So far, March is shutout month.

Still waiting for a good game…the two so far this month have both ended in 10-0 scores.

If you can’t beat ‘em, landing on them could be a good strategy.

Plus, it’s totally okay to skip across the plate when you are leading 4-0 in the first inning.

With some of this imbalance in high school sports, it makes you wonder on the potential effect of the bill passing through the Florida Legislature on schools, public and private. If made law, athletes would not lose eligibility as they do now for a year upon transfer; but would impose penalties on schools and/or coaches found guilty of recruiting.

Daytona 500 Qualifying

Tripped out to the track with Woody Huband and James Bowen to catch the qualifying for next week’s 500 and practice some panning.

So much of racing, like any other sport, is hurry up and wait prior to the event; but the competition starts long before the green flag waves.

Because there is no legitimate post on NASCAR without mention of an Earnhardt, some Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for the masses.

Jacksonville Turkish Festival

Going back next year to get my very own henna tattoo. Count on it.

Henna tattoos are considered to bring good luck in the Turkish culture. Fulya Deniz, a henna tattoo artist for over fifteen years, applies a traditional Turkish design to the hand of Safana Alzide, a student at Florida State College at Jacksonville. Deniz worked for years at Venice Beach in California, where henna tattoos are a popular form of body art.

The third annual Jacksonville Turkish Festival was celebrated on April 17, 2011 at the Amity Turkish Cultural Center on Jacksonville’s Southside. The festival included folk dances, food and art from the Turkish-American community in the northeast Florida region. Amity Turkish Cultural Board member Yildirim Sivar explained while this was the first year a small admission fee was charged, the board had partnered with Wolfson Childrens Hospital to donate the proceeds of the festival. New additions to the event this year included professors and artists from colleges and universities, both local and international, to provide education to the festival attendees on Turkish culture. Sivar stated there were around 600 Turkish-American families living in the northeast Florida region. The expected attendance for the Jacksonville Turkish Festival was five thousand, an increase from the three thousand who attended the event the previous year.

Mandarin Softball

Mandarin continues their reign as the 6A softball power in District 1.

Senior pitcher Riley Carter in a couple of views…she’s also one of the leading home run hitters in Duval County.

District 6A championship game against Fletcher coming up Thursday, April 21, 2011.

Coach Mac and Brown Saints Open High School Track and Field

Track and field teams from high schools across Duval County met on March 5, 2011 for the annual Saints Open meet at Sandalwood High School. Schools competing included Sandalwood, Jackson, Ribault, Stanton, Forrest, Atlantic Coast, Parker and Fletcher. Wolfson earned top honors for the boys teams with a total of 142, and the Stanton girls brought the first place trophy home with a score of 201.

Eventually placing first for the boys with an overall score of 142, the team captains for Wolfson High School show some game face prior to the start of the track events at the Coach Mac and Brown Saints Open, held at Sandalwood High School on Saturday, March 15, 2011.

Wolfson senior Andrew Schmidt equalled his personal best and took first place in the pole vault event with a 10’6″ vault during the Saints Open track and field meet on March 5, 2011 at Sandalwood High School. Andrew will be attending Santa Fe Community College, where he plans to compete with the track team at the college level.

Sandalwood pole vaulter Andrew Howell shouts as he makes it over 9’6″ at the Saints Open during the field events on Saturday, March 5, 2011 on Jacksonville’s southside.

Olde Florida Cafe Third Annual Car Show at Avonlea Antique Mall

From hand crankers to muscle cars, there was vehicular glory for all to revel in at the Olde Florida Cafe third annual car show at the Avonlea Antique Mall on Saturday, March 5, 2011. Fans were able to vote for the best in show and enjoy barbecue provided by the Old Florida Cafe. Cheryl Corrado, Mandarin resident and proprietor of the cafe, was the master of ceremonies. Music and entertainment was provided by the Sunshine State Chevelles.

Tami Steinle’s 1964 “Playmate Pink” convertible Mustang was a gift from Hugh Hefner to the 1964 Playmate of the Year, complete with pink fuzzy dice, a set of luggage and other appropriately girly accessories. Tami and Jeff Steinle enjoy the attention the Mustang gets at the Olde Florida Car Show on March 5, 2011.

Photovoice Project

In a collaborative effort, the Newtown Sucess Zone’s Early Childhood Subcommittee and the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women began a Photovoice Project in March of 2010. The project, Strengthening the Voices of Women in Newtown: Making our Neighborhood Better for Children, will be using the research and demonstration method of Photovoice to affect positive change in the Newtown area. At the West Union Missionary Baptist Church on Beaver Street in Jacksonville, Florida, community photographers and other members of the project assisted the group in determining the choice of photos for the final display. The Photovoice Project will debut during the April 6, 2011 Art Walk at the Main Library. The group member’s children join in the dinner before the discussion, and Tare’ll Wade, a second grader at S. P. Livingston Elementary, counted the number of books she read today.

Now that we’ve been working this project for a year, it’s exciting to get close to the debut event.

NCAA Lacrosse – Moe’s Southwest Grill Sunshine Classic

Hosted by Jacksonville University at Jacksonville’s Everbank Field, the first Moe’s Southwest Grill Sunshine Classic provided a doubleheader of NCAA lacrosse. The first game featured the Jacksonville University Dolphins against the Big East Conference Georgetown Hoyas and the second was a rematch of last year’s championship game, with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame playing the Duke Blue Devils. Despite a strong attempt at a comeback from a 5-0 deficit in the first quarter, Jacksonville University fell to Georgetown 15-12. Notre Dame carried the second game, 12-7, avenging their championship loss to the Duke Blue Devils last season.

Georgetown Hoya goalie Jack Davis (11) makes a diving save late in the first half of the Sunshine Classic game against Jacksonville University at Everbank Field on February 20, 2011.

Power Soccer Tournament

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The Brooks Barracudas hosted the inaugural power soccer tournament in Jacksonville at the Deermeadows Baptist Church gym on Saturday, February 19, 2011. Sanctioned by the US Power Soccer Association (USPSA), the contests included the team from Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville, the Orlando Hurricanes and the Atlanta Tigers. According to their website, the USPSA is the governing body for Power Soccer in the United States. Power Soccer is the first competitive team sport designed and developed specifically for power wheelchair users. Athletes’ disabilities include quadriplegia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, and many others. The game is played in a gymnasium on a regulation basketball court. Two teams of four players attack, defend, and spin-kick a 13-inch soccer ball in a skilled and challenging game similar to able-bodied soccer. The Fernando Foundation sponsors travel for the athletes and provides financial support for the teams and the sport of power soccer.

Members of the three teams involved in the tournament prepared for the games with speed tests; the power chairs involved are set to a standard to alleviate the differences between the variety of devices used by the athletes. Sean Short (5) and William Steffens (6) wait for their turn at the speed test, and display their custom chair guards fabricated for the Barracudas by Cannon’s Welding of Jacksonville.

The Brooks Barricudas, though shut out with a final score of 9-0 against the visiting Hurricanes, played with enthusiam and gained valuable experience for their next contest. After congratulating the winning Hurricanes, the Barracudas met outside the Deermeadows Baptist Church for publicity photos with their fans. Thanks were expressed to the representatives of the church, which volunteered the venue when the Barracudas home court at Cuba Gooding Park was not able to be scheduled for the tournament.

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2011 Progressive Gator Bowl

Mississippi State hands Michigan the worst bowl loss in the Wolverines’ history with a score of 52-14 in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida on January 1, 2011.

I got to hang a little with Bully, the Mississippi State mascot. Note he has his very own cowbell on his collar!