VENICE RECREATION CENTER

The Venice Recreation Center is a place for many forms of exercise. Its facilities include a weight pin, a skate park, basketball, handball and paddle tennis courts, and the famed muscle beach. The center is frequented by many skilled athletes and home to many challenging and sometimes obscure sports. These factors may seem daunting for a newcomer, but the few that train there are unconcerned by the spectacle they might create on the highly trafficked boardwalk that winds through the property. Coordinator Fred Ealey provides equipment such as punching bags or basketballs, and welcomes anyone to partake. Competitors can argue or get heated in a game but at the end of the day, sportsmanship wins. Ealey says there's never a dull moment at the center.