Gulf Coast Journal with Jack Perkins; 609h; Geocaching, Mark Dickson Tennis Academy, Sarasota Paddle Board Company, SASSY

This special presentation was produced in high definition by W. edu Tampa St. Petersburg Sarasota. Meet. She. So beautifully feel that a coach trip you just kind of like going to treasure on right next door and she the baby actually curdles getting in this volume with Gulf Coast Journal this w edu production is exclusively brought to you through a generous grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice building strong communities through a leadership partnership and endowed philanthropy. Hey. You're joining me. Dear Journal.

Those of us who have reached a certain age I say and I think you know what I mean. A certain age have fond recollections of as kids going out on treasure hunts. Well without saying how long ago that might have been I can tell you that when we went on a treasure hunt we did not use a G.P. yes but today that's the high tech way of going on a treasure hunt and it's not just kids. And it's still a lot of fun. And. Peaceful morning on the Braydon river the wildlife we call this little slice of heaven home or about to have some company just says hey I want to go out in this direction you know point four five miles. Hunters are coming as well. No variety you might think these are high tech treasure hunters also known as geocache years. They have big plans on the river this morning. Oh I'm expecting to find a geocache and find a treasure in it.

We're going on a treasure hunt determined by coordinates latitude and longitude geo caching news a sport that uses GP asked technology to locate hidden treasures or caches anywhere in the world. In about. But boy. You may need to hike or climb or bike or drive or in this case kayak your way to get to the treasure a nice windless day for Bill Hall stead Laurie dangler and Kathy Coghlan geo caching is a new adventure. It really seems pretty straightforward so the strategy is just to be very mindful of what's going on. This is not the game of hide and seek. We played as children the simplest explanation Geocaching is we use multimillion dollar military satellites to find Tupperware hidden in the woods. Scott hikes is a serious player of the game and he delights in introducing geo caching

to other people. Every one of the standard containers that a lot of people use is a military ammo can. He tells us the game got its leg just a few years ago. Back in 2000 the government lifted restrictions on satellites that allowed anyone with GP asses to find locations within a few feet. People began hiding little treasures out in the world and other people began finding them just for the pleasure of it. The sport of geocaching was born. They're everywhere from on the rivers in the woods in cities in parking lots stores historical markers historical places there's geocaches of all flavor of all sizes of all types. Team members can sign up for free on the official website and choose from hundreds of hidden caches right in their own area. You get the cash name the coordinates it's a difficulty in terrain 0 5 5 because it's a paddle only cash you need a boat to get to it.

There are more than eight hundred thousand around the globe. They come with coordinates. Even a map and perhaps clues to help you along. So what's actually inside a geocache to the left. Let's see if our kayaking crew is up to the challenge of finding out for themselves. According to the GPO if the team is now within 400 feet of the prime I don't see anything new here. After searching near the river bank the team is puzzled. They know they're close but everything looks the same just water and kept. It's not a perfect science. Your GP s might tell you one second it's over here and 30 seconds later is telling you it's 150 feet another direction. So it just gets you in the general vicinity which in the geo caching community we call ground zero. Yes. The team finds a cache in a crab trap submerged in the river

inside a watertight container. A logbook for them to sign and especially minted coin. All right. Every night the coin has a tracking number and we'll be able to track that on line that when we plant that in another geocache we can tell where those around the world. They will replace a coin with another item for the next geocaches defined by by Mr. Berg. This one is an ottoman bird call happy traveling happy caching. Everything is carefully put back into place in the team. Blige on Victory back to terra firma satisfied that they have mastered their first geocaching challenge and there will be more than just what you are ok ok. Mastering the find is only half the fun. Planner is the owner of the geocache that the group found today that means she is the one who

did the hiding. You could have a person who has one or two caches hidden in their neighborhood or you can have a person who's traveled all over the world on hidden cash. So what goes into preparing and hiding a geocache Scott is showing long and I care how it's done. You said you had a good spot but I have a great spot. I think that's where it's go find this lovely old oak tree. Looks as if it can keep a secret. So this is about the tree you were talking about. Yeah tree geocaches are never buried in the earth so there's no digging. Cache owners may choose to use natural elements around them to camouflage their treasure and Spanish moss is alive so it will continue to grow wherever we place it. He marked the spot with the GP as get its reading much court and then walked several yards away to validate that the coordinates are 10 9 8 6 5 4 3 2.

Bingo dead on. Then back to the website to publish their listing. And they're in business. Another gauntlet thrown down for the next fearless treasure hunters. Day Geocaching is proving to be more than a game or a Shoreditch. It's also something about community. Ok really how bringing our community together. We live in a very wonderful place in Florida that we're trying to keep as beautiful as you can see it now. A game that puts friends in touch with nature and in touch was fun. Not a bad way to pass the time on a peaceful morning. Some of the greatest coaches are great because they teach you not only their sport.

But they teach a little about life. Think of John Wooden Mike chef St. Tony Dungy. And let us add one more name to the list. A man who teaches. Only tennis doesn't feel but life. While he doesn't look like your typical former pro-athlete awfully and he doesn't talk like one either. I want you to see yourself on the tennis court. I want you to see yourself as the person you want to be the person that you want your opponents to fear. MARK DIXON learned tennis growing up on Tampa's Davis islands. He went on to star Clemson University and rose to 30 second best in the world back in the 80s. That's a professional overhead right there. Just like that way. Right. When his tennis career wound down Mark began a business career managing investments analyzing stocks and bonds. But now

25 years later he felt something was missing in his life and he heard a quote that inspired him. A Life doesn't have any value except on the impact it makes on other people's lives. So Mark shot out to make an impact on young people's lives. He began the march diction tennis academy for lax lax whose reputation is one of the more cerebral athletes of his era helped him quickly attract some hotshot junior players including Christine garage you know like squat. But Christine and her family moved here from California to take her budding tennis career to the next level. But a previous tennis instructor pushed her so hard while she was already injured that lawyers are now involved. She and her mother were close to giving up the game. But our most recent experience we thought that we would never do an academy

again. But after we got to know Mark it was he's so unusual. His passion concern true Depth 0 0 0 0. Love for the game is just so transparent. Do not be discouraged with THAT WAS PERFECT Christine that's how you get great. Christine is a gentle soul and Mark thankfully has that same kind of spirit. Christine says Mark not only made her a better tennis player he made her a better shoot and a better daughter. Instead of me again angry or something I was like OK yes I agree with you because I shouldn't be on the computer. I feel I should be doing my homework so I can get ahead in school. And so Mark you know Stan you make me think you know the other person's view of what I should be doing or what is happening. She's an amazing person and I happen to anyone else that's so nice all the time.

Better better better. Kyle Mitchell is a rising star of Venice High School. Things haven't always been easy for Kyle since his parents split. He's had to help with his two younger brothers while his mother works during a difficult time in Kyle's life Kyle says. Mark gives him stability direction and motivation. Kyle says he simply wants to be around Mark. Mark is like no other coach I've ever had is encouraging his positive believes in you but is never satisfied. I help out there that I never satisfied though the man who made the biggest impact on Mark was always satisfied with him. His father Larry. For years I thought he was just kidding i would lose a match 6 1 6 love and he tell me all these great wonderful things that I did and it to me I just thought how sincere is he really being. And it wasn't till I got farther and

farther down the road that I realized he was the most genuine person. He's just an incredible person to give me that. The EFT to give me the opportunity to chase my dreams. Here we go. Mark and his college sweetheart Karen I've raised a son daughter and have a son in law to me. They enjoy spending time together at their Palmer ranch home. I knew right away he tries to teach the leadership and character building for their kids now grown Mark's wife Karen is glad Mark has an outlet for their wisdom patched down from his father. These junior tennis players want to play tennis and they want to continue with that. But it's all a stepping stone for other areas of what they might achieve so if it gets tough on the tennis court and you can master that then when other situations in life get

tough it's helpful. We're going to get over on the bench right over here we're going to some visualisation and meditation for a few minutes OK. Why not have a great time while you're spending your child. Learning a fantastic skill is going to teach you so many things of how to live. It's a tennis academy but tennis isn't really the main thing. I want kids to dream huge huge dreams huge dreams and chasten and we want to be part of that. When you're scrambling when you're running OK you get to get one more ball back in play than you're going to get to make your opponent suffer. OK on 3 one more ball. OK. One two three. One more ball. OK. Great work. Let us consider the water. Isn't that why a lot of us are here about playing on the water and working excruciatingly hard in the water.

Start with playing. This is I think a new way to play on the water. Or maybe it's really old. Bob McFarland is a salesman by trade. Even in his spare time you can find him peddling and paddling a new kind of sport. OK. All right guys we're going to go out for a little paddle and we'll probably just head down the coast and see what we can we can find when your paddle boarding is Bob's passion and pursuit. So much so that he created in Sarasota this paddle boarding company. This is very popular in Hawaii in California and once I discovered it yeah i mediately knew that I needed to get these boards and try this out in. And I'm on the water probably for five days a week easy back through the ages men would stand and paddle.

But today's version is different. Similar to surfing paddleboarding consists of a board a paddle and a very active person. The sport started in Hawaii in California and is spreading across the country. About a year and a half ago I was in Maui and I saw girls doing now and I was learning how to surf back then and. It just looked like an awesome sport came back here. I looked into it on my first board on line and her and I go everywhere. You're on Lido Beach the waves aren't Maui sized but want to keep it. There are some basic techniques that have to be mastered. When we first go out in the water. We'll be able to start right on your knees. OK you can see it or you can kneel on the boards. Bob a longtime surfer and skier is Embassador competitor and teacher of this fledgling sport whites.

And Bob's a wonderful teacher. He's that has a lot of patience. I can do it anyone can do it. We've had people out as young as five as old as 80 with the paddle a little deeper in the water and actually just get the hang of it. OK guys everybody in the water. The paddle board is a little wider than a surfboard. A bit more stable but there are a little clip. Actually my boy friends will begin to surfing in all kinds of stuff like that and somebody actually

showed him paddle boarding. He said it's actually really fun so I went ahead and tried it today and it's actually really nice. Well at first it was kind of scared. And as they all come out or we've so much fun it's not as hard as it looks and she said I don't know and then everybody kind of just got on and put on the spot and she finally got up and stand around and she said it was most likely that no one would. Yeah you know this is a different voice when you have. General Norwood discovered paddleboarding while vacationing in Hawaii. Upon returning home she found Bob's Sarasota paddleboarding company online. Now she is eager to get a workout and catch some waves I'm satisfied obey. Great thing about this is once you get comfortable on a paddle board just kind of cruising along the water you can start catching some waves and maybe little waves to start out with and then building up to bigger waves. Some take up the sport for cross-training others for leisure least sightseeing.

That's tremendous and standing up here you're much higher of course than when you're laying down paddling or in a kayak standing up you've got a panoramic view of the water that you wouldn't even imagine how good it is. You're moving on top of the water you like walking on water. It's really good it's a good feeling and you can't explain oh unless you're out there on a. Back pedaling paddle boarding a hard shell some might say in a place already filled with so many water sports. But machos says 51 year old Bob McFarland and if anyone can show what he can. Well from playing on the water to working in the water. And at first it may not look like work but it is very hard work. And this is where they do it. And who are they. They call themselves sassy. And you can. You. Will you popularised the water

ballet when the film is back in the 40s and 50s. Little Mary Knight. You know great their heads barely went under the water. You. Know. Since then water Boeing has evolved into synchronized. Sure me for short. The routines are powerful gymnastics and graceful dance. It's nothing compared to you running while holding your breath and then running some more and keep holding your breath. And keep running. You just never stop. Likely. Dana Rosenfeld is the co coach of shuras Shashi swimming train.

Sassy is actually an acronym it stands for Sarasota aquatic synchronized swimming at the YMCA. But it's a lot cuter for an all girls to call a sassy. Three or four days a week at the Y the sassy team practices to make it look easy. Something that is very difficult. That's pretty likely. The strength of the arms that are required to feel the water when you're upside down or the legs that are required to keep you love out of the water when you're right side up. Julian Meyrick can attest to that she has a speech to enter before converting the synchro eight years ago. Everybody thinks it's so easy and it's just a little girl for. But they don't understand that we condition just as long as we have just as many practices we have to be just as strong. Plus you have to have a sense of rhythm and be able to hold our breath.

Well incapacity is important when you spend as much time underwater as the swimmers do. If you asked for a time. I probably wouldn't be able to tell you but I can tell you that there are three minute routines where the girls are not breathing a lot and so they are up for a breath and back underwater. Oh you're in like a little flower. Julian stick out. There and trucked is Danish coaching partnership started synchro when she was nine and competed through high school. First and then routine four years ago she was asked to help volunteer coach the team. I came I fell. I volunteered for about two and a half seasons and then the YMCA hired me as a full time employee. Today she can't imagine living without Sasha. Will some. People ask me if I have kids and I say I have 25. They're at the pool. I love my dad don't have to go home but I love him to death.

Love is a good thing when you spend six to eight hours a week training together showing pro routines require from one swimmer to as many as eight. What if one person misses practice. There's always something that can happen correctly whether it's a routine. Or a left or just. Any. Part of it. This year Shashi is 14 to 17 age group Nationals for the first time finished 17th out of 2014 Synchronized swimming is such a great sport not only for the athleticism and you know what it does for your body but for the camaraderie for the team. These girls are best friends. They spend so much time together. They love each other so much and it's just so great to see that. Those days when I come back from school and it's been a really hard day and I just want to go home and go to sleep. The only thing that keeps me jumping in the pool and

trying my best is knowing that there are you know other girls that are right there with me supporting me supporting them. That's a key thing going. This is Julian's last year as a sassy swimmer she says her synchro skills will guide her on land as they get in the water. We learn to not only lead our team up a but we also learn how to be part of a team and in the workplace that's really important to be able to work with others. Other than that I'm going to be leaving. Some great friends that I hope will know for the rest of my life. Whether it's the young women of sassy today. Or Esther Williams and her colleagues from decades ago. The trick is the

same. To make the exhausting the difficult book gracefully easy. While always. Keeping a smile on your face. Not a bad way to look at life. I can tell you what her famous reply. This month's volume of the Gulf Coast Journal this Gulf Coast one of the nation's prime nesting spots for a loggerhead turtles. And when the time comes for the baby hatch to go home. It's a magical moment. You can audit this or any other volume of a Gulf Coast journal with Jack Perkins on a high

quality DVD format. Call 1 800 3 5 4 9 3 3 or visit our website. W we do. This w edu production is exclusively brought to you through a generous grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice. Building strong communities through a leadership partnership philanthropy.