The Board has been working hard to get ready for our upcoming season and we are all really excited to see the girls hit the field!

Official rosters are in the works so your coach should be contacting you within the next couple of days and practices can start as early as February 24.  Your coach will let you know your specific practice schedule.

The Second Annual Season Kick-Off Dinner is Sunday, Feb 24.  Pocket Girls Softball secured a couple of exciting motivational speakers and have lots of fun planned.  Buy tickets in advance so the group can plan for the appropriate amount of food.  Visit the store to purchase your tickets.

Pocket Girls Softball needs you.

First, one of our most important Board positions is still empty – Sponsorship/Fundraising Coordinator.  Second, help is needed for the kick-off dinner. There are volunteer openings for tasks such as coordinating the dessert auction, raffle, drink sales, etc. as well as jobs such as set up, food service, etc.  Please let the group know ASAP if you can help with this event. Finally, we will be collecting raffle items for our Kick-Off Dinner.

Contact:  Board@pocketgirlssoftball.org for more information.

The poet pursues his beautiful theme;
The preacher his golden beatitude;
And I run after a vanishing dream—
The glittering, will-o’-the-wispish gleam
Of the properly scholarly attitude—
The highly desirable, the very advisable,
The hardly acquirable, properly scholarly attitude.

First stanza of ‘Properly Scholarly Attitude’ by Adelaide Crapsey

Henry Molina from John F. Kennedy didn’t realize that performing “Properly Scholarly Attitude” for a school assignment would change his opinion of poetry or that he would be so good at it that he would end up winning the Sacramento County Poetry Out Loud Competition for 2013.

Henry finished first from a field of 15 during the Sacramento County finals, held Thursday, Feb. 7, at Rosemont High School and earned the right to represent Sacramento County in the State Finals, March 25-26 in Sacramento. Carinn Candelaria, from Pleasant Grove High School in the Elk Grove Unified School District, is the Sacramento County runner-up.

In addition to Crapsey’s poem, Henry performed “The Charge Of The Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Henry Molina from John F. Kennedy High School, winner of the 2013 Sacramento County Poetry Out Loud competition. // Courtesy of the Sacramento County Office of Education

Henry said the event was a lot of fun, though a little nerve wracking, since the judges were local poets themselves and “knew what they were talking about.”

Henry said he came upon “Properly Scholarly Attitude” because of a classroom competition and he needed a poem to perform in front of the class. After he won the JFK competition, he had to choose another one.

“Before I started, I was not a big fan of poetry,” he said, but after he put his mind to the assignment over the course of a few months, he found himself enjoying it.

California’s overall winner will receive $200 and an expenses-paid trip to compete in the National Finals in Washington, D.C., held April 28-30, 2013. A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be awarded at the national finals, including a $20,000 award for the National Champion.

Sacramento Poet Laureate Jeff Knorr served as the Sacramento County Poetry Out Loud master of ceremonies. The competition encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. The program provides students with the opportunity to perform poetry in English classes.

Modeled like the National Spelling Bee, the Poetry Out Loud program began in local high school classrooms, with winners advancing to school-wide, then regional competition. Schools countrywide are participating in regional competitions.

The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) was once again pleased to partner with the California Arts Council (CAC) in promoting and supporting the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest in the Sacramento region. Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Poetry Foundation, SCOE and its partners encourage high school students to study and appreciate poetry through practice, performance, and competition.

Tim Herrera is Communications Director for the Sacramento County Office of Education.

Bob Rogers is a GSSC player and tournament star as well as a long-time sponsor of the Golden Seniors. When he played he was a manager, pitcher and infielder. Lou Coppola describes him as a versatile player. / Photo courtesy of Lou Coppola

For more than 30 years, the Golden Seniors Softball Club of Sacramento has been one of the nation’s bedrock organizations for slow-pitch players who have reached the age of 50. The club has about 450 members and provides nearly 420 games from mid-March into September.

Close to 100 of these members like it so much that they play in more than one of the club’s six leagues. For many, there is no such thing as “enough softball.” But there is plenty of room for someone new to the game, or who hasn’t swung a bat in more than a decade. “Hey, it can be like riding a bike. Just get back on and enjoy the ride,” said the club’s president, Tom Sansone. “Softball can really be a game for the ages — and the ageless.”

Playing 22-game schedules, there are three six-team night leagues for players 50 and over at the Sacramento Softball Complex — Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with games at 6:30, 7:45 and 9. Two leagues play on Tuesday mornings, also at the Complex, for players 60 and older. The club’s Monday morning league at Howe Avenue Park is for players at least 70.

Sansone, 65, said playing softball at this stage of his life has been a very satisfying experience. “It gives me incentive to exercise and try to stay in shape. I enjoy the camaraderie. There are a lot of people who are really dedicated to this club. I urge anyone who wants to continue playing softball well beyond their middle-age status to check us out. You’ll be impressed with our quality of play.”  The Elk Grove resident pitches on Tuesday morning teams and is entering his 11th season with the club.

Mel Tennyson joined the club in 2009 when he was 55. He now plays in all three night leagues and serves as the commissioner in charge of the club’s Tuesday night league. He also plays for a nationally ranked traveling tournament team. Mel, a West Sacramento resident who pitches and plays the outfield, said, “I love the game” and the Golden Seniors club has provided opportunity to play with and against people more his own age while being more relaxed and less-competitive than his tournament team. “It keeps me healthy and I enjoy meeting people. I play softball for athletic and social reasons. My advice to anyone thinking of playing ball is to come out, have fun and stay young.”

Anita Kemp, 53, who resides in south Sacramento, joined the club in 2011 and became a fixture at third base, first base or catcher on Tuesday nights. She plays on a couple of coed teams and said she wanted more softball, so a friend suggested she try the Golden Seniors. How has it worked out? She said she has not been disappointed and felt welcomed as a new member. “It’s fun, to be honest with you. My other leagues are real competitive, true 5-women, 5-men coed teams.” The Golden Seniors is “really a fun league.” And when a guy thinks he can hammer a grounder by her at third, she said she takes a great deal of pleasure in her ability to throw him out.

The GSSCS Tuesday night league has about a dozen women spread among six teams. The club would like to attract more women, and Anita said more women would join if they knew about Golden Seniors. The club needs to advertise.” (Note the ad in this newspaper.) “Everyone gets along and gives you a pat on the back. It’s a friendly environment.”

The Wednesday and Thursday night leagues attract more competitive players, many who also play on tournament teams.

Ernie Kidwell is one of 137 current Golden Seniors “life members” who have played at least 15 consecutive years and attained the age of 75 or 10 years and celebrated their 80th birthday. Kidwell, who will turn 81 this year, lives in north Sacramento near Carmichael. He joined the club in 1991. He began playing in the night leagues and for the past decade has been playing Mondays and/or Tuesdays.”Why do I continue to play? Because I just like to play. I like the camaraderie, the fellowship … Softball is a good reason to get up and go somewhere.”

While leagues for the 2013 season are scheduled to conduct drafts in February, the first league games are not scheduled until mid-March. Some leagues may have immediate openings for those wishing to sign up, or players can sign up, come out and play as substitutes or be permanently assigned to teams as roster vacancies occur.

The club’s fees are very reasonable, Sansone said, amounting to less than $5 a game, and include uniform jersey, cap and umpires. And the fees are prorated for players who come aboard later in the season.

The club has a website, www.gsscs.org, where details can be found on how to join. The club’s player agent, Myron Dahl (916 451-2450), can answer questions and provide sign-up forms. Each league plays 22 to 24 games in a season that runs into September and concludes with league championship playoffs and a picnic.

The health and safety of club members is of paramount concern. Anita Kemp said the toughest thing for her was getting used to the base-running rules that are designed to reduce the risk of injury from runner-fielder collisions or from awkward slides into bases. As many men and women join the club not having slid into a base in 20 years, sliding is not allowed.

Besides special base-running rules, members are encouraged to sign up for training in the use of the club’s defibrillators, or AEDs, and to become certified by the Red Cross in CPR. According to doctors, more than one Golden Seniors player is alive today because of this program and staying active on the ball field.

Ron Roach is the editor of GSSC’s ‘Dugout Chatter’ and active player in two leagues. Accompanied photos were taken by Lou Coppola.

Eddy – therapy dog of Lend A Heart President Barbara Street – listens while a young reader practices their reading. // Photo courtesy of Maryann Farmar/Lend A Heart.

Every Tuesday, about 25 children ranging in ages from five to 10 come to the Carmichael Library after school to work on their reading skills.

They’re not reading to a librarian, or a tutor or a teacher. Instead, they’re reading to one of the trained therapy dogs that calmly sits for an hour and lets the children read to them.

“It’s really fun and the kids just love it,” says Shelley Andrews, branch supervisor for the Carmichael Library. “Everybody enjoys it – the kids love it, the staff loves it because we love to see the dogs, the owners of the dogs love it, and of course the dogs love it with all the attention they’re getting. It’s just really fantastic.”

Read to Rover

Carmichael Library began offering what they call the “Read to Rover” program back in 2007 when Carmichael resident Ellen Wildfeuer presented the idea to the library. A retired nurse, Wildfeuer knew of the benefits of pet therapy, and had a dog that had gone through the process of becoming a certified therapy dog.

To start the program, Wildfeuer used her connections to therapy dog associations to find other volunteers to bring their therapy dogs to the program. Currently they have 13 teams of therapy dogs and handlers that rotate coming to the library each week, with at least seven of those teams coming every single week, she says. “In 2011, we donated almost 2,000 hours of volunteer time,” Wildfeuer adds.

Carmichael Library is one of five branches of Sacramento Public Library that offers a “read to a dog” program. Another is Belle Cooledge Library in Land Park, which has been offering their “Read to a Dog” program for about three years and is currently held the last Tuesday evening of each month, according to Youth Services Librarian Donna Zick.

Zick says they can have upwards to 30 children at each monthly session, who have the opportunity to read to one of five to 10 therapy dogs. She says the focus is on kids in grades kindergarten through fourth grade, “because we know now that’s an important marker for kids’ reading levels and we want them to be reading at that stage and want them to be fluent and comfortable with reading.”

ReadToDog_Carmichael.jpg: “Read to Rover” volunteer Cathy French and her therapy dog, Kalie, listen to a young reader. // Photo courtesy of Ellen Wildfeuer.

Belle Cooledge’s program is run by volunteers through Lend A Heart Lend A Hand Animal-Assisted Therapy. According to President Barbara Street, Lend A Heart began in 1987 and is an organization of volunteer therapy dogs, cats and rabbits and their handlers that serve hospitals, assisted living centers and memory care centers. Street says Lend A Heart had started a “Read to a Dog” program at Rancho Cordova Library nine years ago, and the success of that program caught the attention of Belle Cooledge Library, who then her to start the program at their library.

Relaxed & Fun

So how does a program like this work?

At Belle Cooledge Library, Street says the dogs are in large dog beds in a circle in the children’s corner of the library. She says the hour normally starts with the children petting the dogs, then they select a book they want to read and a dog they want to read it to. “Sometimes two children will read to the same dog, sometimes they’ll just rotate around the room or find the one dog that they really want to spend more time with,” she adds.

A similar situation happens at Carmichael Library, where the therapy dogs and their handlers are in the library’s community room. Andrews says once a child signs up for the session, they can select a book they would like to read or bring their own book, then sit down and read to a dog. Once they are finished, they can sign up again to read to another dog. “Many times they come in and read to two or three dogs,” she adds.

And during this time, Zick says parents are able to sit by to watch or visit with other parents while their child is practicing their reading. “It’s a very relaxed environment,” she adds.

A Lend A Heart volunteer and therapy dog work with a young reader at the “Read to a Dog” program at Belle Cooledge Library. // Photo courtesy of Maryann Farmar/Lend A Heart.

Learning Curve

Many parents may be asking how can a child improve their reading skills by reading to a dog?

First off, Street says it gives children an opportunity to practice their reading in a relaxed, non-classroom environment with a non-judgmental companion. “It’s more of building that really good feeling about reading and then being able to sit there and read out loud to a dog that doesn’t care if you mispronounce word or is not judging you if you’re reading too slow,” she explains.

Wildfeuer agrees, and says this is a fun way for children who have difficulty reading to gain personal confidence. “It’s an enhancement of how the children are learning to read in school in a less structured, more fun, atmosphere,” she adds.

Zick says she has seen the positive impact of the program through a seven year old boy who when he came to his first program did not want to participate, saying he didn’t feel he could read well and didn’t like to read. “He was there the whole hour reading to the dogs, just completely engrossed in it,” she recalls. “He had convinced himself he wasn’t a good reader. Reading is just practice, so this is just another way to practice.”

Although the children are there to read to the dogs, Wildfeuer says the dog handlers are there to help if a child asks for it. “We’ll tell the kids if they need help, let us know and we’ll help them sound out a word,” she adds.

Plus children who participate in the Read to a Dog program can also learn about how to properly behave around animals and how to be more comfortable around dogs, says Andrews. She says the therapy dogs range in sizes from little lap dogs to Great Pyrenees, so for some kids it takes a while for them to be comfortable around the larger dogs. “But they’re all learning after they come for a while and they start feeling comfortable reading to the big dogs, so that’s also a very positive part of it,” Andrews says.

The Read to Rover program at Carmichael Library is held every Tuesday from 3:30-4:30pm. The Read to a Dog program at Belle Cooledge Library is held the fourth Tuesday of each month from 6:30-7:30pm. For more information on these programs, visit www.saclibrary.org.

H&R Block will hold a “Crab Feed/Prime Rib Dinner and Casino Night” on Friday, Jan. 11 to benefit the Make-A Wish Foundation of Sacramento. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the Dante Club, 2330 Fair Oaks Boulevard in Sacramento. Make-A-Wish grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions in the United States and its territories.

“We appreciate the support of H&R Block and thank them for organizing this event to raise much-needed funds to help us fulfill wishes for children with severe medical conditions in Sacramento,” says Patti Coakley, Ambassador of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. “The commitment shown by H&R Block to our organization is deeply meaningful.”

H&R Block’s continuing support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Sacramento was also demonstrated through its title event sponsorship of the Make-A-Wish Foundation 13th Annual Walk for Wishes held in May 2012.

Casino activities will include a poker tournament, Texas Hold ’em, roulette, craps table and more. Live entertainment will be provided by TOOmuch Fiction and the Sacramento King’s Dancers.

The “No-Host” Bar opens at 6 p.m. Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. And the casino opens at 7 p.m. All proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Sacramento.

To purchase tickets $45 and for more information, contact Patricia Coakley, EA, Make-A- Wish Ambassador and Master Tax Advisor for H&R Block at (916) 983-0482 or makeawishcrabfeed@gmail.com.

Chautauqua Playhouse in Carmichael announces the opening of "Driving Miss Daisy" by Alfred Uhry. The show opens on January 18th and runs for 6 weeks at the Playhouse. – From the left, Janice Reade Hoberg, James Wheatley

Chautauqua Playhouse, in association with Celebration Arts, announces its production of “Driving Miss Daisy” by Alfred Uhry, opening on January 18th at the Playhouse.  The show will run on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through Feb. 23. There will be an additional Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. on Feb. 23.  All performances will be held at the Chautauqua Playhouse, 5325 Engle Rd. in the La Sierra Community Center in Carmichael.  Admission is $19 general and $17 students, seniors, children and SARTA members.

Winner of the 1988 Pulitzer Prize, Driving Miss Daisy tells the post-World War II story of a rich, sharp-tongued Jewish widow who meets her new black chauffeur. Over a series of absorbing scenes spanning 25 years, the two grow to have one of theatre’s most unlikely friendships. This classic is filled with wit and wisdom, and explores the importance of tolerance and love. The show is produced in association with Celebration Arts and features James Wheatley as “Hoke”, Janice Reade-Hoberg as “Miss Daisy” and Chris Lamb as “Booley”.

The production is directed by James Wheatley.  Set design is by Rodger Hoopman with lighting design by Don Myers.

The Chautauqua Playhouse is located at 5325 Engle Rd., Carmichael.

Information and tickets are available through the Chautauqua Playhouse website: www.cplayhouse.org or call the box office at 489-7529, during business hours.

Any artist can tell you that what happens in our lives can come out through our art. Finding that niche of how to show those stories, feelings, and ideas may not be as easy for some artists. I sat down with self described Expressionistic Cartoonist Bamr to talk about the different aspects of life that have brought him to be the artist he is today, and what young artists can take away from the techniques that he found useful in finding yourself and your profit. He mixes his love for acrylic paint with occasional pen and ink drawings as well as larger scale graffiti pieces. But his artistic style was not always so clear.

Sol Youth Blogger Kaela Hayes sits down with BAMR to talk about their shared love of art.

As a teenager, Bamr found his passion after an art teacher had taken him under her wing. When she noticed the natural talent and little direction that he had, she hooked him up the head coach of the football team who wanted the walls of the boys’ locker room painted with the school’s name and mascot. Bamr was not interested until hearing how much they were willing to pay him.

He had realized that he could continue his passion for art and make money.

“It’s all history from there,” Bamr described.

After high school he attended the Art Institute in Sacramento. That’s when Bamr found an appreciation for art education. He now hopes to attend the Art Academy in San Francisco in the near future. When asked how much of his work was natural talent versus what he had learned in school, Bamr began to explain the balance that he has obtained in his art.

By always following the lead of his natural artistic instincts, he finds himself using what he has learned in school about colors, shapes, contrast, and line in every painting that he does. His teacher at the Art Institute liked the style Bamr was creating for himself and asked him to do a collaborative piece with other better-known artists, boosting his drive to find places for his art to be spread.

Being in the business of art has taught Bamr many rules of publicity and networking in the art world that young artists can benefit from. For instance, art collectors and gallery owners may like your art but if they don’t like you, you have a small chance of getting anywhere with the client. By showing them your true personality and more of who you are you are giving them more access into the life of your art and what you are about. This can establish a persona that will be easily recognized and admired by other gallery owners. Bamr gave some insight into just how important the artist’s personal drive, professionalism and confidence is. “Follow through! If you want to get anywhere you have to call people back,” said Bamr, “They’re giving you an opportunity.”

At the young age of 22, Bamr has created a style all his own. By adopting the expressionistic cartoonism ideas that he defines as “expressing modern values in a cartoon way,” he has been able to pull away from other stylized artists. He has proved his unique artistic abilities through his detailed line quality matched with his vibrant contrasting colors. Bamr uses influences from events in his life as well as his aspirations and dreams to show a story through his art. The intended story will always be there in his eyes making his art open to personal interpretation. Through his success he has proved to many youth artists that continuing to learn will not only benefit your knowledge but your art.

This article has been reprinted with permission from Sol Collective’s Nov. 27, 2012 online newsletter. Kaela Hayes is a local teen writer who contributes to Sol Collective’s online newsletter.

Sol Collective is located at 2574 21st St., across the street from St. Joseph’s Cemetery.

Seasons 52, the fresh grill and wine bar restaurant known for its seasonally inspired menu, has begun recruiting team members for its new restaurant in Arden Fair. The restaurant is expected to bring an additional 100 new jobs to the Sacramento area.

Seasons 52 will open to the public on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013.

The restaurant has dozens of service team positions available for hire including bartenders, servers and hosts/hostesses, as well as, culinary positions including prep and line cooks. All job seekers must apply online at www.Seasons52.com/careers, where applicants can get more information on the various career opportunities, values and culture at Seasons 52.

“Seasons 52 is seeking the area’s most professional, upbeat and friendly team members who can share their passion for fresh, creative cuisine while delivering an outstanding dining experience for guests,” said Jeff Warren, Managing Partner of Arden Fair’s Seasons 52. “All of our team members receive the proper tools and training to be successful, and the company firmly believes in promoting from within.”

Seasons 52 offers benefits packages to their employees. New team members are eligible for medical and dental insurance on the first day of employment. Other benefits include access to vision plans, meal discounts, 401K plan and even pet insurance.

The clean, contemporary style is highlighted by soft lighting, greenery, rich colors, contemporary art, stone and warm wood accents, which present architectural. A circular piano bar featuring live music nightly, an open kitchen with a brick oven, a chef’s table and a customized, climate controlled wine chateau holding upwards of 2,000 bottles of wine round out the vibrant guest dining experience. The restaurant also will offer two private dining rooms for private and semi- ‐ private business and social events.

Seasons 52 at Arden Fair will be prominently located at the main entrance in front of Nordstrom, with convenient street- ‐side access.

About Seasons 52

Seasons 52, which debuted in 2003, is a fresh grill and wine bar that provides guests with a fresh dining experience, enabling them to celebrate living well. The menu is orchestrated by award- ‐winning Chef Clifford Pleau, and is inspired by the seasons and the fresh appeal of the farmers’ market – 52 weeks a year. The award- ‐ winning wine list created and developed by Master Sommelier George Miliotes – one of over 180 Master Sommeliers worldwide – is consistently praised for its diverse international selection of 100 wines, including more than 52 offered by the glass. Seasons 52 is recognized as a forward- ‐thinking restaurant concept that is “right for the times” and always offers guests something new to discover.

Seasons 52 currently operates 26 restaurants in 13 states across the country. For more information, please visit Seasons52.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Land Park's newly-opened New Helvetia Brewing Company, located at 1730 Broadway began its soft opening month in December, having first opened its doors on Dec. 6. The site will be part bar, part brewery and part history. // Photo by Benn Hodapp

Those who like to unwind with a tall, cold one at the end of the day have innumerable locations from which to buy their beer, but none of those places are steeped in Sacramento beer-making history like Land Park’s newly-opened New Helvetia Brewing Company.

The brewery, located at 1730 Broadway began its soft opening month in December, having first  opened its doors on Dec. 6. The site will be part bar, part brewery and part history as founder David Gull plans to pay homage to legendary Sacramento-based Buffalo Beer, which began brewing in the late 1800s.

The beer, which won’t be called Buffalo Beer to avoid possible copyright issues, will be brewed in-house and sold to patrons at the bar under the name of Buffalo Craft Lager. Gull, a former real estate broker who was part of the team that built the 19th and Broadway lofts, hopes to find enough success selling the beer to bar patrons to expand and sell kegs to bars and restaurants and perhaps even begin bottling it and selling it in stores.

The opening of the brewing company comes after four long years of research and hard work.

In 2008, after being laid off from his real estate job, Gull began to formulate his idea for the brewery/bar. He began to research old Buffalo Beer and come up with a plan.

“There was a family history with (Buffalo Beer), Gull said. “I recall being at an uncle’s house and he had all kinds of Buffalo Beer stuff.”

He started looking for locations in 2011, knowing that if he had his way the shop would end up on Broadway. Gull graduated from McClatchy High School in 1992 and currently resides in Land Park with his wife and children.

The lease for the Broadway location was signed in July of 2011 and got approval to open its doors in November 2012. But in the time between the lease and final approval, there was some work that needed doing. The site, which Gull said is recognized by most as the former site of the Casa Grande tortilla factory, went under construction in August 2012.

Along with the expected work such as painting and adding new light fixtures, Gull added a wall with large windows where people can peek in at the brewing equipment that will soon whip up the New Helvetia spirits. In addition to the wall, new plumbing was added as well as new heating and air conditioning.

And though the spot has yet to hold its grand opening, those looking for a cold beer can come in and try one of the two locally-brewed beers on tap. Currently available are what Gull described as a fresh hop lager and a fresh hop IPA made with locally-grown ingredients by the brewery’s brewmaster. Gull hopes to have the grand opening sometime in January and expects the in-house brewing to begin soon.

New Helvetia Brewing Company will open as strictly a brewery/bar, but Gull hopes to expand it into a

restaurant as well in the coming years. He cited that the lot is large enough to handle such future expansions as a fully-functional kitchen.

For more information on New Helvetia Brewing Company and its upcoming grand opening, you can call (916) 501-7622 or e-mail David Gull at dave@newhelvetiabrew.com.

Students participate in general exercises taught by Carl Hammer. // photos by Corrie Pelc.

It’s a Wednesday morning at about 9:30 a.m., and approximately 60 seniors ranging in age from 50 to about 90 are making their way in to the Memorial Center at St. Anthony Parish in the Pocket area.
What are they all here for?
They’re here for the senior fitness class offered three times a week by 88 year-old Carl Hammer and his wife, Sandra.
“I don’t know what I would do without this class and the people in it,” says Pocket resident Nancy Cherry, who has been coming to the class for the past eight years. “Besides the exercise, it’s the people talking, getting together, seeing how everyone’s doing – it’s another family. They have an average of 60 per class that come, so when you have that many people who are faithful to coming to a fitness class, then you know it’s got to be besides just the fitness.”

Jump Up …

Hammer and his wife, Sandra, have been offering a fitness class for seniors for the last 17 years. He says the class first began at E.M. Hart Senior Center in Midtown Sacramento, when he had the opportunity to take over a senior fitness class he and Sandra had been attending, but were not happy with. “I said, I can do that,” he recalls. “I’ve been a salesman most of my life, so I’m just selling something different – I’m selling fitness.”

Hammer and his wife also worked to become certified as older adult trainers. “It’s not quite as detailed as a personal trainer, but just learning what to look for in seniors and what type of exercises are best for seniors,” he explains.
After holding the fitness class there for about six years, Hammer says they were invited to bring their class to St. Anthony Parish, and are now in their 11th year at their current location.
Hammer says they typically have 80 attendees at their Monday morning class, and then about 60 at both the Wednesday and Friday classes. By having such a large number of attendees at each class, he says they’re able to keep their class prices low and only charge $2 per class.
“It’s been a very rewarding place to have a class that big,” Hammer says. “We have a nice commercial carpeted area to work on, and it’s nice in the warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and there’s plenty of parking.”

Jump Down …

As the fitness class is geared towards seniors, Hammer says they focus on things like mobility, flexibility, breathing, and balance.
For example, the class begins with stretching exercises, followed by some breathing techniques, including deep breathing and breathing through the nose. Then Hammer moves participants into leg and balance exercises, and then some marching exercises to get them moving. And later on in the class, attendees may work with one to two pound weights, balls and resistance bands as well.
As each participant has a chair to work with, he says they can use it to hold on to during balance exercises, or some will do some exercises seated depending on their physical limitations. “It’s all different – we’ve had people in wheelchairs, we’ve had some people with walkers and canes,” he explains. “So they do what they can within their ability and capabilities.”
Additionally, Sandra keeps an eye on all the participants to make sure everyone is okay. “Some of them might have a bad shoulder or something, so she’s keeping tabs so that somebody doesn’t overdue it,” Hammer explains.
For Sidney Thomas of South Sacramento who has been coming to the class for a year and-a-half, the exercises have helped him become limber and have helped him with some ankle issues. “Because I’ve been volunteering with a group that does home safety services and we’ve been crawling up in a lot of areas, lately my ankles are really stronger,” he says.
And Pocket resident Roberta DelPonte says the class has taught her better health and that she must keep moving. “It keeps us all healthy, it keeps us moving, it keeps us going and doing,” she adds.

And Move It All Around

In addition to the obvious fitness benefits of the class, Hammer says it also provides a social aspect as the class gets seniors out of the house and meeting others.
Greenhaven resident Gloria Marquette agrees, and says over the past four years she’s enjoyed the social part of the class. “I have a lot of my friends here from the church and then I’ve met other people and we’ve become good friends over the years,” she explains. “It brings people out, people who would normally just be sitting at home – they come out and socialize and get their bodies moving.”
Hammer says he’s seen a lot of friendships develop. “It’s a fantastic thing to see somebody come in who’s kind of shy and after a month or four or five weeks they’re talking to everybody and going out to lunch,” he explains.
Additionally, Hammer says about four times a year they hold a potluck meal to add to the social nature of the class. “Because we have such a diverse attendance of all different ethnic groups, it really makes it interesting and fun, and gets people out and gets them moving,” he adds.
Fr. Bong Rojas, pastor of St. Anthony Catholic Church, believes the fitness class contributes to the quality of life of the seniors, and helps them create more energy. “With the network that these classes provide, the participants build strong friendships and eventually provide pathways for wider networking in the Pocket community,” he says. “I believe that in everything we do, we build on relationships; and this classes provide an opportunity to foster those kinds of relationships.”
And as Pocket resident Dottie Fong will tell you – who has been taking fitness classes instructed by Hammer since 1998 – the classes have helped her become very healthy and strong at her age.
Fong highly recommends the class to all seniors as she believes it can help their bodies and their minds. “Come and try it because you never know what you’ll learn,” she says. “And if you feel that you can’t do it, you’ll be surprised – you can do it.”

Head-to-Toe Senior Fitness classes are held Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:45-10:45 am at the Memorial Center at St. Anthony Parish. For more information, call 929-2418.

corrie@valcomnews.com