UM Athletics Joins Forces with Miami-Dade Parks

Fit to Play, Fun for Life Photo Gallery

Aug. 6, 2010

Coral Gables, Fla. – This summer marked the third consecutive year the University of Miami Athletics Department joined forces with the Miami-Dade Parks to sponsor the “Fit to Play, Fun for Life” outreach event during the UM summer camp programs. The event took place at five different locations throughout Miami-Dade from June through August.

During the five-event tour, the DOCS program medical students presented mini-health fairs in a selected number of parks across Miami-Dade County. The partnership involved multiple departments within the University of Miami. Joining the UM Athletics Department were UHealth, the DOCS program, Government Affairs, Marketing, Communications, Pediatric Clinical Research and Medical Communications.

Five UM athletic teams, comprised of several student-athletes from each program, participated in the event this summer. This year, UM student-athletes from soccer, women’s basketball, volleyball, football and baseball participated in the “Fit to Play, Fun for Life” program.

In the past, UM Athletics has been helpful in coordinating a number of student-athletes from various sports, including swimming & diving, baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and more.

Kids ranging from ages 6-14 enjoyed having Hurricanes student-athletes come out and support the program with autograph and photograph sessions, as well as speeches about the importance of good sportsmanship and training within their particular sport. Periodically, Sebastian the Ibis made appearances with the student-athletes.

The 2010 summer schedule for the mini-health fairs was as follows:
June 29, 2010 – Soccer (Goulds Park)
July 13, 2010 – Women’s Basketball (West Perrine Park)
July 20, 2010 – Volleyball (Ruben Dario Park)
July 27, 2010 – Football (Country Village Park)
August 3, 2010 – Baseball (Gwen Cherry Park)