Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

Land O’ Lakes High sent two teams to the Special Olympics state soccer tournament at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World May 13-14, and each brought back silver medals.

The squads are Pasco County LOL Blue and Pasco County LOL HS Gold. Both won area championships in its division en route to the state appearance.

“It was really fun,” said junior Yvonne Collinsworth, a Gold team member. “There was a dance and we did really well too.”

It was the second straight trip to states for both squads. Gold was the state runner-up last year, while Blue claimed the 2010 championship.

“It was the biggest game of my life,” said Colton Larson, Blue team member and 2007 Land O’ Lakes High graduate. “I’ll always remember it.”

Another member of the Blue team is freshman Joseph Tramel. He also plays basketball, but most enjoys soccer.

“I like scoring and passing,” Tramel said. “Defense is fun too.”

Vicky King coaches both teams and has taught Special Olympics athletes since 1986.

“We want to teach them the game of soccer and to play as a team,” said King, who is also the Gators girls soccer coach. “We teach them that it’s all about team, not the individual. From there, it’s just work on getting them better. If you ask any athlete, their goal is to get to the state games. No matter how they play there, they want to play in the state event.”

King said coaching Special Olympics athletes is not that much different from what she does in the winter.

“The fitness aspect is a big hurdle, but also learning that it truly is a team sport,” King said. “We teach them that if you let the ball do the work with a passing game, it’s a lot easier than trying to have one person dribble the ball up the field. We teach them everybody can score and they learn how to work together like any soccer team.”

Coaching for Special Olympics offers different challenges for King as well.

“The rules are different from traditional soccer, so that makes it a little difficult,” King said. “It’s different from the sport they’ve seen on TV. I forget sometimes when we need to do a kick or throw-in, so I need to constantly remind myself. It makes teaching the rules a bit of a challenge.”

All members of the Gators teams are either current or former Land O’ Lakes students. Players can stay involved in Special Olympics indefinitely.

Both squads are unified teams, which means they have two traditional athletes playing with three Special Olympics players at the same time.

“Unified is all about inclusion and unity,” King said. “It lets everyone participate and helps them become friends.”

One of the unified athletes is senior Keke Potts, who has been working with Special Olympics athletes the last four years. She is also a defender for the Gators girls soccer team.

“I’d helped with the team and I really like soccer, so it was the perfect thing for me,” Potts said. “We wanted to help them get to states.”

Potts has many fond memories of the Special Olympics, but one stands out.

“It was amazing last year when the Blue team won the state championship,” Potts said. “Their faces were great and the experience, to share that with them, is one of the greatest memories of my life. I like working with these kids. We’re good friends and I’m going to miss them when I graduate.”

 

Blue roster

Jacob Bednar

Samy Frahm

Cameron Hilgenberg

Colton Larson

Kelsee Larson

Jocelyn Mcanally

Tyler Sanders

Aaron Secunda

Joelle Stewart

Joseph Tramel

 

Gold roster

Lexie Bailey

Yvonne Collinsworth

Natalie Fontanes

Nichelle Gordon

Ilsa Hernandez

Katie Lockhart

Brittany Nieves

Keke Potts

Ashliegh Williams

By Kyle LoJacono

Members of the Pasco Commission took a step toward prohibiting panhandling within the county on May 9 after reaching a compromise to enforce the ban only six days a week.

“We wanted to find a way to do this without hurting Sunday newspaper sales along our streets,” said Pasco Commission Chairwoman Ann Hildebrand. “The Tampa Tribune came up with the compromise and gave some very good reasons for it.”

Members of the commission were sympathetic to the fact that nearly 200 combined people are employed on Sundays by the Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times.

Additionally, the commissioners were given statistics that show traffic is about 45 percent less heavy on Sundays than the rest of the week. Part of the reason for the ban was due to safety concerns for people standing near roadways, but the figures eased the members’ minds on the subject.

“I think that’s a good way to go,” said Commissioner Jack Mariano said. “It’s very important to their making a living.”

Hildebrand agreed: “We heard from people who sell the papers on Sunday that they depend on the money to keep their homes. I also know it’s the only time some people get a newspaper during the week and I don’t want people to stop reading because they can’t get their paper as easily.”

Assistant County Attorney Kristi Wooden said the data provided to the commission has checked out and verified.

“If it didn’t, we could have been challenged legally by other groups,” Wooden said. “The data is correct, so the board can proceed without worry about the accuracy.”

Hildebrand said she takes advantage of picking up a roadside paper each week.

“The first thing I do on Sunday is to sit down with my coffee and my newspapers,” Hildebrand said. “I like having the ability to go out with my dollar and buy it right down the road.”

Under the proposed ordinance, panhandlers, roadside vendors and charitable groups seeking donations would need to wear reflective vests and have photo identification. Nonprofit groups would also be required to register with the state.

The Pasco Commission is scheduled vote on the ordinance at its June 7 meeting in Dade City.

The same compromise to allow roadside newspaper sales was rejected by the Hillsborough County Commission in March. Complicating the issue in the southern county was the fact that the Florida Sentinel Bulletin, a newspaper that cover’s Hillsborough’s African-American communities, comes out each Tuesday and Friday.

The Hillsborough Commission decided it could not give an exemption for some newspapers on Sunday and not others on Tuesday and Friday, so the members opted for an outright ban. Pasco does not appear to have such a problem.

The New Port Richey City Council adopted an ordinance the week before the compromise was reach with the Pasco Commission, which makes it against the law to express, “implied threats of physical injury or property damage,” while panhandling. People can still ask for money, but must stop once the other person says no.

The city of St. Petersburg has also passed an outright ban on all roadside soliciting in the last year. The Tampa City Council did not pass a similar measure a few months later.

The Florida Legislature debated banning certain types of panhandling and solicitation across the state, but it did not reach the Senate before the end of the session.

By Kyle LoJacono

It seems fitting that the next construction project to extend SR 56 east has been pushed back after numerous delays postponed the first segment’s opening by five months.

The newest section of the highway opened July 31 and extended SR 56 from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard to Meadow Pointe Boulevard in Wesley Chapel. It was first set for completion in March, but WDG Construction Inc., the firm originally picked for the job, was fired by Pasco County in part because it fell behind schedule.

The next stage will take SR 56 east to just more than a mile away from connecting with Morris Bridge Road in Zephyrhills. It also includes building a road to connect SR 54 and SR 56, which will be called Wyndfields Boulevard.

Phase 2 was slated for completion by the end of 2012, but Pasco County’s Development Review Committee pushed that deadline to Dec. 31, 2015.

“The extension was meant to allow more houses to be built in Meadow Pointe and other new developments,” said Pasco Assistant County Administrator Bipin Parikh. “When developers buy land to build large neighborhoods it is usually done with an agreement for the developers to pay for road improvements in the area to support the growth. That growth isn’t happening as we expected.”

The extension would allow 6,500 new homes to be built on the border of Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills as a golf course community. The developers of the Wyndfields and Meadow Pointe’s Nos. 3 and 4 residential sections are responsible for the project’s eventual completion.

That agreement, which called for the start of Stage 2 in July, was struck several years ago during the peak of the housing boom. The developers have seen little indications that an investment in new housing would be profitable since the bubble burst in the real estate market.

The developer for Wyndfields has already completed design and will submit it to the Florida Department of Transportation and the Southwest Florida Water Management District to get permitting approval, according its representing attorney Donna Feldman.

Richard Gerhring, Pasco’s growth management administrator, said the extension is a way to help create easier travel across the county.

“It’s all about creating a grid network with our roadways,” Gerhring said. “Right now we have huge pieces of land with nothing on it. These roads open it up for development to help make the county more prosperous in the future.”

Gerhring said the deal with the developers also includes donating right of way land to allow for the eventual westward extension of Chancey Road from where it ends in Wesley Chapel to connect with Bruce B. Downs in the Wiregrass Ranch area.

Pasco Commissioner Pat Mulieri said the overall plan is to take SR 56 all the way to US 301 in southern Zephyrhills. While that project is still unfunded, Mulieri said it would not be that far behind the completion of Stage 2.

“I would agree with Richard that these major roadways will make Pasco a better place to live for everyone,” Mulieri said. “It’s all about bringing opportunities home, and these road projects make us a more attractive place for businesses and talented people to come to.”

For more information on the extension or any future Pasco projects, visit portal.pascocountyfl.net.

By Kyle LoJacono

Pasco County residents should have a wider SR 54 by the end of the year, but a look into the future reveals widening for its northern counterpart as well.

While no date has been set for the future widening of SR 52, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) spokeswoman Kris Carson said the east to west road in northern Pasco will be expanded.

“No construction has been funded, but part of the groundwork has,” Carson said. “It will eventually let the road be widened from two to four lanes.”

The design of the widening has been funded between US 41 and Bellamy Brothers Boulevard. Additionally, some row acquisition has been paid for to buy private property along the state road between Bellamy and Old Pasco Road. Current FDOT statistics show about 19,300 vehicles make the trip between I-75 and US 41 each day.

Carson said that while there has been no funding secured to widen SR 52 east of Old Pasco Road to San Antonio, Saint Leo and Dade City, it was not out of the question. She said the goal for a future widening fits with the overall goal with all state roads, which is to upgrade them as increased population puts more demands on the streets.

“The department is currently finishing improvements to SR 52 between US 41 and the Suncoast Parkway,” Carson said. “That is mainly adding new turn lanes and resurfacing the road.”

That FDOT project comes with a $1.6 million price tag. Pasco is also paying for another job on SR 52 that began within the last month, according to Pasco Engineering Services Deborah Bolduc. She said that construction is adding turn lanes where SR 52 crosses Prospect Road/Happy Hills Road, also called State Highway 579A. It is also resurfacing the roadway near the intersection at a total cost of $2.9 million, paid by Penny for Pasco money.

Any job to significantly widen SR 52 would likely take much more money than the current jobs to improve the highway.

The construction for Pasco to widen SR 54 from I-75 to Curley Road in Wesley Chapel, a stretch of 3.2 miles, cost $28 million. That amount pales in comparison to the nearly $75 million needed for the row acquisition for that job, making it the most expensive project in Pasco history.

The distance between US 41 and Old Pasco is about 13 miles along SR 52.

For more information on any FDOT road project, visit www.dot.state.fl.us.

 

 

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

Steinbrenner High seniors Natalia Ortiz and David Chiles thought they were going to take a survey as they entered Warriors’ media center the morning of May 13.

Both walked slowly in and then stopped and looked with a puzzled expression on their faces as they saw their families, coaches and the school’s administration looking back at them. A slow clap started in the crowd and their faces changed from confused to joy as they realized what was happening.

The two were being given the inaugural Golden Warrior Making a Difference Athletic Scholarship for their performance and leadership in athletics, in the classroom and away from school. The Steinbrenner Athletic Booster Club gave $500 to pay for college to the top boy and girl senior student-athlete at the Lutz-based school.

“I had no idea this was happening,” Ortiz said. “They told us we were going to take an ACT survey. We walked in and I saw all my family and the administration and I thought this is really strange.”

Both had almost forgotten about applying for the scholarship.

“It was about two months ago,” Chiles said. “I kind of forgot about it, but I remembered when I saw the athletic booster club.”

Ortiz was picked for her strong moral character while interjecting hope and humor into all aspects of her life, according to chairwoman of the scholarship committee Sharon Bair. Chiles’ enthusiasm to learn, excellent leadership and self motivation were what separated him from the other boys.

“I was very emotional going through my talking points,” Bair said. “We decided to recognize the kids who did more than achieve in the classroom and in sports. We wanted something to reward the kids who really made a difference. The judges sat down and endorsed how they act in class, how they act in church, how they volunteer and how they are with their teammates.”

Chiles played forward for the Warriors boys basketball team, where he put up 7.5 points per game, 85 rebounds, 30 assists, 23 steals and 11 blocks as a senior. He said the award is the perfect way to end his time at Steinbrenner.

“It’s awesome,” Chiles said. “It just shows that everything paid off. Every practice and every homework assignment.”

Chiles will attend the University of Central Florida to study sports managing. He won’t be playing for the Knights, but will participate in intramural sports.

Ortiz was an outside hitter on the Steinbrenner volleyball team that won two straight district championships, and also the first regional tournament match in program history this year. She had 84 kills, 31 blocks and 17 aces in 2010 and earned a spot on the All-Laker/All-Lutz News volleyball first team.

Ortiz was also a member of the Warriors girls 4×400-meter track relay team that qualified for the Class 2A state meet this year by placing fourth in regionals with a time of 4:09.98.

The honor is the second scholarship Ortiz received that week after being selected as the top Steinbrenner girl student-athlete for the Hillsborough County Public Schools annual scholarship, which was also for $500.

“It’s been awesome,” Ortiz said. “It’s two really big honors and I’m really appreciative of everyone who’s nominated me for all of this. It’s been a struggle applying for colleges and everything. Now it’s all falling into place and the scholarships are really going to help.”

Ortiz will attend Florida State University to study biochemistry and plans to eventually become a pharmacist. She will also play intramural sports, but did not rule out an attempt to walk on to the Seminoles volleyball team. For now she is just happy for all the time she put on the court and in the classroom.

“It’s paid off, all that hard work,” Ortiz said. “It’s cool that we won districts, but this really helps set in stone that everything we did was worth it.”

–All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches.

 

 

By B.C. Manion

Three area elementary schools will be testing their creative capacities and mental agility at the upcoming Odyssey of the Mind 2011 World Finals in College Park, Md.

The teams competing at this international event come from Wesley Chapel Elementary, Double Branch Elementary and Lawton Chiles Elementary.

The competition, which runs May 27-30,will feature teams from all over the United States and from 25 countries.

The local teams earned the right to compete at the world finals by advancing through regional and state competitions.

Team members from Double Branch Elementary are Ryan and Dominic Couture, Hannah Marmol, Carson Ramsey, Danica Horwitz and Sparsha Muralidhara.

Members of Lawton Chiles Elementary’s OM team are Luis Cuevas, Carson Murray, Caitlyn Dempsey, Hisham Shafiq, Bailey Wilson and Brad Ye.

The Wesley Chapel Elementary OM team consists of Andrew Hull, Julia Palermo, Aidan Persuad, Jeffrey Glenn, Brody Gommier, Josh Williamson and Hunter Dechent.

All of these students will have a chance to work with their teams to demonstrate their capacity for addressing long-term problems and for thinking on their feet to solve spontaneous problems.

Carmen Hull, who coaches the Wesley Chapel Elementary team, is thrilled that her team has made it to the international contest.

“I think it’s amazing to make it past the regional level,” Hull said, noting the teams are going up against hundreds of other children to win at the regional level and are competing against thousands of kids at the state level.

The OM competitions help kids develop valuable lifelong skills, said Murali Venkatappa, who coaches the Double Branch Elementary team. The competitions challenge kids to work together as teams, to manage their time and to use their imagination to come up creative ways to solve problems, he said.

Millions of kids from kindergarten through college have participated in OM, which began a quarter-century ago.

All three of the local teams held fundraisers to help cover travel expenses, but all of them could still use some help. Anyone wishing to make a donation should call the team’s school to find out the deadline for contributions and where they should be sent.

 

By Anthony V. Masella Jr.

Local veterans and other patriotic supporters lined the streets of Trinity Boulevard on May 14 to greet a man they believe deserves all the accolades they can bestow.

Marine Lance Corporal Justin Gaertner was on patrol on Thanksgiving Day, but his “work” was interrupted by an IED explosion that left him fighting for his life on the battlefield, realizing that both of his legs were gone. His one thought was not to worry his mother when he called his family to tell them what had happened.

Six months later, he was welcomed by his family, his fellow soldiers and strangers who are awed by this one person’s heroic story at VFW Post 7987 in Trinity.

Gaertner will spend  a couple of weeks home in Trinity before he returns to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for more rehab, but for now he is amazed by the homecoming he received.

His best friend, Corporal Gabe Martinez, also lost his limbs in the same confrontation, and one wish of Gaertner is to go to Arlington Cemetery to visit two other fallen soldier’s graves. The VFW offered a lifetime membership to the young man and checks were given from various fundraisers to help in honoring his brave effort and to help in his recovery.