The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper


Vol. 16 No. 51 - October 19, 2016

sports

Generations play sports at The Center

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

monica simpson | SUN

The next generation of Island athletes make their parents proud.
Mason Moss, playing for Beacon Design, went toe-to-toe
with Waterfront restaurant's Dylan Sato on the little field at The Center.

After rains and winds of Tropical Storm Hermine and Hurricane Matthew, Anna Maria Island once again saw activity on the green fields at The Center. The Island area kids took to the pitch while the big kids in the co-ed flag football league hit the gridiron for some recreational fun.

Last Monday night, in the cool fall Florida air, the youngest soccer players met on the small field for pre-game training. With game faces on, the little field got divided into two for side-by-side soccer action in the three-to five-year-old league. In the official game, Team Beacon Design faced off against Team Waterfront restaurant.

As I sat and watched the little cleats moving down the field in a mass of fun chaos, I realized the real story was the wonders and glories of seeing another generation of athletes playing at the Island's community center.

Dylan Sato represented Waterfront Restaurant, along with his younger brother Brandon. On the other side of the field, Mason Moss played for Beacon Design. The Sato brothers are the sons of Jason Sato, who grew up at the community center playing sports as a kid, and now as an adult with his wife, Lauren, and baby daughter, Juliet, cheering from the sideline.

Playing in the adult sports leagues, Ryan and Emily Moss are the proud parents of Mason. Representing three generations of community center athletes, Mason's grandfather Ed Moss plays along side and against his sons Ryan and Jonathan Moss. Young Miles Moss, Mason's brother, will be joining the Moss legacy in a year or two.

To add to the Moss family sports dynasty, David Moss, former Island baller and youth soccer coach, brings with him his daughter, Hannah.

Looking at the youth soccer roster many other generational pairings standout and show the strength of family on and off the Island. The list of parent-child sports participants goes on and on including, but certainly not limited to, the Aldersons, Culhanes, Taluccis, Colemans, Johnstons, Brissons, Greenes, Perrys, Rudacilles and Agnellis.

The spirit of sports and family continues as adult players grow their families and move to the area, bringing new parents and children to the field like the McCarthys.

Much like the McCarthys, when I first moved to the area in 2001, it was clearly evident that raising my family at the big building on Magnolia Avenue was like a scene from a movie. As I walked through the doors of the former center building, I could feel the sense of family and community. Then and now, babies can grow up to play on the same fields as their siblings, parents and grandparents.

Anna Maria Island continues to change demographically, but the love of the island's community center and its recreational sports is a constant, continuing generation after generation.

Sun Scoreboard
Monday, Oct. 10

Youth Soccer: 6-to 7-Year-Old League

Bin There Dumped That 3
Signarama 0

Blalock Walters 2
Air & Energy 3

Youth Soccer: 11-to 14-Year-Old League

Planet Stone 5
Tyler's Ice Cream 1

Tuesday, Oct. 11

Youth Soccer: 8-to 10-Year-Old League

Mason Martin Builders 3
Gulf Bay Realty 4

Bins Be Clean 2
Cloud Pest Control 4

Wednesday, Oct. 12

Adult Co-Ed Flag Football
(make-up games from Sept. 29)

Coldwell Banker 12
Beach House Real Estate 27

Anna Maria CrossFit 6
Blake Medical Center 30

Tyler's Ice Cream 12
Mason Martin 26

Thursday, Oct. 13

Adult Co-Ed Flag Football

#1 Progressive Cabinetry (6-1) 14
#3 Beach House Real Estate (4-3) 12

#5 Moss Builders (3-4) 13
#2 Mason Martin (6-1) 34

#4 Coldwell Banker (4-3) 31
#7 Blake Medical Center (3-4) 6

#8 Anna Maria CrossFit (1-6) 6
#6 Tyler's Ice Cream (3-4) 13

Thursday, Oct. 20

Adult Co-Ed Flag Football
Quarter Final Playoffs

#5 Tyler's Ice Cream
#4 Coldwell Banker 6 p.m.

#2 Mason Martin
#7 Blake Medical Center 7 p.m.

#3 Beach House Real Estate
#6 Moss Builders8 p.m.

#8 Anna Maria CrossFit
#1 Progressive Cabinetry9 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 27

Adult Co-Ed Flag Football

Semi-final playoffs 6 and 7 p.m.

Adult Co-Ed Flag Football

Championship game 8:30 p.m.


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