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Having A Gym-Dandy Time

Tampa Tribune Photo by SCOTT ISKOWITZ

instructor Kassie Sanchez teaches children dance moves at the New Tampa Recreation Center. “They’re pretending they’re backstage at a Hannah Montana concert,” Sanchez says. “They’re dancing to her songs.”

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By LAURA KINSLER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 25, 2008

NEW TAMPA - Let there be no doubt: In this land of golf courses, swimming pools and soccer leagues, New Tampa has plenty of kids who want to dance.

The New Tampa Recreation Center had a waiting list for its Extreme Dance and Games camp, the second of nine sold-out summer camps at the new center.

Divided into groups with names such as Dancing Divas and Hip Hop Glamour Girls, the kids rotated through activities. While one group tie-dyed T-shirts, others ran obstacle courses, jumped on a trampoline or took dance lessons.

"It's pretty fun," 10-year-old Einav Kirsh said. "I learned how to do line dancing."

First-time campers Justin Davis, 6, and Andrew Mengel, 7, compared tie-dyes. "It's going to be a beautiful design," Justin said as he admired Andrew's yellow-and-green number. "I used pink for mine because that's my favorite color."

Meanwhile, five- and six-year-old girls giggled and skipped in circles in the dance room. "They're pretending they're backstage at a Hannah Montana concert," instructor Kassie Sanchez said. "They're dancing to her songs."

Site coordinator Patti Gross said parents camped out for five hours to register their children for the summer camps. Every gymnastics and dance class at the center has a waiting list.

"There definitely was a need," Gross said. "We're serving 100 campers a week for nine weeks, plus we have 60 gymnastics team athletes and 1,211 class slots filled."

Gross, who has spent 17 years with the Tampa Parks and Recreation Department, said she feels honored to be managing the new center: "It's a big task."

The 19,568-square-foot center opened May 10. Outside the recreation center, construction is scheduled to begin later this summer on a 15,000-square-foot skate park, which is slated to open in January.

Reporter Laura Kinsler can be reached at (813) 865-4844 or lkinsler@tampatrib.com.

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