Thursday, March 28, 2024

New Year, New Champions Club Swag

2024 is here and we know you are bombarded with gym membership ads promising to get you in the best shape of your life. Champions Club at The Marq Southlake is not one to follow the crowd, so we won’t make promises that prey on your insecurities, instead, we’ll talk about how our world-class staff is here to help you make life-long memories.

Champions Club is more than just a gym, it’s the recreational heart of Southlake. When you become a Champions Club member, you become a part of an exclusive community of champions committed to living their best lives. Joining Champions Club gives you access to our award-winning state-of-the-art 82,000-square-foot facility that includes cardio and weight machines, a two-court gymnasium, group and personal fitness studios, 35-yard indoor turf, 50-yard lighted outdoor turf, world-class Aquatic Center with dry sauna and hot tub, indoor walking track, private secure locker rooms, and access to the indoor playground and Child Watch.

In addition, members get access to unlimited group fitness classes, complimentary guest passes, monthly member appreciation events, priority registration for Champions Club programming, and a 20% discount on all programs and rentals! Champions Club is the number one place to host a birthday party!

Our staff is committed to ensuring you have a wonderful experience each time you check in. Join in January to secure a limited-edition Champions Club drink tumbler!

Schedule your free tour today or try us out with a Free Day Pass!

We can’t wait to welcome you to the Champions Club Family!

Athletics Summer Wrap Up

It may still be scorching outside, but our Athletics teams wrapped up another successful season.

Our Athletics division works hard to create world-class athletics experiences for our young athletes, and our players rise to the challenge season after season. Our highly sought-after programs had 244 participants registered for Summer Volleyball and 37 teams registered for Summer Basketball!

After a summer of teamwork, here are our final Championship results:

Volleyball:

  • 8U Girls Combined Division: Pink Digs defeated the Teal Tigers 2 sets to 0 (25-14, 25-16)
  • 10U Girls Recreational Division: Taylor Tigers defeated Legacy 2 sets to 0 (25-20, 25-18)
  • 10U Girls Competitive Division: Fireballs defeated Sugar & Spike 2 sets to 0 (25-16, 25-10)
  • 12U Girls Recreational Division: Team Brambilla defeated Texas Blazers 2 sets to 0 (25-17, 26-24)
  • 12U Girls Competitive Division: Crossfire defeated the Strikers 2 sets to 0 (25-20, 25-19)

Basketball:

  • 8U Girls Combined Division: Ice defeated the Dragons 8-6
  • 8U Boys Combined Division: South Elite Hoopsters defeated the Tigers 23-18
  • 10U Boys Recreational Division: Red Raiders defeated the Mavericks 29-7
  • 10U Boys Competitive Division: Mustang Elite defeated the Ballers 21-18
  • 12U Girls Combined Division: Keller GB 2029 defeated Storm 2030 11-6
  • 12U Boys Combined Division: South Elite Hoopsters defeated Hawkeyes 44-28

Congratulations to all teams on a fantastic season!

Staff is now focusing on the Fall Athletics season for Flag Football and Volleyball! Registration for these two programs is still open, so feel free to share the registration links with the youth athletes in your life! Flag Football is available until August 7, and Volleyball registration is open until August 14.

We are also searching for volunteer coaches for both Flag Football and Volleyball. If you love sports and want to give back to your community, consider volunteer coaching! Your hard work and dedication could lead your team to victory! If you are interested, contact Jonathan Weeks or Luis Marquez!

Southlake Senior Activity Center to Host “It’s Not a Book Club” Special Event

This isn’t your grandmother’s book club. It’s not a book club at all!

The Southlake Senior Activity Center strives to provide world-class and engaging programs for its members. The special event, “It’s Not a Book Club,” is no exception! Senior Center members, register for an entertaining book performance by Ms. Janice Byrd held on Tuesday, March 28 at 1:00 PM at the Southlake Senior Center. Don’t worry, no reading is required, and you won’t be quizzed on the material!

Join us as Ms. Janice Byrd incorporates humor and romance in her dramatization of the book, Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan. Ms. Byrd is a true Renaissance woman and a lifetime learner whose interests include the arts, historical associations, youth programs, interpreting for the deaf, and oral book performances. She has been a book performer for over thirty years!

Surviving Savannah tells the story of history professor Everly Winthrop, tasked with curating a new museum collection based on artifacts recovered from a shipwreck that occurred in 1838. Will she solve the mystery surrounding the tragic sinking, known as the “Titanic of the South?” What powerful stories will she uncover along the way?

You don’t want to miss out on this performance! Registration is required, and the admission fee is $5.00. As always, the Senior Center will provide light refreshments for our event participants.

Register today!

Celebrate National Children’s Craft Day!

Spring Break is here, and we know parents are looking for ways to keep their young kiddos creative, active, and engaged.

Not only is it Spring Break, but it’s also National Children’s Craft Day! National Children’s Craft Day is a component of National Craft Month that encourages young people to get creative and develop their skills. Crafting can become a useful life-long hobby as it promotes relaxation, innovation, and critical thinking skills, according to nationaltoday.com.

Today is the perfect occasion to carve out a few hours to create crafts and life-long memories with your kids. Luckily, our Community Services team has spent the last few years finding and filming easy-to-recreate-at-home crafts for our young residents.

Here are a few handy-dandy crafts from our video arsenal!

Quick Cup Crafts
The best thing about children’s active imaginations is their ability to see beyond the utilitarian purpose of commonplace items. Do you have a few extra paper cups and plates around your house? Instead of using them once and discarding them immediately, save a few paper cups for these three fun crafts! Click the video below to learn how to make a custom pencil holder, a friendly Monster Cup, and a festive Snowman Cup to use as a piece of holiday decoration next winter.

Cup Screenshot

Paper Spinner
Who needs a fidget spinner when you can make your own colorful paper spinner? Follow along with the video below to learn how to make an entertaining spinner to keep your kids engaged for hours. Create a rainbow effect with different colored paper, or customize it to match your kid’s fun personality. The entire family will be delighted with this paper spinner!

Paper Spiner Screenshot

Paper Frog
Origami can take years of practice to master. This paper frog craft is a perfect entry point if your child has demonstrated an interest in learning the intricate skills of paper folding. Grab some green paper and follow along to make your hopping companion!

Frog Video Screenshot

There are so many ways to get creative with your little one today! What will you create?

The Southlake Senior Activity Center Invites You to the Legends Hall Dance

The Southlake Senior Activity Center cordially invites you to join them for the upcoming Legends Hall Dance.

Every year, the Legends Hall team works tirelessly to plan an extravagant night of music, dancing, and celebration for its Senior Center members and their special guests. This year is no different. Save the date for Thursday, March 23, at 7:00 PM at the Traditions Ballroom in Legends Hall for the Spring Legends Hall Dance.

All community members aged 21 years or older are invited to join in the celebration. Let’s cut a rug and dance the night away! The Now and Then will provide the entertainment. Now and Then is a world-class band specializing in all your favorite hits from yesterday and today. You won’t want to miss this event! As always, light refreshments and a great time are a given!

Legends Hall is always bustling with activity, but the Legends Hall Dance is one of our favorite events because it provides an opportunity for intergenerational connection. It’s a chance for the Southlake community to come together and celebrate with and get to know our outstanding members. Everyone from our hard-working staff to our dedicated volunteers enjoys the camaraderie this fun event provides.

“The Legends Hall Dance program is organized by the Southlake Senior Activity Center with the purpose of bringing our community of all ages together. We know from experience that our Active Adult members are always delighted to see the community’s support, and there’s no better way to show support than while enjoying the great music and dancing. We hope you can join us even if you have two left feet. The music and people-watching will surely bring joy to your evening,” stated Senior Services Coordinator Soheila Phelps.

Don’t miss your chance to join in the fun. Reserve your spot today! Tickets are $6.00 per person and will also be available at the door for purchase by credit card only.

See you on the dancefloor!

The Fine Arts Take Center Stage in Our New Programs

Future Broadway divas and Hip Hop stars: get ready to take center stage with our new spring arts programs!

Our Programs Team is always looking for ways to raise the bar and offer our residents unique and creative programs for their families. The arts are taking center stage this spring season with three new exciting arts programs.

It’s no secret that participating in arts programs early on promotes incredible life-long benefits. These include learning valuable socialization skills, boosting creativity, and building self-confidence. There’s a little artist inside every child, and these new programs aim to bring out the creator in everyone.

Here’s a behind-the-curtain preview of our upcoming arts programs:

Little MusicMaker
Give your child the gift of music early on and watch as they discover their voice and explore various musical instruments. Every class is a hands-on, live music-making experience and incorporates music from many cultures.

Register here.

Musical Theatre- Ages 3-5
Introduce your toddler to the magic of the theater! This 5-week program will teach your little performer listening skills, creativity, movement, and music! Each class will build on the previous one as students put together a complete number from a favorite movie-musical such as Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, or The Lion King. The final class consists of a small performance for family and friends!

Claim your spot here.

Hip-Hop/ Jazz Ages 14-18
If your teen loves to dance and is ready to take their love of movement to the next level, this beginner-level class is the perfect fit! Each class combines fun, high-energy combination work with basic jazz techniques in a non-intimidating setting. This class believes that anyone can dance and is the ideal starting point for the curious dancer not looking to join a studio.
Register today.

Happy Holidays from the Community Services Team!

It’s that time of year again, and the Community Services Team wants to wish all our residents and guests a happy holiday season!

We also want to thank everyone for participating in our programs and athletics leagues this year, checking into Champions Club, booking events at Legends Hall, and visiting our parks. We had a fun and productive year and are already planning an even better 2023!

If you are still looking for a few last-minute holiday ideas, here are some things you schedule in during the last few days of 2022.

See the Lights in Town Square
Southlake Town Square goes all out when it comes to holiday lighting. Check out Santa’s Village, marvel at our 25-foot-tall Christmas tree, and book an enchanting Carriage Ride at Rustin Park! Squeeze in some last-minute shopping to cross off everyone on your Nice List. Check out the carriage schedule here.

Give the Gift of Champions Club
If you are looking for the perfect gift for the fitness enthusiast in your life, look no further than Champions Club! Gift your family the joy of a Champions Club membership or get your friends a Champions club gift card to use at our concessions, program registrations, or for coveted day passes. Learn more about our membership options here.

Give Back to the Community
There’s no better time than the holidays to reflect on our blessings and give back to the community. The City of Southlake partners with multiple incredible organizations that provide our residents with world-class services. If you want to give back this holiday season, here are some ways to help.

  • Volunteer to give rides with Call A Ride Southlake. Help senior residents get where they need to be this holiday season.
  • Donate to GRACE’s Christmas Cottage and ensure families in need receive the holiday they deserve.
  • Donate toys for the Fire Department’s annual Toy and Food Drive. The Fire Department will be collecting toys through Thursday, December 22. Drop boxes are available at each station entry and the front entry to the Police Department.

We hope this list helps you finalize your holiday plans! The holidays can be wonderful and exhausting, so we hope everyone takes time to rest, recover, and create life-long memories with family and friends.

Happy Holidays from the Community Services Department! We can’t wait to see you in 2023!

Club Metro to Ring in the New Year!

Club Metro had a fantastic year and is ready to welcome an even better one!

Club Metro is Southlake’s premier adaptive recreation program and a community-favorite service. Our goal is to encourage our participants to improve their soft skills and prepare them for success while they hang out in a fun and safe environment!

Here’s what our Programs Supervisor, Sabrina Pettrow, had to say about the last year:

“Since I started my position as Programs Supervisor for Southlake, I’ve really enjoyed watching Club Metro grow and seeing all the participants enjoy the planned activities and outings as a group. This program has brought joy not only to our participants but also to me. I appreciate all that our Club Metro participants, parents, and staff bring to make this program a huge success.”

Our team looks forward to hanging out with our Club Metro participants every week, but we love a party even more!

After a busy year of meetings, outings, sports, arts and crafts, and socializing with friends, Club Metro is ready to wrap this year up with a bow and look forward to a new year of creating life-long memories. Club Metro is ringing in the new year on December 29 at 6:00 PM at the Legends Hall Ballroom for a night of New Year-themed activities, great food, photo opportunities, and dancing! Just a few spots remain, so click here to secure your registration!

As we wrap up this fabulous year, we thank all our participants, parents, staff, and community for your continuous support. We can’t wait to continue providing world-class Club Metro programming to our residents in 2023!

We Rise Up for Parks and Recreation: Meet the Community Services Admin and Community Relations Divisions

Administration is not the first word that comes to mind when thinking about a Parks and Recreation department, but it’s crucial in providing world-class community services to our residents. Community Relations goes hand-in-hand with Community Services, and this team handles everything from marketing and communications to community events!

There’s more than meets the eye regarding the Community Services Admin and Community Relations Divisions. The Admin team oversees the administration of Southlake’s biggest department. Led by the Community Services Director, the Admin Division is the primary liaison between our department, other departments, City leadership, and various citizen boards and commissions. People on this team include the Director of Community Services, Deputy Director of Community Services, Assistant to the Director, and Administrative Assistant. The Community Relations Division comprises the Community Relations Manager and the Marketing and Communications Coordinator. These two teams may seem small, but they provide a plethora of services to our community.

Let’s take a look at some of the things these teams do on a day-to-day basis.

Comprehensive Planning and Capital Improvement Projects: The Admin team oversees implementing Comprehensive Plan recommendations, which often turn into Capital Improvement Projects. The comprehensive plans serve as a strategic roadmap to where we want to be as a community. For our department, that includes implementing suggestions from the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan, the Public Arts Master Plan, and the Youth Master Plan, among others. Recent examples of master planning at work include Phase III of Bicentennial Park Improvement and the upcoming Pickleball Complex.

Boards and Commissions and Agenda Management: The Community Services Department serves seven citizen boards and commissions such as the Southlake City Council, the Parks and Recreation Board, the Southlake Arts Council, The Southlake Parks Development Corporation, the Southlake Youth Action Commission, the Senior Advisory Commission, and the Community Enhancement and Development Corporation. Service to these boards and commissions includes providing staff liaisons to each board, agenda management, and public record maintenance and retention.

Organizational Culture: The Administration Division works to create a positive departmental culture. This means managing strategic elements, such as onboarding processes, employee engagement and retention, succession planning, world-class customer service, championing innovation, departmental safety, and professional development.

Marketing and Communications: The Community Relations Division manages all departmental marketing and communications initiatives. Important work like website administration, social media management, media relations, crisis communications, marketing campaigns, and graphic design for the department are managed by this mighty team. This Division ensures we have clear, strong, and transparent communication for our external and internal partners.

Community Relations: As the name suggests, the Community Relations Division is also in charge of community building on behalf of the department. This team facilitates community events, manages the Public Arts Program, and works with our Community Services Agreements partners to provide world-class services to our residents.

This is just a short snapshot of what these Parks and Recreation professionals do to serve the City of Southlake. You may not always see them, but you can be sure they rise up for Parks and Recreation daily!