By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

In the last two years, I have been seeking a more provincial life, less beer and pretzels – more wine and cheese.

Instead of watching sports that I am truly not interested in, I have been watching more sunsets.

I think about how bucolic and idyllic this life is, until I think about how bored I would be doing this activity everyday! Opening tomorrow, Gemma Bovary allows the viewer to visit the French Countryside, while not overextending one’s welcome.

Gemma Bovary is inspired by Gustave Flaubert’s tragic novella, Madame Bovary. The film has the same plot structure as Flaubert’s book, but with enough twists and turns to separate the literary from the cinema. This is a thought piece about dark subject matter, but with enough realistic humor to hold one’s interest for an hour and 39 minutes.

Martin Joubert (Fabrice Luchini) is a baker in a small town in France that attracts many English people. A literary maven, Joubert takes interest in his new neighbors, whose last name is Bovary. Charlie (Jason Flemyng) and Gemma (Gemma Arterton) are friendly neighbors who eat a lot of bread.

When Charlie goes out of town on business, Joubert observes Gemma’s flirty behavior with gentlemen who can help her. Fantasy crosses into reality as Joubert witnesses infidelity, much like Flaubert’s misguided protagonist.

Best known for playing a “007 Bond Girl,” actress Gemma Arterton has undertaken many character roles in films like The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Clash of the Titans. As Gemma Bovary, Arterton finds the correct balance between femme fatale and naïve charm. When the climax is presented, one feels for the character. Gemma Bovary is a quiet respite from the noisy roar of blockbuster dinosaurs.

The Box Office gods have determined that Jurassic World will open big this weekend. It is now a question as to how big this film will be until the 4th of July holiday weekend. Beyond the spectacle of dinosaurs eating tourists, Jurassic World will expand upon the theories that author Michael Crichton introduced in his original novel, Jurassic Park.

To absorb this experience, check out Jurassic World at the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery & Science (MODS) on the 5-storey IMAX screen. Besides seeing the giant MegaShark in the museum showroom, one can expect to see some exhibits devoted to paleontology. www.MODS.org.

John 14:27

27 Peace I leave with you; my [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]

AMP

Why is it that when things aren’t going our way, or when trials arise, we can’t seem to handle things well? Fear, anxiety, worry, attitudes and life’s cares seem to get the best of us. The majority of the things that we worry about are tied to our past. Are we going to let yesterday’s problems dictate what we do today? We need to remember that yesterday is gone. There is nothing that we can do about it. We are able to start fresh each day (today). We choose each day, what kind of day we are going to have, so decide to have a great and peaceful day. Matthew 6:27 tells us that the things we worry about so often are the things that are beyond our control. We need to trust in the Lord. Shifting our focus off of God and onto the problems is a sure formula for worry. We then allow worries and problems to become bigger priorities than God. When that happens, the things we worry about begin to consume us! When life’s hassles get too big and you feel overwhelmed, stop, take a deep breath and focus on what God is doing today.

Philippians 4:7-8

7 Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious — the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

The Message Bible

When you worry about tomorrow, you’re worrying about what you can never control, and you rob yourself of peace today. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. Matthew 6:34 says “God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” When you begin to worry, don’t panic – pray. God is the one who has all the answers. God is waiting patiently on us. He’s saying I’m here, give everything to me. God knows what you’re going through.

How are we ever going to learn to have peace, if we do not trust the God we serve? In order for us to have peace and to be a peacemaker, we need to trust our God. Scriptures speak of the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding. You have to be at peace in order to know you’re in the will of God. If you’re not at peace, then you’re not trusting God. Don’t let stress and worries rob you of the peace you could have —focus on God!

Tony Guadagnino is pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church.

By Gary Curreri

Gaspar Cecchi can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon.

The 12-year-old from Miami Beach has been playing beach tennis for the past two years and he was one of an estimated 250 competitors who took part in the 7th annual Deerfield Beach World Cup Beach Tennis event this past weekend in Deerfield Beach.

“It is my type of game, my type of sport,” Cecchi said. “It is a racquet and a ball. There is no bounce. It is outside on the beach and I get a tan. You are diving and I get to be with my friends and family. It is better than just spending time sitting on a couch watching TV and playing video games inside.”

Cecchi views winning as being important.

“In tournaments, it is very important for me to win because later on you get better,” Cecchi said. “You play harder opponents and learn from it. When I play A Division or Open Divisions, I get pro points. You get higher (rankings) and maybe you get as high as the pros.”

In this tournament, he played in both the Men’s Open and Junior Division.

“I like playing against the men,” Cecchi said. “There are some people who are tough. They play better or they are tall. They can also run more. The hardest to me are the lefties because you don’t know where to shoot the ball. If you are a righty, you know where to put it. If you are a righty against a lefty or a lefty against a righty it is harder because you don’t know where to put it.”

The International Beach Tennis-USA event was cosponsored this year by Frank Congemi and SEXY Beach Tennis as a co-title sponsor, along with Dos Equis Beer. The three sponsors put up the $5,000 winners purse that was handed out to the various divisions.

Adrienne Cerra, president of the International Beach Tennis-USA, said the event doubled in size this year to 250 competitors.

“We used a lot of social media and the word is getting around how awesome Deerfield Beach is,” Cerra said. “We were very pleased with the turnout. This is going to be in the Olympics. We just have to continue to grow the sport. There are people playing all over the world. There are thousands and we are going to continue to try and get the support of the sponsors, and the media and TV will help.”

Simply Soccer Camp

Area residents are invited to attend the Simply Soccer camp at Mullins Park in Coral Springs.

Simply Soccer seeks boys and girls, ages 5-14, of all skill levels, for its 27th annual summer camp series that begins this week in Coral Springs.

This summer’s camp dates are: June 8-12, 15-19, 22-26; July 6-10, 13-17, 20-24, 27- 31; Aug. 3-7, 10-14, 17-21.

There are three sessions ranging from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a Tiny Tot program from 9 a.m. to noon. Players will be taught a variety of soccer skills from dribbling to shooting.

It is the longest running soccer camp offered by the city. Campers must bring a soccer ball, swimsuit, shin guards, water bottle and lunch. For information on the Coral Springs camp, call 954-345-2200.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

It has taken me a week to wrap my mind around Tomorrowland. For 4/5ths of the movie, I was transported to the culture of my 1960s childhood, the irrational exuberance of President Kennedy’s New Frontier. We had rocket ships going to the moon and The Jetsons showed us that common man would have flying cars in the not too distant future. Then, Y2K happened, and my generation did not get our flying car.

Tomorrowland’s leading man George Clooney and I are roughly the same age. His character, Frank Walker, is presented as a science wiz kid who crosses theoretical swords with David Nix (Hugh Laurie) at the 1964 World’s Fair in Flatbush, Long Island. With a magic pin, young Frank sees visions of a positive future. When he reaches middle age, Frank becomes like Clint Eastwood from Gran Torino, a grumpy old man who tells children to stay away from his porch.

The teenager bothering Frank is Casey Newton (Britt Robertson), who also was given a magic pin from Athena (Raffey Cassidy), a young person associated with Governor Nix. Frank and Casey develop an uneasy alliance and use their technological wits to save the world.

In the final fifth of Tomorrowland, we face the obligatory showdown between Frank and Nix and the thrashing of ideas. The biggest problem with this film is that the villain’s concerns are really the state of the union today, instant gratification from violence is the norm. Instead of presenting a solution to our problems of the day, Tomorrowland subtly warns us that we are doomed.

The Farewell Party opens tomorrow. This 2014 Israeli film concerns itself with the social norms of senior citizens in an assisted living facility. With a touch of Doctor Kevorkian, this drama provides dark humor about euthanasia.

For those considering movie fare south of Lighthouse Point, Cinema Paradiso will be presenting The Connection, a French thriller starring Artist Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin as a narcotics officer trying to crack a major kingpin. This film is said to be France’s version of the Oscar-winning 1970s classic The French Connection starring Gene Hackman.

For info, visit www.fliff.com.

Last, but not least, the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Science and Discovery (MODS) has kicked off their summer blockbuster season. The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Tomorrowland and San Andreas are currently on the 5-storey screen. Next week, Jurassic World opens. Book your tickets early, for shows have been selling out.

Mr. Weiss is a carpet salesman in Pittsburgh. I suspect that he spends each of his workdays observing people in his store as they look at all the carpets that are available. And, as he watches them, he may hear them say that they like this one or that one. He may hear them say that this color is great or this one is not bad. He may even hear them say, “Yuck!”

Some people may opt for one particular carpet on their first visit. Others may come back a few times. Some may just be browsing. Others will feel as though the store is either too expensive or that it has nothing they really like, or, perhaps, they did not like the way they were treated by the staff.

Keeping this in mind, it was not surprising to me that Mr. Weiss wrote an article called, “Confessions of a Synagogue-Hopper,” telling the story of how he enjoys hopping from one Temple to another. He even became a member of a few of them.

But, it would be a mistake for you to assume that because a congregation is Reform, Conservative or Orthodox that you know what their service will be like.

And I have a bit of a problem with Synagogue Hopping. You see, I looked up the word “Hop” and one of the first things I saw in the synonyms was “to bounce.” Hopping from one Temple to another is like bouncing. You will hop around and look for all the ups and downs of the Temple, instead of growing to feel like family and focusing on what you need to change within yourself and how you need to grow and mature, and build a relationship with G-d. You will spend your time analyzing what the Temple is doing right or wrong from your vantage point.

Another synonym for “Hop” is “Hurdle” and, if you hop from one house of worship to another, you may well put hurdles between you and G-d and those hurdles may become harder and harder to leap over. (Perhaps, that is where the expression “a leap of faith” comes from).

The next synonym I saw was “Trip” and, if you spend all your time hopping from one house of worship to another, you just might get yourself all tripped up and, sadly, that could lead to a big fall.

There is one more synonym I saw that I want to share with you “Skip.” If someone is a regular at my Temple and one Shabbat I do not see them in the pews, I know to check up on them. But if someone does not attend regularly, it will be pretty hard to notice that they are not there. And, if you hop from Temple to Temple, it can become very easy to skip whenever you do not feel the urge to attend.

Oddly enough, the antonyms for “hop” are “to allow” or “to permit.” If you hop from one Temple to another, then you are not permitting yourself to become truly at home with the other members of the Congregational Family and you are not allowing yourself to have the full experience of becoming fully familiar with the service and how it can lead to a greater connection with others and with G-d.

So, instead of being a Synagogue- Hopper, why not consider becoming a “Synagogue-Hoper!” Experience all the ups and downs of your life with your Temple Family and with G-d by your side.

Let me close with a wonderful story of hope. There was a king who sentenced a man of his realm to death. The poor soul told the king that if he let him live, he could teach the king’s horse to fly, but the king would have to postpone his execution for one year.

Another man who was also condemned to death, asked him, “Why delay the inevitable?” and he replied, “It is not inevitable. The king might die, I might die, the horse might die. Then again, I might just teach the horse to fly. The odds are four to one in my favor.”

Do yourself a favor. Come to Shul filled with hope and we just might teach you how to fly!

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is the Spiritual Leader of Temple Beth Israel of Deerfield Beach (201 S. Military Tr., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442). Regular Shabbat services are open to everyone on Saturday mornings from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

By Emily Rosen

ERosen424@aol.com

www.emilyrosen424.com

Emily Post – we need you now! For those of you to whom this allusion brings blank stares, let me fill you in: Madame Post was the guru of etiquette and manners for what is now the geriatric generation. She died in 1960, leaving a legacy of written material — books and columns – stating with no equivocation the rules of proper behavior. As far as I can tell, no one questioned her credentials in this regard, and most everyone who was anyone willingly acceded to her stipulations.

Fast forward to the world of today when concern for manners and etiquette are either at the very bottom of one’s “list of social reforms which I endorse” or they are the butt of parlor game jokes and Bill Mahr monologues.

In the world of body tattoos, nose and tongue rings, and cleavages by the acre, little attention is paid to personal image, common courtesies, table manners or offensive behaviors. A long time coming, but table manners is somewhat my theme for today.

Okay – so I acknowledge that table manners evoke images of dining as opposed merely to “eating,” which is often done from a standing position and/or from a takeout cardboard container reminiscent of pretty nearly every sitcom where the protagonists sit on a couch in front of a TV, mostly with chopsticks, slurping down intermittent swigs of whichever “cola” the networks get paid for doing “product placements.”

Dining, however, occurs when real people actually come together for social reasons in addition to gustatory reasons.

So my question concerns the “social reasons:” Can “texting” (or phone fiddling) at a dinner table be categorized as anything other than bad manners? And indeed, why is it so universally acceptable? Answer? Because it is so universal an activity — as in: everybody does it.

Well, I don’t! And I find it extremely offensive when others do it. Half the time, they are responding as if the person on the other end of the call is holding his or her breath and, that response-time were factored into their emotional well-being. The other time they are scrolling — unsolicited-ly — for pictures in anticipation of a few faux appreciative expletives in praise of appearance.

And it is so all-pervasive, this intense concentration on a small hand-held inanimate object that is close to containing all that matters to us in our lives. How scary is that? And how scary is it that this is fast becoming part of our DNA?

It is also fast becoming an “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” game. And this is what has thrown us so off kilter.

The other day, I was one of four people dining in a restaurant. The other three, during a break in service between ordering and receiving our meals, whipped out their smartphones. One was answering a call that was anything but an emergency and was engaged in a “regular” conversation. The other two were scrolling for a reference to some subject we had been discussing. These were not “dumb” people, nor were they in any other way oblivious of social mores, nor were they thoughtless, inconsiderate people. They were dear people and good friends who had totally succumbed to the cult of join-the-crowd behavior. Is it like climbing the mountain because it is “there?”

Where will it end? Emily Post, I’m afraid you are toast.

By Gary Curreri

Former National Football League players Henri Crockett and his brother Zachary Crockett returned to their hometown roots this past Saturday and put on their annual football clinic at the Four Fields Complex in Pompano Beach.

Henri Crockett, 40, who played linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos and the Minnesota Vikings, along with his brother Zachary, 42, a former fullback for the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys, treated nearly 300 local children to football drills and lunches during a USA Football FUNdamentals clinic.

Both men grew up in Pompano Beach, and graduated from Blanche Ely High School, before they both played at Florida State University in their path to the NFL.

The free, one-day clinic is designed to introduce children, ages 6-16, to football by teaching basic skills in a fun and energetic environment and is supported through a grant from the NFL Foundation.

FUNdamentals incorporates a series of drills to teach passing, catching and running skills in a non-contact setting. All skills and drills selected are based on USA Football’s Player Progression Development Model, ensuring children are learning in an age-appropriate manner, based on their cognitive and physical maturity.

The event marked the 10th time that the Crockett Foundation hosted its annual Life Skills & Football Camp in partnership with USA Football FUNdamentals. USA Football is the official youth football development partner of the NFL and its 32 teams.

“We took a couple of years off because we were competing with the camps by Clint Sessions and Patrick Peterson,” said Henri Crockett, who lives in Cooper City. “My brother and I had been doing this so long that we just wanted to step back and give the guys that are playing in the NFL now a chance to give back and do their thing.

“The city asked us if we could do one of these this year and it was important for us to do this because they are the future,” Henri said. “It is important for us to come out here and show them that we care. This is really important. They are not all going to make it to the NFL or the NBA and we understand that. That’s why we call this a life skills camp and not just a football camp. We talk to them about life. It is important for them to not only have a back-up plan, but to have a plan.”

Zachary Crockett, of Miami Shores, agreed: “We are teaching them the fundamentals about life skills, telling the kids to stay away from conflict and to be able to get it done in both the classroom and the field.

“You have to have a foundation in everything you do. We took some time off to let the other guys get their camps established and now we are doing things with our reading center. We want kids to know it is going to take more than football to get to the next level. We (Henri and I) had to get it done in the classroom too, and your character is also important. At the end of the day, there is no ‘I’ in team and the game is bigger than you.”

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

It has been 33 summers since I last ushered at the United Artist Movies at Pompano and the two big films playing that week were Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Poltergeist. Produced by Steven Spielberg, Poltergeist was perhaps a satirical look about the influence of television on the suburban family unit. Spielberg incorporated his childhood fears into this noisy ghost story and it was a box office winner, until E.T. the Extraterrestrial was released a few weeks later.

MGM released two more Poltergeist films, that were critical and box office disappointments. Whereas the first movie could be labeled a family movie with a roller coaster ride between horror and humor, the two sequels strove to create a darker mythology that many Christian organizations found insulting.

The new Poltergeist avoids insulting Christians and strives to simply tell a haunted house story with noisy ghosts.

In this revisionist reboot, we meet the Bowen family, who are moving to a new neighborhood. Pop Bowen (Sam Rockwell) is an unemployed father who supports his wife (Rosemarie DeWitt), who is a writer. The parents have three children, teenager Kendra (Saxon Sharbino), middle schooler Griffin (Kyle Catlett) and youngest sibling Madison (Kennedi Clements), who already talks to invisible people.

Unlike the Freeling family (JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson) of the first movie, the Bowen family faces instant hardship their first night in the house. A tree and a clown doll attack Griffin, while big sister has cell phone trouble. During these attacks, Madison is sucked into the netherworld and can only communicate via the television set.

The tree, the clown doll and the ghosts in the television are repeated motifs from the original film. After three decades, the use of cell phones and wireless Internet updates the technology; however, there is nothing new to add to this Poltergeist saga. Like the disappointing Super 8 from four years ago, modern directors seem more focused about reviving Spielberg’s 1980s hoopla than telling a new story.

Had this film not been named Poltergeist, it would have been more accepted as a Saturday matinee popcorn-eating flick. It is fun to watch Sam Rockwell play against type as a concerned father; it is his most heroic role in a big budgeted motion picture. The child actors are endearing.

Much like the opening of King Tut’s tomb, there is a superstition of a “Poltergeist Curse” from the original trilogy. Playing the teenage sister, Dominique Dunne was murdered by her boyfriend on Halloween Eve the same year that the film was released. As the youngest sister, Heather O’Rourke died on the operating table before the release of Poltergeist 3. Only Oliver Robins (who played the Freeling brother) survived to adulthood. Besides writing and directing independent films, Robins owns his own marketing business that is inspired by horror movies.

Much ink and airtime has been given to the recent troubles of Baltimore, MD and its inner city residents in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death.

Pundits, politicians and the community alike have weighed in on the problems and causes of mistrust, aggression, violence and crime that permeate the minority communities of our urban cities. Thankfully, most agree that riots and looting are not the answer. Several meetings and gatherings of community leaders, politicians, clergy and citizens of Baltimore sought to identify solutions to problems that, in reality, affect far too many minority communities across America.

Many of those participating in the disturbance of Baltimore were young people. In fact, the initial protests that preceded the riot and looting involved high school students. Clearly, there is a problem affecting minority youth that needs to be addressed. Baltimore schools have a dropout rate of over 12 percent and a four-year graduation rate under 70 percent. Consequently, many solutions arising out of meetings focused on achieving better educational outcomes through greater parental involvement and community partnerships. Mentoring programs for youth, tutoring initiatives and career skills training are some of the efforts that many from within these communities are asking for.

Our city has not faced the challenges of other communities like Ferguson or Baltimore. There is a relatively healthy relationship between our communities and law enforcement, our citizens and government leaders, our faith leaders and city personnel. Our youth are served through various initiatives aimed at keeping them out of trouble, completing their education and becoming productive citizens. The involvement and even collaboration of faith-based programs, the business community, law enforcement and social service organizations is necessary to providing opportunities for all of our youth to succeed in life.

A few days ago, I was thrilled to witness and participate in a small, informal commencement activity for students served through our tutoring program. Since the 2010- 2011 school term, Cathedral Community Development Corporation has been offering after-school tutoring in Reading and Mathematics for children in grades 3 to 5. The program and curriculum have been developed by Rev. David Johnson, who retired from a career in education and was employed as a Broward County school principal. Several certified teachers have partnered with the program to address deficiencies among children in our local schools.

The success of the program has been seen in marked improvement among the children who participate. Pre- and post-testing reveals the gains made by each student in the respective classes. Parents consistently write to express their appreciation for the improvement of their children, and the impact of the program. Through strategic partnerships and grants from several organizations, the program has been able to continue each school term, but much more could be done with a significant donation. Some of the children demonstrate below average reading skills, and specialized staff would enable personalized instruction for those who are struggling.

We would love to include other grade levels as well. Some of our local schools need all the help they can get in raising the proficiency level of our children. Insufficient resources hinder expansion and further development, but Director Johnson has worked wonders with what has been provided over the past several years.

Major funding would be a boost to our program and the children of this community. As more and more communities take ownership of the issues facing the less fortunate around them, productive partnerships can be formed to the benefit of both those who are served as well as those who serve. As Proverbs 11, verse 17 states, “The merciful man does good for his own soul.”

Bishop Patrick L. Kelly is the pastor of Cathedral Church of God, 365 S. Dixie Hwy., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. 954-427-0302.

By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach High School senior Andrew Reising is hoping to extend his pole vaulting career into college.

The 18-year-old Pompano Beach resident won the Broward County Athletic Association Championship this year as he tied his personal best effort with a 14-ft. jump. Reising plans on attending the University of South Florida and was waiting on their coaching staff to offer a spot on the team.

Reising took second in the districts and regionals en route to a sixth place finish in the Class 2A state track and field meet at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. His 13 ft., 6 in. jump at state was just short of his personal best.

“I did cross country and I liked it so I went out for track,” said Reising, who has competed in track and field since the sixth grade. “I just saw them doing (pole vault) when I was running around the track and wanted to try it. I did it one day and I liked it.

“I don’t like running events as much so I got bored and pole vault was always the next thing to perfect in a jump,” added Reising, who spent the first two high school years at Western High School before transferring to Pompano Beach for his last two years.”

A sixth place finish was satisfactory to Reising.

“I am happy with it,” Reising said. “I was able to jump 14 both years. It would be pretty awesome to compete in college.

Admittedly, the first two years of pole vaulting were difficult.

“It was kind of rough because I didn’t have a coach,” Reising said. “The swimming coach would show up like once or twice a week, and I didn’t have good poles so it was rough. I still did good.”

Reising said his pole vaulting career took off in his sophomore year. He believes he could have done better this year.

“In my sophomore year, I thought how practical it would be when I got 13-6,” Reising said. “After the first week or two, I was pretty good and got past the fear.”

Reising said he jumped 8-ft. his first time as an eighth grade middle school competitor and, after a few weeks of practice, was able to get 9-6 at the state meet.

“Winning the BCAA meet was a pretty cool feeling,” Reising said. “I tied my PR from the year before. I went into the meet feeling good, and the weather was good and everything just turned out perfect.”

Pompano Junior Lifeguard program nears

The Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard Summer Camp is coming up in a few weeks.

It is a unique aquatic experience for boys and girls ages 9 to 17 and will be held from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon. There will be three sessions in addition to a competition camp.

Session One is slated from June 8 to June 19. Two is June 22 to July 3. Three is July 13 to July 24. The competition camp will be from July 27 to July 31, and all sessions have a maximum capacity of 125 athletes.

Costs are $150 for Pompano Beach residents and $200 for non-residents. Junior Lifeguards returning from the previous year are not required to test, while new applicants must try out and be able to complete a 150-yd. swim, tread water and swim under water for 5 yds. while holding their breath.

There are two testing days remaining: This Saturday (May 23) from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and the following Saturday (May 30) at the same time. Registration and testing is held at the Pompano Beach Aquatics Center.

For more information, contact juniorguards@copbfl.com