Youth flag football registration underway
The 51st season of the Plant City Recreation & Parks Department’s Optimist Youth Flag Football Program is about to begin. The program is for boys and girls age 4 to 15 and a birth certificate is required upon enrollment unless you were on a team in 2016. Last year, approximately 300 youths played in five age groups. Games are Saturday mornings at the Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex.
Teams meet each week and “instructing officials” are assigned to the teams to ensure each player carries or catches the ball, subs are rotated evenly and assist in play calling if needed. There will be no practices or coaches for the teams and hard pads and helmets are not allowed.
The program offers “basic training in football skills and rules along with positive leadership to build the character and overall citizenship of the players,” according to Jack Holland, director of the Recreation & Parks Department.
Registration ends Aug. 30 and the season runs from Sept. 16 through Nov. 4. The cost is $35 per player for the seven game season and this includes a jersey and accident insurance. Register at the Recreation & Parks Department’s administrative office at 1904 South Park Road. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information call (813) 659-4255.
Schools prepare for cosmic ballet
Students in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco school districts are being given an excused absence on Monday to watch the solar eclipse. This is the first solar eclipse to be solely seen from America since the creation of the United States over 240 years ago.
While parts of the country will be receiving a total solar eclipse, where the moon is blocking the entirety of the sun, the rest will receive a partial eclipse, where the moon comes between the Earth and the sun and partially blocks the sun.
A notice on Hillsborough’s district website said students are allowed to take a half day, stay home or travel with their families to watch as long as parents write a note the following day. For those who plan to stay in school, many teachers have catered lessons around the event. Some lessons will even be outdoors, though extra safety precautions will be underway.
The eclipse will begin at 1:18 p.m. with the maximum coverage of 81% taking place at 2:50 p.m. The eclipse will be fully completed by 4:14 p.m.