The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Michael Murillo

Tennis app serves up statistics

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Lutz resident John Straumann was playing tennis several months ago and was trying to keep statistics on how his shots were going during a match.

It wasn’t going well.

John Straumann's work center in his Lutz home is more like a command station, with desktop computers, laptops and smartphones working together on his projects. It's where he developed the ScoreIt! sports apps for the Apple iWatch in his spare time. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
John Straumann’s work center in his Lutz home is more like a command station, with desktop computers, laptops and smartphones working together on his projects. It’s where he developed the ScoreIt! sports apps for the Apple Watch in his spare time.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

“One of the biggest things was trying to track unforced errors versus winners, and I was trying to do it in my head. It was impossible,” said Straumann, who was then living in Washington. “I started thinking, well, this new Apple Watch is coming out. I wonder if I could do something so I could track the stuff myself.”

Like many people, Straumann thought he had come up with a pretty good idea for a mobile device application. But unlike the vast majority of those people, he actually designed the app, tested it and brought it to market.

ScoreIt! Tennis is now available in Apple’s iTunes App Store.

Straumann graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in computer science and engineering, and works in software sales, so it might sound like designing an app would be easy for Straumann.

After all, he’d been doing it for years.

There was just one problem: All his experience was with the Microsoft Windows platform. Apple’s operating system is different, and he didn’t own an Apple computer or an iPhone. He didn’t even own the watch that was supposed to be the platform for his new app.

So, he invested about $5,000 in the current technology and taught himself the ins and outs of Apple hardware and software.

He spent a couple of hours in the evenings after work and got up early on Saturday mornings to write and test the app before his family woke up.

The app is designed to be utilized on the court during a game. Straumann said it should only take about a second to input the necessary data.
The app is designed to be utilized on the court during a game. Straumann said it should only take about a second to input the necessary data.

During the same time frame, the family also was moving from Washington to Lutz.

It may sound like a lot of sacrifice and effort but, for Straumann, it was a form of challenging fun.

“It was almost more interesting to me because it was new. It was learning something new, taking on a new project, a new technology,” he said.

In less than two months, he had an app ready to go.

Wearing an Apple Watch, a tennis player can record his or her statistics during a match. With a couple of swipes after each point, players can record what type of shots they hit and how they fared. If there’s an unforced error, the player can log it was a forehand, backhand or serve return, for example. For winners, slices, drop shots, lobs and other types of shots can be recorded instantly and analyzed later.

Designing an app is one thing, but making it useful is another. And Straumann wanted to make sure it would work as well on the court as it did on his computer.

“The biggest things were ease of input and connectivity,” he said.

Because the watch has to be in constant communication with a companion iPhone for the app to work, he had to make sure the connection would be strong from various distances on a tennis court. And he didn’t want recording each shot to interfere with the natural flow of a game. Once a player learns how to use the app, recording statistics should take about a second, he said.

Once he had a useful app, he obtained a developer program membership and sent it to Apple for their testing and review. If they approve it, it’s ready to go. But if there’s a problem, Straumann said they don’t offer much insight into what’s wrong.

He had to wait a couple of weeks to get the verdict.

Apple responded with the green light. So it was ready for market, right?

Not quite. It turns out that Straumann was a harsher critic than Apple itself.

“I wasn’t happy with what I had done, so I rejected it myself and then submitted it again,” he said. After a couple more tweaks, and a little more back and forth, both sides were happy, and he felt good about what he had produced.

The app has only been out for a matter of weeks, but Straumann is happy with the response he’s seen so far. At $1.99 (with no ads), Apple gets about 25 percent of the tennis app revenue, allowing Straumann to see a little monetary compensation for his efforts as well.

And the ScoreIt! app family has already grown. A golf app for the Apple Watch is designed to help players keep score on their watches and input data based on the particular course they’re playing. An update to the tennis app also lets players use it to keep score if they’d prefer to do that instead. Another feature allows a parent or coach to track tennis stats via a non-watch device while the player is on the court.

The new app business is a family affair for the Straumanns. The website introduces daughters Alex (marketing and social media) and Avery (gameplay consultant), as well as wife Patti (graphics) as important team partners.

And while he considers designing apps for Apple devices to be a fun project (he’s now a fan of their products), Straumann said the tennis app has real-world uses for people looking to improve their game.

By analyzing the statistics, trends will develop that show what areas are strengths for a player and what areas need more work in practice, he said.

“I think if they really use it, they can look at things they can improve,” he said.

For more information, visit ScoreIt-app.com, or look up ScoreIt! Tennis in Apple’s App Store.

Published July 15, 2015

Land O’ Lakes’ honorary mayor begins his term

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Tariq Zidan ponied up more than $1,000 and was named the honorary Mayor of Land O’ Lakes.

He didn’t win the title through a shady deal in a smoke-filled room or making bribes to fix an election.

Zidan won the honorary title fair and square.

Tariq Zidan is given the mayor's sash by outgoing mayor Terri Dusek at the Central Pasco Chamber's awards and installation banquet on June 26. (Fred Bellet/Photo)
Tariq Zidan is given the mayor’s sash by outgoing mayor Terri Dusek at the Central Pasco Chamber’s awards and installation banquet on June 26.
(Fred Bellet/Photo)

He raised the most money during the campaign which ran from early March until late June. The funds go to the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, and the mayor’s sash went to Zidan.

“It feels fantastic,” said Zidan. “This was my first shot at fundraising, so I’m not a heavy-hitter. But I’m very satisfied with my first efforts on my way to becoming a heavy-hitter with fundraising.”

Zidan succeeded in his first fundraising effort by putting together a trio of successful events at area venues: A Bunco game night at Copperstone Executive Suites, a trivia night at Stage Left and a karaoke night at City Grill. Together, they raised the amount that earned him the win. He credits April Saland and Elisabeth Butterfield with making the Bunco and karaoke events successful.

Zidan, who runs Zidan Marketing & Media, an online marketing and web design company, was honored with the title at the chamber’s awards and installation banquet on June 26. It was also a celebration of the organization’s 40th anniversary, and included the installation ceremony for the chamber’s new officers.

As the new mayor, Zidan can look forward to ceremonial events such as ribbon cuttings and other appearances.

Zidan also gets to direct some of the money he raised to the charity of his choice. He chose the Bubba The Love Sponge Foundation, which was founded by the popular radio personality. The charity assists the surviving family members of fallen officers and first responders.

For Zidan, it’s a chance to help families who have lost loved ones serving the community.

“It’s what makes our country great,” he said. “We’ve got to pay it forward to the people who make it all possible.”

Zidan joined the Central Pasco Chamber last October. The Lutz resident has been a member for just a small part of the chamber’s 40 years, but said it’s already done a lot for him.

“It has presented the opportunities to create some great relationships and foster those relationships on a business and personal level,” he said.

One of those relationships is the reason he’s the mayor today. The now former mayor, Terri Dusek, convinced Zidan that he’d be a good replacement for her when her term ended. Now that he’s the mayor, Zidan said he’ll be active in finding more people to run for the office.

Each mayor is different, and Zidan wasted no time in putting his own stamp on the office. He’s already updated the traditional sash by adding a large clock to it. It’s a tribute to rapper Flavor Flav, who is known for wearing clocks at appearances and concerts. Zidan believes the accessory gives the sash a needed bit of flash.

“I figured I’d give it an untraditional spark. Bling it out a little bit,” he said.

While the mayor title doesn’t come with any real responsibilities or tangible duties, Zidan said the benefit of having the race is very real for the chamber and its goals.

“It creates attention and gets people interested, which is always a good thing,” Zidan said. “I think that chambers that don’t do it are missing out on an opportunity for an organic degree of exposure that they can only benefit from, and the Central Pasco Chamber has done that,” Zidan said.

Published July 15, 2015

Local mom’s website highlights family friendly fun

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As a mother with two young children, Miriam Cook wanted to find inexpensive, family friendly things to do. The Land O’ Lakes resident would search the Internet for fun places to go, but was frustrated that it wasn’t as easy as it should have been.

“I was watching online and couldn’t really find anything that was what I wanted, with events and stuff like that,” Cook said. “So I thought, I have to create my own.”

A side benefit of running a website about family friendly events is that there are places to visit. Daughters Hazel, left, and Jasmine approved of the outing to The Potter's House Studio in south Tampa, which was running a special. (Courtesy of Miriam Cook)
A side benefit of running a website about family friendly events is that there are places to visit. Daughters Hazel, left, and Jasmine approved of the outing to The Potter’s House Studio in south Tampa, which was running a special.
(Courtesy of Miriam Cook)

Around eight months ago, she did just that. Now, FamilyFriendlyTampaBay.com is a destination for thousands of users each week, highlighting local freebies, cheap movies and other low-cost activities that everyone in the family can enjoy.

Cook takes her job as event seeker seriously, with specific criteria in mind when she’s looking for places to go. She’s looking for places that appeal to all family members, so children of all ages can have fun. Alcohol can’t be the focus of the event, she said, and accommodations like restroom facilities are important.

Price matters, too, of course.

Cook uses her own family as a template. She has two sisters with children who are in the education field, and she wants to highlight events that families like theirs can afford.

As a former preschool teacher herself, she knows that families often have to stick to a tight budget, and the event has to be something that fits, or is worth saving for if it’s pricier.

Her website is finding an audience. She records about 225,000 page views a month, with about 54,000 different users in that time frame.

And they’re sharing their opinions too, which Cook says makes her project unique.

“There are a couple sites that are similar to mine, but none of them have reviews.” Readers can find ideas on the website, then go on the Facebook page and share their opinions about what they did.

Cook brings her own review committee with her when she attends events. If daughters Jasmine, 5, and Hazel, 3, want to go back to a destination, Cook knows she has a winner. And on weekends, husband Ben joins in as well.

Still, it takes work to keep a popular website running and current with the latest happenings. She spends time each day researching deals in the area, and her email inbox is full of messages from different businesses and public relations companies. She filters through the offerings and compiles the list she thinks represents the best of Tampa Bay.

The site isn’t a moneymaker yet, but Cook can see it growing into a business in the future. She’s already planning expansions into other markets such as Orlando and Miami.

But for now she’s working toward building the site’s popularity and gaining the trust of local families. And the positive feedback she’s received from friends and people at her church is an indication that she’s on the right track.

“My focus has really just been trying to get the word out that my website’s here to help people out,” Cook said.

Cook also wants those families who visit the site to attend and support as many events as possible, which will encourage companies to take note of the demand for events that go easy on a budget and everyone can enjoy.

“If we go and participate in these events, then they’re more likely to cater to families and make sure that their events or their location is more family friendly,” Cook said.

For more information, visit FamilyFriendlyTampaBay.com.

Published July 15, 2015

Carroll vaults to top spot in Sullivan Award competition

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As a champion gymnast and pole-vaulter, Nikki Carroll relies on her superior balance. But when she found out that she won the Amateur Athletic Union High School Sullivan Award, she became uncharacteristically shaky on her feet.

Nikki Carroll was a little unsteady after hearing she won the AAU's High School Sullivan Award, but she earned it through her extraordinary balance and skill in pole vaulting and gymnastics. (Photos courtesy of Nikki Carroll)
Nikki Carroll was a little unsteady after hearing she won the AAU’s High School Sullivan Award, but she earned it through her extraordinary balance and skill in pole vaulting and gymnastics.
(Photos courtesy of Nikki Carroll)

“I was just so shocked. I couldn’t even believe what she was saying,” Carroll recalled about the phone call confirming she won the award. “I had to hold onto the table that was next to me. I almost fell on the floor.”

While the AAU hands out the award to four male and four female athletes around the country, just one of each wins the top prize of $10,000 in scholarship money. Carroll, who lives in Land O’ Lakes, beat out hundreds of applicants around the country to take the top female athlete prize.

Her athletic accomplishments are impressive – she’s a two-time high school state pole vaulting champion, and she took the top all-around position for gymnastics at the AAU Junior Olympic Games.

But, it takes more than physical skill to win the top Sullivan prize. In addition to participating in at least one AAU sport, athletes are also judged on academics, leadership and character, and had to prepare essay responses on the application.

In those areas, Carroll also compared favorably to her peers. She maintained a 3.7 grade point average in high school, coached younger athletes over the summer and volunteered at Feeding America Tampa Bay, where she sorted food and distributed it to the needy.

She won’t win any medals by volunteering, but Carroll said the result is rewarding just the same.

“It’s such a great feeling, being able to help other people,” she said.

Nikki Carroll is ready to put away her medals and focus on competing for the University of South Florida, where she earned a full scholarship for her pole-vaulting skills.
Nikki Carroll is ready to put away her medals and focus on competing for the University of South Florida, where she earned a full scholarship for her pole-vaulting skills.

Helping young athletes learn new skills was particularly rewarding, Carroll said. Perhaps that’s because she used to be one of those young athletes herself. She’s been doing gymnastics since she was around 5 years old, and her dedication to two sports has required much of her limited free time. At Tampa Catholic High School, Carroll spent several hours a day after school on gymnastics, whether it was beam, bars, floor or vault work. Weekends meant a trip to Merritt Island to practice pole vaulting at Pole Vault City.

And that doesn’t count the out-of-state traveling. As an AAU participant, Carroll travels to places like Iowa and New York to compete in gymnastics and pole vaulting events. She’s been to the Big Apple several times just this year, she said.

She has enjoyed competing against athletes from different states.

She also has had the chance to meet coaches, too, who have provided valuable advice and critiques on her form. She’s even planning to attend a camp run by a coach she met at a competition.

Now that she’s graduated high school, Carroll’s schedule will change.

But it won’t get easier.

She’ll miss gymnastics, but pole vaulting will become a priority, since it earned her a full scholarship to the University of South Florida.

Her academic studies will focus on integrative biology in pursuit of a career in either trauma medicine or forensics.

And the $10,000 in scholarship money won’t hurt, either.

While the monetary prize and the state champion accolades are nice, Carroll is most proud of not just being named a Sullivan winner, but in taking the top female spot out of all eligible high school athletes.

“This is on a whole other level than everything else that I’ve done,” Carroll said.

Published July 15, 2015

NEW CRICKET FIELDS IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY

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Hillsborough County is opening its first designated cricket fields at Evans Park, 1104 N. Kingsway Road in Seffner. The park includes three cricket fields, two lighted batting cages, lights for night matches, covered bleachers and LED scoreboard. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for July 18 at 10 a.m.

HUNTER’S GREEN CHARITY CLASSIC EVENTS NEXT MONTH

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The Ninth Annual Hunter’s Green Charity Classic will be take place over two weekends in August.

On Aug. 15, a mixed doubles tournament will be followed by a Casino Night. The following weekend, there will be a dance and dinner party Aug. 21, with a golf scramble and awards luncheon scheduled for Aug. 23. The event benefits three charities.

For information about these events, contact Allegra Campos at (813) 973-4220. For sponsorship and auction donation, contact Ashley Nelson at (813) 482-0298.

SOME RECREATIONAL OPTIONS

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The Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway, is having a number of regular activities throughout July.

Table tennis will take place Tuesdays and Fridays from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Volleyball will be on Mondays from 6:30 p.m. until 9 p.m., and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

All American Youth Activities will host cheerleading classes on Wednesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., and dance classes on Fridays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. The cost is $7 per class.

Karate classes for students age 6 and older will take place Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. The cost is $35 per session.

For information, call the complex at (813) 929-1220.

New uniforms for Special Olympics soccer team

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The Land O’ Lakes High School Unified Special Olympics Soccer Team will compete in the World Games later this month. And they’ll look good doing it.

The Land O' Lakes High School Unified Special Olympics Soccer Team is ready to take the field in brand new uniforms. Back row from left: Kyle Lufcy, Rufus Smith-Jones, Kyle Townsend, Tommy Guglielmello and Samy Frahm. Front row from left: Ordray Smith, Andrew Ahearn, Hassan Shehab and Joseph Tramel. Not pictured: Cameron Hilgenberg, Haley Eckel and Chris Hale. (Courtesy of Linda Cobbe)
The Land O’ Lakes High School Unified Special Olympics Soccer Team is ready to take the field in brand new uniforms.
Back row from left: Kyle Lufcy, Rufus Smith-Jones, Kyle Townsend, Tommy Guglielmello and Samy Frahm. Front row from left: Ordray Smith, Andrew Ahearn, Hassan Shehab and Joseph Tramel. Not pictured: Cameron Hilgenberg, Haley Eckel and Chris Hale.
(Courtesy of Linda Cobbe)

The team received their new uniforms on July 6, and they’ll use them on the field when they travel to Los Angeles for the Special Olympics World Games that begin on July 25.

The team leaves for the games on July 20, with a special send-off scheduled for noon at Land O’ Lakes High School, 20325 Gator Lane.

The team consists of seven Special Olympics athletes and five partners. Their progress can be followed on the team’s Facebook page, at Facebook.com/LolhsTeamUSA.

The team’s journey and progress will be updated via social media throughout the games, which end Aug. 2.

For updates, photos and video, follow the team on Facebook at Facebook.com/LolhsTeamUSA, on Instagram at Instagram.com/usaunifiedsoccer and on Twitter at Twitter.com/pascophotos.

Saint Leo hires winning coach for basketball program

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Saint Leo University has hired a new head basketball coach with a reputation for winning.

“I’m very excited to come to Saint Leo,” said new head coach Vince Alexander. “I think they’re an institution that’s growing. I think it’s an athletic department that really wants to step up their game and really make some things happen.”

New Saint Leo basketball coach Vince Alexander will bring a fast-paced game to the court. He also brings a 285-187 record to his new school and a pedigree of success. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University)
New Saint Leo basketball coach Vince Alexander will bring a fast-paced game to the court. He also brings a 285-187 record to his new school and a pedigree of success.
(Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

Alexander is used to making things happen. He boasts a lifetime winning record above 60 percent during a 16-year coaching career, and spent a decade building his last school, the University of South Carolina-Aiken, into a perennial winner.

His new team has an impressive track record in recent years as well.

Saint Leo finished last season with a record of 14-15, but has enjoyed greater success in previous years.

The Lions reached the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Men’s tournament in each of the previous three seasons, setting a school record for wins in the 2012-13 season (22) and again in the 2013-14 season (24). The Lions reached the second round of the tournament in both of those record-setting campaigns.

After the off year, coach Lance Randall resigned to accept a position at Lindenwood University in Missouri.

That opened the door for Alexander, who had spent the previous 10 seasons with the Pacers. During that time he took the Pacers even farther than the Lions’ best seasons: In 2012-13, Alexander’s team reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA Division II tournament, and the following year they made the Final Four.

In all, USC-Aiken won four Peach Belt Conference regular season championships. Alexander was named the PBC Coach of the Year four times, and National Association of Basketball Coaches Regional Coach of the Year three times. He has a career coaching record of 285-187.

Those accomplishments and that school might be behind him, but Alexander is bringing the work ethic and philosophy that earned those accolades with him to Saint Leo. He’s also bringing a couple of assistants from his former staff who are among his former players. And, he expects success from his new team both on and off the court.

“What we do is we develop young men. We want them to become champions in life. It’s not just about being a champion on the court,” Alexander explained. “Winning is a by-product of what we’ve done in establishing young men and helping them to become good fathers, good husbands and productive citizens of our community. We’re going to keep that same philosophy (at Saint Leo), and, God willing, we’re going to continue to have the success that we had at USC-Aiken.”

Alexander isn’t the type to preach to others, but is proud to say that God plays a big role in his life. He and his family prayed over the decision to coach at a new university, and he strives to lead by example when it comes to how he conducts himself in his life and career.

Alexander’s practices don’t feature a lot of cursing and yelling. But players would be making a big mistake if they assume practices will be easy. To the contrary, Alexander wants intense sessions as he establishes an up-tempo, fast-paced game plan, which requires moving up the court quickly when they have the ball, and a pressuring defense when they don’t.

NCAA rules do not permit practice over the summer.

Alexander said he has already spoken to returning and incoming players so they know what to expect, and he is working with the strength training coach to make sure that players will be in shape to handle the increased activity and intensity in practice and on game days.

The players have expressed enthusiasm about the style of play, but the coach knows it’s easy to say you’re on board before the conditioning starts. He wants those first practices to be difficult and to really test his players.

The coach said if they stick with his philosophy and follow the game plan, he’s confident the results will show up on the scoreboard.

“Our goal is to have 45-50 points at half time. Not for a game,” Alexander explained.

In a press release announcing Alexander’s hire, Saint Leo athletic director Fran Reidy stated the team’s goals are to challenge for the conference title and eventually reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament.

For his part, Alexander wouldn’t make any specific predictions regarding how much progress they’ll make toward those goals in his first season. They haven’t even had a practice yet.

But he does have one prediction for the fans: They’re going to like what they see on the court.

“It will be hard for you to sit in your seat because it will be up-tempo, aggressive defense and getting after it on both ends of the floor,” he said.

Published July 8, 2015