SRQ DAILY Dec 28, 2023
Thursday Family and Recreation Edition
"Here is the cool thing: not a single person on our sideline flinched."
When Trinity Catholic kicker Cooper Badics lined up for a 49-yard field goal with a minute and 15 seconds left in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1S state championship game, he wasn’t supposed to hit it. The kick was the longest of Badics’ career and into the wind. But he did.
“Here’s the cool thing: not a single person on our sideline flinched,” says Jared Clark, Head Coach of Sarasota’s Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School Football team. Badics’ field goal left the Cougars down 27-24 with 1:10 left in the game. Senior quarterback Michael Valentino, the same player who had suffered four cracked ribs and a punctured lung in a game just 10 weeks before, marched on the field for the final drive of his high school career. It was a drive he’ll never forget. “Michael hits his first pass to Teddy Foster, we get 14 yards and go out of bounds. Then we threw the ball again and they rough the passer, so we got another 15 yards. We’re on Trinity’s 39-yard line,” says Clark. “We had a route we really liked, Michael read it perfectly, threw a perfect ball to Chris McCorkle and we scored a 39 yard touchdown.”
53 seconds later Cardinal Mooney was celebrating its first state championship in 51 years. The Cougars finished with a 12-2 record, the best in Clark’s four years as head coach, thanks in large part to a high powered offense that featured a diverse array of weapons including senior running back Carson Beach, who led the team with 27 total touchdowns. Clark was quick to point out the contributions of sophomore quarterback Devin Mignery, who took over when Valentino went down in week three and split playing time with the senior upon his return. “The truth of the matter is that we’re a very talented football team and everybody played a role and everybody believed in each other. When Michael went down, it was obviously something that affected us, but we all believed in Devin Mignery,” says Clark. “We only dropped one more game the rest of the season. Devin was prepared; he came in and did a great job. When Michael came back, they shared time with each other–the fact that they handled the situation so well and were so supportive of each other allowed the team to rally behind them and focus and play really well on Friday night.” 
Pictured: Cardinal Mooney players at state championship celebration on December 19th. Photo by Mike Lang for the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Sarasota Orchestra opens a fresh calendar year with a grand constellation of star-studded performances! In January we welcome pianist Sir Stephen Hough, marimba player Ji Su Jung, and an A-list cast of Broadway’s best to the stage. Our Great Escapes series continues with an homage to some of music’s great arrangers, while the Chamber Soirées series highlights Schumann’s beloved Piano Quartet. Keep reading for more details about what's to come in our busiest month of the 2023-2024 season.
After its first round of adult training classes in late summer/early fall of 2023, WBTT is thrilled to offer three adult education opportunities in early 2024: Adult Acting, African Dance, and Improv Adventures. Explore the world of acting in WBTT's eight-week Adult Acting workshop, designed for beginners as well as those seeking a refresher on acting fundamentals, ages 18 and up. This course is open to anyone eager to enhance their imagination, social skills, and confidence, regardless of their prior acting experience. Throughout the course, participants will be guided in developing their acting technique. Engage in illustrative acting exercises, improvisation, and scene work that is a parallel to professional acting training. The journey culminates in a performance showcasing progress to family and friends on the final session day. Class runs January 22-March 11, 2024. Takes place Mondays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Howard J. Millman Black Box Theatre. Instructor: Gabe Ortiz. Cost: $250. The African Dance class infuses traditional dance with modern, contemporary, and urban dance moves. Students ages 14 and up will enjoy a mixture of dances that span the African diaspora. This afro-fusion class is designed to strengthen the student’s ability to adopt a range of styles, get an understanding of how these movements are connected, enhance rhythm, coordination, and balance, and increase overall stamina. The overall desire is for participants to feel comfortable in their bodies, express themselves, and groove together as a community. Registration deadline is January 15, 2024; class runs January 28-March 17, 2024. Takes place Sundays, 2-3:30 p.m. in the dance studio of the Education & Outreach Building. Instructor: Monessa Salley. Cost: $160/series; per class fee is $20/adults or $15/dancers ages 14-18. Improv Adventures is for actors and non-actors alike, ages 18 and up. Improv’s gifts are abundant: to develop a stronger personal presence, for more joy/fun, and for personal development. Core improv skills such as “yes and,” “listening,” and “agreement” build into many other next-level skills that help participants to co-create new universes with their scene partners, develop on-the-fly great characters and emotionality, expand one's capacity for humor, and more. Registration deadline is January 18, 2024; class runs February 1-March 21, 2024. Takes place Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Howard J. Millman Black Box Theatre. Instructor: Ivy Sunflower. Cost: $240. Email WBTT’s Education & Outreach Associate Peterly Jean-Baptiste at pbaptiste@westcoastblacktheatre.org to learn more or to register. Visit westcoastblacktheatre.org for more about WBTT.
Pictured: Instructors for WBTT’s winter 2024 classes are (l-r) Monessa Salley, Ivy Sunflower and Gabe Ortiz Provided photos/WBTT.
On January 13th celebrate the New Year, New You: Health & Wellness Expo, presented by Lakewood Ranch Medical Center! Visit vendors from Sarasota and Manatee counties with various doctors and wellness professionals from a wide range of specialties featuring many exhibitors including Medical Professionals, along with Fitness Instructors & Stage Demos, Insurance Agents, Veterinarians, Holistic Practices, Health Screenings, Product Samples & other Giveaways. This event is free to the public! Showcase your business or expertise by reserving vendor space at the expo. Click 'Reserve a spot' to purchase your space. Questions? Email Joanna@lwrca.org.
Manatee County's popular wall calendars have arrived—just in time for your 2024 appointments. This year’s theme, Manatee County Masterpieces, features paintings, drawings, mixed media and photography work from a variety of local artists. Once again, this year's calendar was created and designed completely in-house by our award-winning creative team who collaborated with the local artists to curate this collection of local artwork as a one-of-a-kind keepsake calendar. The calendars will be available while supplies last at the following locations: Manatee County Administration Building, Manatee County Public Library locations, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office , Manatee County Tax Collector’s Office, G.T. Bray Recreation Center, Manatee County Public Works. For more information about Manatee County Government, visit mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ManateeGov.
SAIL AWAY TO THE CIRCUS | The Sailor Circus Academy, America's oldest youth circus, has risen from its humble beginnings into a multi-leveled academy that teaches so much more than just acrobatics, December 2023.
Visit Fresh Harvest, the newly launched weekly farmers market in Downtown Wellen. Fresh Harvest offers a selection of local goods from nearly 40 local vendors. Fresh Harvest takes place every Sunday in Downtown Wellen from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attendees can peruse different vendor booths and stock up on a variety of goods. Vendors will offer a wide variety of locally grown and produced food, including herbs, spices, cut flowers, teas, canned and preserved fruits and vegetables, syrups, baked goods, pickled foods, fresh seafood, meats, poultry, eggs, milk and prepared food and beverages. A limited selection of craft vendors also participate in the farmers market. For a listing of participating vendors and more information on Fresh Harvest Farmers Market, visit wellenpark.com/events/fresh-harvest-farmers-market. Downtown Wellen, 19745 Wellen Park Blvd., Venice.
Head out to Waterside Place for a rocking evening as part of the Lakewood Ranch Sights and Sounds Program. Enjoy a live concert in partnership with Easterseals and EveryoneRocks, featuring artists who are rocking their spectrum. This event is free and open to the public; there is limited seating at the Plaza, but attendees are welcome to bring their own seats. Food and beverages will be available from numerous Waterside Place merchants. For more information on shows, dates, and times, visit lakewoodranch.com/sights-sounds/. Waterside Place, 1560 Lakefront Dr., Sarasota.
Attention all business professionals. Join us for a productive and inspiring coworking event every Tuesday at Out and About Coffee in downtown Sarasota. Take advantage of this opportunity to network and collaborate with fellow professionals in a relaxed and comfortable environment. Limited spots available, so register now on Eventbrite. O and A Coffee Supply, 1316 Main St., Sarasota.
Explore labor through The Ringlings Working Conditions photography exhibit, running until March 3, 2024. The Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries radically changed the nature of human labor. That era is defined by a global shift from producing goods by hand to manufacturing by machines and technologies that emphasized efficiency. Working Conditions explores the myriad ways in which photographs have communicated ideas about labor since the nineteenth century through examples from The Ringlings photography permanent collection. For more information, visit ringling.org.
Connect with local business owners at every Thursday at Oscura. Lets Connect is a community of collaborative business professionals from the Manatee and Sarasota County areas. RSVP on Eventbrite to attend, admission is free.
Siesta Key Rum runs free year-round tours for guests to learn the story of the craft distillery, the awards they have won and the secret to how they make their rums taste so good. During our 30-45 minute tour we will discuss the following topics: history of Siesta Key Rum, an overview of the awards our small company has won, what makes our rums taste so good, the rum-making process from mashing and fermentation to distillation, barrel aging and bottling of our rums. After the tour, we welcome you to sample a freshly made Siesta Key Rum cocktail, stock up on your favorite rums and browse our gift shop. 2212 Industrial Blvd., Sarasota.
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