoned Beef, Refried Beans and Spanish Rice

Toppings including: Lettuce, Tomato, Shredded Cheese, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Salsa, Jalapenos, Onions and more!

Family Style Flan & Churros for Dessert!

All meals coffee, tea or soda. Cash bar is also available.

Sara Bay Country Club              sarabaycc.org
7011 Willow St
Sarasota, FL 34243

Whether you plan to pay by Check or PayPal  (credit card) use this link to register for La Fiesta Mexicana!

Guest Registration

Make checks payable to SCAS and mail to:
Sister Cities Association of Sarasota

Luncheon
City Hall - 1565 First Street
Sarasota, FL 34236

Click for Directions

Merida Mexico Sister City Trip

Merida at Night Jan 31, 2015

Gloria Grenier fell on the first day of the trip.  She was a trooper. Here she is with her nurse getting ready to head back home. She made it back home with two fractured ankles.

Click for Photos of Merida 


Click for more photos


meridasarasota.blogspot.com

Merida - Donna Lerner

More photos to follow:

THE SARASOTA HIGHLAND GAMES & CELTIC FESTIVAL, SATURDAY JANUARY 31

SATURDAY JANUARY 31

Between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM you are most welcome at our Booth. Join the fun or volunteer to help Sister Cities Association of Sarasota. 

Location of the Festival is Robarts Arena, Fruitville Road, Sarasota. Like last year SCAS will showcase all our Sister Cities, including Dunfermline, Scotland. This is a great opportunity to recruit new members by acquainting the public about Sister Cities, what we do and how exciting it is to join this organization.

At 11:30 AM I hope to see many Board members support SCAS by marching in the Opening Parade, carrying our Banner. I am also looking for lots of SCAS member participation!!

Marchers in the Opening Parade will gather at the SCAS Booth at 11:15 AM. I'm counting on all our Sister Cities to have representation, LET'S DO IT, JOIN THE FUN!

Catch the Spirit of the Highland Games! Bagpipe music galore, Highland dancing, competitive Scottish sports like tossing the Caber, Sheepdog demonstrations and of course a wee dram of Whiskey to go with the Refreshments served at our SCAS Booth.

Saturday night, at 7:30 PM, world famous HOT CHILI PIPERS BAND from Scotland are performing. This will be a fantastic concert, a rare opportunity to see and hear them perform in Sarasota! Don't miss this opportunity!

Please contact Pauline Mitchell at pjmitchellusa@yahoo.com or (941) 485 5199 asap to let her know what time you can help volunteer to take a turn at manning the SCAS Booth. Tickets to the Games can be purchased at the gates of Robarts Arena for $15,- or at Scots Corner, 17th Street, ahead of time for $12.00.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

More info at:   sarasotahighlandgames.com

3000 Ringling Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34237