The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Michael Murillo

Success in Szczecin: Wesley Chapel brothers excel in karate

By

There’s a little more gold, silver and bronze in Wesley Chapel thanks to the Vo brothers. But they had to go to Poland to get it.

The brothers — Derick, Jason and Andrew — were part of a team representing the United States at the World Union of Karate-Do Federations World Karate Championship in Szczecin, Poland, last month. All three had strong showings at the karate event, which is designed for juniors and children.

Derick Vo, left, battles an opponent from Portugal at the karate championship in Poland. His performance helped him earn bronze in the event. (Courtesy of Duy-Linh Vo)
Derick Vo, left, battles an opponent from Portugal at the karate championship in Poland. His performance helped him earn bronze in the event. (Courtesy of Duy-Linh Vo)

And even beyond bringing home medals, it’s a trip oldest brother Derick, 16, won’t soon forget.

“It was an amazing experience because it was the first time me and my brothers were all able to travel together and compete in the world championships,” he said.

Derick, a junior at Wesley Chapel High School, trains with his brothers at Keiko Shin Karate Academy in Wesley Chapel.

Derick won second place in kata, which involves being judged on choreographed movements. He took third place in individual and team kumite, which is a form of competitive sparring.

When he was younger he didn’t enjoy kumite as much, Derick said. But in his 10 years in karate, he’s come to appreciate both forms of competition, and enjoys excelling in both disciplines.

At just 5-foot-4, Derick had to face opponents who were several inches taller than he is. He made up for reach deficits by using his own strengths to his advantage.

“I really concentrate on speed, and I also rely on counter-attacking,” he said.

Middle brother Andrew, 12, also performed well, but admitted to some pre-competition jitters.

“I was nervous,” he said. “I just didn’t think about it and did what I had to do.”

When he calmed his nerves, he defeated opponents from countries like Romania, Belgium and Italy to claim the gold in kumite.

Having his brothers with him was an advantage, Andrew said, as they provided support and advice to help him succeed. The experience was hard work, but also fun because he could share it with family.

That included youngest brother Jason, 11, who finished outside the top three in kata and kumite, but overcame more challenging odds to succeed. He had to compete against some opponents who were 12 years old, meaning they often had a significant size and height advantage.

Still, Jason finished fourth in kata and fifth in kumite, proving his skill in two categories while facing around two dozen competitors from all over the world. And he recognizes the significance of his accomplishment.

“I feel great because not many people (finish) that high,” Jason said.

While the brothers often faced different opponents and brought different levels of skill to the competition, they all felt the advantage of having their father, Duy-Linh Vo, with them on their trip.

“My dad has always been there for me from when I first started until now,” Derick said. “He’s always right there helping me, encouraging me and giving me tips.”

Andrew agrees. “He always helps me and he’s always there for me, cheering me on,” he said.

For Duy-Linh, traveling with his sons was about supporting them and giving them opportunities he didn’t have growing up. A Vietnam native, Duy-Linh wasn’t able to study the Japanese art of karate in his home country, even though it interested him.

“In Vietnam they were very limited in dojos (karate learning centers) in rural areas,” he said.

So when the boys had an opportunity to represent the United States, Duy-Linh made sure they were able to participate. He estimates the trip cost around $20,000 for the family, with donations from friends and relatives helping fund expenses.

The end result was not only success and recognition for his children’s karate skill, but validation for the work they put in at their dojo, and at home. And when he saw Andrew claim gold, he was overcome with emotion and pride for all three of his sons.

“I pushed my tears back so I would not let people see I was crying,” he said. “My children, they work so hard.”

Published November 5, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

First-hand challenges provide new perspectives on disabilities at Saint Leo

By

Caitlin Carter struggles as she tries to maneuver her wheelchair while holding a tray. She reaches down to pick up a pen, and spills her water.

Across the room, Jamie Ray — who doesn’t have full use of her hands — is having trouble opening a simple piece of candy. Only after a long, deliberate process is she able to finally open the wrapper.

Caitlin Carter has trouble keeping her tray balanced as she picks up objects while in a wheelchair. She was a volunteer participating in Saint Leo University’s annual challenge experience on Oct. 23, which gives able-bodied students and faculty an opportunity to learn about physical and learning challenges first-hand. (Fred Bellet/Photo)
Caitlin Carter has trouble keeping her tray balanced as she picks up objects while in a wheelchair. She was a volunteer participating in Saint Leo University’s annual challenge experience on Oct. 23, which gives able-bodied students and faculty an opportunity to learn about physical and learning challenges first-hand. (Fred Bellet/Photo)

A few minutes later, Carter gets out of the wheelchair and Ray takes the socks off of her hands. Neither is disabled. They’re students who participated in Saint Leo University’s Challenge Experience on Oct. 23 as part of the school’s recognition of National Disability Awareness Month.

The challenge gives able-bodied students and faculty a chance to experience a small part of the challenges that some people face in their everyday lives. Carter learned the difficulties of multitasking while using a wheelchair, while Ray’s challenge simulated coordination challenges associated with muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy.

Other activities included making a sandwich while blindfolded to simulate sight difficulties, identifying items in a bag based only on feel and smell, and tracing a shape while looking at a projection of an image, which replicates some challenges of dyslexia.

The challenges were part of a week of events at the university. A guest speaker and a table filled with information were other aspects of the program.

Paige Ramsay-Hamacher, director for multicultural and international services at Saint Leo, said simulating the challenges that some people face enables able-bodied people to get an inkling of what it’s like to have a very different daily experience.

“The purpose is really to give students an idea to walk in somebody else’s shoes who deals with challenges that they might not have to deal with on a day-to-day basis,” she said.

The annual event has been going on for several years at the university. It allows people to help those with disabilities by recognizing their challenges in a more personal way, Ramsay-Hamacher said.

In the sandwich-making experiment, for example, people will move the ingredients while the subject is trying to make a sandwich. They learn that moving items around can be detrimental for someone with a sight disability, since they often memorize where items are.

For Ray, the disability challenges already had a personal connection for her. Her stepmother suffers from multiple sclerosis, and trying to open the candy gave her an even better understanding of the challenges she faces.

“She’s always been complaining that she had trouble holding stuff, gripping stuff,” she said. “I never really understood it until I was not able to use my hands.”

Student volunteers guide each participant through the stations, but that doesn’t make the challenges easy when they try it themselves.

“They find it’s much, much harder than they expect it to be,” Ramsay-Hamacher said.

Carter is one of those volunteers, and admitted to struggling with the experiments.

“I’ve done this the past two years, and I still can’t do the whole wheelchair part,” she said.

Participating in the challenges has given her a better understanding regarding how to interact with people who have disabilities. If someone is in a wheelchair, Carter doesn’t see them as incapable or as an object of sympathy. But she would be better aware of their challenges, and be in a position to make their path easier or remove obstacles they might face.

And even though the experiments are short and everybody knows the challenges are temporary, Carter believes people leave with a more honest appreciation for what other people face on a regular basis.

“I’m a psychology major, so I learn about different disabilities,” she said. “But actually doing it and seeing how hard it actually is for them, it gives you a deeper respect for them.”

Ray agrees about the benefits of participating in the annual challenge.

“It’s really weird,” she said. “But it’s really awesome to be able to experience something like that because you never really know what someone is going through until you actually at least try to experience it.”

Published October 29, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

International athletes ‘swoop’ in for world championships

By

Imagine hurling toward the Earth at nearly 90 mph, then negotiating your way over land and water while you skim across the surface, before landing back on solid ground and tumbling to an abrupt stop.

Now imagine doing it on purpose, over and over again.

Florida resident and reigning national champion Tommy Dellibac will be among the competitors vying for gold at the World Canopy Piloting Championships in Zephyrhills. (Courtesy of Randy Swallows)
Florida resident and reigning national champion Tommy Dellibac will be among the competitors vying for gold at the World Canopy Piloting Championships in Zephyrhills. (Courtesy of Randy Swallows)

Canopy piloting, also known as swooping, is a form of skydiving where jumpers maneuver through a course upon their descent as they make contact with the ground. And it isn’t just a growing activity. It’s a full-fledged competitive sport, with international championships and competitors from dozens of countries vying for gold.

The 5th World Canopy Piloting Championship will be Nov. 4-6 at Skydive City, 4241 Sky Dive Lane in Zephyrhills. It’s the first time the world championships have been held in the United States, and is expected to attract more than 100 competitors representing nearly 30 countries.

Swooping is more than just a competition of rare skills, said T.K. Hayes, president and general manager of Skydive City. It’s the most audience-friendly form of skydiving around.

“All the action happens in the last 10 seconds of the skydive, close to the ground,” Hayes said. “It is totally a spectator sport.”

For the November event, a tent close to the swoop pond, where athletes will make contact, will have visitors just 50 feet from the action.

The World Canopy Piloting Championship is held every two years and is sanctioned by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, the international governing body that covers aviation competitions, including skydiving, ballooning and even airplanes.

Following the last championship, Hayes heard that nobody had yet applied to host the 2014 event. He threw his hat into the ring, then fended off a bid from a city in Russia to host it.

Afterward, the Pasco County Tourist Development Council chipped in $15,000 for advertising and promotion for the event, which Hayes estimates will cost around $100,000 to put together from start to finish.

While athletes will travel across the globe to compete at the event, one of them will enjoy a bit of home-field advantage. Tommy Dellibac, a Florida resident who lives in DeLand, trains regularly at Skydive City. He’s also the reigning national champion after this year’s competition, which also was in Zephyrhills.

Dellibac is looking forward to competing with the world’s best near his own backyard.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “It’s going to be nice just to be able to drive an hour and 45 minutes to be there, versus having to travel to a different country in a different time zone.”

In the past, Dellibac has competed in places like Australia and Dubai, the latter which was the site of the last world championships two years ago.

Athletes will compete in three separate types of events, measuring speed, distance and accuracy on the course. The best will earn gold, silver or bronze in each event, and the one with the best combined score will earn the title of overall champion.

Dellibac, 34, has 14 years of skydiving experience and more than 15,000 jumps on his resume. He even coaches other canopy pilots and works with the military as part of Flight-1, which provides courses to those who enjoy and can benefit from the sport.

For the world championships, he’s been training for the accuracy portion to improve his overall game, but considers speed his favorite part of the competition, and skydiving in general.

“There’s nothing like jumping out of an airplane, when you leave that plane for the first few seconds and you’re just free before you open the canopy and just falling through the air,” Dellibac said. “Riding a motorcycle fast, or going fast in a car, none of that compares.”

While the athlete’s abilities are impressive, their equipment also is considered among the best in the industry. The main parachutes used at this event can cost nearly $4,000, Hayes said. After adding in the harness, reserve parachute and other equipment (often custom-designed and custom-built), the total cost can run more than $8,000.

But the end result is a visual demonstration of skill and competition that Hayes said will leave spectators amazed.

“The first time they see it, they think these guys are going to crash at 80 or 90 mph,” he said. “They’ll see this stuff and go, ‘Oh my God, I had no idea these people come in so fast. How do they control these things? How do they do that?’”

The World Canopy Piloting Championship is free and open to the public. Hayes suggests arriving sometime after 7 a.m. each morning, and bringing a chair and hat to shield the sun.

For more information, call (813) 783-9399, or visit CPWorldZHills.com.

If you go
WHAT: World Canopy Piloting Championships
WHEN: Nov. 4-6, beginning at 7 a.m.
WHERE: Skydive City, 4241 Sky Dive Lane, Zephyrhills
COST: Free
INFO: (813) 783-9399, or visit CPWorldZHills.com

Published October 20, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Sunlake really wants state soccer title

By

The Sunlake Seahawks boys soccer team went undefeated in their district last season on their way to a 29-2-1 record. And for the second straight year, they lost in the state semifinals.

Having two dominating seasons in a row would be a source of great satisfaction for any high school. But when it comes to competitive soccer, Sunlake isn’t just any school, and team members aren’t satisfied with bowing out in the final four.

If teams want to get past Sunlake’s soccer team, they’ll have to first get past star goalkeeper Daniel Hrenko, who has a habit of shutting out opponents. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
If teams want to get past Sunlake’s soccer team, they’ll have to first get past star goalkeeper Daniel Hrenko, who has a habit of shutting out opponents. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

“It’s disappointing, really, to go all that way twice and not win the championship,” goalkeeper Daniel Hrenko said. “Getting to the semifinals is a good accomplishment, but I feel like we could go farther, and we should have gone farther.”

Teammate Connor Spencer agrees.

“I kind of look back on it as a negative thing because it’s two years we’ve gone back to the same spot,” he said. “We’ve finally got the school behind us and supporting us, and then we just come up short every year.”

If players feel badly about their recent playoff results, that could be bad news for Sunlake’s opponents. Even though the season hasn’t started yet, the Seahawks are focused and working on taking a serious attitude into the beginning of the schedule as they try to get over the hump and claim a state title.

They’ll also take a familiar lineup into the season as well. Eight out of 11 starters are returning to the team, and Coach Sam Koleduk said the team’s veteran leadership makes them at least as dangerous as his previous teams.

“We know what it takes now,” Koleduk said. “I think we’re just as talented, maybe even better than last year.”

Last year’s team had plenty of talent itself, with Remi Pimm leading the nation in scoring. Pimm’s status with the team is uncertain at this time, and Koleduk said they’re preparing to not have him this season.

But with scorers like Spencer — who already has more than 90 career goals — they expect to be in good shape up front. And with solid goalkeeping from Hrenko, who led the nation in shutouts last season, opponents should be challenged to put goals on the board once again.

Sunlake’s team also benefits greatly from its athletes’ participation in club play, Koleduk said. While some teams might have just a few players who participate in local club soccer, all 26 members of his varsity team — from starters to reserves — play at the club level. That gives the Seahawks a higher caliber of talent, consistent focus on the game, and the depth to overcome injuries as they occur during the season.

Chris Wilkinson, another offensive-minded player, agrees that extensive club experience gives the Seahawks an advantage over many opponents.

“At the club level, you really know what you need to do,” he said. “A lot of other schools have some kids that play (club soccer) and some kids that don’t, and they struggle to gel in that sense.”

But all teams have weaknesses, and Koleduk acknowledges that defense is an area they had to retool in the lineup. The team lost talented starters from last year, so that’s something of an unknown headed into the season. But if practice is any indicator, Spencer says the defense looks ready to provide solid support while he tries to score goals.

“From what I’ve seen from the defense, they’re good enough to where I don’t need to worry about, ‘Are they going to mess up?’ at all,” he said. “I’m confident enough in them that they’re going to do their job and they know what to do.”

Having a capable defense makes things easier for him as a scorer, since he doesn’t have to worry about converting every opportunity or be concerned that the opposing offense will have an easy time connecting when they have the ball in Sunlake territory.

While it looks like another strong season is likely for Sunlake, it won’t be good enough for them unless it ends with a state title.

“We need to win it all,” Koleduk said. “That’s how I look at it, but we’ll definitely give it our best shot for sure.”

Published October 29, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Set for success: PHSC volleyball qualifies for tournament

By

Sometimes it’s good to know your schedule in advance.

The Pasco-Hernando State College women’s volleyball team still has around seven games left on their schedule, but they already know where they’ll be next month: Competing in their regional tournament at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, North Carolina.

With a team full of talented freshman athletes like Amanda Turley, Pasco-Hernando State College had to find their chemistry. With a 29-4 record so far, they’ve found a regional tournament berth as well. (Courtesy of Len Umhoefer)
With a team full of talented freshman athletes like Amanda Turley, Pasco-Hernando State College had to find their chemistry. With a 29-4 record so far, they’ve found a regional tournament berth as well. (Courtesy of Len Umhoefer)

The Lady Quistas have already qualified for District P, which covers three collegiate regions.

PHSC punched their tournament ticket with a current mark of 29-4. Because they aren’t in close proximity with other schools in their region, the team must be .500 or better during the regular season in order to earn a bid into the tournament.

They technically qualified back with their 20th win, but have compiled even more victories with both a potent offense and stifling defense to improve on their strong record.

Coach Kim Whitney is glad to have gotten tournament qualification out of the way with plenty of games to spare.

“We have that expectation for that goal, but once you get into the season, you’re not really sure how you’re going to match up with your opponents,” she said. “It was a big deal for us to get to that point.”

Part of that uncertainty was the makeup of this year’s team. Of the 15 players, 10 are freshmen. And while they were recruited for their ability, the coach said, one never knows how they’ll actually perform under pressure.

Now it’s clear this year’s squad will fit in nicely with other teams during Whitney’s 11-year tenure at PHSC. The school tends to expect this kind of success each year, and Whitney has the track record to justify those expectations.

In her previous 10 seasons as volleyball coach, PHSC qualified for their regional tournament every year. They’ve reached the National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament four times, and took home their division’s national championship in 2010.

Earlier in the season, continuing that regional tournament streak was no sure thing. PHSC started their season just 5-3, and were still trying to determine their most effective lineup and how best to match up with their opponents.

But those early losses motivated the team, and now the coach thinks the early-season struggles were character building and a positive experience for her athletes. She was particularly happy to see them bounce back from a poor game against the College of Central Florida with an excellent one against Hillsborough Community College.

“We didn’t really play well in that match, and the following night they played phenomenal,” Whitney said. “I think it did make us better and stronger.”

And 15 consecutive wins later, the Lady Quistas were playing more to their potential and sewing up a tournament berth.

Freshman Amanda Turley is one of the impact players helping her team reach that potential. Recruited from Franklin High School in Tennessee, Turley accepted a scholarship to play volleyball for PHSC, partially because of its coach.

“She was one of the main reasons why I decided to come here,” Turley said of Whitney. “She’s so smart and knowledgeable about the game, and what we need to do.”

Part of the coach’s plan was to get her young team prepared early in the year and acquire important game experience ahead of their opponents. Whitney purposely scheduled many games at the beginning of the season so they’d have an opportunity to gel as a team and get several college-level matches under their belts while their opponents were still easing into the season.

The team also faced Santa Fe College for that school’s first-ever home volleyball game. Whitney’s team had to perform in a hostile environment with a crowd of around 500 cheering against them. The coach hopes those intangibles will help the Lady Quistas if and when they face adversity on the court later in the year.

In the meantime, as the PHSC volleyball team keeps achieving their goals, Whitney keeps creating new ones for them. They reached their first goal, a .500 season, relatively early. Then they were challenged to reach 27 wins.

With that accomplished, the coach has a new one: Fewest losses in her tenure as coach. All her previous teams finished the regular season with at least seven losses, she said. The current team has the opportunity to beat that mark and go into their tournament, which begins Nov. 7, with a great deal of momentum.

And at that point, she’ll probably have a new set of goals to keep her team focused.

“When you don’t have something you’re driving for and you’re trying to reach, you lose that vision,” Whitney said.

Whatever that next goal is, Whitney has a history of success that says she can help them reach it, and a team full of eager players who are listening and ready to do what it takes to accomplish it.

“She’s really balanced,” Turley said of her coach. “She never gets too angry, but is never too calm. She still always has something to tell you, even if we’re up by a lot.

“I can trust everything that she says.”

Published October 22, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

No tricks, but plenty of free community treats for Halloween

By

Many families will go door-to-door in local neighborhoods searching for candy this Halloween. But if you’d rather do something different — or don’t want to limit the fun to Oct. 31 — there are several public events to enjoy.

Mr. Tommy, right, is a regular at The Shops at Wiregrass annual Halloween event, which will be on Oct. 29 this year. He’ll perform at 10 a.m., and serve as emcee for the costume contest at 11 a.m. (Courtesy of The Shops at Wiregrass)
Mr. Tommy, right, is a regular at The Shops at Wiregrass annual Halloween event, which will be on Oct. 29 this year. He’ll perform at 10 a.m., and serve as emcee for the costume contest at 11 a.m. (Courtesy of The Shops at Wiregrass)

Several activities — most of them free — occur the weekend before Halloween, while others are scheduled for the week of the holiday, and the rest on Oct. 31.

For families
Halloween Howl in Zephyrhills is an annual free event Oct. 25 along Fifth Avenue from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

There will be a costume parade, a hayride — which costs $2 — and free books for children. There’s also a haunted house at 38533 Fifth Ave., the historic Jeffries House.

The costume parade starts at 6 p.m., near the 7-Eleven on Fifth.

If daytime activities are better for your schedule, Hillbilly Farms at 10325 U.S. 98 in Dade City, will host its annual Harvest Festival Oct. 25 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hayrides, horseback rides, face painting, pumpkin painting and train rides on the Woodland Express all are on the agenda.

Food and other vendors also will be available.

If you’re looking for something on a weekday morning, The Shops At Wiregrass at 28211 Paseo Drive in Wesley Chapel will have a Halloween event Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to noon in its parking structure.

Around 400 children are expected to attend, with gift bags ready for each of them.

Debbie Detweiler, The Shops’ marketing director, said the shopping location enjoys putting something special on each year that attracts so many people.

“It’s just a great opportunity for us to be able to give back to the community and provide free entertainment for families,” she said.

That free entertainment includes cookie decorating, balloon art, face painting, crafts and a photo booth. There will also be a costume contest for children 11 and younger benefiting the American Cancer Society, with the winner receiving a family four-pack to Legoland.

The cost is $15 until the day of the contest, and $20 on the day of the event.

Registrations must be completed by Oct. 29 at 10:30 a.m. To register in advance, visit TheShopsAtWiregrass.com.

For pets
Your four-legged friends can participate in the Halloween fun with Spooky Tails on Oct. 25, an annual event at Parwick Kennels, 22129 Carson Road in Land O’ Lakes.

Starting at noon, children can enjoy pony rides and face painting, with a police dog demonstration at 1:30 p.m.

But it’s the pets that go all out for the event, with a costume contest that begins at 2:30 p.m. Each entry gets a free pumpkin and the winner receives $200.

Local business booths, raffles and live music round out the information and entertainment.

While it’s a fun Halloween-themed event, it’s also a fundraiser to help pay the bills for police dogs when they retire from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. It also helps pay for equipment and other supplies for the K-9 Unit.

In the past, Spooky Tails has helped pay for a bite suit, which is used in K-9 training drills.

For more information about the event, call (813) 949-1687, or visit ParwickKennels.com.

Halloween alternatives
If your family doesn’t celebrate Halloween, or you’d prefer to participate in a faith-based setting, there’s fall fun on your schedule, too. Several churches are hosting events on or around Halloween.

On Oct. 31, Myrtle Lake Baptist Church, 2017 Reigler Road in Land O’ Lakes, will hold a Trunk-A-Treat celebration from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free, and includes games, face painting, balloons and candy.

That same evening, Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, 2348 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes, will host its Trunk or Treat event from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Children will go from car to car — with their trunks and tailgates open — in the church’s parking lot to collect candy and other treats in this family-friendly environment.

Also on Oct. 31, Idlewild Baptist Church, 18333 Exciting Idlewild in Lutz, will have its Light the Night event from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. No costumes are allowed, but there will be games, a hayride and inflatables.

The cost is $3 per person or $15 per family, with children under 2 admitted free.

Published October 22, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Saint Leo’s veterans department serves those who have served

By

When military veterans were asked what type of information they wanted from a school or university, the top answer wasn’t information about graduation rates or estimates regarding student loan debt. It wasn’t even information about what credits earned in the military would be accepted by the institution.

Those were important, of course. But according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office survey, 62 percent wanted information about veterans support services more than any other option.

The Oct. 4 Mud Run raised money for Saint Leo University’s Veteran Student Services. The department provides support and resources to help military personnel adjust to student life. (Fred Bellet/Photo)
The Oct. 4 Mud Run raised money for Saint Leo University’s Veteran Student Services. The department provides support and resources to help military personnel adjust to student life. (Fred Bellet/Photo)

That answer isn’t surprising to retired Gunnery Sgt. Tedd “Gunny” Weiser, interim director for Saint Leo University’s Veteran Student Services. As a student who also served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 20 years, it makes perfect sense to him.

“That basically tells me that when these veterans come off of active duty, there’s a trust, a comfort level, in being able to speak with somebody who can not only talk the talk, but walk the walk,” Weiser said.

Having a department dedicated to their needs helps veterans transition from the structure of military life to the more self-directed schedule of a student.

That assistance can take many forms, Weiser said. The university can answer questions, help find scholarship opportunities, or simply provide a sounding board for their frustrations.

Just having a place to go can help Saint Leo’s veteran students adjust easier.

And there are plenty of students at the university who can use those services. At Saint Leo, 38 percent of the student body is active duty military or veterans, totaling around 3,500 students.

The vast majority of those students are not learning in Pasco County. For more than four decades, Saint Leo has taught on military bases and installations. They currently have 40 education centers around the country, including a dozen different military bases in the United States.

While the university’s relationship with the military stretches back for decades, the Veteran Student Services department is fairly new. Established in 2012, it’s the result of identifying ways to better assist its large veteran population, Weiser said, and was initiated by university president Arthur Kirk.

“He saw the need to establish a better relationship and better support for our veteran and active duty students,” he said.

That support includes a lot more than answering basic questions or maintaining a campus presence. The university has developed a free online course specifically for veterans and their families on how to make the transition from military to civilian life. It includes information on areas such as job interviewing and resume writing, networking, as well as identifying benefits and opportunities for spouses and other dependents.

The department also has its own financial resource for veterans where they can receive temporary assistance to help with financial obstacles to pursuing their educational goals. The Military Education Excellence fund provides gifts up to $500 to help pay for groceries, utilities or whatever expenses might occur.

This year, the fund has dispersed 32 gifts ranging from $160 to $500. They have another $26,000 in reserve to handle future requests.

The fund is donation-based, and Weiser said the department is trying a variety of methods to keep its coffers filled. One was the recent Mud Endeavor on Oct. 4 in Brooksville. The event, which features runners tackling a muddy obstacle course, is a tool different organizations can use to raise funds.

While Weiser isn’t sure how many people signed up to assist the department and how much money was raised quite yet, he believes it was only a modest total. Due to logistics, they only partnered with the event a few weeks before it occurred, so there was a lack of promotion and advertising.

Next year they plan to participate again, utilizing a longer lead-time to get the word out.

The feedback regarding the Veteran Student Services department has been excellent, Weiser said, both on campus and on the various bases where the university has a presence. He’s personally visited 21 of the 40 educational centers, and believes it’s important for students far from Saint Leo’s campus to see an actual person and feel like the department is in their corner and attending to their needs.

And they’re able to accomplish that by utilizing the strong bonds they all share, as well as their familiarity with the unique challenges and sacrifices active military and veteran students experience.

“I always preface this by saying I mean no disrespect to anybody with a clinical license or degree,” Weiser said. “But there’s a bond between veterans that no other modality or no other relationship can touch, particularly between combat veterans.”

Published October 22, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

A doctor, a dean, and a determination to help others

By

Some people take years into their adult life to figure out what career they want to have. But Dr. O. John Maduko, academic dean at Rasmussen College in Land O’ Lakes, always knew what he wanted to be when he grew up.

It wasn’t a job at a college. He wanted to be a doctor.

Dr. O. John Maduko enjoys his position as academic dean at Rasmussen College in Land O’ Lakes, but family is never far from his mind. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Dr. O. John Maduko enjoys his position as academic dean at Rasmussen College in Land O’ Lakes, but family is never far from his mind. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

“At an early age I just knew what I wanted to be, to go into medicine,” he said.

And that’s exactly what Maduko — now O. John Maduko, M.D. — became. And if not for some life-changing events, he might still be practicing to this day.

But when his fiancée Amanda was pregnant with their son, she developed a condition that prevented the use of her right arm and required surgery. Knowing she needed help caring for their child, and realizing that a 90-hour workweek wouldn’t be conducive to an ideal family life, Maduko left the rigors of the medical field for a career in academics where he helps others find and improve their career paths.

It might sound difficult to leave a position you love and had worked so hard to achieve. But for Maduko, it wasn’t a tough decision at all.

“It was easy because it was my wife and it was my son,” he said. “So it was a no-brainer.”

Family always has been a big part of Maduko’s life. A first-generation American hailing from California, his Nigerian-born parents set down rules from their hard-working culture that he and his younger siblings would follow growing up. That was to live life to the fullest, but always aspire to be educated and informed.

Expectations are high, and there’s no time for making excuses or becoming complacent. And when challenges occur, you face them and continue moving forward.

But while he’s moving forward with a career outside the medical field, Maduko hasn’t exactly hung up his stethoscope for good. You never stop being a physician, he said.

Maduko is involved in programs like Doctors Without Borders, a humanitarian organization that provides care and assistance in parts of the world that need it the most. He pursues efforts to improve medical conditions in Latin America and West Africa, and has future plans with his brother — also a medical doctor — to be involved in health care in the Tampa area.

Now, five years after leaving the medical field, he’s found a home with Rasmussen as academic dean at the East Pasco campus. But if that sounds like a radical departure from his chosen career, it actually has many similarities, Maduko said. He’s able to use his knowledge and expertise to help people find solutions to problems, provide valuable advice, identify paths to success, and search for ways to improve their quality of life.

But instead of possibly seeing a patient once, Maduko can now foster longer-lasting relationships with students.

Sometimes that means having difficult conversations. Like a medical professional dealing with patients, an academic dean needs to be able to provide honest assessments of a situation and outline realistic options and consequences. But, also like a medical professional, it needs to be done in a way that’s respectful and empowering.

“The key is to give them hope, to maintain their dignity, to give them respect, to be transparent,” Maduko said. “You never want to sugarcoat it, but at the same time, you want to inform in the way that at least they can take hold of what’s going on.”

While he helps students face and overcome challenges, Maduko’s had a few of his own. His wife regained function in her arm and they now have a 2-year-old daughter, Giuliana. But his son, Giovanni, now 4, was diagnosed with autism.

Like his father, Giovanni is growing up in a focused home where everyone is expected to accomplish as much as they can, with plenty of hard work and without excuses. And he’s rising to the challenge. Giovanni is on the high-functioning side of the spectrum, has a growing vocabulary, is adapting well to school, and is learning to express himself.

Maduko is motivated by his son’s drive and what he’s been able to accomplish.

“I look at him and he is an inspiration to me every day, because he doesn’t know anything else but to learn something, do his best, try and master it, and try to learn something else,” he said.

Maduko also is motivated to see what students and the college can accomplish together. He served as health science chair at Rasmussen’s Ocala campus before transferring to Land O’ Lakes to become academic dean about a year ago. Maduko was impressed with Rasmussen’s philosophy to empower its staff, allowing faculty to seek opportunities to improve the current way of doing things instead of simply adhering to whatever procedures are in place.

“They’re very innovative in terms of what can we do to improve our processes, improve the experience for students,” he said.

Part of improving that experience is interacting with those students and helping them find a successful path that works for their life situation and career goals. And when he speaks to them, Maduko uses the same philosophy he learned growing up, and the same mindset that has been successful with his own family: Don’t give up, and don’t stop moving forward.

“I tell students and I tell loved ones that I can’t promise you the win, I can’t promise you how much and I can’t tell you how tough the road is going to be,” Maduko said. “But I can promise you that if you put your hard work and your will and your dedication into something, you will reap the benefits.”

Published October 15, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Sunlake wary of Land O’ Lakes ahead of rivalry game

By

The Sunlake Seahawks have had a strong start to the 2014 season. They’ve given up a total of just 26 points in seven games, including four shutouts.

Their 6-1 record includes a district loss, but the team is still in good position to capture a playoff berth if they take care of business the rest of the way.

If the Gators want to take this year’s rivalry game from the Seahawks, they’ll have to find a way to stop running back Nathan Johnson. (Fred Bellett/Photo)
If the Gators want to take this year’s rivalry game from the Seahawks, they’ll have to find a way to stop running back Nathan Johnson.
(Fred Bellett/Photo)

Toward the bottom of the Class 6A-District 6 standings is Land O’ Lakes. The Gators are just 3-3, including an 0-1 district record. They have given up the second-most points in the district. In fact, in three of their contests, they’ve surrendered more points than Sunlake has given up all year.

But if you think those statistics mean the Seahawks will have an easy time when they visit the Gators on Oct. 17, you should probably keep that opinion to yourself. That’s because Sunlake head coach Bill Browning doesn’t want to hear any talk about taking games for granted.

“Oh, no. Absolutely not,” Browning said. “Land O’ Lakes has a good football team. They obviously have a very good throwing game, so we have to be able to get lined up right and be able to defend the pass against them.”

Browning recognizes there’s more to the Gators than a .500 record. Their quarterback, James Pensyl, already has thrown for more than 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns. They’ve scored 192 points, which is more than Sunlake and everyone else in the district. And while they’ve lost three times, two of those defeats were by a touchdown or less.

Sunlake might be catching the Gators at a bad time, too. Their running game — supposedly a weak spot of their offense — came alive for nearly 300 yards versus Hudson on Oct. 10 in a convincing 55-30 victory that snapped a two-game losing streak.

Sunlake boasts its own offensive weapons, of course. Running back Nathan Johnson paces the offense, and receiver Naejaun Jackson has been a reliable receiver for the passing game while mixing in several carries as well.

And road games haven’t been a problem for Sunlake this year: They’re a perfect 4-0 so far when playing in hostile territory.

But records don’t mean much when you’re talking about Sunlake and Land O’ Lakes, according to Browning. There’s another word that begins with an “R” that means a lot more.

“It’s a rivalry game, so you can throw the records out of the book when it’s a big rival,” he said.

The rivalry wasn’t much of a competition when it first started. Browning has been with the Seahawks since its program began in 2007, and admits his teams had a “little brother” mentality when it came to the Gators in those early years. They didn’t even score the first two times the teams played, and didn’t register a victory until their fourth meeting.

But Sunlake hasn’t lost since, and now holds a 4-3 edge over their rival.

When two schools are less than 10 miles from each other, both teams can expect fans in the stands and an opponent who is ready to play hard regardless of record. But throw in an important district contest with playoff implications on the line, and it’s easy to predict a hard-fought contest with both schools doing everything they can to come out ahead Friday night.

“All the players know each other,” Browning said. “We’re right in each other’s backyard. It makes for a great rivalry game.

“You approach it the same way as any other game, but it always means a little bit more when you face your rival … for both sides.”

Published October 15, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Sunlake volleyball collecting wins, gaining fans

By

When Deann Newton took over as coach of the Sunlake High School volleyball team, the Seahawks had never had much success with the program. So if you wanted to see them play, you could sit pretty much anywhere you wanted.

Sunlake volleyball coach Deann Newton huddles with her team during a match at Land O’ Lakes High School Oct. 2. The Seahawks won the match to remain undefeated in district play. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Sunlake volleyball coach Deann Newton huddles with her team during a match at Land O’ Lakes High School Oct. 2. The Seahawks won the match to remain undefeated in district play. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

“I think we maybe had five kids in the stands,” Newton said of her first games coaching. “And some of them might have been siblings.”

Now in her second year, good seats are harder to find. She estimates between 50 and 75 students go to their games, and they even had a strong turnout for a recent road contest against Land O’ Lakes High School.

The sudden interest in girls volleyball at Sunlake isn’t a coincidence. Newton has turned around a program that spent its first seven seasons in what seemed like a continuous losing streak. Their best record during that span was a 6-18 season, with multiple years where they won just one or two games. They even had a winless season.

But things changed in 2013. Under Newton, the Seahawks went 16-10, winning more games in one season than in all previous years combined. But a 5-2 record in Class 5A-District 8 wasn’t good enough for the postseason, so Sunlake had to be satisfied with a great turnaround and a bright future.

This year the team picked up where it left off, marching out to a 14-4 record so far, including a perfect 6-0 district mark. And while having four losses is no reason to be ashamed, it should be noted that all of those defeats came in tournament play, which Newton scheduled so they could get experience playing a variety of teams. The team is 11-0 outside of their tournaments.

The difference in the Seahawks before Newton came aboard and now comes down to how they approach the game from a mental standpoint.

“The attitude was like, ‘We’ll kind of try to win,’” she said of the team she inherited. “You have to go in with the (proper) mindset. It’s a very mental game.”

Now the Seahawks expect to win and focus on playing up to their capabilities.

But there were more than mental changes. The team started improving their conditioning and began working out together back in May to prepare for the upcoming season. It was a new schedule for the team, but the additional work was necessary to show that they were serious about improving on last year’s record, and becoming a stronger, fitter and more dangerous squad.

It was clear from the beginning that Newton was bringing something different to the team, said Gianna Basulto, a junior who has been on the team for three seasons.

“Before it wasn’t as serious,” she said. “But when Coach Newton showed up, it was like game on. This is how we’re going to do it.

“She was very straight-forward, and I love that about her because that’s the type of coach that I and the whole team need.”

The earlier conditioning has not only made the team more effective in long rallies, Basulto explained, but also helped the team develop important chemistry before the season even began.

That chemistry will be important as the season progresses toward the last few games of the regular season. While Newton said the team is taking things one game at a time, they haven’t forgotten their goals. They want to make the playoffs for the first time in school history, and they want to keep winning when they get there.

In order to keep getting better, Newton sets different goals for the team when they play, in addition to simply winning the match. They’ve been working on blocking and defense, for example, because the coach considers them areas where improvement is needed and will be required as they face stronger competition.

A strong mental attitude also will be required, and there’s plenty of confidence that didn’t exist a couple of years ago. As a result, if the team continues to improve, the school’s first postseason appearance could become a reality.

“I think we can go to (the district tournament) and I think we can win,” Basulto said. “Our coach is really pushing us, and we’re pushing ourselves.”

Newton, while still focused on fixing areas of weakness and getting better as a team, shares that optimism.

“Our goal is to get out of district with the one or two seed, preferably the one seed,” she said, which would qualify Sunlake for a first-ever trip to the regional tournament. “I think when we get to that point, I think good things are going to happen.”

Published October 8, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here