• Cachuma Lake Trout Derby: The Neal Taylor Nature Center at Cachuma Lake is holding the 17th annual Trout Derby April 14 and 15. Prizes include $5,000 in cash, plus thousands of dollars in merchandise for anglers who reel in the biggest fish. Registration is $35 for adults until March 31, and $40 thereafter. Children ages 4 to 10 years old are $10. Registration forms are available at the Cachuma Lake Park entry gate, store, marina, Nature Center, and some local businesses. For more information, leave your name and address on the Derby hotline at 693-8381 or visit troutderby.org.
• First Tee of Central Coast: The junior golf-training program for children starts spring sessions at Blacklake Golf Resort and Sunset Ridge Golf Course. Sessions are available for beginners ages 7 and advanced children 11 and older. Fees are $100 for each nine-week session and $75 for siblings and children of volunteer coaches.
Advanced workshops begin April 13, and regular sessions start April 15 at Blacklake Golf Resort in Nipomo. The classes run until June 10. Sessions at Sunset Ridge Golf Course in Santa Maria run from April 17 to June 12. To register, visit First Tee Central Coast online at tftcc.org. For more information, contact First Tee of Central Coast Program Director Billy Gibbs at 219-0060 or Executive Director Butch Breeden at 637-9415.
• Santa Maria Valley Packers fundraiser: The semipro Santa Maria Valley Packers baseball team is raising money with a poker event on April 21. Organizers will be giving away a champion’s bracelet and a 40-inch TV to the night’s big winner. A $50 donation secures a buy-in, with re-buys available in the first three rounds. The event takes place at Bryn Smith’s barn and poker room at 1239 Hwy. 1, in Orcutt beginning with a barbecue at 1:30 p.m. Play starts at 3 p.m., and all proceeds from the fundraiser will go to benefit Packers baseball. For more information, call Packers pitching coach Smith at 451-8516.
• Splash and Dash: The third annual Splash and Dash fundraiser for the Allan Hancock College Athletics Department and Bulldog Rec-ing Club will be held on April 28. The events are a 5k run; a 2-mile walk; a 500-yard swim; or an “aquathon,” a combination of the swim and run. Registration begins at 8 a.m. with events starting at 8:30. There’s a $25 fee for all participants, and proceeds will benefit AHC Athletics. For more information, e-mail splashanddash@hancockcollege.edu. To register, visit active.com.
Sports Shorts is compiled by Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in Apr 5-12, 2012.