Check This Out

Registration is underway for Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation’s first-ever “Clash of the Bay,’’ a four-on-four flag football tournament that will showcase the region’s top talent. 

The weekend-long tournament starts Oct. 7 and will offer bragging rights as the best of the bay in three divisions: women’s, recreational and competitive. All participants must be 18 or older. Games will be at the Skyway Sports Complex, 3901 George Road, in Tampa, and the SouthShore Sportsplex, 6110 Waterset Blvd., in Apollo Beach.

Cost is $200 per team and limited to 48 teams that will be grouped into north and south divisions. To register, visit tinyurl.com/48ncavxn.

For more information, contact Mike Russ at or 813-309-5686 or Rodney Jones at or 813-347-6592.

Tennis Starts with Love Adaptive Program will resume its after-school program on Sept. 1, on Fridays, at 2:30 p.m., at Land O’ Lakes High, 20325 Gator Lane.

Cost is free for children ages 10 and younger for the weekly, hourlong tennis program that provides equipment and drills to work on hand-eye coordination, balance, dexterity or foot coordination issues. Volunteers to help coach are welcome, too.

“This has been a passion project of mine,” program director Ryan O’Connor told The Laker/Lutz News in February. “I always wanted to bring my training in tennis to a place where I could make a difference. I worked on this proposal for almost a year and through the generosity of the USTA and my school’s blessing, this program finally has come together.”

For more information or to register, contact O’Connor at or 813-996-4613.

Terrace Community Middle School will host its 11th annual Trot Thru The Terrace 5K, 10K and 1 Mile Fun Run on Nov. 11 at 8 a.m., at the Temple Terrace Rec Center, 6610 Whiteway Drive, in Temple Terrace. Cost is $5 for the 10K, $30 for the 5K and $25 for the 1 Mile, or $35 as a virtual participant. Each runner receives a medal, swag bag and post-race nourishment. To register or for more information, visit tinyurl.com/npdzawu8.

Softball player Shannon Saile, who played in the Land O’ Lakes Little League, will take part in the inaugural Athletics Unlimited (AU) Pro Games on Aug. 9 in Greenville, North Carolina, the home of the Little League Softball World Series. 

The AU Pro Games is an addition to the tournament, which will be held from Aug. 6 to Aug. 13. All 60 professional softball players on the 2023 Athletes Unlimited Championship Season roster will play a doubleheader at East Carolina University’s softball stadium on Aug. 9 at 4:30 p.m., ET. Both games will be televised live on ESPN2.

Athletes Unlimited players also will take time on Aug. 8 to visit Stallings Stadium at Elm Street Park to interact with all 12 participating teams from around the world, providing each of them with a unique and memorable experience exclusive to this event. All players and coaches competing, as well as their families, will receive complimentary tickets to the AU Pro Games event on Aug. 9, and have additional opportunities to interact with the world’s best softball players before and after the games.

For more information on the AU Pro Games, visit tinyurl.com/3z3dtvjp.

Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation has opened registration for the 2023 Active Life Games, which will be Oct. 2 to Oct. 13 at various locations throughout Hillsborough County. Registration is available through Sept 22; the Games serve as a regional qualifier for the Florida Senior Games, which will start Dec. 2 and be held at locations throughout Pasco County. The games began in the 1980s and the competition offers a variety of contests for all skill and fitness levels, with events including track and field, shuffleboard, pickleball, tennis, golf, billiards, horseshoes and more.

Cost is $25 for one event or $30 for unlimited events. There is an additional $30 charge for those participating in the golf competition, which includes a cart.

To register and for a complete schedule of events, visit tinyurl.com/293pc4fj.

Pasco-Hernando State College is adding a women’s flag football team to its intercollegiate sports offerings beginning in August. The program was initiated through a $10,000 grant provided by the NJCAA Foundation, NFL Flag and Reigning Champs Experiences. Madison Burr is slated to lead the team as head coach in the upcoming fall season that will focus on raising awareness, player engagement and talent building, scrimmages and practices. An eight to 10 game regular season schedule is being built for next spring with matches and tournaments in and out of state.

The PHSC Foundation will host its annual golf tournament on Oct. 20 at Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club, 12900 Lake Jovita Blvd., Dade City. Cost per golfer is $250. For more information regarding sponsorship opportunities or playing, contact Lisa Yeager at 727-816-3445 or , or visit Giving.phsc.edu/golf.

Tunnel To Towers Foundation will host a 5K Run & Walk on Oct. 28 at 8:30 a.m., at Starkey Ranch District Park, 11946 Lake Blanche Drive, in Odessa. Cost is typically $40 per runner, except for discounts in some categories. The fee is $30 for first responders and military, $20 for children, and $15 for children ages 12 and under. The nonprofit organization is building the Let Us Do Good Village and has given mortgage-free homes for catastrophically injured veterans, Gold Star families and the families of fallen first responders, and will host several of these events throughout the country. To register, donate, volunteer or more information, visit tinyurl.com/mr28dszc.

The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation will host its third annual Raise A Racquet fundraising event on Nov. 4 starting at 6 p.m., at the tennis center, 6585 Simons Road, Zephyrhills. Cost is $60 per person until Oct. 4; the event will include dinner, open bar, live music, program, on-court demonstrations, silent auction, and door prizes. Cost is $80 after Oct. 4. To get tickets, visit tinyurl.com/22mwwx43, and for more information or to become a sponsor or donate auction items, email Nick Walton, executive director, at , or call 610-368-0552.