The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Kevin Weiss

Sugarcane festival adds spicy twist

By

For the seventh straight year, the Raising Cane Festival returns to the Pioneer Florida Museum in Dade City.

The sweet celebration, however, now comes with a spicy twist.

The one-day festival, which highlights the traditional method of milling sugarcane into syrup, will include its first-ever chili cook-off.

The event is set for Jan. 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 15602 Pioneer Museum Road.

A flat-belt tractor with steel rollers is another way sugarcane stalk is transformed into cane juice. One is shown here during a previous Raising Cane Festival.
(Courtesy or Richard Riley)

The International Chili Society (ICS), an organization that sanctions nearly 200 chili cook-offs worldwide each year, will sanction the cook-off, expected to feature at least 10 professional chili competitors.

The contest was added, in part, to help boost attendance, said event coordinator Brenda Minton.

“I was always looking for something else to add to it that might bring in a different crowd — along with the ones that we had,” Minton said.

Furthermore, she said the cook-off “adds credibility” to the annual Raising Cane Festival.

“People come from all over to participate in it,” Minton said, referring to the chili cook-off competitors. They do that, she said, “because they want to get points, so that at the end of the year they can win prizes from ICS.”

The ICS cook-off includes three categories: Chili Verde, Salsa and Traditional Red Chili. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place in each category.

Local chili-makers, too, will get a chance to display their culinary talents.

They’ll compete in a separate cook-off, battling for the Steve Otto’s People’s Choice Award, where festivalgoers cast votes for their favorite recipes.

Meanwhile, the staples of the sugarcane festival remain.

In addition to a homemade cane syrup breakfast, attendees can partake in a syrup-tasting contest, where samples from 24 different manufacturers are judged on taste, color, pour and clarity.

Other planned activities barrel train rides and a petting zoo, as well as cane pole and iron skillet tossin’.

Also, live entertainment will be provided by the Crackerbillys, the Sara Rose Band and Those Unscrupulous Sunspots.

Yet, the event’s main course is still the old-timey cane-making demonstration, hosted by museum experts.

Wilbur Dew, who’s produced cane syrup for more than 20 years, is one of the scheduled demonstrators.

The 83-year-old said sugarcane is often cut this time of year, because “cool weather causes it to sweeten up.”

Using a technique that dates back several hundred years, the entire syrup-making process takes about six hours to complete, he said.

Sugarcane is first grinded into cane juice, using either a mule or tractor-powered mill.

“We have a mill that looks a little bit like a washing machine ringer,” Dew said. “It’s two or three steel rollers that the cane stalk is pushed through.

“The mill may be a vertical mill that’s powered by a mule walking around in a circle, or it may be a horizontal mill that’s powered by a flat-belt tractor.”

Once squeezed, cane juice is then boiled in the museum’s 80-gallon kettle.

The process usually yields 8 gallons to 9 gallons of syrup, Dew said.

To create a desired texture, Dew noted the ideal boiling temperature is around 227 degrees Fahrenheit.

“The temperature determines viscosity,” he explained. “Whereas maple syrup pours real thin, we want cane syrup to be a little thicker. Some would say: ‘We want it to stand up as tall as a biscuit on a plate.’”

And, unlike some other sugary substances, Dew said cane syrup is “an all-around good sweetener.”

“I much prefer it to maple syrup,” he said. “You can put it on pancakes, your biscuits. It’s really anything that you would use brown sugar on — some people use it in their ham preserving process.”
Museum experts say cane syrup was a routine part of pioneers’ diets, especially those settled in southern states, like Florida.

“In the Deep South, sugar was a commodity that you had to buy,” Dew said, “but you could make syrup and it would sweeten your coffee, or your tea.”

“It was just, in general, a common sweetener,” he added.

Event admission is $5 per person, with free admission for children age 5 and younger.

The Pioneer Florida Museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Florida’s pioneer heritage. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information on the event, visit PioneerFloridaMuseum.org., or call Brenda Minton at (352) 206-8889.

Published December 28, 2016

Local senior wins app contest

By

Nikhil Dutt has big aspirations.

He wants to become “the next Steve Jobs.”

And, like the co-founder of Apple Inc., he has a craving for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Nikhil Dutt, a Land O’ Lakes High senior, developed a desktop app, ‘Student Toolbox,’ to help students organize their classwork. It was selected as the winner of 2016 Congressional App Challenge for Florida’s 12th Congressional District. 
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photos)

So, it may not be surprising that the 17-year-old Land O’ Lakes high school senior developed his own desktop computer application, as a side interest.

It’s called ‘Student Toolbox,’ and it aims to simplify the lives of students.

Essentially, it’s a one-stop shop for students to organize their schoolwork.

Built through a Microsoft Access coding program, ‘Student Toolbox’ helps students organize tasks, with tools such as reminders for when an assignment is due; an address book that helps students connect with teachers and their peers; and, the ability to map out their classrooms by uploading maps of the school.

The toolbox also features a “Media” button to upload podcasts, assignments and lectures from classes or other online resources.

“It’s something that I felt is useful, so I wanted to apply it to other people,” Dutt said.

It was enough to catch the attention of U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, who recently announced Dutt as the winner of 2016 Congressional App Challenge for Florida’s 12th Congressional District.

“I am very impressed with Nikhil’s app, and can envision ‘Student Toolbox’ being used by high school students across the country,” Bilirakis said, in a statement. “Coding and app development are important skills for the 21st century, and it is great to see these skills being embraced right here in Pasco County.”

The Congressional App Challenge drew more than 2, 150 student competitors across the nation. Winners were selected from 123 congressional districts.

The contest aims to encourage students to design their own original smartphone or desktop apps, promoting computer science and STEM education in schools.

App submissions were judged by a panel made up of teachers, and various tech professionals and entrepreneurs.

‘Student Toolbox’ is essentially a one-stop shop for students to organize their schoolwork. Built through a Microsoft Access coding program, the app helps students organize tasks, with tools such as reminders for assignment due dates; connect with teachers and peers through an address book; and, map out their classrooms by uploading maps of the school.

Criteria included quality of the idea (including creativity and originality); implementation of the idea (including user experience and design); and demonstrated excellence of coding and programming skills.

When Dutt first heard about the challenge, he figured he’d give it a shot.

He noted the contest was “the best way for me to express my admiration” of entrepreneurship.

To brush up on application coding, Dutt turned to instructional videos on YouTube.

“It’s amazing the amount of free resources you can get online,” he said.

Dutt’s creation took about a year to complete.

“Every weekend, I would work on it for a few hours, here and there,” he said. “The idea started developing in my head and then, over time, I turned it into a product.”

Dutt acknowledged the app is still undergoing beginning testing stages. However, he hopes schools can someday use it, once updates and revisions are made.

In the meantime, Dutt is already brainstorming other app developments, including a medical-based program to assist surgeons.

That app, in theory, would allow for surgeons “to draw out a picture” of procedures, instead of having nurses write them down.

His parents, who are both medical doctors, influenced that idea. His father is an ophthalmologist and his mother is a radiation oncologist.

Dutt — like many other students in the school’s rigorous International Baccalaureate program— serves in several school organizations.

He is the president of the school’s American Red Cross Club; he’s also a member of the Model UN Club and the Future Business Leaders of America.

“I have a lot of different passions,” the high school senior said.

Over the long term, Dutt envisions owning his own company, and helping others globally through computer science and technology.

While he one day hopes to make the same kind of impact as the former Apple CEO did, Dutt knows those aspirations are a long way off.

“It’s a bit of a stretch,” the aspiring entrepreneur said.

Published December 28, 2016

Inspiring hope through origami cranes

By

Tina So and Mia Thielbar were pre-International Baccalaureate freshman at Land O’ Lakes High School when they began a project they call “Cranes for Cancer.”

Now, more than three years later, they are seniors — and they are still involved with the project to handcraft paper origami cranes for people afflicted with cancer.

The goal is to instill hope, and the idea was spawned in August 2013.

Mia Thielbar, left, and Tina So handcraft origami paper cranes for cancer patients. The initiative, which began in 2013, seeks to inspire hope for those battling cancer.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)

At the time, Marilyn Ling, a reading teacher at the high school, was battling ovarian cancer. As a show of empathy, So and Thielbar together assembled 1,000 paper cranes after their Inquiry Skills teacher, Angelle Damalos, relayed the gesture’s significance in class one day.

In Japanese culture, cranes are a traditional sign of long life and good fortune. Other cultures, meanwhile, fold 1,000 paper stars to make a wish.

The ambitious crane project took four months to complete.

They first used post-it notes, then progressed to traditional origami paper.

Cranes were also sculpted in an assortment of colors — pink, gold and blue.

“We had one that would flap,” So said, “and, we had one that just looks prettier because it has a stomach to it.”

It required some trial and error.

“At first, it took us a while,” So said. “Initially, we were not very good at it.”

Eventually, they improved.

“We worked consistently,” Thielbar said. “We did it everyday; whenever there was free time in class, we’d work on it.”

The pair never actually met Ling.

“(Ling) was sick, and she didn’t want us to see her in her condition,” So said.

Damalos, instead, presented the 1,000 cranes to her that December.

Ling passed away in April 2014.

The students, however, have continued their efforts.

They’ve since volunteered at Shriner’s Hospital in Tampa, where they distributed over 500 cranes to children surgical patients.

In multiple hospital visits, So and Thielbar taught patients the origami art form, and assisted them with crane decorations.

“It’s sort of a distraction for them,” Thielbar said, “so that they’re not as worried to…see the doctor.”

The pair, too, sold cranes at various Relay for Life events, helping to raise money for cancer-afflicted patients.

“We always have wanted to share cranes with people,” Thielbar said. “We make them whenever we can.”

The cranes, they believe, help cancer sufferers hold onto their faith during personal struggles.

“Positivity can change everything,” So said. “Even if it can’t cure you, it can prolong your life; you can enjoy that prolonged time.

“Without hope, it’s a losing battle.”

The philanthropic journey has been fulfilling — for both.

“I really enjoy reaching out to people like that,” So said, “and it has inspired me to be a better person, like evaluate my actions and values. Overall, it just really makes me feel really good to help people.”

“We just want to serve as more of an inspiration to our peers — to be more kind toward other people,” said Thielbar, “and respectful of the things they might be going through.”

In other words, expressing sympathy.

“That’s one of the values that I feel is being lost in our culture,” Thielbar said.

“A lot of people are losing empathy and compassion, and generosity towards other people.”

Besides “Cranes for Cancer,” the duo has other grandiose plans on the horizon.

“We still want to continue the efforts of helping people,” Thielbar said, “but, we want to make a bigger impact. We’re still working on what would that impact be — how to affect more people.”

That may include additional fundraising efforts for cancer patients.

“I feel like that would make a bigger impact financially for a lot of people, because I know that’s a big struggle,” said Thielbar.

“But, we also want to be like an inspiration to other people.”

They’ve already inspired Jeff Morgenstein, an assistant principal.

“Seeing Mia and Tina use their creativity and compassion in order to improve the lives of others is greatly in tune with our (school) mission statement,” Morgenstein said, via email.

He continued: “To say that I’m proud of them is an understatement. It is through these meaningful actions here in the community that they are truly changing the world.”

Beyond high school, Thielbar plans to study educational administration at the University of South Florida, and aspires to become a school principal, someday.

So is considering the University of Florida, where she would like to study psychology.

Published December 28, 2016

Name sought for new Zephyrhills venue

By

A new community venue in Zephyrhills needs a name.

The City of Zephyrhills and The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce are conducting a contest to name the venue, which is located at the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.

The venue’s moniker will be announced at the eighth annual Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Fest on Jan. 21. Naming winners will receive free parking to the BBQ fest, as well as other prizes.
(Courtesy of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce)

The venue, at 5200 Airport Road, is the site for the eighth annual Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Fest on Jan. 21.

Ideally the venue’s name will reflect the purpose, location and history of the site. The name also should not imply that the venue’s sole purpose is for the annual barbecue and blues event.

Submissions will be accepted through Jan. 6. Double entendres, that is, words with double meanings, will not be considered.

The venue’s name will be selected by a city of Zephyrhills committee, and will be announced during the Pigz in Z’Hills event.

Winners of the contest will receive a free parking pass to the BBQ fest, plus gifts and prizes.

Melonie Monson, the chamber’s executive director, said her office has already received “quite a few” submissions from locals.

“Everybody’s got a different idea,” she said. “It’s quite fun to see the different ones that are coming in.”

The $60,000 venue is owned and operated by the City of Zephyrhills. The city contributed $30,000 to its construction, while Florida Hospital Zephyrhills donated $30,000 to build a permanent stage.

The venue helps cut down on variable expenses, including the annual costs to rent a stage and generators, which officials say can total nearly $10,000.

A permanent site had been desired for some time.

Over a year ago, the chamber proposed the concept for a local festival grounds after the organization determined a larger site was needed to house Pigz in Z’Hills.

Melonie Monson, executive director of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.
(File Photo)

The tract of land the chamber had been using for the festival was about 2.5 acres.

The new 14-acre site includes a 20-by-40 stage, and 50 vendor spaces equipped with water and electricity. There also is additional space for freestanding vendors, business expos and children’s activities

The setting, moreover, will be able to accommodate up to 15,000 guests at a time, and will provide easy access and parking along South Avenue.

Officials say the permanent venue will ultimately help the Pigz in Z’Hills run more smoothly, and will create an enhanced layout for musicians, vendors and attendees.

That means an expanded Kids Zone, which may feature as many as 15 vendors, making the event “more family friendly.”

“It’s going to be huge compared to what we’ve had in the past,” Monson said.

The barbecue festival’s car show will be larger, too. Monson said there will be as many as 200 automobiles on display, to the delight of vehicle enthusiasts.

“The car show itself is going to be amazing,” Monson said. “We’ve only had about 50 in the car show in the past.”

Elsewhere, Monson anticipates about 50 barbecue cook teams; 60 business expo vendors; 20 aviation expo vendors; and 15 concession vendors.

The chamber director, meanwhile, is finalizing the “best possible layout” for the shindig, which she hopes will draw anywhere from 7,000 to 10, 000 attendees.

Much of the preparation has already been done, considering the staging area is already complete, and water and electricity access has been installed.

“Everything is 90 percent ready,” Monson said. “We’re starting to lay out all the vendors and the cook teams…”

She added: “After this year, it’s going to be a lot easier.”

Once Pigz in Z’Hills wraps up, the chamber will look to bring a balloon festival to the completed venue site.

“That’s high on our priority,” Monson said.

Besides the chamber, several organizations have expressed interest in using the event site, including the Rotary Club of Zephyrhills, Thomas Promise Foundation, Ride for Hospice, and Paulie Palooza.

Once in operation, nonprofit organizations wanting to use the venue will pay a fee to cover the cost of site maintenance and staffing, which will be performed by the city.

Events are expected to be limited to daytime festivals in order to prevent stage noise in the residential area behind the venue, although the stage will be designed to direct music toward the airport.

The venue also paves the way for the return of the Celtic Festival and Highland Games to Zephyrhills; the festival’s immense popularity forced it to vacate its venue at Zephyr Park in 2011.

For more information, contact the Zephyrhills chamber at (813) 782-1913.

Published December 28, 2016

Chiefs wrap up Super Bowl season

By

Through 38 years of organized youth tackle football, the 2016 fall varsity season will go down as one of the Lutz Chiefs’ most dominant ever.

They went 14-1.

They were crowned Tampa Bay Youth Football League (TBYFL) Super Bowl champs.

And, they won “The Battle of the Bay,” toppling the best Pinellas County had to offer.

The Lutz Chiefs varsity team, made up of 13- and 14- year-olds, recently was crowned Super Bowl champs for the Tampa Bay Youth Football League (TBYFL). The Super Bowl victory marked the organization’s first championship since 2009 — and the first for a Chiefs varsity squad since 2006.
(Photos courtesy of James Monahan Photography)

All told, it was a remarkable year for the Chiefs 13-14-year-old division team.

In fact, the Super Bowl victory marked the organization’s first championship since 2009 — and the first for a Chiefs varsity squad since 2006.

As for the team’s lone blemish? It came in the form of a 12 to 6 overtime loss in the fifth game of the season.

Tom Wiltse, director of the Lutz Chiefs, described the season this way: “It’s just one of those things where everything kind of clicked. We knew we had a really good opportunity to go far this year.”

The outcome was perhaps a year in the making.

Many integral pieces — including a stable coaching staff — returned from a respectable two-loss 2015 season.

“We brought back a lot of the same players,” Wiltse said, “but, we picked up a couple of other key players — really good athletes.”

Getting the group to play as a cohesive unit, however, was the critical part, said Zack Kilburn, Chiefs varsity head coach.

“We had a great deal of talent,” Kilburn said, “but, the biggest success was for them to become a team.

“We had a bunch of kids that had been used to being the superstar at multiple levels… and we had to teach them to be a part of a team, and how to work through those aspects.”

That meant an enhanced focus on building positive character traits — like integrity and dedication, and honesty and sportsmanship.

A blitz-heavy defense helped propel the Lutz Chiefs to a 14-1 fall record.

“Talent can only take you so far,” said Kilburn, who’s coached with the Chiefs for more than a decade. “We had a big philosophy on concentrating on the little things — teaching these kids that the little things are going to make them successful in life, and on the football field.”

On the gridiron, the Chiefs coach said the Chiefs’ pressure-heavy 4-4 defense was “probably the biggest deciding factor” in the 14 wins — several of which were shutouts.

“We kind of adapt what our defense is doing,” Kilburn said. “We do a lot of blitzing to try to mix it up and confuse the opposing offense.”

Unsurprisingly, several names etched on the Chiefs’ 2016 varsity roster have lofty ceilings ahead.

Many will eventually dot the football rosters of area high schools like Steinbrenner, Freedom, Wharton and Gaither.

“I’d bet there’s seven, maybe eight kids that are going to be really good players in high school,” Wiltse said.

A few may even don Division I uniforms.

“When you’re moving up, the competition gets better…but we got a couple of kids that for sure are going to be playing DI football,” Wiltse said.

Reaching the game’s uppermost levels isn’t foreign to the Chiefs.

The organization has produced two current NFL players — wide receiver Nelson Agholor and quarterback Aaron Murray.

Both are Philadelphia Eagles, ironically.

Agholor, for one, is particularly passionate about his Lutz Chiefs playing days.

During the 2015 NFL offseason, he made an appearance at a Chiefs practice, where he spoke to current players about the bonds he formed throughout youth football.

There, Agholor proclaimed, “I’m a Chief for life.”

“It was just really, really cool.” Wiltse said of the memorable moment. “People got goosebumps.”

Agholor, like countless others, are part of what Wiltse refers to as ‘Chiefs Nation.’

The moniker — like the organization — casts a wide net. It describes current (and former) youth players and cheerleaders, along with families and other volunteers.

“We kind of got something special up here,” Wiltse said.

And, while winning games is important, the Chiefs director noted the organization’s purpose rests in “teaching family values.”

“I tell people all the time, ‘If you can get the infrastructure behind you, the wins…will come shortly thereafter,’” Wiltse said. “But, you got to build that infrastructure.”

Meantime, the varsity squad — and the Chiefs’ other age divisions— will shortly suit up for spring football, where practices begin Feb. 1.

They’ll compete in the Tampa Bay Extreme Spring Football (TBXSF) league, which has a short season league, and draws squads from Pop Warner and Pinellas County.

Simply put, the Chiefs will compete against teams they normally wouldn’t face.

“It’s pretty good at judging where your whole organization is when you’re playing some of these other teams,” Wiltse said.

For more information on the Lutz Chiefs, visit LutzChiefs.org.

Published December 28, 2016

SAC All-Conference football teams announced

By

The Zephyrhills Bulldogs were named Southern Athletic Conference (SAC) champions after finishing the 2016 season 8-3.
(File Photo)

The SAC All-Conference football teams were recently announced. Players were split up into East and West teams, reflecting Pasco County’s 13 public high schools.
SAC East All-Conference Teams
​Team Champion: Zephyrhills High Bulldogs (8-3)
Coach of the Year: Mark Kantor, Wiregrass Ranch High
Offensive Player of the Year: QB Justin Hall, Sunlake High
Defensive Player of the Year: LB Ryan Scamardo, Wiregrass Ranch High

First-Team
Offense:
​QB – Justin Hall, Sunlake High, senior
RB – Dexter Leverett, Wesley Chapel High, junior
RB – Dada McGee, Wiregrass Ranch High, junior
WR – Tre’pavis Mobley, Zephyrhills High, sophomore
WR – Ryan Clark, Sunlake High, senior
OL – Aaron Beardsley, Wiregrass Ranch High, senior
OL – Seth Petty, Wesley Chapel High sophomore
OL – Kameron Allen, Zephyrhills High, junior
OL – James Perez, Sunlake High, senior
​OL – Camron Craig, Pasco High, junior
TE – Brayden Lyman, Land O’ Lakes High, senior
Utility- Isaiah Bolden, Wesley Chapel High, junior

Defense:
DL – Jason Winston, Wiregrass Ranch High, senior
DL – Christian Austin, Wesley Chapel High, senior
DL – Erick Marcel, Land O’ Lakes High, senior
DL – Brett Lemay, Zephyrhills High, senior
LB – Ryan Scamardo, Wiregrass Ranch High, senior
LB – Adam Jarvis, Sunlake High, junior
LB – Myron Bloom, Land O’ Lakes High, sophomore
LB – Cameron Smith, Pasco High, junior
DB – Jordan Miner, Wiregrass Ranch High, junior
DB – Shamuar McDowell, Wiregrass Ranch High, junior
DB – Justin Kren, Land O’ Lakes High, senior
P – Dylan Hothenthaner, Land O’ Lakes High, senior
K – Chris Faddoul, Wiregrass Ranch High, senior

Second-Team
Offense:
QB – Charles Harrison III, Zephyrhills High, junior
RB – Elijah Thomas,  Zephyrhills High, junior
RB – Justin Metzger, Sunlake High, senior
WR – Tyler Peretti,  Sunlake High, senior
WR – Ja’quan Sheppard, Zephyrhills High, sophomore
OL – Matt Welsh, Wiregrass Ranch High, senior
OL – Carson Reaves, Sunlake High, senior
OL – Jared Granuth, Land O’ Lakes High, senior
OL – Cameron Tucker, Zephyrhills High, junior
OL – Trevon Davis, Sunlake High, sophomore
TE – Devaun Roberts, Wiregrass Ranch High, junior
Utility – Cris Galdos, Sunlake High, senior

Defense:
DL – Donovan Willingham, Wesley Chapel High, senior
DL – Sterlin Williams,  Zephyrhills, junior
DL – Cody Mercer, Pasco High, junior
DL – Connor Davey,  Sunlake High, senior
LB – Austen Wittish, Wesley Chapel High, junior
LB – Jarrett Black, Zephyrhills High, senior
LB – Izzy Aquino,  Sunlake High, senior
LB – Brayden Lyman, Land O’ Lakes High, senior
DB – Ryan Clark, Sunlake High, senior
DB – Kameron Howard,  Zephyrhills High, senior
DB – Malik Melvin, Wesley Chapel High, junior
P – Chris Faddoul, Wiregrass Ranch High, senior
K – Kareem Mehrab,  Zephyrhills High, senior

Former Land O’ Lakes player makes All-SoCon team

By

Former Land O’ Lakes High football star Shaheed Salmon is making a name for himself at Samford University, in Alabama.
(IFile Photo)

Shaheed Salmon, a former Land O’ Lakes High School football standout and current Samford (Alabama) University junior linebacker, received First-Team All-Southern Conference honors, as voted on by league coaches. Meanwhile, conference media members gave him Second-Team All-Southern Conference honors. The 6-foot-1, 226-pound defensive stalwart tallied 93 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and an interception in 2016 for Samford, a Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) school. In 2013, Salmon led the Land O’ Lakes Gators in tackles (117), tackles for loss (21.5) and sacks (8.5). He also competed in basketball and track at Land O’ Lakes.

Freedom High hoops coach notches 200th win

By

Freedom High girls varsity basketball coach Laurie Pacholke notched her 200th career win following a 51-43 win over Oak Hill High, on Dec. 19. Pacholke, who was hired in 2009, has had three 20-plus-win seasons, and just one losing season during that period. This year’s team, which features six seniors, stands at 7-3, through Dec. 19.

Celebrating the Festival of Lights

By

The Festival of Lights coincides with the Christmas week this year.

The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah begins on the evening of Dec. 24, and ends on the evening of Jan. 1.

Hanukkah runs from the evening of Dec. 24 to the evening of Jan.1.
(Photos courtesy of Chabad.org.)

The eight-day celebration commemorates the “miracle” of the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century B.C., when Israel was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who massacred thousands of people and desecrated the city’s holy Second Temple; they also outlawed Judaism and forced Jews to worship Greek gods.

Ancient sources recount that leaders of a Jewish rebel army, called the Maccabees, rose up against their Syrian-Greek oppressors. The uprising lasted three years until the Maccabees seized Jerusalem and retook control of the Second Temple.

During Hanukkah, it is customary to play with a dreidel, a four-sided spinning top.

According to the Talmud, one of Judaism’s most central texts, the Maccabees sought to light the temple’s menorah (a seven-branched candelabrum), but found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Syrian-Greeks. The one-day supply of oil, however, kept the candles flickering for eight nights.

Observances
The main religious observance to the holiday is lighting a nine-branched menorah, known in Hebrew as a hanukiah. On each of the holiday’s eight nights, another candle is added to the menorah after sundown; the ninth candle, called the shamash (helper), is used to light the others. Jews typically recite blessings during the ritual and display the menorah prominently in a window as a reminder to others of the holiday-inspired miracle.

Traditional Hanukkah Foods
It is traditional to eat fried foods during Hanukkah because of the significance of oil to the holiday. Among the most popular dishes are potato latkes (pancakes) and sufganiot (deep-fried doughnuts). Brisket is often served as a main course; it is also customary to consume dairy foods during Hanukkah.

Other customs

  • Playing with a dreidel: On Hanukkah, it is customary to play with a dreidel, a four-sided spinning top bearing Hebrew letters that serve as an acronym for “a great miracle happened there.” The game is usually played for a pot of coins, nuts or other prizes; it is won or lost based on which letter the dreidel lands when it’s spun.
  • Offering gelt: It is also a tradition to offer gelt (gifts of money) to children during the festival as a reward for positive behavior and devotion to Torah (Jewish Bible) study. The custom has since spawned the phenomenon of silver and gold foil-covered chocolate gelt coins.

Hanukkah events listing:

Light Up The Night Chanukah Street Fair
Where: The Shops at Wiregrass (by Dillard’s), 28211 Paseo Drive, Wesley Chapel
When: Dec. 27 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
For information, call (813) 642-3244, or visit ChabadatWiregrass.com.

Kol Ami Hanukkah Party
Where: Congregation Kol Ami, 3919 Moran Road, Tampa
When: Dec. 24 at 6:30 p.m.
The event is free of charge; reservations are required. For information, call (813) 962-6338, or email .

Mekor Shalom’s fourth annual Hanukkah Party
Where: Congregation Mekor Shalom, 14005A N. Dale Mabry Highway
When: Dec. 27 at 6:30 p.m.
For information, call (813) 963-1818, or visit MekorShalom.org.

Lights & Latkes Hanukkah Potluck Dinner
Where: Congregation Beth Am, 2030 W. Fletcher Ave.
When: Dec. 30 at 6 p.m.
For information, call (813) 968-8511, or visit BethAmTampa.org.

Published December 21, 2016

 

More girls pumping iron at Academy at the Lakes

By

When Academy at the Lakes began its girls weightlifting program, there was just one girl on the team.

That was in 2014, and the sole lifter was senior Kennedy Van Zandt Lachiotte.

Since then, the program has grown steadily.

Academy at the Lakes basketball standout Imani Thomas is a first-time member of the Wildcats weightlifting team. Second-year coach Marla Oliver believes she has potential to reach states this year.
(Photos courtesy of Winning Photography)

Participation (and expectations) is up under second-year coach Marla Oliver, who took over in 2015 after John Castelmare’s retirement.

And, despite the exit of three graduating seniors — Maggie Hult, Natalie Davis, Grace Faith — the weightlifting coach has managed to increase from seven a year ago to 12 for the 2016-2017 roster.

How does the coach do it?

It starts with an open invitation, followed by encouragement.

“Either they like it and want to stay with it,” Oliver said, “or, it’s not for them, and it’s no pressure at all. I always tell them that.”

However, she added: “Most of the girls end up liking it.”

That includes the school’s senior basketball sensation Imani Thomas, to whom Oliver one day suggested that she give weightlifting a chance.

Thomas — who according to Oliver possesses “natural strength”— fell in love with the sport, instantly.

“I’m…drawn to weightlifting,” Thomas said. “The environment, the intensity that people have around you — it’s pretty nice.”

She, too, enjoys the camaraderie aspect of weightlifting.

“We have this team that will cheer you on no matter what,” Thomas said, “even if you’re struggling.”

Another positive: it’s boosted her performance on the hardwood.

Sophomore Victoria Yanez sets up for a clean-and-jerk at a recent weightlifting meet.

“I’ve gotten a little bit more stronger in the paint,” said Thomas, who’s averaging 10.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.

Other lifters, like sophomore Victoria Yanez, are bullish to the sport because of its obvious health benefits.

“I was really into personal fitness and being really healthy,” Yanez said, “and I wasn’t really feeling like I was getting that out of collective sports like volleyball or softball. We tried (weightlifting) in one of our gym classes in the weight room, and it was so invigorating and so much fun.”

Yanez, like Thomas, appreciates the sport’s “supportive community” often apparent at meets.

“We’re there cheering on other teams that might be our biggest competitor,” Yanez said, “because you see these girls and you see how hard they’re working, and you know how hard they’re working…because you go through that.”

That mindset often trickles to coaches from opposing schools, she added.

“Their coaches will help you and they give you pointers because they want real competition,” Yanez explained. “It’s not just, ‘Oh, let’s let them slip away and win.’”

Being a smaller private school, winning meets against larger public schools is a substantial hurdle, however.

So, too, is fitting in workouts for girls like Thomas, who have other sports and extracurricular obligations.

“It’s about trying to get them in the weight room with so much going on,” Oliver said. “There’s everything from auditions for a play, to girls in cheerleading…”

Second-year weightlifting coach Marla Oliver has steadily increased participation among girls at Academy at the Lakes.
(File Photo)

To compensate, the Wildcats coach schedules intensive full-body workouts, striving to master each lifter’s technique for the bench press and clean-and-jerk.

“With the time that we have,” Oliver said, “we can’t really do a leg day, or an arm day.”

That’s fine for Yanez, who’s just looking to improve her lifting fundamentals as the season progresses.

“I look at technique specifically,” Yanez said, “because that’s one thing that definitely helps you. It’s not about pure grit and throwing up weights; it’s about how you go about doing it.”

The Wildcats coach, meanwhile, believes as many as five Wildcats can qualify for regionals, based on past invitational and district results. A few — like Thomas— even have potential to reach states someday.

“I’m just happy right now that we are putting up points,” Oliver said, “and, the girls are increasing their numbers.”

As she continues to elevate the program, Oliver feels the sport’s popularity, especially among the girls at Academy at the Lakes, lies in weightlifting’s ability to serve as a “confidence boost.”

Yanez agrees.

“You can go from being this meek, timid person to being someone who grows confidence,” Yanez said, “because (girls) are like, ‘I can do this and I can accomplish so much more if I set my mind to it.’”

Academy at the Lakes girls weightlifting
Haven Blinder-8th grade
Brooke Blankenship-8th grade
Rori Gerstner-8th grade
Christin Harris-Freshman
Isabella Lyons-Freshman
Jessica Mott-Freshman
Amber Nadeau-Freshman
Haneen McNamee-Sophomore
Victoria Yanez-Sophomore
Melissa Feingold-Junior
Julia Davis-Senior
Regan McCormick-Senior
Imani Thomas-Senior

Published December 21, 2016