A recent visit to the Breds Treasure Beach Sports Park, on a non-activity day, found a marvelous village setting in which to roam, have a picnic lunch at one of the group tables, which will surely increase.
The Sports Park has developed, organically, from its early inception and planning in consideration of a diverse set of suggestions and inputs, that are coming together to produce an all-age playground...with facilities and equipment designed to the highest standards.

Still to come is an all-purpose Pavilion & Gazebo, imagined as an open-air retreat for yoga, spirited exercise and art classes; an aerial "rope course" to test the mettle of one's balance and confidence; a Resource Center and a Sports Academy.

What has set a wonderful tone for this entire enterprise is not only the Soccer Pitches and Cricket Square or the Tennis Courts and Basketball/Netball Court appearing, like a movie scenario, before our very eyes, but some very family-friendly elements.

The Pirate Ship that Sally Henzell has designed in the Children's Playground beckons the child in all of us towards this Adventure Land.

The way that she has incorporated the penetration of the existing lignum vitae trees though the deck of the Pirate Ship suggests a yin-yang relationship of the genders (the memory of boy's climbing trees and girls keeping things ship-shape...forgive the sexism, girls climb "plenty good" and boys arrange intriguing man-caves and "cribs".)

We've even overheard some women in the village refer to the ship, with its below-deck party quarters and colourful slide, as the Mermaid's Vessel.

It's seems helpful when a sub-set of Sally's clients for the ship's design are her young grandchildren, Seya Rose and Max, who could be consulted for assuring that all the "goodies" would be programmed in, presumably achieving their highest stamp and approval.

Rebecca's Pictures (No. 6,9 & 11) of the Cricket Tournament (2012-02-07) in the Photo Gallery shows off Treasure Beach kids at play in the Park... while their elders groove to munching, watching and conversing...a matchless sight to behold!

Here are some other photos taken in the area and around the edges of the Sports Park...

The Images can be viewed in the Photo Gallery as:
• ZED Sports Park


Raising Funds for a Community Playground at the Treasure Beach Sports Park:
Nestled in a quarter acre, covered by a Lignum Vitae shaded grove near the entrance to Treasure Beach Sports Park is the land that has been dedicated by the Breds board as the future home of a community playground. But not just any community playground, the ONLY community playground in Treasure Beach and in fact probably all of St. Elizabeth.

"I knew what we should do with the land the moment I lay eyes on it," says Director Laura Henzell.
"It begs for some park benches where parents and grandparents can sit and enjoy watching the kids, a few swingsets and slides where children wide eyed and with toothy grins can run around safe and happy. It only takes a few tools to get kids going ... by taking away commonly found sticks and stones and replacing them with simple but quality equipment, by just doing something as simple as that -- you're allowing kids to release some energy AND some imagination!"

Although plans for the playground are still being worked on -- the board intends to install quality commercial equipment (for durability purposes) that will cater to kids from 2-12 years old including some equipment that will be available to kids with special needs.
It is the hope of the Mrs. Henzell that the playground will incorporate swingsets and slides but also components that will encourage the children to use their imagination like cars made from old oil drums and wooden boats.

"We have so much recyclable equipment in Jamaica like metal drums and tyres," she said, "It would be great if we could incorporate some locally made equipment -- ensuring that all measures are taken to make them of a high safety standard." Estimates for the playground which will be completed in phases is around $10,000.

Speaking to this point Mrs. Henzell noted that she is consulting with park and playground planners overseas including Jamaican Erica Caloger who lives in the UK and is volunteering her time freely to create a plan, ensuring that it will be crafted on an international level.

Like all aspects of the Treasure Beach Sports Park the playground will be open (free) to visitors and as such be of the highest (expected) standards.

For more Information on donating or volunteering talents and services for the "Raise Our Community Playground" Project, consult the following Breds site:

LINKS:
www.breds.org/projects_ongoing.php?n=98

Adventure Playgrounds: A Slightly "Anarchical" Inspiration:
At so-called adventure playgrounds, kids are given hammers, nails, paint, scrap wood — anything they want, really — to make whatever they want. These playgrounds are popular in Europe, but in the United States liability issues have made them a dying breed. (NPR)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BcBvlaTCos

There were some quarters of this community which expressed their fears that the original Sports Park, as proposed, was going to be a grandiose venture, with an image of rowdy crowds and bogged-down traffic on narrow country lanes where the adjacent homes would be "locked in" during some major sporting events.

Future Phase Planners, on the Breds team, may still need to put on their public relations caps to allay these concerns that the high quality of facilities (tennis/basketball courts) recently installed will carry over to lane improvement, the management of Entry & Exiting and the community-friendly scope of the events.

If the recent cricket tournament was a harbinger of things to come, did anyone in forum-country (or quietly in their cottages) have any major initial complaints to a time when the Park scales up its scheduling of activities and visitors increasingly saunter in?

Seating:
Formerly, Stadium Seating might have been imagined, with sneaked-in beers and rum, adding explosive fuel to hot competition on the playing fields.
But, If you examine carefully the most recent Phased Layout of the Sports Park projected by Breds, there is such a scaling-down of overflowing stands, that to the contrary, NO seating is shown.

During the recent cricket tournament, it appeared to be standing or grass-sitting room only...or bring your own.
There is some contemplation by the Breds officials that a form of mobile-temporary bleachers, which could be wheeled to the fields-of-play during friendly matches and stored or collapsed out of the way in an inconspicuous corner, could occur.

With the design talents, which keeps JAKES in a constant state of colourful, craft-conscious renewal, it is easy to imagine that a basic, light-weight bleacher could be refitted with vernacular-tropical shading elements (thatch-tree branches...) and with cushions for weary batties.

LINK: Mobile Bleachers:
www.theparkcatalog.com/Bleachers

Parking:
Another noteworthy area for Proposed Facilities in the Sports Park, is that only approximately 130 Parking Spaces are sketched in. This is no grand scheme for the holing of major events.

If, let's say, each of the potential cars being directed into the park, from control points, near the main road were to carry an average of 4 passengers, that would consider a guest-load of about 500 entering the arena, by car, before a cut-off at the entrance.
One supposes that if a soccer player, such as Luton Shelton, or cricketeer the likes of a Brian Lara were to show up in Treasure Beach to lead some training at the on-site Sports Academy, any matches that followed could draw larger crowds whereby overflow traffic might have to park on the verges of the roadway (as in the case of Calabash Fest).

Running & Jogging Track: It's surprising to man, that with all the global excitement over Jamaican Track stars, both male and female, that there is no indication on the Proposed Park Layout for a track that could conceivable surround the soccer fields, as in many high school venues.
It could even be designed in a stylee-way with light filtering trees so that it would appear to be more like an promenade-allιe.
Oldies also like a nice bouncy composite surface to shake out their rusty body parts!

The BREDS Emphasis on the Business of Sports Tourism, through its touting of Accomodations & Conference Facilities, forecasts:
• Economic Uplift to the Hotels, Villas, Guest Houses marketting this touristic niche. 750 area rooms are being promoted in the Breds literature.

• A tie-in with Educational Entities (Schools & Colleges), Local & International donor agencies, whose brands are associated with community development, environmentalism and self-help.

• Cultural Exchange and Courteous Invitations to the exotic scenery and many regional attractions of our South Coast.

Yes Zed, a lot has changed since the original designs. For those who have not followed what has happened, there have been numerous design permutations. The original ones included fixed stadium type seating, a car park for about 600 vehicles and bright night lighting. I would like to think those who made a public outcry about the inappropriate scale of this for Treasure Beach eventually made an impact upon the design. If the designers came to these conclusions in spite of the objections that is all well and good. The important thing is this park should be something that supports the community instead of abusing it.

Imagination Playground In A Box:

VIDEO LINK
www.youtube.com/watch?v=peGvu1gHeWI&feature=related

Animation: Playground Dreamscape...On Steroids
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELSaqs0P8Ls&feature=related

Ultimate Playground Makeover "...I know we've come a long way...we're changing day to day...But tell me...where do the children play?...lah dee dah!"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1CJMIiXssc&feature=related

Edusport and the Treasure Beach Sports Park:

A recreational programme designed to assist the education of children in primary schools is also likely to provide sporting stars for St Elizabeth and Jamaica, organisers say.

Edusport, designed by the community group, Treasure Beach Foundation (BREDS), is a three-month old physical education programme run by local coaches which currently targets about 1200 children at schools in southern St Elizabeth.

Placing strong emphasis on creativity, independent learning, thinking skills and problem solving, coaches borrow from the movements in major ball sports such as football, cricket and hockey to create "fun" recreational activities for young children at their schools.

According to BREDS, EduSport coaches deliver two 45 minute coaching activities in participating schools during curriculum time each week.

Organisers say the EduSport programme assists schools in meeting international standards for physical activity among children.
Under those guidelines every child should take part in at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day.

They point to a World Health Organisation (WHO) requirement that "all children and youth should be physically active daily as part of play, games, sports, transportation, recreation, physical education, or planned exercise, in the context of family, school, and community activities".

Organisers say the feedback from schools has been "excellent" with teachers reporting Edusport's value not just in terms of recreation for children but in boosting "confidence".

BREDS says the programme has also provided the basis for an academy programme to benefit the more talented children spotted by coaches.
...coaches will invite the more talented to "join the academy, at The Treasure Beach Sports Park, with which EduSport is affiliated.
This allows the children to improve their specific skills in Football, Cricket, Tennis, Basketball and Netball.

EduSport will provide a camp, at The Treasure Beach Sports Park for all those involved with the academy. The camp will last five weeks and focus on U13, U15 and U17 football. The camp will allow the EduSport coaches to have an intense few weeks of development with the children, teaching them the ins and outs of football from classroom to the field, through physical, nutritional and psychological training.

"The academy structure will allow the EduSport coaches to develop the talent on offer and improve the level of sports performance in this part of Jamaica".
The academy and 'football for all' is currently running on Saturday mornings. Organisers say there is "a close relationship with the Jonathon Hibbert Foundation that looks for talented footballers in St Elizabeth and links them with scholarship opportunities for Universities in America".

The schools currently involved in the edusport programme are Sandy Bank Primary, Newcombe Valley Primary, Pedro Plains Primary, Geneva Primary Epping Forest Primary, Mayfield Primary and Munro Prep.

LINK:
www.jamaicaobserver.com/pfversion/Edusport-is-a-winner--organisers-say_10861010