Category: Sports

Super Girl Surf Pro Contest & Festival

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Tomorrow is the first day of the Super Girl Surf Pro Contest & Festival! This is a three-day festival that celebrates women’s action sports while focusing on female empowerment through social, athletic, cultural, and business opportunities.

The surf contest will be held at the Jacksonville Beach pier. The Festival Village at the Sea Walk Pavilion will be occurring simultaneously. The Village will feature live music, family-friendly activities, an ALL-FEMALE DJ competition, women’s beach soccer, women’s volleyball tournaments, free fitness/dance classes, and celebrity speakers. Additionally, there will be a beer garden and the possibility to get autographs from pro surfers. The best part is that all activities are FREE. Come down to Jacksonville Beach to take part in this festival from November 12th-14th! Visit the festival’s website here for detailed itineraries and more information on available activities. 

Chipola Fitness

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Looking to try a new, fun type of fitness? A local gym, the Chipola Fitness Center, offers a variety of courses weekly.

Barefoot Basics is a low-impact class designed to help increase balance via stretching and toning. Dance Fit 2 is a high-intensity music fitness course. Mash-up follows Variable-intensity Interval Training (VIIT), a program including mind/body, agility and strength, and high-intensity intervals to make the most of your time. If you’re looking to strengthen and tone, take part in the Muscle Up class. Power Up is designed for early risers; Power Up your day with this 5am course! Total Body fitness is just as it sounds – a class designed to work the body head to toe.

The Fitness Center also offers a variety of Spin Classes but they are often very limited, so membership is required for early online booking. The offered classes are Fun FriYa Spin, Pedal & Crunch, Spin Scultp, Spinergy, and Total Body Spin. For more detailed information on spin courses, more details on gym membership, and more, visit the official Chipola Fitness website. 

Bear Paws Adventures

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Located at 2100 Bear Paw Lane in Marianna, Bear Paws Adventures offers a natural river float trip in kayaks, canoes, or tubes. They offer equipment rentals and shuttles. Pricing is as follows:

  • Kayak $35 per person; includes a parking pass and shuttle pass
  • Canoe $50 for two people; includes a parking pass and shuttle pass
  • Bring Your Own Kayak/Canoe $25 per vessel; includes a parking pass and shuttle pass
  • Tubing $15-60 
  • Bring Your Own Tubes $10 per person; includes inflating the tubes, shuttle pass, and parking pass

Visit their official website for more detailed information on pricing and to familiarize yourself with the service rules on parking. 

 

Kayaking on Ocheesee Pond

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Recent rain and perfect summer weather call for a trip to Ocheesee Pond in Grand Ridge! Kayaking is a must-do at this local. To get to the launch site, head east from Marianna on Highway 90 and turn right on Highway 69. Then, after crossing the railroad tracks in Grand Ridge, take a left onto 69A and follow it to the dirt road on the left marked Arkansas. Marking the spot is a boat ramp sign marking the turn.

Don’t attempt this pond alone if you haven’t done it previously, as after a short half-mile paddle through the clear water, there is a maze-like cypress swamp. There is a marker system but they are often difficult to spot and irregular. However, the kayaking route is a beautiful trip. Amongst the cypress tree-maze are aquatic glades of water lily and spatterdock that give the water a splash of seasonal color. There are often basking turtles, elusive alligators on the prowl, duck sightings, and a plethora of osprey and woodpeckers.

Fishing on the Ocheesee Pond

Debbie Roney Smith on

Ocheesee Pond is a great place to enjoy a plethora of outdoor activities such as fishing, kayaking, and more. The lake is 2,225-acres with dark tannic water covered by cypress trees. Lake access is available by taking SR 69 south of Grand Ridge (1.0 mile); then turn left on CR 69A (5.9 miles) and travel left on Shady Grove Rd. to the ramp.

Be careful navigating while in the water; there are many exposed stumps and snags. Try fishing around the stumps and snags in deep holes, where fish often gather. The best baits for wildlife in the pond include grass shrimp, crickets, wigglers, or various colors of 1/16 to 1/8 oz. beetle spins. Try fishing in the early morning and/or late afternoon along weed lines or in deep holes in the lake. The best baits include spinnerbaits, crankbaits, dark plastic worms, or live shiners.

Pensacola: International Billfish Tournament

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The Pensacola International Billfish Tournament starts today, June 30th, and will end on July 4, 2021. Held at Palafox Pier, this tournament has been a tradition since 1970. This is the 50th Annual  Pensacola International Billfish Tournament! The event schedule is as follows:

Wednesday June 30th: Captains Meeting
Thursday July 1st: Flare Start- Pensacola Pass
Friday July 2nd: Scales open 4-7pm
Saturday July 3rd: Scales open 3-7pm
Sunday July 4th: Awards

There will be strict social distancing guidelines to keep the community safe. Visit the Pensacola Big Game Fishing Club website HERE or their Facebook page HERE for more information. 

College Football Championship

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Today is the college football championship game between Alabama and Ohio State! The game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. EST. Looking for somewhere to watch the game? If you’re close to Pensacola, visit the Coastal County Brewing Company to enjoy interesting beers, home-style comfort food, and a giant big-screen TV! If you wear your team’s gear, you will be rewarded for your team spirit with special pint discounts. Please note that doors open at 4 p.m. and there is a maximum occupancy in effect due to COVID. If you live closer to Tallahassee, consider visiting The Brass Tap in Midtown to watch the Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. There will be endless food and drink options but please note that the Tap will continue to follow social distancing guidelines. 

Basketball Game: Go Bulldogs!

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The Marianna (FL) girls’ varsity basketball team has a home non-conference game today. They will be playing against Crestview (FL) today at 6:30 p.m. If you are unable to see the game in person at Marianna High School, there will be an HD live stream of the game offered by Shadow Sports. Good luck to the Bulldogs!

Click Link to Watch: https://rebrand.ly/HsGirlsBasketball

Sneads Pride!

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Congratulations to the Lady Pirates of Sneads! On Friday the 13th, the volleyball team won their eighth-consecutive state title. This is a record-setting holding of the championship, beating out the previous seven-win team was Boca Raton’s Olympic Heights. A member of the opposing team, Newberry, stated that “They have a dynamic and amazing team.” The Lady Pirates broke the Florida state record for consecutive FHSAA volleyball championships with a final score of 23-20. Congratulations!!!