Opening day for adult kickball

The first ever adult co-ed kickball league at the Anna Maria Island Community Center started this week. The old-school playground game is becoming more and more popular all over the U.S. and now it has found its way to the Island. More than 40 players, making four teams, play every Thursday night in this fun sport. All the teams are competing to see who will be crowned the first ever Center kickball champion on the Island.

To see or purchase more pictures of baseball, basketball or adult kickball go to www.amisun.com.

Adult co-ed kickball schedule:

May 5, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
Ross Built Construction vs. Beach to Bay Construction

May 5, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Jessie's Island Store vs Slim's Place

Adult co-ed kickball week #1 results:

Ross Built Construction - 2
Jessie's Island Store – 3

Slim's Place – 3
Beach to Bay Construction - 6

Baseball schedule:

Tee Ball:

May 14, Saturday, 9:30 a.m.
Gulf Bay Realty vs Beach to Bay Construction

May 14, Saturday, 10:30 a.m.
Air & Energy vs Beach to Bay Construction

Pitching Machine:

May 14, Saturday, noon
Cedar's Tennis & Fitness Club vs Island Real Estate

Basketball schedule:

Instructional League:

May 3, Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Coastal Orthopedics vs Beach Bums

May 10, Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Coastal Orthopedics vs. West Coast Air

Division III (8-9-year-olds):

May 4, Wednesday, 6 p.m.
Agnelli Pool Service vs. Cortez Kat Charters

Division II (10-11-year-olds):

May 2, Monday, 6 p.m.
Beach Bistro vs. Southern Greens

May 4, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Sandbar Restaurant vs. Connie's Landscaping

May 9, Monday, 6 p.m.
Beach Bistro vs. Ross Built Construction

Division I (12-13-year-olds):

May 2, Monday, 7 p.m.
Walter & Associates vs. E Training Solutions

May 3, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
A Paradise Realty vs. Holy Cow Ice Cream

It's all relative

Recently, I wrote about Rebecca Donovan, who had lost 26 pounds in 10 weeks working out at the gym and with some guidance from her personal trainer, yours truly. I stressed heavily that it wasn't so much the weight that she lost that measures success.

For her, success was all about the recovery of activities of daily life that she had lost and how much better clothes fit. It's how much body fat is lost and muscle gained. Sometimes that means you don't lose weight, since muscle weighs more than fat. But muscle also burns calories faster than fat. Most often, people lose weight as they gain muscle. It is a definite balancing act, and sometimes you never know until you try.

For Donovan, a malignant brain tumor had left her unable to get on a treadmill, let alone use one. Maintaining her balance was probably the biggest issue. She was hoping to lose enough weight that the predicted second knee surgery wouldn't have to happen. Arthritis was a constant pain, on top of persistent fibromyalgia. Seizures had been part of everyday life, and her true stated goal was to simply get up off the ground if she fell. This was not something she was able to do before we got together. Her biggest fear was falling with no one around, and not being able to get up.

During her three-month visit to Anna Maria Island, she she lost a total of 29 pounds. During that time she fell once at the pool. She was able to successfully get up by holding onto the handrail. This past week, she had her last training session with me, and I asked if she wanted to try to pass the final exam. I asked if she wanted to sit on the floor and try to get up. She agreed. I demonstrated a few possible ways. She was able to do it! We hugged good-bye. Another snowbird back in the car. She considered her visit successful. It's all relative.

I was moved by her gratitude. "I've come miles," she said as she headed toward the door. "You did the work!" I replied. "See you next year."

Not long after, a friend was talking about a home remodeling job that had gone amuck. Almost everything she'd ordered had come in wrong. I asked if she'd seen the video of the devastating tornadoes up north. I had seen so much video of homes wiped off their foundations. Both my husband and I are former TV reporters, and we commented to each other after watching an interview with a couple that got sucked up into a tornado while still in their car (and the car was on it's side with the broken sunroof where they had escaped), we had never seen an interview like that.

My friend paused to reflect for a moment. "Yeah, I guess it's all relative," she said. "At least my husband and I have each other."

"It's only stuff. It can all be replaced," I responded.

Scary stuff, those tornadoes. Another stark reminder of how much I love living in paradise.

I grew up in St. Louis where just last week, a tornado ripped the roof off the airport and blew out many windows. One of my earliest memories was the 1959 tornado that sheared apartment buildings in half. I was 7 and terrified. It took me years of living in Florida to know that when the skies look threatening here, most of the time you do not need to head to the basement.

As we approach hurricane season, I hope it is another easy year. I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that you can usually outrun a hurricane. I know people who have moved here from Colorado to escape fires, or from California to escape earthquakes. It's all relative.

In the meantime, summer is a great time to get in shape and escape our relative heat indoors at a gym or in your home. My success with clients comes from having a program that works best for your lifestyle. Some clients keep a food diary on the computer, others scribble it on the back of an envelope. We find an exercise program that as Goldilocks would say, is not too hard, not too soft, but just right.

Island resident Ellen Jaffe Jones is an accomplished endurance runner, cookbook author, Aerobics and Fitness Association of America certified personal trainer and RRCA certified running coach. For coaching or training, she can be reached at ejones@vegcoach.com or 941-704-1025.