Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

Most girls Leah Ellis’ age are more interested in playing with dolls or having imaginary tea parties than riding a several hundred-pound horse.

“It is rare for someone to be as good as she is at just 8 years old,” said Leah’s trainer Grace Baker. “She’s not my youngest student, but she is one of my best.”

Baker trains horses and children at Cypress Meadow Trails Ranch in Odessa. The ranch has about 60 horses and Baker has about 12 students including Leah.

“I love horses,” Leah said. “It’s not scary at all even though they are so big.”

Leah is about 4-feet tall and most of the horses she rides are around 14 hands high, which is about 60 inches to the horse’s shoulder.

“I’ve fallen off 23 times, but I always get back up,” Leah said. “The last time I got thrown off I was riding a 2-year-old horse named Cash that got spooked and started running. I fell off into a fence and hit my eye.”

She still has the remnants of the black eye she suffered from her last fall. The chance of Leah falling is the biggest fear of her parents.

“I think that’s my little girl on that big horse,” said Leah’s father Joey Ellis of seeing her ride. “It gets my adrenaline flowing every time she goes for a jump. When I sit on a horse she has to lead me around because I don’t know what I’m doing on one. It’s a little scary, but it’s really exciting and I’m very proud of her.”

Leah’s passion for horses started at a young age.

“She has loved horses since she was about 2,” said Leah’s mother Sharon Ellis. “We lived in the Bahamas then and I would take her on walks in her stroller. We went right past a horse farm and she would always sit up in her stroller and point at them.”

Leah was not allowed to ride until she was 4.

“She started off riding Western (style), which is what rodeo riders do but not as intense as what you see in shows,” Sharon said. “She switched to English riding about a year ago.”

English riding requires formal attire and involves riding around and jumping over obstacles.

“One of the biggest things in English riding is how the rider presents themselves on the horse, so what they wear is very important” Sharon said. “They have to be in control of the animal and the judges take points away if they don’t.”

Leah has been able to learn English riding quickly and already has at least 100 ribbons from various competitions around central Florida.

“Her biggest competition was in Venice last August at Fox Lea Farm,” Sharon said. “A lot of people enter that competition and she won the reserve champion ribbon, which is like the runner-up.”

She has won the grand champion at Cypress Meadow’s English Hunter and Jumper Show in January. The young rider was also the reserve champion of a Hunter Oaks event and another Cypress Meadow’s competition each in 2009.

Leah mainly competes against people her age, but she also enters competitions with adults.

“She has won several ribbons against adults,” Sharon said. “She’s young, but she can hold her own against anyone.”

To Leah the competitions are not about winning ribbons.

“It makes me feel happy when I’m riding,” Leah said. “I don’t care about winning ribbons. I just like being on horses because I love them.”

The horse Leah mainly rides at Cypress Meadow is Abercrombie Boy, a 4-year-old large pony that is half Welsh and half quarter horse. Leah calls the horse Fitch.

“I love Fitch,” Leah said. “I also like my trainer because she corrects me when I do something wrong and pushes me when I’m tired.”

Leah is also in the gifted program at Wesley Chapel Elementary School, where she says her favorite subjects are science and art.

“I like doing the experiments in science, but I really like drawing horses and making them out of clay in art,” Leah said.

The young rider still has a lot to learn, but Baker thinks she can be something special.

“I’m very grateful that I can work with her,” Baker said. “She has a lot of talent and she’ll go to the top of the sport if she keeps at it.”

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

When Steinbrenner High started practice a few months ago two things were made clear. The Warriors would be in shape and would have to earn their spot each week.

“I work them very hard at practice,” said Steinbrenner boys tennis coach Darren Atkinson, who spent five years as a professional tennis player. “You have to be in great shape to win those key points in close matches.

“I also try and foster competition in the team,” Atkinson continued. “When one player tries to run faster the others should all take note and try and get faster themselves. That lets the players know they need to stay sharp all the time and be on their toes.”

That mentality of continuously earning a position on the team led to a recent shakeup of the Warriors’ team rankings. Junior Jared Gordon-Martin started the year as the team’s No. 1 player, but Luke Blankenship recently took over that position.

“It’s very competitive on the team, but I don’t think much of the rankings,” Blankenship, sophomore, said. “Whoever wins the spot should have it. Whoever is best that day should lead the team. We still have great team chemistry despite constantly pushing each other.”

Blankenship, who has been playing tennis for seven years, attended Bishop McLaughlin Catholic last year.

“Luke earned the spot by beating Jared in a challenge match about three weeks ago,” Atkinson said March 18. “I told them whoever wins takes over the No. 1 spot. Luke won so it’s his spot now.”

In high school, tennis players are ranked one through seven or eight depending on the team’s size. The first five players play against the opposing team’s first five and then the squads play two doubles matches. Whoever takes the most matches wins.

Atkinson coached at Gaither last season and one of the Cowboys joined him at the first-year school this year.

“The practices this year have been a lot tougher than last year at Gaither,” said sophomore Preston West. “We didn’t make the regional tournament last year so I guess coach wanted to make sure we were prepared to make it to the playoffs this year.”

Preston’s younger brother Blake is also on the team.

The workouts and the Warriors’ mindset have produced a 7-2 start in their first nine matches this season. Steinbrenner has also started its first season 7-0 in Class 2A, District 10, which includes Blake, Jesuit, Lennard, Middleton, Robinson, Spoto and Strawberry Crest.

“My expectation level has been met so far, but we haven’t exceeded it,” Atkinson said. “I have a very high expectation level and I think we can do even better. We are the first place team in the district right now and I want to stay there.”

That attitude has been accepted by the players.

“I like coach Atkinson’s style a lot,” said Paul Bikowitz, who played at Sickles last season. “He tells it like it is and doesn’t try and sugarcoat things like a lot of people do. He tells you what you’re doing wrong and what you need to do to fix it.”

Being upfront with the players is one of Atkinson’s trademarks.

“I’m brutally honest with them,” Atkinson said. “They need to know what they are doing wrong so they can work on it. That goes for practice as well as matches because you need to practice perfect to get better in tennis. Just practicing can make things a lot worse if it isn’t perfect.”

While tennis is considered a team sport in high school, the players work more on their own during matches. This fact can make it difficult to bring a team together, but Steinbrenner has been able to overcome the potential problem.

“The kids started competing against each other, but now it’s more like they work together to get better,” said assistant Bill West, who is the father of Preston and Blake. “Going through the tough practices have brought them together. They are always in good spirits and have great camaraderie.”

The Warriors have numerous wins under their belts, but one stood out.

“The biggest win for me was when we beat Jesuit,” Blankenship said. “They won the district last year and have a very good team. Everyone battled in their matches and it let us know we can hang with anyone.”

Steinbrenner is at the top of the district now, but things can change fast in tennis.

“This game is physical chess,” Atkinson said. “It’s physical, but if you’re not right between the ears you won’t win. We have to make sure we don’t start thinking we’re better than we are and keep working all the time. We have to keep working on our weaknesses and constantly improve.”

Two teams make state finals

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

When the Wesley Chapel Soccer Club started five years ago it had only two teams. Today it has 20 with players from across central and east Pasco County.

Of those 20 teams, two have earned a place in the Florida Youth Soccer Association (FYSA) championship for the first time. The final is known as the President’s Cup and will be played April 20 and 21 in Auburndale.

“We started with two recreational teams and now we can compete with the more established clubs in the area,” said Bryn Lloyd, director for coaching of Wesley Chapel Soccer. “We had been more successful in the younger age groups, but now those kids are growing up and we are competitive at all levels.”

The teams that reached the finals are the U12 and U16 boys squads.

“It’s been a privilege to coach the team this last year,” said U12 boys coach Danny Collins. “If they keep performing together they can definitely win the cup.”

Collins started coaching the U12 team last May, which has players from Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes.

“It’s been a great ride this season,” Collins said. “They obviously had great ability, but they’ve been able to reach a new level with their hard work.”

The other Wesley Chapel Flames team to reach the President’s Cup is the U16 boys squad, which has players from Wiregrass Ranch, Pasco, Land O’ Lakes and Sunlake high schools.

“It’s what I’ve been wanting to do since I joined the team,” said U16 midfielder Christian Monahan of making the finals. “I joined the club when it started five years ago and I’ve dreamed of making it to the state finals.”

Monahan is a freshman at Wesley Chapel High and has been playing soccer for 11 years. He scored all three of the team’s goals in the regional tournament March 20 and 21 in Auburndale.

“We’ve been very excited about the way our program has grown,” said U16 coach Patrick Zambito. “I’m very proud of them. There have been three components that have led to their success. Their composure, their self-discipline and their camaraderie.”

Zambito has been coaching the team for two seasons. He first started coaching 32 years ago at age 14.

“That was at the Town ‘N County Soccer League,” Zambito said. “I love coaching even more than playing. Coaching these kids has been a blast and we have more goals to accomplish.”

FYSA is divided into four regions across Florida and into divisions based on ability. The Flames and all teams from the Nature Coast south to Cape Coral are in Region C, which includes nearly 50 teams.

Top teams in each region compete in a regional tournament, with the winners from each age group advancing to the state finals. The U12 squad beat Temple Terrace in penalty kicks to advance to the finals.

“The culmination of everything has been big for me, but winning the regional tournament is the highlight” Collins said. “It’s a big step for the guys. They were down 1-0 and had to fight back to tie it in regulation. They just wouldn’t lose and I’m proud of their spirit.”

The U16 team saw a familiar opponent in its final game. Last year the team lost to Lehigh in the Division 2 Region C finals. Both teams moved up to Division 1, the highest level, and met again in the regional title game. This time Wesley Chapel got the win 1-0.

“It was really sweet justice to be able to come back and play the same team that beat us last year,” Zambito said. “We set a goal to make it back to the regional tournament this year and to get even. It’s poetic justice to be able to come back and beat Lehigh.”

Monahan agrees with his coach.

“The championship game was actually terminated because of weather,” Monahan said. “I scored with about 17 minutes left and it was delayed with 10 minutes on the clock. Later the officials told us that the game was over and that we’d won. It was a load off my shoulders to know we were going to the finals.”

The teams now have to wait until the state final four.

“We’ve been working out and training hard to be in great shape,” Monahan said. “Some of the other players on the team go to Wesley Chapel High with me and we are always talking about going to the finals. It’s all we talk about and we’re all antsy to get on the field.”

For more information on the league, visit www.wesleychapelsoccer.com.

By Derek Highley

Golf Columnist

The recent warmer and more seasonable weather seems to have finally hit the Tampa Bay area. Climbing daytime highs will begin to bring golf courses’ Bermuda grass out of dormancy and kick it into its growth phase. As the grass begins to grow and our local golf courses green-up golfers will soon begin to find longer rough returning to their favorite tracks.

This week I want to provide you with a tip that will help with those difficult short shots from the deep rough around the green that you may soon begin to find yourself playing.

Many times when you are presented with a difficult lie around the green your first thought is to simply get the ball out of trouble and somewhere onto the green without compounding your problems. This tip will give you a little bit more confidence when you are faced with this potentially difficult lie. Fortunately the type of shot that needs to be played to help you deal with this situation is one that many golfers are already very adept at playing — a slice.

Believe it or not when you find your ball in the long rough, the shot you need to use to get you out of trouble is similar to the shot that most often has put you in that situation.

Here is the best way to chop your ball out of heavy green side grass. Open your stance so that your body is aligned left of your target. Your open stance, feet, hips, shoulders pointing left of your target for a right handed player, will set you up to swing the club on an out-to-in path.

Now, position the ball a bit farther back in your stance as compared to a normal pitch shot. This will encourage a more descending blow. The combination of an out-to-in path combined with a steeper angle of attack will create a “chop” like swing perfect for getting the ball up and out of the rough and safely onto the green.

– Opinions expressed in this column are those of the writer only and not that of the publisher.

Derek Highley of Wesley Chapel is a Class A member of the Professional Golfers Association of America and managing partner with Global Golf Marketing. He can be reached at (813) 310-5122 or .

Wiregrass basketball wins again

The Wiregrass Ranch High girls basketball team has the third highest team grade point average (GPA) in Class 4A. The Bulls recorded a 3.46 GPA, behind only North Fort Myers, 3.49, and Jacksonville Bishop Kenny, 3.71.

Wiregrass Ranch finished 19-8 last season and reached the regional playoffs for a second straight year. Sophomore Kelly McCaffrey led the team with 13.5 points per game, while Kayla Deloach had a team-high 162 rebounds and 71 blocks.

All-conference wrestlers named

Sunshine Athletic Conference wrestling coaches recently named league’s all-conference team. Those from central and east Pasco County include:

Nick Hynes, Jr., Zephyrhills, 125 pounds

Nick Popolillo, Sr., Wesley Chapel, 140 pounds

Kyle Koesling, So., Wiregrass Ranch, 103 pounds

Zach Morales, Sr., Wiregrass Ranch, 171 pounds

Luke Peterson, Sr., Sunlake, 140 pounds

Coach John Castelamare’s new job

Wiregrass Ranch finished 19-8 last season and reached the regional playoffs for a second straight year. Sophomore Kelly McCaffrey led the team with 13.5 points per game, while Kayla Deloach had a team-high 162 rebounds and 71 blocks.

Longtime Wesley Chapel High football coach John Castelamare was recently named to the same position at Academy at the Lakes in Land O’ Lakes.

Castelamare coached for 38 years in Pasco County and had been the only coach at Wesley Chapel since it started its football program in 1999. The coach had a 63-50 coaching record with the Wildcats and 108-126 overall.

Castelamare will also be a part-time physical educations teacher at the private school.