Between the Lines 20130831

Labor Day Machine Gun Shoot

BROOKSVILLE – The Hernando Sportsman’s Club is sponsoring its next Machine Gun Shoot on Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., in honor of Labor Day weekend.

Bring your own machine gun to the range for lots of noise and fun. Several cars, trucks and assorted targets will be destroyed.

Admission for machine gun shooters is $20. No tracers or incendiary ammunition allowed. Must be 18 years old to shoot.

Spectator admission is $2, with kids under 15 free.

Please bring your own eye and hearing protection, even if you are a spectator, and especially for small children. It will be quite loud.

Food and soft drinks will be available for purchase in the clubhouse for lunch.

The event will be held at the club, located at 16121 Commercial Way (U.S. Highway 19), just nine miles north of Weeki Wachee.

For more information, call the clubhouse at (352) 597-9931, or visit

www.hernandosportsmansclub.com or the club’s Facebook page.

Suncoast Select seeking players

SPRING HILL – The Suncoast Select Baseball Club is currently looking for quality players in the classes of 2014-17.

These candidates should have a 3.0 or better GPA and have the skillset to play at a high level, as well as the want to play at the college level.

The 18U squad is looking for pitchers (2014-15) to add to its roster. Contact head coach Jerry Scott at (813) 992-8124.

The 16U squad is currently looking for a couple key positions (catcher and shortstop) and also is looking for some quality arms to add to its roster.

The Suncoast Select will be sending a team to Fort Myers in October to participate in Perfect Game’s Underclass World Championships, which will include players in the Class of 2015 and younger.

Again, players must have a 3.0 or better GPA with the skillset to play at a high level, and should contact 16U/Underclass head coach Izzy Fontanez at (352) 428-0035.

For more information, visit www.suncoastselect.wix.com/custom.

YMCA offering youth soccer, flag football

SPRING HILL – The Hernando County Family YMCA is offering youth soccer for ages 3-14, starting Oct. 14 through Dec. 14.

The 3-5-year-olds will play Saturdays only, and 6-14-year-olds one weekday evening and Saturdays.

The prices for 3-5-year-olds are $52 for facility members, $66 for program members. Prices for 6-14-year-olds are $66 for facility members, $76 for program members.

The YMCA is also offering youth flag football for ages 6-14, beginning Oct. 15 through Dec. 12.

Games will be played Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Prices are $65 for facility members and $76 for program member. Registration ends Oct. 4.

For more information, call (352) 688-9622 or visit www.suncoastymca.org.

Travel ball 12U Marlins looking for players

The 12U Marlins, a competitive travel ball team from Hernando County, are looking for a few experienced players and parents to complete their fall roster.

All participating players must not turn 13 by May 1, 2014.

For more information, contact Coach Ted Leo at (352) 585-2574 or [email protected], or visit www.leaguelineup.com/marlinstravelbaseball.

Dade City hosts USTA Free Tennis Play Event

DADE CITY – Tennis 4 U/Tennis Para Ti in Dade City will host a USTA Free Tennis Play Event in celebration of Nickelodeon’s 10th annual Worldwide Day of Play on Sept. 15 at the Pasco High tennis courts, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

This is part of a nationwide effort to get kids active and involved in tennis during National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month in September.

The event is one of thousands of tennis events throughout the country, each showcasing how fun and easy it now is for families to get into the sport, as well as providing a great way for parents to spend time with their children while keeping them active.

Tennis is now sized right for small children on shorter courts with smaller racquets, and slower, lower-bouncing balls. Kids have a great time with the game and want to keep playing and improving.

The Pasco High tennis courts are located at 36850 State Road 52 in Dade City.

For more information about USTA Free Tennis Play Events, visit www.youthtennis.com.

Hernando County Friends of NRA holding banquet, auction

BROOKSVILLE – Hernando County Friends of NRA plans to hold a fundraiser dinner banquet and auction on Sept. 12 at 6 p.m., located at Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 200 Mt. Fair Ave. in Brooksville.

Friends of NRA is a grassroots event that supports thousands of community service programs related to firearm safety and education, hunter safety, wildlife conservation, gun-range improvements, youth marksmanship, youth shooting clubs, JROTC units, law enforcement, and other shooting interests.

At a Friends of NRA banquet, attendees will meet others of similar interests in hunting and shooting sports, as well as business owners and professionals, insurance executives, bankers, lawyers, teachers and retired folks, all working together to support an important cause in preserving our Second Amendment rights and heritage.

This dinner event which will feature both a live and silent auction, door prizes, and game tables for a chance to win more prizes.

Attendees will also have a chance to win a drawing for a Thompson Tommy Gun with violin case, a Smith and Wesson Governor pistol that shoots both .45 caliber pistol cartridges and .410 shotgun shells, and a TriStar Tec-12 shotgun.

The 2013 standard NRA banquet package of items will also be auctioned off, such as firearms, knives, art, jewelry and more. These items are unique, custom or limited in production, and in some cases available only at Friends of NRA events.

For a complete list of the 2013 standard NRA banquet package items, visit www.issuu.com/friendsofnra/docs/2013_standard_package_catalog/16?e=8570204/3527705.

Fund raised at the event will be used to support shooting sports and firearms safety and education programs within the state of Florida, and other qualifying national-level gun safety programs like the NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe program for children.

State Fund Committee volunteers review grant applications from local community groups, such as 4-H Club shooting groups and JROTC units, and then decide on how to best allocate the funds raised. The NRA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Banquet tickets are $40 each or $70 per couple, and may be purchased online at https://www.friendsofnra.org/EventDetails.aspx?eid=13115&sid=10 or by calling (352) 238-4894.

Tickets may also be purchased locally at these locations: Farm Bureau Insurance, 617 Lamar Ave., Brooksville.; Register Chevrolet, 14181 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville; Browning Insurance, 1 N. Main St., Brooksville; Fort Huffstetler Adventures, 1150 W. Jefferson St., Brooksville; and Coney Island Drive Inn Restaurant, 1112 E. Jefferson St., Brooksville.

For more information, contact Robert A. Barnett, committee chair, Hernando County Friends of NRA, at (352) 796-5843, or visit www.friendsofnra.org.

Nature Coast golf tournament

BROOKSVILLE – Nature Coast Technical High School is hosting a 4-Man Scramble Golf Tournament at Southern Hills Plantation Club Sept. 29, starting with registration at 10:30 a.m., followed by an 11:30 a.m. buffet-style lunch and a 1 p.m. tee time.

The cost is $90 per individual and $360 per foursome.

Each golfer will receive a buffet-style lunch, green fees with cart and range balls, a $200 gift card to Warrior Golf, a $50 Gift card to Callaway Golf, a $45 discount card to Southern Hills, a $10 gift card to Edwin Watts, a $10 gift card to GolfSmith and a goodie bag to include various golf items.

There’s also a chance to win a brand new Buick, donated by Rick Matthews Buick, for a hole in one.

Spaces are limited to the first 80 golfers that submit payment and registration.

For more information, contact Dave Pisarcik at (727) 385-2194.

Kissimmee St. Cloud Senior Games registration opens

KISSIMMEE – Registration is now open for the 2013 Kissimmee St. Cloud Senior Games. In its 18th year, this annual event is the ultimate competition for athletes age 50 and over. The games are hosted by Experience Kissimmee.

Events will take place Oct. 14-19. Twenty-three physical and recreational activities will be held throughout Osceola County. Athletes may participate in as many events as they would like.

Physical events include: archery, billiards, swimming, basketball shooting, bowling, track and field, shuffleboard, golf, cycling, race walking 5K run, pickle ball, table tennis and tennis. Some of the recreational activities include: euchre, Mah Jongg, cribbage, bridge, Texas hold ’em poker and corn hole.

The Senior Games are a sanctioned event for the Florida Senior Games Series, acting as a qualifying site for the 2013 Florida Senior Games State Championship. The top five finishers in most events will advance to the state competition in December.

Another highlight of the Kissimmee St. Cloud Senior Games is the annual “Celebration of Athletes” banquet which recognizes all participants, sponsors, staff and volunteers who help make the event happen. The banquet also includes a ballroom dancing exhibition and interactive teaching session. It will take place Oct. 19 at Osceola Heritage Park.

To register for the competition or banquet, visit www.experiencekissimmee.com/seniorgames.

Golf lessons available

BROOKSVILLE – Hernando County Recreation Department is offering golf lessons for beginner and intermediate players.

Class schedule is as follows: Thursdays – Intermediate with Woods from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Woods Only 6 to 7 p.m.; Saturdays – Beginners from 10 to 11 a.m. and Intermediate 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Beginner classes are for the person or child who has never played, maybe played but needs a review, or possibly has just never had formal lessons.

Short Game is for those who need help with shots 50 yards out from the putting green.

Woods Only is a continuation in the program and for correction of additional swing problems.

Intermediate with Woods is for players in need of swing improvement.

All ages welcome. The cost is $7 per session, per person. The instructor is Chuck Bridgewater.

To register or for more information, contact Barbara (352) 596-5344, or the HCRD at (352) 754-4031 or [email protected].

NRA classes offered

BROOKSVILLE – The Hernando Sportsman’s Club is offering special NRA classes in September.

A two-day NRA Basic Muzzeloading Rifle-Student class is set for Sept. 7-8, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.

The course teaches the basic knowledge, skills and attitude necessary for the safe use of a muzzleloading rifle.

Students receive classroom and range time, learning to shoot muzzleloading rifles.

Lessons include: NRA’s rules for safe gun handling, rifle parts, loading, shooting, cleaning, shooting from a standing position and shooting from a crossed stick position.

Cost of the course is $100. All students receive the NRA’s Basics of Muzzleloading Rifle Shooting handbook.

A two-day NRA Basic Personal Protection In The Home course takes place Sept. 28-29, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days.

This course teaches the basic knowledge, skills and attitude essential to the safe and efficient use of a handgun for protection of self and family, and provides information on the law-abiding individual’s right to self-defense.

Students should expect to shoot approximately 100 rounds of ammunition. Students will learn basic defensive shooting skills, strategies for home safety and responding to a violent confrontation, firearms and the law, and how to choose a handgun for self-defense.

The course participants must be law abiding, adults (at least 21 years old) and experienced shooters (shooters able to show mastery of the basic skills of safe gun handling, shooting a group, zeroing the firearm and cleaning the firearm) to maximize what can be learned from this course.

Proof of shooting experience can be one of the following: NRA Basic Pistol course certificate, NRA FIRST Steps course certificate, NRA pistol competitive shooting qualification card, military DD 214 with pistol qualification, or passing the pre-course assessment.

Cost of the course is $150. All students will receive the NRA Guide to the Basics of Personal Protection In The Home handbook.

Preregistration is required for all classes.

To preregister, or more information on the courses, call Hernando Sportsman’s Club at (352) 597-9931 or visit www.hernandosportsmansclub.com.

The Ridge Ladies’ Golf Invitational seeking sponsors

RIDGE MANOR – The Ridge Ladies’ Invitational Golf Tournament, held at The Ridge Golf Club (formerly Ridge Manor Oaks and Whispering Oaks) on Feb. 24, is seeking sponsors.

Hole sponsors, paying $50 per hole, will have their company name posted at one (or more) of the 18 holes, or a banner can be provided to hang in the clubhouse. All sponsors will be listed in the program for the event.

For more information, contact Betty O’Brien at The Ridge, (352) 608-4800 or [email protected].

Firearms safety classes

BROOKSVILLE – The Hernando Sportsman’s Club is offering several firearms safety classes over the next few months.

The class dates include Wednesday. A special “ladies only” firearms safety course will be held Sept. 21.

All classes are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hernando Sportsman’s Club, 16121 Commercial Way.

The course covers lessons about the basics of firearms safety around the home; intro to pistol safety, parts and operation; intro to ammo and the fundamentals of pistol shooting; intro to pistol shooting from the seated and standing position; and intro to pistol cleaning and storage.

The classes include instruction, live-fire training on the range and a lunch break. All materials and equipment needed for the class and live-fire training is provided to students, including the use of a firearm, ammo, earplugs and eye protection.

The cost is $60. Successful completion of this class also provides required documentation to apply for a Florida concealed carry permit if desired.

Pre-registration is required. Please call (352) 597-9931 to pre-register.

For information on the club, visit www.hernandosportsmansclub.com.

Tennis camp and classes

SPRING HILL – Ace Performance Tennis is offering Quick Start Drills Mondays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Delta Woods Park.

The cost is $10.00 per class. Drills and games are designed for beginning players using the USTA-approved strategies for 60-foot court players.

Learn to play tennis quickly with age- and size-appropriate equipment and modified courts.

Additionally, Ace Performance Tennis is offering a Ladies Night Out, Mondays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Delta Woods Park.

The cost is $10 per class. Women of beginning and intermediate skill levels will learn to play in a fun social setting.

For more information on the camp and classes, contact John or Louise Downey at (352) 666-0658 or www.louisedowney.usptapro.com.