Dog Parks in Las Vegas

All American Park
Park includes 1 dog run.

Other amenities include:
Approximate Acreage: 45

Football Fields ( 5)
Playgrounds (2)
Picnic Areas (2)
Jogging/Walking Track
Tennis Courts (4)
Water Play Area
Restroom Facility
Concession Stand
Open Space Areas
This is basketball non-reservable park.

Barkin' Basin Park
7.75 acre park designated specifically for dogs.
Adjacent to W. Wayne Bunker Park

Three separated dog cells
Shaded seating areas for owners
Dog and people water fountains

This is a non-reservable park.

Centennial Hills
Park includes 2 dog runs

Other amenities include:
Approximate Acreage: 120 (when all phases complete)

Picnic Areas (10)
Sand Volleyball Courts (10)
Soccer Fields (2)
Playgrounds (2)
Water Play Area
Jogging/Walking Path
Restroom Facility
Open Space

For information on reserving this park, please call (702) 229-6718.

Charlie Kellogg and Joe Zaher Sports Complex
The sports complex includes 3 dog runs.

The new state-of-the-art Charlie Kellogg and Joe Zaher Sports complex is set on approximately 110 acres in the northwest part of the Las Vegas valley. The expansive regional park has 11 lighted soccer fields - seven are artificial grass and four are natural turf. It features a three-cell "dogs only" area, children's play areas, shaded picnic shelters and a large walking/jogging path that surrounds the entire park. The complex is also home to the Amanda and Stacy Darling Memorial Tennis Center, the largest of its kind in the state of Nevada. It includes 23 tennis courts, including one main court with stadium seating for approximately 2800 spectators, a small pro shop, locker rooms and office space. The sports complex will be a huge draw for large tennis and soccer tournaments and is a wonderful addition to the surrounding area.

Children's Memorial Park
Park includes 2 dog runs.

Other amenities include:
Approximate Acreage: 34.68

Baseball/Softball Fields (6)
Basketball Courts (2)
Bocce Courts (2)
Concession Stand
Fitness Course
Horseshoe Courts (2)
Jogging/Walking Paths (2)
Playgrounds (4)
Roller Hockey Rink
Tennis Courts (2)
Picnic Areas (9)
Restroom Facilities (2)
Dog Park
Open Space

For information on reserving this park, please call (702) 229-6718.

Jaycee Park
Jaycee Park is currently closed for a renovation project that will add a new lighted soccer field and parking lot, a playground area and a small water feature to the 10-acre park. Other improvements include expanding the dog park and reconfiguring pathways, upgrading pathway and security lighting, installing shade structures, reducing turf areas and adding native plantings.

Park includes 2 dog runs.

Other amenities include:
Approximate Acreage: 18.4

Baseball/Softball Fields (2)
Playgrounds (2)
Basketball Court
Bocce Courts (10)
Fitness Course
Horseshoe Courts (6)
Jogging/Walking Paths (3)
Picnic Areas (13)
Shuffle Board Courts (6)
Restroom Facilities (2)
Open Space

Lorenzi Park
Park includes 2 dog runs.

Other amenities include:
Approximate Acreage: 59.37

Sammy Davis Jr. Festival Plaza
Baseball/Softball Fields (4)
Basketball Courts (2)
Concession Stand
Fitness Course
Jogging/Walking Path
Playgrounds (3)
Pond
Tennis Courts (10)
Picnic Areas (15)
Restroom Facilities (3)
Open Space

Police Memorial Park
Park includes 3 dog runs.

Other amenities include:
Approximate Acreage: 24

Playgrounds (2)
Dog Park
Basketball Court
Picnic Area
Jogging/Walking Path
Tennis Courts (2)
Skate Bowl
Roller Hockey Rink
Desert Garden
Fallen Officer Tree Grove and Memorial Wall
Lou Gehrigs (ALS) Tree Grove
Restroom Facility
Open Space

This is a non-reservable park.

Winding Trails Park
Park includes 1 dog run.

Other amenities include:
Approximate Acreage: 4

Playground
Walking Path
Picnic Area
Dog Park
Restrooms

Woofter Park
Park includes 2 dog runs.

Other amenities include:
Approximate Acreage: 9

Playground
Fitness Course
Dog Park
Restroom Facility
Open Space
This is a non-reservable park.

Teresa Johnson is a Travel Affiliate, who helps singles and families with vacation planning. Prior to establishing her travel business, Teresa spent over 20 years as an IT developer, IT Systems Analyst and IT Project Manager. Teresa offers a wide range of products and services - from travel planning, to booking of group cruises and assisting others with starting their home based travel business. Teresa specializes in travel basketball for singles and families to help others deal with the sometimes overwhelming prospect of travel planning and starting a new business while still dealing with their normal day to day activities. Teresa educates others on the travel industry and mentors her home based travel team. Teresa is no stranger to the travel industry. She spent over 20 years as a corporate executive where she traveled a great deal.

Check out more regarding Las Vegas Travel here - http://www.allaboutvegastravel.info

Cooperation - The Vital Partner of Competition in Team Sports

In our never-ending desire to make our Players Competitive we often forget basketball basketball essence of the teams operation is Cooperation (often called Teamwork). Sometimes the message gets heard incorrectly and we end up with a player who thinks the game revolves around him the game is the stage and he is the star actor.

In my writings on different egocentric players, I have been calling him Benny the Braggart. (Yes, there also is a Betty the Braggart) We make the usual pronouncement, There is no I in Team, but Benny still believes that there is M and E in team. All of us have had to deal with that self-centered player who is quick to remind us about the great plays hes made. In dealing with him, direct talk usually doesnt get the job done, so lets come at it from another direction. During some team meetings its a good idea to talk to your players about how each of them contributes to the teams successes.

Coach Hudson took advantage of the opportunity during the last football game. Benny made a big interception which helped your team get back into the game and eventually win. As they head for the locker room after the game, he isnt letting anybody forget what he did how he dragged the team from the jaws of defeat.

Ah, but Coach Hudson is ready to deal with this issue. Lets listen in on his postgame commentary:

Coach: Well, we pulled that one out of the fire. You guys played a great game -- you hung in there until we were able to make some breaks. Let's take a look at a real turning point -- that interception early in the 4th quarter. Who made that interception?

Everyone looks at Benny who has no trouble smiling, waiting for the accolades. However...

Coach: Sandy, what did you do on that play?

Sandy: I got around my blocker and put some pressure on the quarterback.

Coach: Gary, how about you?

Gary: I shut down the tight end -- he never got into his pattern.

Coach: Loren?

Loren: I broke through up the middle and kept the quarterback from stepping up into the pocket.

Coach: Zach?

Zach: Brett and I had the split end covered.

Coach: O.K. and we had the center of the field covered by some of you other backs. O.K., Bobby, where were you?

Bobby: The quarterback got away from Sandy and came my way. I got a piece of his jersey. He pulled away but he saw me coming back to get him again. He just get the pass off.

Coach: Benny?

Benny: The pass was short and wobbly. I stepped in front of the wide receiver and caught the ball.

Coach: And you made a good run back with it. O.K. Let's answer my question now.

Who intercepted that pass?

Sam: It sure looks like a lot of guys did a lot of good work.

Coach: That's right. That is what we call teamwork. We all do our job right and good things happen. The real mark of champions is that they all do their job as well as they can and nobody worries about who gets the credit.

(Notice that Coach Hudson gave Benny creditfor what he did. He deserved it -- He earned it.)

We coaches have to keep improving on our communication skills and on our child development knowledge. Being a My Way or the Highway leader may have worked in the past (It worked temporarily at best) but it doesnt work at all any more. Mutual respect is kind of a good idea along with honest interaction and communication.

Peter S. Pierro, EdD http://www.parentscoachesasteam.com

Dr. Peter Pierro is a coach and parent who is concerned about how our young athletes are treated by their coaches and parents. He has degrees from Northern Illinois University. He played professional softball, semi-pro baseball, college basketball, and with an all-star U.S. Navy basketball team. He coached jr./sr. high school basketball, a women's softball team, a 12 and under boys baseball team, and was commissioner of a boys baseball league. He has been a consultant/contributor to the Amateur Softball Association and the Oklahoma Soccer Association. Dr. Pierro has taught in elementary, junior and senior high schools and has been Professor of Education at Elmhurst College and Oklahoma University.

NBA At It Again!

Plus a change, plus cest la mme chose!

This is a French saying that says, The more things change, the more they stay the same. I thought of this as I watched the first two evenings of the new NBA season last week, the beginning of the 2006-2007 season. I was kind of naively hoping Id see better shooting. With everything so new, and new arrangements of teams, new rookies, coaches changing, I thought perhaps another summer of shooting practice might improve the level of shooting in the League.

NOOOOOOOOOO!!

NEW SEASON ... SAME OLD MISSED SHOTS!

Missed shots and missed Free Throws were as evident as ever. Most of the players, obviously, hadnt been spending time during the off season looking for shooting help. Does anyone even care any more?

I made a spreadsheet of the Free Throw and 3-Pt shooting for each of the 30 teams that played in the first 15 games of the year. It was pretty revealing. (I wish they had a statistic for non-3s taken from, say, 5 feet away or further. That would really shock people. Including dunks and layups and tip-ins with outside field goals confuses the issue. Take away the easy ones and the Bigs -- and the League -- would be pretty embarrassed by their stats for outside shots.)

71.7% FROM THE LINE, 31.5% FOR 3S

Overall in these 15 games, the teams averaged 71.7% from the line and 31.5% from the 3-pt arch.

FREE THROWS 71.7%:

For the Free Throws, the team performances went from a low of 50% (Cleveland shooting 15 for 30 in a win, if you can believe it, against the Wizards) up to 92% (Philadelphia making 23 of 25 against Atlanta, who shot a nifty 19 for 22 themselves, 86.4%).

I dont know how 71.7% stands relative to previous years, but its pretty poor in my book. For players as gifted as these guys, who play as much as they play, to make fewer than 3 out of 4 is disappointing, to say the least. Maybe these days 72% is considered pretty good, but in the old days it would be considered mediocre. Further broken down, 13 teams shot 70% or lower, and 5 teams shot 60% or lower.

Here are the box scores for the worst 13 performances from the line:

13 for 22 <- - missed 9

16 for 24 <- - missed 8

27 for 41 <- - missed 14

27 for 42 <- - missed 15

20 for 29 <- - missed 9

15 for 30 <- - missed 15

27 for 45 <- - missed 18

14 for 24 <- - missed 10

23 for 36 <- - missed 13

17 for 25 <- - missed 8

21 for 32 <- - missed 11

18 for 33 <- - missed 15

24 for 39 <- - missed 15

These performances (almost half the number of teams) totaled 262 for 422, only 62.1%!!! These 13 teams missed 160 free throws, 12.3 per game.

3-PT SHOTS

For the 3s, the shooting performance went from an abysmal 9.1% (New Orleans 1 for 11) up to a high of 75% (Orlando making 6 for 8).

Look at these worst 19 totals from the 3-Pt Arch:

3 for 17 <- - missed 14 (18%)

13 for 30 <- - missed 17

5 for 17 <- - missed 12

3 for 19 <- - missed 16 (16%)

2 for 10 <- - missed 8

6 for 19 <- - missed 13

2 for 13 <- - missed 11 (15%)

6 for 21 <- - missed 15

4 for 20 <- - missed 16

3 for 18 <- - missed 15 (17%)

6 for 20 <- - missed 14

3 for 10 <- - missed 7

2 for 14 <- - missed 12 (14%)

6 for 16 <- - missed 10

3 for 15 <- - missed 12

1 for 11 <- - missed 10 (9%)

3 for 16 <- - missed 13 (19%)

4 for 15 <- - missed 11

4 for 17 <- - missed 13

These totaled 79 for 318, only 24.8%!!! One for four, pretty poor, as Dr. Seuss might put it! They missed 239 3s for an average of 12.5 misses per game.

IS THERE ANY HELP AVAILABLE?

Why do I dwell on these stats so much? Well, these are the greatest athletes on the planet. They are superbly conditioned, possessed of great eye-hand coordination. They practice many hours a day, often under the eye of great coaches and General Managers. They play a lot of games and spend hours and hours on their games. Shooting is probably a big part of that practice time, but obviously not well spent by many of them.

To come to a Free Throw line and make ~75% is not a major human accomplishment. The rim is huge and forgiving, approx. twice the diameter of a ball. The rim can be brought down over the head and shoulders of most adult males in our society. There is a backboard that will often help if the shot goes long. There is no one defending the shooters. They have 10 seconds to shoot. The center of the basket is only 13 feet 9 inches away from the line.

WHATS THE DIFFICULTY?

I see whats not working. I see the guys flipping and throwing the ball up there, hoping it will go in. I see variable motions, I see flat trajectories. I see Set Points that are off line with their eyes, I see stances squared up, when its a one-handed shot, more conducive to an open stance. I see complicated motions, lots of extra muscles engaged. I see fear and doubt. I see shots short and long, some miss left and right by 6 to 10 inches and more. I hear the TV commentators sigh as they report on the, almost continual, 1 for 2 shots made or both shots missed. There isnt much commentary as to whats wrong, what the players can do.

WHAT ARE THE COACHES COACHING?

Can the coaches on these teams help? Are they making a difference? Are the players even listening to their coaches? Are the players coachable? For the $5M, $10M, $15M salaries I read about, they should be.

A LOST ART MAKES IT DIFFICULT

The problem with a Lost Art -- and basketball shooting is surely that -- is that players who couldnt shoot become coaches, and its difficult, almost impossible, to coach something you cant do yourself. It becomes only theory, and theory doesnt put the ball into a basket. And oftentimes, it appears to me, the theories arent even correct.

It takes physical technique to shoot well, not just thinking about it or getting mad, as Shaq said he would do, years ago on Roy Firestones show. Trying to psyche yourself up doesnt work very well or very long. Having a special Pre-Shot Routine isnt the answer either, though I hear it as a requirement by more and more coaches. The guys who are shooting poorly have a routine. They meticulously perform the routine each time. Has it made any difference?

ANY technique can make some shots go in ... sometimes. An old person who doesnt even play the game could toss up shots, maybe even underhanded, and often make 1 out of 2.

Whats more difficult is to make shot after shot after shot with great accuracy, especially under pressure. Making shots when it doesnt count is like making putts in golf on the practice green. Once you get on the course and scores are kept, ITS A WHOLE DIFFERENT BALL GAME!

I HAVE A SOLUTION

If I didnt have a solution, I wouldnt be pointing out these embarrassing statistics. Its not nice to point out the failures of people. But Im a serious shooting coach, and I have an answer to the problems of shooting. I write about it all the time. My videos show whats needed. I can coach it.

If some of the players and coaches want my help, its available. I can show them how to create a pure shot motion that is Accurate, Consistent and Repeatable. Once understood and learned, the motion will send the ball the same distance every time. It will come down softly, more and more dead center. Once distance is under control, then all you need do is learn to control the direction beautifully and ... Swish! It becomes a simple motion. Pressure wont bother you so much because you know what youre basketball Youre not just psyching yourself up.

My videos show very clearly what can be done to master this simple shot. The answer will also be simple, a motion you can perform over and over and over, even under pressure. There are some things that need to be learned and practiced and mastered. But its not difficult stuff. And its thrilling to learn. And, best of all, anyone can do it.

Is anyone reading this who wants to take some action? Call me.

Tom Nordland is a shooting expert and coach from California via Minnesota. His videos, coaching and writings are inspiring a Renaissance (a rebirth, a revival) in shooting around the world as players and coaches are taught the things that really matter in shooting. A great shooter as a youth, Tom was given a gift of seeing shooting like few have ever seen it. He sees the essence of great shooting and how to get there. The good news is that its very simple. The few great shooters of today and yesterday mastered simple things, not complicated motions. Improved shooting is now possible for everybody in the game, and mastery is available to those who sincerely dedicate themselves to it. Visit Toms website (http://www.swish22.com) to read of his background and his articles and newsletters, and to view the remarkable endorsements and amazing testimonials for this approach to shooting.

Volleyball History - When Did It Start?

Volleyball is a very popular sport today. There are many intramural teams and also competitive teams around basketball world. But, when and where did this popular sport begin? The history of volleyball is fascinating, it is interesting to see it's humble beginnings and the changes that it experienced through the years.

The man that invented volleyball is named William G Morgan. He was a sports instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association, also known as YMCA. Originally the YMCA introduced a new sport that we know today as basketball. Morgan saw that the physical contact of basketball along with the fast pace tired the older businessmen that enjoyed participating in the games. So, he created a new sport with less contact and less court movement which he called "mintonette." This game eventually turned into the game of volleyball.

Morgan played the game with members of YMCA for about a year before he basketball to present it to a group of YMCA physical education directors. In 1896 the game of mintonette was presented to the directors and they suggested that he change the name to "volley ball" since the game consisted of vollying the ball back and forth over the net. The first official volleyball game was playing on July 7, 1896 at Springfield College.

The history of volleyball shows that Morgan's original game of mintonette resembled the game of badminton. It was played on a rectangular court with a net across the center of the court. The teams were split up so that there was not contact with the other team at all-- each team was placed on either side of the net. Players would use their hands to beat the ball back and forth over the net. The ball would continue to be in play until it was missed and hit the floor. Points could be earned when the opposite team could not return the ball.

As volleyball history continued, the rules changed slightly and became more defined. Officials with YMCA created a rule book that included details about the court size, ball size, and scoring system. It eventually morphed into what we know as volleyball today.

About the Author: Ethan D Orman has the information you need about volleyball history
Access the best information about the history of volleyball at his website: http://historyofvolleyball.net

How to Fast Track Girls Basketball Success

Everybody wants to be successful at what they do. In girls basketball, you always want to be the winner. You always want to be the leading scorer. You always want people to talk about you and your game. You would want to be the player with the sweetest jump shot. Well how do you get to that point?

Know where you want to go.

The book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People says to know where you are going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction. If you do not know where you want to be in girls basketball, you may end up anywhere. Determine what area of basketball you would like to be successful in. It could be in ball handling, shooting, defense, free three shooting, 3 point shooting, etc. Or you may want to be successful in any combination of things. This is something you have to decide.

Believe you will get there.

John C. Maxwell States in his book, Thinking for a Change, "The greatest detriment to many people's success tomorrow is their thinking today. If their thinking is limited, so is their potential. But if people can keep growing in their thinking, they will constantly out grow what they're doing. And their potential will always be off the charts." Now the question is do you believe you can achieve what you want. Do you think you are capable of being successful?

Do something about it.

Just knowing where you want to go and believing that you will be successful will not get you there alone. You have to put something into action. You have to go out and work on your skills. Get in a gym by yourself or with a trainer. It doesn't necessarily have to be a gym. I worked out in the driveway. I bought my own basketball goal as an 8th grader and shot for hours by myself. Attend basketball camps. Read basketball books. Look at basketball DVDs or VHS tapes. You have to put in the work in order to reap the rewards of success.

Visit http://www.girlsbasketballtips.com to get your copy of the 6 Girls Basketball Tips that will Explode Your Game!