Jason Faigin’s 2005 Summer Baseball/Softball Academy at the Marlboro Little League Complex will be held over three sessions in July (6-8, 11-15 and 18-22). Sessions run from 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. The goal for Faigin, a former professional baseball player who played in the New York Yankees organization, and his staff of former professional and college players and coaches is to help all players improve their baseball skills and understand the game better. They will stress the fundamentals in pitching, hitting and defense.
For more information, call (732) 866-9367 or go to [email protected].
Morganville’s Kara Rafael won two gold medals at the 30th annual Crystal Blades Figure Skating competition held at the Mennen Sports Arena in Morris Township in April. On June 4, the sixth-grader at the Marlboro Memorial Middle School won a silver medal at the 19th annual Sky Rink Figure Skating tournament at Chelsea Piers in New York City. Rafael will spend some of her summer at the figure skating camp at Penn State University.
Mike DeJesus, the former Manalapan High School star, was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 15th round of the annual Major League Baseball Amateur draft. DeJesus just completed his junior year at Coast Carolina University.
DeJesus is coming off a big year at Coastal Carolina, where he batted .346 with a .527 slugging percentage and nine home runs. He set a school record for RBIs in a season with 72. He made the All-Conference Team and led Coastal Carolina into the NCAA Regional in Tempe, Ariz. Coastal lost in the title game to host Arizona State University. DeJesus made the All-Region Tournament Team after batting .400 (6-for-15). He hit one home run, one triple, scored five runs and had five RBIs.
DeJesus’ brother, David DeJesus, is currently the center fielder for the Kansas City Royals.
Manalapan Parks and Recreation is accepting registration for its Youth Bowling and Adult/Child Bowling and Youth Basketball programs.
The Youth Bowling program is open to resident children ages 5-14 and meets weekly on Tuesday afternoons (4 p.m.) at the Brunswick Country Lanes, Route 33, Manalapan, starting midmonth. Participation is limited to the first 160 registrants.
The Adult/Child program is open to residents. Adults must be 18 and over and youth ages 5-17. Participants will meet weekly on Wednesday evenings (6 p.m.) at Brunswick Country Lanes at midmonth. Registration is open to the first 80 teams.
Registration fee is $10 per participant or team and a weekly fee will be collected at the lanes. Weekly fee is $7 for youth and $14 for adult/child. The fee includes two games of bowling, use of rental shoes and balls, instructional assistance and a trophy program. A $1 fee will be charged for each week misses.
Youth baseball is for resident children ages 4-12 this summer. Play will take place on the Manalapan Recreation Center basketball courts on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings from 6:30-10:30 p.m. Program runs from June 26 through Aug. 11. Fee is $30 per child in a family and $15 for third child.
Registration for the basketball and bowling programs can be done in the recreation office located at 120 Route 522. First-time participants in the basketball program and all bowling youth must bring a copy of their birth certificate to the registration. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For more information on the programs, call (732) 446-8355 or for bowling, Brunswick Country Lanes at (732) 446-6003.
Freehold Township Parks and Recreation is offering a number of leagues and sports camps that are open to both residents and nonresidents this summer. The leagues are boys and girls lacrosse (fourth through 12th grade) and boys and girls basketball (fourth through 12th grade). The camps are for basketball, field hockey, track and field, roller hockey, softball and lacrosse. In addition, there is a youth running/fitness program for ages 10-17 and tennis lessons for ages 4 through adult. For more information on the leagues or camps, call (732) 294-2190.
Marlboro High School’s Kristen Batts finished third in the girls discus at the recent Eastern States Track and Field Championships held at Mitchell Field in Uniondale, Long Island.
The sophomore produced a new personal best (pb), 122-4, competing against the best scholastic throwers from the East. Batts surpassed 120-0 for the first time with her 122-4, which came on her final throw. Earlier in the competition, she had improved her pb to 118-6.
Batts has already qualified for the 2006 Penn Relays.
Batts’ teammate, Jenna Meagher, tied for fifth in the pole vault, clearing 9-6.
Manalapan’s Samantha Marden has been selected to play for the United Soccer Academy International’s select team on the Gothia-Dana Soccer Tour Soccer Tour to Germany, Sweden and Denmark this summer. Marden, a student at the Pinebrook Elementary School, was chosen for the team following nationwide tryouts. The tour will run from July 11-Aug. 1.
More than 1,500 teams from 60 countries will be participating in this year’s Gotha Cup.
The Freehold Area Running Club’s (FARC) 22nd annual Summer Race Series begins tonight at the Battleground State Park, Route 33, Manalapan. The series runs through Aug. 3.
The highlight 5K race inside the park will start at 6:45 p.m. That race will be preceded by the Kid’s Series at 6 p.m.
This features five races racing from a 25-yard toddler trot (18 months to 3 years old) to a 100-yard charge to 1-mile run.
For additional information on the Summer Series or other FARC events, call the club hotline at (732) 431-2627 or visit its Web site at farcnj.com.
Manalapan’s Parks and Recreation is accepting registration for its fall 2005 Youth Street and Roller Hockey programs. The programs are open to Manalapan, Englishtown, Marlboro, Millstone, Colts Neck and Old Bridge residents.
The street hockey program is for boys and girls born in 1997 and 1998 only. Roller hockey is open to boys and girls born 1987-1998. Registration fee for street hockey is $25 each for the first two in a family and $13 for each additional. Roller hockey resident fee is $75 each for the first two in a family and $38 for each additional. Nonresidents must add $10 to the fee.
All new registrants must show a copy of their birth certificate. A $10 late fee will be added beginning Aug. 14.
Registration will be accepted at the Kuschick Pavilion on July 9 from 10 a.m. to noon. Registration will also be accepted at the Manalapan Parks and Recreation office located in the Manalapan Municipal Complex, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Included in the registration fee is an Instructional Clinics.
The street and roller hockey leagues run from September to December. Games will be played weeknights at the recreation center’s hockey rinks.
Volunteers are needed as coaches, assistant coaches and team parents. For additional information, call the recreation office at (732) 446-8355.