The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Amendment 4 asks voters to check growth

By

By Molly McGowan

It’s been called the “Vote on Everything” amendment by skeptics and considered the cure to the “boom and bust” cycle of real estate by proponents, but on Nov. 2, Amendment 4 on the ballot will be called by a more complex name.

Supporters of Amendment 4 cite the Connerton development as an example of why citizens should have more power to approve development. The Land O’ Lakes community has only a few hundred of the 8,500 planned homes. (File photo)

Voters will see this title: “Referenda required for adoption and amendment of local government comprehensive land use plans.” In layman’s terms: “Should voter approval be required for changes to growth management plans? Should voters be able to veto a plan because they don’t approve of the new blueprint for their city or county or of new proposed developments?”
Cynics say no, that Amendment 4 would just create more taxpayer expenses, resulting from litigation that would inevitably follow vetoes to changes in land use plans. According to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, one of Amendment 4’s most staunch opponents, city and county governments would have to hold referenda on upwards of hundreds or thousands of referenda annually, which would be quite costly.
That’s the main point that the opposition wants voters to be aware of — that Amendment 4 could be potentially costly for taxpayers, and more of a hassle than a privilege when it comes to voting time.
Adam Babington, vice president of governmental affairs at the chamber, said that under Amendment 4, the cost of holding elections would be between $44 and $83 million a year and litigation expenses could hit a billion dollars for the state of Florida.
Babington stated that “it’s pretty clear Florida is still in a recession,” and that Amendment 4 would only make things worse for taxpayers.
Meanwhile, those backing the amendment argue that it’s important for voters to realize the power and influence that voting “yes” on Amendment 4 would give them in the state government. Wayne Garcia, communications director for Florida Hometown Democracy, said Amendment 4 would give taxpayers and citizens the control they deserve over the land use system, allowing them to help decide how available land will be used, and which developments will be built where.
Garcia said that since it’s the taxpayer’s dollars that pay for changes in land use plans, they should be directly involved in the decision-making processes. Garcia also said the argument that Amendment 4 would increase election costs is invalid; the Department of Community Affairs tracked how many land use amendments there had actually been over the past few years, and came up with an average of 4.2 a year.
Garcia and other Amendment 4 supporters regard Land O’ Lakes’ Connerton neighborhood as an example of why Amendment 4 should be put into place. According to Garcia, the empty lots that were approved for homes within the development are now just a waste of space, and are examples of a “boom and bust” cycle of real estate that could be checked under Amendment 4.
Garcia also cites the city of St. Pete Beach as proof that there wouldn’t be an obscene amount of amendments proposed annually under Amendment 4. Garcia said the city of St. Pete Beach reviewed every comprehensive land use change since 2005 and found 25 proposed amendments, of which only 22 were approved and would have gone to election.
Spread across four election periods, only five or six of those amendments would have appeared annually on ballots under the amendment. Garcia said that this number of amendments would be reasonable for Florida voters, and that over time, would probably decrease. “I think there will be even fewer amendments once people learn to live within their means and their comprehensive plans,” Garcia said.
Babington and the Florida Chamber of Commerce look at St. Pete’s charter with a much more critical eye and see the attempt as a failure. Babington said that within 24 hours of amendments being drawn up for the city in 2008, a series of lawsuits and complaints were filed.
Babington said that over the course of the following year, the local government had incurred over $5,000 in litigation fees and by September 2009, property taxes had to be raised in order to help pay for them. So Babington – and the rest of the amendment’s opponents – view Amendment 4 as a surefire failure waiting to happen. “This isn’t just speculation of how it’s going to work,” Babington said. “We have a case study of how it’s worked in Florida, and it’s failed miserably.”
Florida Hometown Democracy countered that the expensive litigation that resulted in St. Petersburg was a result of developers who wanted to build enormous hotels on the waterfront and negatively affect the city’s population density, and not of the change in the charter.
Regardless of what ultimately caused the litigation expenses in St. Petersburg, decisions on Amendment 4 will ultimately be based on whether they believe more direct control in their government is worth having to make more decisions on future ballots.

Early voting
Don’t wait until Election Day to sound off on Amendment 4 and other issues. Early voting started this week and continues through Saturday, Oct. 30. Most locations allow voting 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will no voting on Sunday, Oct. 24.

Hillsborough early voting sites
Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, 2902 W. Bearss Ave. in Carrollwood
New Tampa Regional Library, 10001 Cross Creek Blvd. in New Tampa
County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. in Tampa (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
More locations at www.votehillsborough.org

Pasco early voting sites
(Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
Land O’ Lakes Branch Library, 2818 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes
Village Market of Wesley Chapel, 5325 Village Market in Wesley Chapel
New River Branch Library, 34043 SR 54 in Zephyrhills
East Pasco Government Center, 14236 Sixth St. in Dade City
South Holiday Branch Library, 4649 Mile Stretch Drive in Holiday
West Pasco Government Center, 7530 Little Road in New Port Richey
Hudson Regional Library, 8012 Library Road in Hudson

Son’s memory spurs Row and Paddle for Hospice

By

By Kyle LoJacono

Three years ago Mary Jane and Jim Kranendonk lost their oldest son Thomas in a tractor-trailer accident.
Thomas was killed almost instantly when a trailer he was backing up flipped over onto him. Working through the grief was very difficult and HPH Hospice helped the couple and their children, John and Robert, find some peace after Thomas’ passing.

From left are Land O’ Lakes Rowing Club members Darby Harvey, Jennifer Nelson, Leslie Stanford, Barb Hayes and Mary Jane Kranendonk practicing on a Saturday morning. (File photo, www.OurtownFLA.com)

“John did a camp for kids suffering through the grieving process,” Mary Jane said. “HPH Hospice does a lot for families and kids in similar situations. It was hard, but they really helped our family so we wanted to give back in any way we could.”
To help raise money for the organization, Mary Jane’s group, the Land O’ Lakes Rowing Club, and Bay Area Watersports will host Row and Paddle for Hospice. The event is at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23 at Lake Saxon Park off Lake Saxon Drive in Land O’ Lakes.
“We’re encouraging people to bring their own boats to the event,” Mary Jane said. “We will also have drawings for coupons and other things from local businesses, a food vendor and a massage therapist to give people rubdowns before or after they go out on the boats.”
Denny Andram, of north Carrollwood, from the Stewards Foundation will bring his Tampa-based rowing team to compete against the Land O’ Lakes rowers.
“Mary Jane began rowing in one of our adult classes awhile back,” Andram said. “We wanted to be a part of this to support her in starting her own group.”
Spectators are encouraged to bring a chair to watch. Rowers need to be at least 15-years-old to participate in the races.
All the money raised from registration and part of what comes in from food and massages will go to the hospice.
“We wouldn’t be able to do the camps for children without help from people like Mary Jane,” said Laura Finch, HPH Hospice manager of bereavement services and children assistance programs. “My heart can’t express how much she does for us. She speaks so kindly of what we do, but really it’s people like her that allow us to offer these programs.”
Finch, of Wesley Chapel, said children like John have one to three one-on-one meetings for free with a hospice counselor. Then they can go on a weekend camping trip where they do activities with up to 80 children to help cope with their loss. Finch said they usually ask for a $10 donation for the camp, but do not turn people away if they cannot afford it.
For more information on HPH Hospice, call (727) 863-7971.
Mary Jane, who is a physical education teacher at Denham Oaks Elementary in Lutz, started the rowing club at the beginning of this year. It currently has 15 members, all women in their 40s and 50s. Members come from mainly Land O’ Lakes, but also Lutz, Odessa and Brooksville.
One of the members who has been with the group for several months is Valerie Voelker. She had never done rowing before joining the group.
“I’ve never done a competitive team sport like this before,” said Voelker, of Land O’ Lakes. “I did track in high school, but this is a challenge because it’s a team. You have to learn to work together and learn each other’s strengths to get anywhere. Most of the time there are new people during our mornings rowing, so we get to meet new people too.
“Mary Jane motivates us all,” Voelker continued. “Her coaching and educational background makes it easy for her to encourage us.”
The group rows Saturday or Sunday mornings at 7:30 a.m.
Mary Jane enjoys doing the adult rowing club, but also wants to expand it to high schools as a club sport.
“It’s her passion,” Voelker said. “She wants to get rowing up and running in the area because it’s such a good time.”
The day will include races and demonstrations with rowing shells, canoes, kayaks and paddleboats. The event is $5 for those who register before the event or $10 at the event. Event-day registration starts at 7:30 a.m. To sign up, call (813) 996-4718 or e-mail .

Pipeline popping up along County Line Road

By

By B.C Manion

Motorists driving by pipeline being installed at locations near US 41 and Willow Bend Parkway may wonder what’s up with the pipes.
Many living in the area likely already know the pipeline is part of a massive project to install 483 miles of pipeline to carry natural gas through parts of Alabama and Florida.

This segment of a natural gas pipeline is being installed along County Road Line East. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

The pipeline is owned by Florida Gas Transmission, which is operated by Citrus Corp. and is a joint venture of Southern Union and El Paso Corp.
The project will increase the company’s certificated capacity of natural gas by 820 million cubic feet per day. The company has estimated the demand for natural gas is expected to increase by more than 1 billion cubic feet per day in 2015.
The pipeline being installed in the $2.45 billion project will carry natural gas to electric generation companies, industrial users, municipal generators and local distribution companies, according to documents filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Residents living on County Line Road East, south of Willow Bend Parkway and east of U.S. 41, are all too familiar with the project.
They opposed it but were unable to block it, said Susan Naffziger, who lives on County Line Road East. Residents didn’t want the pipeline so close to their homes, she said. They also objected to the removal of a canopy of trees.
“It took away the country look,” she said. The trees also provided a good visual buffer between their homes and passing traffic, she said.
While they couldn’t stop the pipeline, neighbors did win a concession. The company will build a wall to replace the visual buffer that was lost when the trees were removed, Naffziger said.
Federal regulators approved the pipeline on Nov. 19, 2009, subject to 43 conditions that are intended to mitigate potential adverse effects.
In approving the project, regulators noted that the project’s use of horizontal directional drilling methods will avoid disturbing all of the major and most sensitive water bodies along the pipeline’s route.
An estimated 99 percent of the new pipeline is being laid in existing right-of-way, and most of it is going near a pipeline that Florida Gas Transmission put into service in 1993, according to federal documents.
The company plans to transport gas to Florida Power & Light, Florida Power Corporation/Progress Energy Florida, Inc. Seminole Electric Cooperative, Tampa Electric Company, the Orlando Utilities Commission and the City of Tallahassee.

Dogtoberfest howls into town

By

By Shannon Edinger

Tails will be wagging when The Shops at Wiregrass hosts the second annual Dogtoberfest on Saturday, Oct. 23 from 2-6 p.m. Admission is free, and organizers are encouraging dog lovers to bring their animals and enjoy live music, pet costume contests, adoptions and more.

Lacey, a Rottweiler owned by Chad Doritan, was among the participants in the 2009 Dogtoberfest at The Shops at Wiregrass. The event returns Saturday, Oct. 23. (File photo)

Jeanine Cohen is organizing the event on behalf of a nonprofit all volunteer charity, Animal Based Charities Inc.
“So far, there are 40-plus rescue groups attending, and we will have over 500 cats, dogs, puppies, and kittens available for adoption,” Cohen said.
There will be pet costume contests with categories such as cutest dog, scariest dog and most festive dog, to name a few.  There will be more than $1,000 in prizes at the event, and everyone who enters his or her dog into the contest will receive free gelato from 365 Caffe Italiano.
Also, the first 50 pets signed up for any contest will receive $10 microchips from a veterinarian on location.
There will be pet product vendors and kid-friendly activities at the event such as face painting and balloon artists.
“We want people to come out and support our charities,” Cohen says.  “We had an event in February where we had 500 adoptions in five hours and we want to do that again.”
The Shops at Wiregrass is located at 28211 Paseo Dr. in Wesley Chapel.  For more information, contact Jeanine Cohen at (813) 625-2405 or email .

Curley closed Oct. 21-Nov. 5

By

Curley Road in Wesley Chapel will be closed to through traffic from Oct. 21-Nov. 5 to make improvements as part of the widening project of SR 54.

The project to widen SR 54 will force Curley Road to be closed to through traffic from Oct. 21-Nov.5. (Photo by Glenn Gefers of www.Photosby3g.com)

Vehicles will be able to access areas north of the SR 54 and Curley intersection by using Boyette Road and Wells Road.
It will raise the elevation of Curley by about four feet at the intersection, according to Pasco County chief engineer James Widman. This is to make it match up with SR 54 once it is widened to six lanes.
“We decided it best to close the intersection during the construction because the traffic congestion would be too difficult to work around,” Widman said. “Closing it will let the builders get it done faster and safer for the workers.”
Widman said Pepper Contraction Services Inc., which is also doing the SR 54 widening, is completing the work on Curley. It is part of the original $28 million project and will cost no more public money to complete.
-Kyle LoJacono

This lawyer’s free advice: Start drinking heavily

By

So pour me some Tennessee whiskey,
Pour me a fine Jamaican rum.
That loud mouth soup
Can get ya kind of looped
Tequila, of course I’ll have some!
– (We’ve Got) a Lot to Drink About – J. Buffett

By Randall Grantham

Only two more weeks until the election and an end to this non-stop barrage of campaign ads. We will finally get a respite, if only for a year or so (if that), from the sniping, mud slinging and, yes, in some cases, lying pitches from politicians wanting our votes.
If only there were some way to make this time pass faster. I’ve already cast my vote, so for me especially, it’s wasted time and money on both sides. So I invented some drinking games.
To be fair, I did not invent the television-related drinking game. They’ve been around for years. You know, the games where you and your companions take sips of your beer or slam a full shot based on when a character on television does or says something that is cliché to the actor or show.
And they’re no new developments either. There’s one for “All in the Family,” that old show with Archie Bunker and his “meathead” liberal son-in-law. The rules include instructions that you take one drink whenever Edith “scurries” across the room or whenever Archie tells someone to get out of his chair. But, when Edith yells at someone you take two drinks and if it’s Archie that she yells at, you take three.
There’s one for “Seinfeld” that requires drinking whenever the bass line plays or when Kramer bursts into a room. It gets interactive too. Whenever there’s a Newman/Seinfeld confrontation, everyone must say “Hello Newman” and take two drinks. When the “Soup Nazi” says “No soup for you,” everyone must yell the line with him and take 3 drinks, according to the official rules.
You’d get sloshed quickly watching “Rachael Ray” where you have to take a sip every time she says “EVOO,” “goin’ on,” “delish” or three more pages of Rachaelisms. But no more so than the show 24 where you take a drink each time Jack Bauer disobeys an order.
So, in the spirit of the election, I’ve come up with some drinking games to get us through these last two weeks of the 2010 political season:
Whenever a Marco Rubio ad comes on, one person yells “Marco” and when another person in the house responds with “Polo,” all drink.
If you see the ad with Rick Scott’s mom, everyone has to say, “He’s a good boy,” and take a sip.
As the election gets closer and closer, more and more ads are running, some back-to-back supporting opposing candidates. Take one drink for each ad run against a candidate that just ran a previous ad. For instance, if there’s an Alex Sink ad followed by a Scott ad, followed by another Sink ad, that’s two shots. And, every time someone says “flip-flop,” that’s also two drinks.
If you see Kendrick Meek on an airboat holler, “Red Right Return” and finish the glass.

I don’t know that this will make the final weeks any better, but it will dull the pain a little. And I don’t recommend drinking right before you before vote. But, it does help to hold your nose.

Randall C. Grantham is a lifelong resident of Lutz who practices law from his offices on Dale Mabry Highway. He can be reached at . Copyright 2010 RCG. To comment on this or anything else, e-mail the editor at and for past columns go to lakerlutznews.com.

Empower your employees and they will do wonders

By

By Diane Kortus

I’ve learned that the best way to lead a company is to step back and give your staff the room to do their job without interference from the boss.
The more autonomy someone has, the more self-directed he or she becomes and the better they are at their job. With autonomy come empowerment and the time to explore new ways to do things in a manner that is best for the employee and ultimately the company.
Engaged employees come to work knowing they make a difference. My staff knows their skills and talents are vital for the company to achieve its goals.
Sure, the boss needs to hire the right people and guide the team in formulating a vision. After that, her primary responsibilities are to provide the resources her staff needs and to make sure her people have the freedom to try new things without worry of criticism if their ideas don’t turn out quite as anticipated.
This is the kind of boss I strive to be to my 14 employees. By giving every employee a voice in the company that is heard by their co-workers and me, we have created a culture that is continually evolving and learning.
This culture allows my staff to excel and is why we can proudly announce in a full-page ad in today’s paper that The Laker and Lutz News earned 13 awards at the 2009-10 Florida Press Display Advertising Contest.
This is an extraordinary achievement for our small, independently owned company.
We competed against the largest weekly newspapers in the state, most that are corporately owned with far more resources. There were more than 350 entries from newspapers from the Panhandle to South Florida submitting their best work in 26 categories
We are excited, and humbled, to be named winners in 13 of those categories. Significantly, seven are for first place, an impressive showing by anyone’s standards.
Last year, when we were just beginning to change the culture of our company, we received five awards in this competition. I find it truly remarkable that just one year later, we more than doubled the number of awards we earned.
While everyone at The Laker and the Lutz News contributed to our success in the Florida Press competition, there are two employees I want to single out — Matt Mistretta and Stefanie Burlingame.
Matt is our art director and the person behind the design transformation at the papers. He has worked here since 2005 and this past year finally has been able to begin implementing his vision of improving the paper’s overall look. Matt’s commitment and steadfastness are greatly appreciated by his colleagues and me.
Stefanie joined us two years ago and is the designer whose name is on most of the winning ads. Her job is to work with customers and sales staff to design knockout ads that move people to buy products and services our advertisers sell.
Stef is the employee who taught me more than anyone else that the more I leave her alone the better she becomes. Her talent is evident by the 12 awards that identify her as the artist.
Please join me in congratulating Matt, Stefanie and the entire staff for their outstanding work. You are fortunate to have such talented and dedicated people working every week to bring you a community paper that is one of the best in Florida.

Gators shooting for first district crown in two decades

By

New coach guides Land O’ Lakes to 15-3 record

By Kyle LoJacono

None of the current Land O’ Lakes High volleyball players were born the last time the Gators won a district title, but that is not stopping them from going for the title this year.

Land O’ Lakes (15-3) last took home a district crown in 1989 and they are getting guidance from first-year Gators coach Laurie Tyszko on how to end that 21-year streak.

“The farthest I’ve gotten was last year when we got to the district semifinals,” said senior setter and outside hitter Morgan Crescent. “Last year we did it mainly on skills our old coach taught us.  Our new coach is showing us how to put those skills together and work as a team.”

The Gators finished 11-9 last year with Michelle Griffin as coach, but she was deployed with the U.S. Army.

“It was unexpected,” said senior libero Helen Marte. “We found out at the end of last year. We got a letter from her once and wrote back. We miss her a lot because she helped us get better, but our new coach is also great.”

Tyszko coached at Hudson High last year and was unsure about how things would go with the new squad. To combat any potential problems she has allowed the players to do their normal routines.

“I watched them during the summer and I saw a lot of talent,” Tyszko said. “I noticed we have a lot of good jump servers and we actually score a lot of points off our serves. I wanted them to be comfortable with what they do. I wasn’t looking to make huge changes.”

The biggest change to this point is playing a rotation with two setters. Tyszko decided to go with the different system to keep Crescent and setter and outside hitter Teresa Della Penna, a junior, on the floor as much as possible.

Crescent is second on the team with 153 kills, 60 aces, 161 assists and 141 digs through Land O’ Lakes’ first 18 matches. Della Penna leads the Gators with 151 kills, 188 assists and 82 aces. Della Penna also has 134 digs and 16 blocks.

“We work together well,” Della Penna said. “When I’m up front and having a good hitting day I’ll go for the kill and if I’m not, I’ll set someone else up. Working with Morgan is great and actually most of the girls have played together for years even in middle school.”

Learning the new rotation was also tough at first for senior middle hitter Nicole Woodard, but she and the rest of the players have picked it up quickly.

Nicole Woodard

“It was really hard when we were first learning it,” Woodard said. “I’ve been playing with a lot of the players for a long time, so that made things easier. We basically still knew where the others were going to be.”

Woodard has a team-leading 95 blocks while adding 131 kills.

While Della Penna, Crescent and Woodard lead the way up front, Marte commands the backline for the Gators. She has team-high 201 digs to go with her 17 aces.

“Playing libero, sometimes there is a lot of pressure,” Marte said. “When the ball comes over everything is on you to get the ball. You learn to deal with that at the position. You can’t be nervous and go all out for the ball.”

While many of the team’s leaders are seniors and juniors, one freshman has started to make a larger impact.

“It was kind of intimidating starting off,” said freshman outside hitter Daniella Smith. “I just didn’t want to mess things up. The more I’ve gotten in, the more comfortable I’ve felt.”

Tyszko said when she started she just wanted the team to have a winning record, which they have already clinched. Now she is hoping for that elusive district title, a couple wins in the regional tournament and who knows after that.

“We have the talent to get to the state tournament,” Tyszko said. “Hopefully things will come together for us the next few weeks.”

-All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches as of Oct. 18.

Land O’ Lakes crushes Wesley Chapel 49-3

By

Offense and defense show up big in victory

By Kyle LoJacono

Land O’ Lakes High needed just seven plays to take a lead it would never give up against Class 3A, District 7 rival Wesley Chapel High in a 49-3 win Oct. 15.

While the Gators (6-0) offense is averaging 46 points per game, it was the defense that set a school record in the 46-point win by recording 13 sacks against the Wildcats (2-5).

Land O’ Lakes linebacker Jackson Cannon brings down Wesley Chapel quarterback Devon Henry for one of the Gators school record 13 sacks.

“That was pretty impressive,” Land O’ Lakes coach Matt Kitchie said of the sacks. “We had an 11-sack performance earlier in the year and 13 tonight and you can’t really do that without the whole defense working together. We had a lot of players step up and make plays.”

Junior weakside linebacker Shadow Williams had four sacks in the game, doubling his total for the year.

“You just have to read the guards and read the tackles,” Williams said on how he was able to get to the quarterback. “You can tell by how they’re setting up and watching which way they’re going.”

Junior linebacker Jackson Cannon added two more sacks. The Gators are averaging more than six sacks per game.

The third sack on Wildcats freshman quarterback Alex McGough knocked him out of the game with an apparent knee injury.

Williams and the entire defense took pride in not allowing a touchdown to the Wildcats and holding them to just 75 yards.

“It’s really good for our offense because it gives them good field position and keeps them on the field so we can get points on the board,” Williams said.

Land O’ Lakes senior quarterback Stephen Weatherford said, “Our defense is unbelievable. They’re as good as our offense if not better. I can throw a pick and I know our defense is going to get the ball back to us.”

Stephen Weatherford

While the Land O’ Lakes defense was setting up shop in the Wesley Chapel backfield, the Gators offense was having a party of its own. They took the opening drive 49 yards down the field ending with a one-yard touchdown run by Weatherford.

“I felt like our passing game has been off for a couple games,” Weatherford said. “I felt like our running game clicked and our offensive line has been doing a lot better too and that opens things up in the passing game. I felt good about our whole offense tonight.”

The Land O’ Lakes signal caller finished 14 of 23 passing with 337 yards and four passing scores while adding another 65 rushing yards. Weatherford has 1,661 passing yards this year and 24 touchdowns. His 276.8 yards per game is the third most in Florida.

Weatherford threw a pair of touchdown passes to wide receiver Will Irwin and tight end Jason Tello, both seniors. The longest was a 63-yarder to Irwin.

“Stephen and I, we have a lot of chemistry,” Irwin said. “We’ve been in practice every day going on four years now. He knows where I’ll be and I know where to go. He knows when to throw it and he knows I’ll be there for it.”

Weatherford did throw one interception in the game and senior wide receiver Matthew Carper saved him from another. Late in the game a Wesley Chapel defender got his hands on a pass and looked like he completed the interception, but Carper pulled it away and made a would-be turnover into a 13-yard completion.

“I’ll have to buy him lunch or something for saving me from that one,” Weatherford said jokingly.

The Wildcats lone score came on a 27-yard field goal by junior Cody Hodgens. The points were set up by a muffed punt recovered by Wesley Chapel on the Gators 40-yard-line.

“We’re a really young team,” said Wesley Chapel coach Ben Alford. “A lot of those guys on the other sideline have been together for three and four years. We’re playing three or four freshman each game. It makes it difficult, but they’ll learn from these kinds of games.”

The Gators are currently tied for the district lead with Pasco High and Sunlake High.

Pasco has won the district the last three years and beat Land O’ Lakes 28-16 last year in Dade City, their only loss of the regular season. Kitchie has the score hanging on the Gators locker room door to remind them. The rematch with the Pirates is this Friday, Oct. 22 in Land O’ Lakes at 7:30 p.m.

“I think we’re really prepared for them,” Kitchie said. “Obviously the wounds are still fresh and that’s been up there on our locker room door since the Monday after we got beat so they see it every time they hit the practice field.”

Lawson McLeod fastest ‘Iron Kid’

By

By Kyle LoJacono

Lawson McLeod has been competing in triathlons for nearly two years and he recently tasted victory at the national Iron Kid race Oct. 3.

Lawson McLeod

The race was in St. Petersburg and included a 50-meter swim, 500-meter run and two-mile bike ride. The Wesley Chapel 6-year-old finished with a time of 13 minutes and 50 seconds, besting 550 competitors in his age group from 30 states and five countries.

“When I was coming to the end there were a lot of people yelling.” Lawson said. “Then I heard my cousins screaming that I won. I was so excited because it’s the first time I’ve won an Iron Kid race.”

Lawson has also won four Livestrong Youth Series races this year.

Lawson, who is a student at Wesley Chapel Elementary, started competing in triathlons just after turning 5 last January. His mother and father, Laura and Tommy McLeod, also do such races and his 3-year-old sister Ryann will begin doing the same next year.

“One thing we love about the sport is that as a family we can practice and train together,” Laura said. “Bike workouts include riding with Tommy and/or I at Flatwoods or on the trails in Seven Oaks. We all go together to swim practice at Arbor Greene and we can run together.”

Lawson said he enjoys doing all three elements of a triathlon. His mother said the day after he competed in his first he could not stop talking about it.

“He woke up and the first thing he asked is was he going to race in a triathlon again that day,” Laura said. “It was the cutest thing. He just loved everything about it from the start.”

Laura and Tommy both love Lawson’s athletic pursuit, but they were surprised by his selection of triathlons. Laura played college soccer while Tommy played college football and the two thought Lawson would pick up one or both of those sports instead.

“He has played soccer at the (University of South Florida) Bulls Academy held at USF, played T-ball, baseball and karate,” Laura said. “He had fun seeing his buddies at these sports, but triathlons have been the only thing that he has ever popped up after the event the very next morning and said, ‘do I get to do a triathlon today?’

“The energy output level that he expends on a daily basis training is excellent and having choices is wonderful too,” Laura continued. “He sees friends at swim practice, tri-camp and at all the meets, so the social component is still there.”

Lawson has done so well in this season’s Livestrong Challenge Series he will be presented with a special triathlon seat for his bike. He will receive the prize for placing first in the series locally Nov. 6 at the Bob Sierra YMCA in Northdale.

“I don’t want the season to end, but I’m excited for next year,” Lawson said. “It’s really fun and I want to keep doing it.”