Hit a home run with West Volusia Sports

From the Archives: March 2015

Sports, athletic programs and recreational fun have hit a home run in West Volusia communities.

Like to putt, swing and drive? Several area golf courses are open to the public, such as Glen Abbey Golf course in DeBary, Sandhill Golf Course in DeLand, Victoria Hills Golf Club in Deland, and The Deltona Club. Join DeBary Golf & Country Club for a great course that is consistently chosen as a U.S. Open qualifying site.

Is disc golf (Frisbee golf) the kind of golf you prefer? Get your throw on at River City Nature Park in DeBary. The course features a mix of shots and long and short holes and is sure to be a breath of fresh air for those looking for a different kind of play.

Two bowling alleys, several martial arts organizations, numerous dance organizations, keep us active indoors, while summertime beckons swimmers to check out the public pool at Chisholm Center in Deland and the pools at area YMCA branches.

Cities in West Volusia and the county itself teem with adult and youth recreational sports programs nearly every month of the year, and have included adult kickball, youth dodgeball, youth soccer, youth basketball, youth tennis, and much more. Check out the many Little League baseball and Pop Warner football programs, too. Lake Helen’s Power Volleyball Academy is a girls’ program that has grown to more than 130 team members on 13 teams.

Running has taken on a life of its own in West Volusia, as noted by the impressive growth of the West Volusia Runners organization and the exponential growth of the home-grown ME STRONG 5k in January – the largest in the area. West Volusia Runners, a nonprofit organization, touts more than 350 members, and organizes West Volusia’s largest half marathon – the Swamp House Half-Marathon – each March in DeBary. DeBary recently started a Kids Run Club to help youngsters catch the fever, too.

Stetson University brings several competitive college sports matches up to the area, and depending upon the season, you can check out football, baseball, women's tennis or lacrosse, men's soccer or basketball, volleyball, softball, and many others. Stetson's football program plays its season home games at Deland’s 6,000-seat Spec Martin Stadium. This NCAA Division I team which plays in the Pioneer football league was welcomed by with open arms back to Stetson in 2013 after a 50-year hiatus.

The recreational opportunities don’t end there! Visit Family Fun Town in Orange City for mini-golf, go-karts, and batting cages; the Skate Parks at Lake Butler Recreation Complex in Deltona and at Earl Brown Park in DeLand; shuffleboard facilities in DeLand, DeLeon Springs and Deltona.

After all that activity, you may want to sit back and let others show their stuff. Volusia Speedway Park in DeLeon Springs in the perfect place to do so. Enjoy races from the World of Outlaws series – both spring and late-model cars – that make the dirt fly on the Park’s half-mile and eighth-mile tracks.