Rec Department Has Plenty to Offer This Winter

Worried about a lockout-shortened NBA season? Don't be.  is gearing up (and in some cases has already begun) its slate of winter programs, including several basketball leagues. 

As usual, basketball is expected to be the most in demand of the department’s many programs, said director Theresa Miller, with spots already filling up quickly.

The deadline for registration for the 2nd grade boys’ and girls’ basketball clinics is Dec. 16. Children who want to play in the grades 3-8 basketball league must be registered by Dec. 9.

And the deadline for registration for the boys’ high school basketball league is Dec. 16 as well. High school league games will begin Jan. 8 at the and run through mid-March, Miller said. “That’s growing. Parents have thanked us for this program.”

She said they have about 80 boys already registered in the league. The department is still in need of volunteer coaches. If you can spare a couple hours a week, visit the rec department’s registration website.

The department is also offering a youth (grades 1-8) bowling league this winter. The season kicks off Feb. 7 and will run for eight weeks. Children must be registered by Jan. 27.

But Miller, striving to keep the department from being viewed as solely athletics-driven, also stressed there are other, less sports-centric programs available this winter.

An eight-week core exercise program (a blend of yoga, Pilates and strength training) began this week and an arts and crafts program for kindergarten through 4th grade begins Jan. 14—not to mention the host of non-sport programs the department offered in the fall, including chess and strategic games, pre-school ballet lessons, Zumba fitness, and yoga, among many others.

Miller said the decision to launch a new program is a “combination of feedback and what we see as a deficit. Our goal is to have a more well-rounded department as far as programs go … We’re trying to meet the needs and interests of all people, instead of just sports.”

The recreation department will host its annual Special Needs Holiday Party from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, on the third floor of the and a at the International Sports, Skating and Fun Center in Mount Laurel on Feb. 23.

For more information about any of these programs, visit the recreation department page on the township website. To register, visit www.moorestownrec.com.

Miller said families who wish to register for programs are never turned away. She said the department covered registration costs for about 30 families recently, made possible through various sponsorships and donations.