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Jeff Novotny

Top 2019 sports moments

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Teams captured state titles and local athletes turned in outstanding performances, during a year that brought shining moments and countless lasting memories.

Here is a look at some of the top moments in sports, from across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area:

Longtime Zephyrhills High boys hoops coach Alan Reed (File)

Zephyrhills High names ‘Alan Reed Court’
Little more than a year after naming its football field after legendary coach Tom Fisher, Zephyrhills High School named the school’s gymnasium floor after longtime varsity boys’ basketball coach Alan Reed.

A formal dedication ceremony for Reed was held Jan. 18 — an evening that coincided with a Bulldogs defeat of crosstown rival Pasco High, 61-34.

The 71-year-old served as Zephyrhills boys’ basketball coach for a total of 16 years, in four separate stints — 1975 to 1979; 1981 to 1986; 2006 to 2010; and, 2014 to 2016.

During that time he became — and still is — the school’s all-time winningest basketball coach.

In total, he’s been involved with Zephyrhills athletics for more than 35 years, also coaching volleyball, track, football and softball.

He remains a volunteer coach at the school, to this day.

Sunlake varsity girls weightlifting won its first state title in February. (File)

Sunlake girls weightlifting wins state title
The Sunlake High varsity girls weightlifting program, under longtime coach Denise Garcia, perennially has been among the more dominant programs in the area, wielding multiple conference and district titles over the years. And, the Seahawks took the next step forward in February, winning the 2019 FHSAA Class 2A girls weightlifting state championship, in Panama City Beach. The title marked the end of the sport’s longest-active streak of consecutive team championships held by Navarre High, who won four straight from 2015 through 2018.

The feat marked Sunlake’s second state championship among all boys or girls sports — the school’s competitive cheerleading team won a state title back in 2014.

Academy at the Lakes softball repeats at states
A year after claiming the school’s first-ever FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic) state championship, the Academy at the Lakes Wildcats did it again in May. Behind the arm and bat of two-time Gatorade Florida State Softball Player of the Year Lexi Kilfoyl, the Wildcats mowed through the Class 2A state playoffs, outscoring opponents by a combined 35-0 — including an 11-0 shutout against Mount Dora Christian Academy in the state title game.

Women’s sports museum opens in Wesley Chapel
Wesley Chapel’s AdventHealth Center Ice is widely known as the largest hockey facility in the Southeastern United States and training ground of the gold-medal winning 2018 U.S. Olympic women’s ice hockey team.

In March, it became known for another meaningful reason — the home of the first virtual museum dedicated to women’s hockey trailblazers.

Called the Women’s Sports Herstory Museum, it is the brainchild of female hockey coaching legend Digit Murphy and her friend, Jeff Novotny, a Wesley Chapel resident.

Situated in a second-floor viewing room at Center Ice, the museum features interactive wall panel displays where visitors scan QR codes to view content online in the form of videos and in-depth stories.

Poster-sized displays highlight several of hockey’s female pioneers, including Katey Stone, Katie Guay and Amanda Pelkey. The room is also filled with various sports memorabilia and equipment, including a signed jersey and signed pictures of all 23 members of the U.S. Olympic women’s ice hockey team.

Zephyrhills tennis center breaks ground
Years of talks and planning to bring a state-of-the-art tennis center to Zephyrhills finally became a reality in July, when a groundbreaking ceremony officially marked the beginning of construction on the long-awaited Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness, at 6585 Simons Road, Zephyrhills.

Situated on more than 8 acres of land, the multimillion complex when complete will feature 11 outdoor tennis courts, eight pickleball courts, four padel courts, along with an adjoining 7,400-square-foot indoor wellness center housing a fitness and rehabilitation studio, salt/sauna room, cryotherapy, pro shop, café, kids’ area and more.

Slated to open in summer 2020, the facility is named in honor of Sarah Vande Berg, a former Zephyrhills High School district tennis champion, who died in an automobile accident at the age of 21 in October 2015.

Land O’ Lakes Little League baseball celebrated its first state title since the early 2000s. (File)

Land O’ Lakes Little League wins state crown
It is believed to have been more than 15 years since a Land O’ Lakes Little League baseball team won a state title — until this summer.

In July, the Land O’ Lakes all-star squad composed of 14- to 16-year-olds bested seven other teams all across the state at the 2019 Little League Baseball Senior League Florida State Championships, in Bradenton.

The roster was made up of players from Land O’ Lakes, Sunlake, and Cypress Creek high schools, who put aside local prep rivalries to come together as a group.

Before advancing to and winning states, the team moved through districts and sectional tournaments in Tampa, Land O’ Lakes and Plant City, respectively.

Playing in round robin, double elimination formats, Land O’ Lakes lost initial games in sectionals and states, forcing them to play from behind and win multiple games in same days to claim the respective tournaments.. They went 7-2 in all three tournaments combined, outscoring opponents by a 57-27 margin.

Wesley Chapel fishing enthusiast Keven Barber. (File)

Local fisherman featured on national television
Wesley Chapel’s Keven Barber got the fishing trip of a lifetime, when he was featured on the Union Sportsman’s Alliance “Brotherhood Outdoors” television series on the Sportsman Channel. Barber’s August saltwater fishing trip along the Mississippi River Delta in Louisiana was shown to the masses on television in October.

Barber was selected for the show based on his combination of passion for the outdoors, union membership and involvement, volunteer efforts and more. When he’s not working or fishing, the father of four boys stays busy as a scout leader and director of tackle football for the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association.

Pasco High claimed victory over Zephyrhills High in this year’s 9-Mile War rivalry football game. (Courtesy of Pasco High Athletics)

Pasco High gets revenge in 9-Mile War
The year 2014 was the last time Pasco High had beaten Zephyrhills High in the annual 9-Mile War rivalry football game, in a 35-34 nail-biter.

Since then, the contests had been extremely one-sided in favor or Zephyrhills, who won the ensuing four games (2015-2018) by a combined 187-39 scoring margin.

But, in November, under first-year head coach Jason Stokes, Pasco finally unseated the Bulldogs – winning the November matchup by a decisive 27-9 mark. Even better for the Pirates, they did it on the Bulldogs home turf. The Pirates now lead the series 41-21, in a tradition that dates back to 1941.

Steinbrenner High boys’ cross-country (File)

Steinbrenner boys’ cross-country claim first state title
After finishing state runner-up the past two years, the Steinbrenner High boys’ cross-country program at last collected its first-ever state championship in the FHSAA Class 4A meet in Tallahassee in November.

The Warriors were paced by senior Josh King, who finished in sixth place overall, crossing the finish line in 15:52.32. The rest of the team’s top five runners were senior Blake Walker (19th, 16:05.88), senior Gabriel Lara (32nd, 16:19.79), junior Zachary Harrigan (45th, 16:26.18) and senior Rama Jonnalgadda (56th, 16:30.95). Steinbrenner’s 129 points in the meet were enough to edge out second-place team finisher Nease High (140)

Gaither, Steinbrenner football programs reach state semifinals
It was a banner year for the two Lutz area prep football programs, as both Steinbrenner and Gaither high schools reached the state semifinals in Classes 6A and 8A, respectively. Both programs were buoyed by top-flight senior quarterbacks— Haden Carlson for Steinbrenner, Tony Bartalo for Gaither — plus several other Division I prospects dotting their respective rosters. Moreover, both local programs went 12-2, marking the only 10-plus win seasons from teams in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

Published January 01, 2020

Women’s sports museum opens in Wesley Chapel

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Wesley Chapel’s AdventHealth Center Ice is widely known as the training grounds of the gold-medal winning 2018 U.S. Olympic women’s ice hockey team.

The Women’s Sports Herstory Museum is a virtual museum dedicated to female pioneers in hockey. Located on the second floor of the AdventHealth Center Ice hockey complex, it features interactive wall panel displays where visitors scan QR codes from their phones to view content online; the museum is also decorated with various female hockey memorabilia and equipment. (Kevin Weiss)

Now, the 150,500-square-foot ice sports complex houses what is believed to be the first virtual museum dedicated to women’s hockey trailblazers.

The museum, called the Women’s Sports Herstory Museum, is the brainchild of female hockey coaching legend Digit Murphy and her friend, Jeff Novotny, a Wesley Chapel resident.

Situated in a second-floor viewing room of the ice hockey complex, 3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd., the museum features interactive wall panel displays where visitors scan QR codes to view content online in the form of videos and in-depth stories.

The poster-sized displays highlight several of hockey’s female pioneers, including Katey Stone,  the first-ever female head coach of a USA Hockey team in the Olympics and current head coach at Harvard University; Katie Guay, the first to officiate an NCAA Division I men’s hockey game; Sara DeCosta Hayes, a two-time USA Hockey Women’s Player of the Year; Amanda Pelkey, a 2018 gold medalist and all-time scoring leader at the University of Vermont; and, of course, Murphy, who became the winningest coach in Division I women’s hockey at Brown University.

The room is also decorated with various sports memorabilia and equipment, including a signed jersey and signed pictures of all 23 members of the U.S. Olympic women’s ice hockey team.

At some point, the museum will highlight a “local hero” for women’s sports in the Tampa Bay area.

Women’s Sports Herstory Museum co-curator Digit Murphy speaks at a March 6 VIP event at AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel.

“Girls and women need to hear the stories of the women that played before them,” Murphy said, during a March 6 VIP event for the museum. “When girls and women walk through this museum, I want them to see themselves sitting in the seats of the women that came before them. We need our little girls looking in this room going, ‘Oh, I could be a gold medalist…’”

She continued, “It’s really important that people see their heroes and leaders and role models in pictures and stories, because, especially in sports, you see men all the time and you don’t see it for girls.”

The museum — which opened to the public on March 9 — will be housed at Center Ice for the next three years, through a room sponsorship from Murphy’s Play it Forward Sport and United Women’s Sports organizations, which also will award $1,000 scholarships to local female high school seniors.

The concept was born last year after Murphy took a visit to Canton, Ohio, where she discovered — and became irked — that a $100 million expansion was being made in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Murphy recalled the moment: “I’m like, ‘$100 million for football? Unbelievable.’”

Digit Murphy is the winningest coach in Division I women’s hockey at Brown University.

From that, the hockey legend got in touch with Novotny, an engineer, who figured they could develop a platform where museums about women’s sports could be brought to already existing venues.

“I recognize the importance of how it’s important that we celebrate the women in our lives that do special things, so this was an opportunity to kind of do something unique,” said Novotny, who met Murphy years ago at a hockey clinic for one of his daughters.

Novotny then reached out to AdventHealth Center Ice general manager Gordie Zimmermann, who signed off on a virtual museum in his facility.

Zimmermann is pleased with how it turned out.

“This is an inspiring room, for sure,” Zimmermann said, during the VIP event. “We walk by this room constantly and there’s little kids in here hanging on the walls and now they’re going to be looking at the walls instead.

“We’ve always talked about girls hockey and what can we do with girls hockey. There is a place, for sure, in this sport for girls and the future’s so bright for them.”

Meanwhile, the Wesley Chapel location could be just the tip of the iceberg for Murphy and Novotny’s virtual women’s sports museum initiative.

The co-curators hope to expand the project to highlighting women in various other sports in other cities.

Novotny said they’ve even been approached by some universities to create a virtual museum for their alumni female athletes. “It’s scalable to any sport,” he said.

And, Murphy wants to see the virtual museums “everywhere.”

“We want this to be something that goes viral,” she said. “We want more of women’s stories out there, so that Herstory can happen.”

For more information about the museum, visit GetHerStory.com.

Published March 13, 2019

This Girl Scout project could save lives

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When most people think of Girl Scouts, they tend to picture little girls selling cookies in front of the local store or singing in a camp sing-along.

It’s unlikely they envision a young woman working on a project to improve traffic safety.

But that’s exactly what Wesley Chapel High School student Samantha Politano is doing.

Wesley Chapel High student Samantha Politano is striving to attain a Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor awarded to a Girl Scout. Her project is to improve safety traffic conditions on Wells Road. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Wesley Chapel High student Samantha Politano is striving to attain a Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor awarded to a Girl Scout. Her project is to improve safety traffic conditions on Wells Road.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

She’s launched a three-year project aimed at making life safer for the students who attend Wesley Chapel High School, Thomas Weightman Middle School and Wesley Chapel Elementary School.

She’s not only interested in making life safer for students. She wants to improve the conditions for all drivers — parents dropping off and picking up their kids, bus drivers making their rounds, and faculty members and students who drive to school.

In addition to making Wells Road safer, she’s also aiming to spread the message of safe driving habits.

She hopes her efforts will encourage drivers to buckle up and put away their cellphones, which will reduce their chance or being injured or having an accident.

She also thinks it would be neat to give Wells Road a second, honorary name — Wildcat Way — to pay tribute to the mascot for the elementary, middle and high schools.

Politano is tackling the traffic safety issue on a number of fronts and has enlisted the aid of Jeff Novotny, former president of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce.

Novotny is widely known in business circles around Wesley Chapel, but that’s not why Politano asked him. She wanted his help because he’s married to her third-grade teacher, Amanda, who teaches at Wesley Chapel Elementary.

“Mrs. Novotny was one of the most influential teachers, ever,” Politano said.

So, why would a teenager take on an issue like traffic safety?

In Politano’s case, it’s because she’s striving to attain a Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve.

The distinction is based on the completion of a project that focuses on making a difference.

Politano said her decision to work on traffic issues was partly inspired by a friend of hers who was injured when a car backed into her in the parking lot.

She said she also heard about a freshman who was struck by a vehicle on Wells Road.

It’s not hard to see that Wells Road has traffic issues during student arrival and departure times.

On one recent afternoon, parents arrived at least 20 minutes before school got out, parking their cars on the edges on both sides of Wells Road.

With cars flanking both sides of the road, passing traffic — including school buses — had to drive close to the middle of the road, and in some cases over the centerline.

Parents also pulled into a parking lot at Wesley Chapel High to wait for their children, reminiscent of the staging area of the cellphone parking lot at Tampa International Airport.

Politano plans to continue her efforts by talking to various advisory groups and elected officials, to draw attention to the problem. She also has been circulating a petition that people can sign on paper or electronically.

One possible solution, Novotny said, would be to have a continuous turn lane down Wells Road, which would give vehicles a place to wait, so other cars could get by.

“That (continuous turn lane) creates enough separation between the west and eastbound vehicles so that they’re not right on top of each other. It gives a little space for people to see what’s happening,” Novotny said.

Besides working on that issue, Politano has already addressed a site-distance problem at the intersection of Wells and Boyette roads.

There was overgrown vegetation near the intersection, making it difficult for drivers to see, she explained. She notified the county, and they responded swiftly to address the problem, she said.

“It was very quick. I was very surprised, pleasantly surprised,” Politano said.

The county already is planning another safety improvement, Novotny said. It is scheduled to install a traffic light at Boyette and Wells roads in 2016.

Besides making conditions safer on the road, Politano has encouraged safer driver behavior.

She used Wesley Chapel High School’s public address system to remind students of the importance of buckling up and not texting while driving.

She used a message that got the students’ attention. She told them it would cost $140 for a ticket, if they weren’t wearing a seat belt or were caught texting while driving.

Politano also did a study to see if her message had any effect.

Before she made the announcement, she counted the cars in the parking lot and observed how many drivers were wearing their seat belts. By her count, it was around 15 percent.

She did the same count after her announcement, and this time about 50 percent were buckled up.

She said she plans to do another observation, to see if her message stuck.

In another effort to raise awareness, she created a sign on a fence between the high school and elementary school.

“Buckle Up!” it exclaims.

Politano realizes she has ambitious goals, but noted she doesn’t have to achieve a three-lane road or modify other drivers’ behavior to qualify for the Girl Scout Gold Award. She merely has to make her best efforts and document them.

She said she’s grateful for Novotny’s help on the project.

“Mr. Novotny has helped immensely, immensely, immensely with this.”

Politano’s mom, Felicia, recalled when her daughter told her what she planned to do for her Gold Award project.

The teenager said: “I’m going to widen Wells Road.”

Her mom responded: “Why don’t you find something easier than that to do.”

While she doesn’t have to get the road widened, Politano does hope for that result.

“The community needs it,” Politano said.

Published March 18, 2015

Ice rink skates into Pasco County

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The traditional gear of hard hats and shovels gave way to hockey sticks and the whack of slap shots at the groundbreaking ceremony for the largest ice and sports complex in the southeastern United States.

The 150,000-square-foot sports facility in Wesley Chapel is expected to become a major tourism draw.

Roughly 100 people attended the Feb. 24 groundbreaking festivities to celebrate the $20 million project.

Molly Flanagan, 14, sets up her slap shot at the groundbreaking ceremony for the largest ice and sports complex in the southeastern United States. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Molly Flanagan, 14, sets up her slap shot at the groundbreaking ceremony for the largest ice and sports complex in the southeastern United States.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

The facility is expected to be popular with youth hockey leagues and to attract international hockey tournaments. But other sports including figure skating, basketball, soccer, lacrosse and even curling will be possible in a chameleon-like facility that can accommodate a variety of playing fields and sports.

It’s a dream come true for Canadian-born Gordie Zimmermann, managing partner of Z Mitch LLC and former general manager at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon. He and business partner George Mitchell are the project’s developers.

“I really love hockey,” Zimmermann said. “We saw a lack of ice in the area. Kids can’t practice enough.”

The as-yet unnamed facility will open in fall 2015 at 3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd., off Interstate 75 at the State Road 56 interchange in Wesley Chapel.

It will have four full-size rinks including one Olympic-size hockey rink. There also will be a removable ice rink pad that can be converted for multiple uses including non-sports activities such as dog shows and graduation ceremonies.

Florida Hospital officials announced a 10-year partnership with the ice and sports complex. The hospital, which purchased naming rights for the complex, will provide educational programs on sports performance and injury prevention.

Zimmermann and the hospital are sponsoring a contest to name the ice and sports complex. Suggestions can be made through March 10 at WesleyChapelIceCenter.com.

Molly Flanagan, 14, and her sister, Abby Flanagan, 11, can’t wait for the new ice rink to open. They play for the Lady Vipers hockey team and practice at a rink in Oldsmar.

“It’s good to be able to be close to an ice rink,” said Molly. “It’s going to be a good facility.”

And, she can hone skills that might one day land her a spot on the U.S. Olympics women’s hockey team. “It would be a dream come true,” she said.

Abby Flanagan revels in the physical nature of the game and breaking down stereotypes. “It’s doing what people say we (girls) can’t do,” she said. “They think it’s a man’s sport. I like showing we girls can do what a man does.”

The sisters have received instruction from Anne Schleper, a silver medalist on the U.S. women’s hockey team in 2014. Schleper, 25, is preparing for world championships next month in Sweden.

The complex could become an optional training site for athletes of all ages and all levels of play, potentially from all over the country, Schleper said.

“It’s going to be a great facility for us to use,” she said.

She grew up in Minnesota but lives now in Pasco County. To some a warm weather state might seem an unlikely choice for ice hockey training, but Schleper said, “The hockey fan base is huge here. They are dedicated fans.”

The Tampa Bay Lightning organization plans to use the facility for some of its “on ice” programs including clinics and camps for youth and young adults.

“We look forward to working with the ice complex in growing the game of hockey across the Tampa Bay region,” said Jay Feaster, executive director of the Lightning’s community hockey development.

Jeff Novotny, immediate past president of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, has a personal reason to welcome the arrival of the ice and sports complex. His 13-year-old daughter, Madison, plays for the Lady Vipers.

Recently, a hockey tournament in Tampa drew 66 teams that had to play at four different locations. Almost 40 percent were from outside the Tampa Bay area, and Novotny said some teams had to stay at hotels at great distances from the game sites.

The complex will allow consolidation of locations and where people stay, giving Pasco County’s economy a boost, he said. “They need hotels and restaurants,” he added. “People have to fill up with gas and find things to do at night for entertainment. It’s a dream engine for giving people something to do. It’s all related to the economy.”

Published March 4, 2015

Wesley Chapel chamber honors businesses, leaders

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The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce honored its top businesses and leaders during its annual banquet last week at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.

The awards, according to chamber officials, acknowledge the accomplishments of small businesses, large businesses, volunteers, civic organizations, and business leaders, for the contributions they make to the regional economy.

The business awards were reviewed and scored by a panel of peers based on their demonstrated commitment to the advancement of the business community.

Winners included:

• Business Leader of the Year — Stanley Giannet, Pasco-Hernando State College.
• Large Business of the Year — Parks Ford of Wesley Chapel
• Small Business of the Year — The New Tampa/Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News
• Civic Group of the Year — American Cancer Society
• Volunteer of the Year — Kelly Mothershead, A Focus on Fitness

In addition those awards, Wendy Bechtelheimer was presented the president’s award for her contribution to the organization, while Jeff Novotny of American Consulting Engineers was named the board member of the year.

The event was presented by Parks Ford of Wesley Chapel.

 

Wesley Chapel welcomes ice in new $20M sports complex

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By the end of next year, State Road 56 will be more crowded than ever.

A new Mercedes dealership. A long-awaited outlet mall and the different stores it will bring. Yet another hotel, this time 120 rooms.

Gordie Zimmermann, from left, is joined by Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano and retired Tampa Bay Lightning star Dave Andreychuk last week in a presentation unveiling a new four-pad ice sports complex just off State Road 56 in Wesley Chapel. The new arena is expected to open by late next year. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Gordie Zimmermann, from left, is joined by Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano and retired Tampa Bay Lightning star Dave Andreychuk last week in a presentation unveiling a new four-pad ice sports complex just off State Road 56 in Wesley Chapel. The new arena is expected to open by late next year.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

Not bad for a road that, just a little more than a decade ago, didn’t even exist.

Joining all that, however, is an ice and sports complex so big, it might make existing facilities in Ellenton, Oldsmar and maybe even Brandon a bit jealous.

Apartment developer Gordie Zimmermann and his colleagues Z Mitch LLC, closed on 13 acres of land last week on Cypress Ridge Boulevard for $2.6 million, where they plan to build a 155,500-square-foot ice and sports complex complete with four pads of ice, a restaurant, and room for other sports in the community.

Zimmermann’s development team is investing more than $20 million in the project, all so that Zimmermann’s hockey team — and other teams like it — won’t have to travel so far anymore to find a sheet of ice in Florida.

“I was operating down in the Brandon facility, and I noticed that the adult hockey program had taken over,” Zimmermann said of Ice Sports Forum, a two-pad complex he also owns. “The kids had limited ice time there, and had to drive 60 to 70 miles to an ice practice.”

Zimmermann, in his off-time, coaches the Wiregrass Ice Hawks, a youth team that includes his son, incoming Wiregrass High School junior Luke Zimmermann. The Ice Hawks finished as one of the top youth hockey teams in the state, second only to Mitchell High School.

The long drives and fighting for time on the ice limits the younger Zimmermann’s practice time to just a few days a week. But having a sports complex within walking distance of his Seven Oaks home could actually get him out on the ice much more frequently.

“I’d probably be going there every day,” Luke Zimmermann, a center for the team, said.

Although the facility is tentatively called the Cypress Creek Ice and Sport Complex, Gordie Zimmermann said he’s not opposed to finding a corporate sponsor to buy the naming rights. But even if that happens, it would probably be hard for people not to refer to the facility based on where it is geographically, like Cypress Creek or even Wesley Chapel.

And that’s exactly what Jeff Novotny wanted to hear. Not only is he president of American Consulting, which helped with the Zimmermann project, but he’s also president of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, which has been working tirelessly on branding new development along State Road 56 in the name of Wesley Chapel.

“I can tell you that the Tampa Bay area has a shortage of ice availability for all age levels,” said Novotny, whose American Consulting headquarters is literally next to the site where the ice complex will be built. “I can count on one hand the number of ice arenas in a one-hour drive. And thanks to the Tampa Bay Lightning, it is better than what it was 15 years ago.”

The Lightning was represented by Stanley Cup winner Dave Andreychuk who, coincidentally, went to high school with Zimmermann in Hamilton, Ontario. Andreychuk stood behind Zimmermann last week during a news conference where the new facility was unveiled, and lent his support to the facility.

Although there are plans to build a two-pad ice sports complex near The Grove in Wesley Chapel, Zimmermann seemed to dismiss the possibility that the local market could become too saturated with ice.

“I think we’ve done our homework,” he said. “I come from an area that has 200 rinks — eight-plexes and six-plexes, and it’s kind of the way of the world to build a minimum of four.”

The facility will be two stories tall, complete with two National Hockey League-level ice pads, and one meeting Olympic specifications. A fourth smaller ice pad, which can double as a non-ice sports court, could be made available when needed for young kids just getting their start, or even to help goalies learn position playing, Zimmermann said.

A restaurant would be situated on the second floor, with a clear view of all the rinks.

“During tournaments, some people’s children’s games might be an hour or two apart, an they can go up and grab a quick snack,” Zimmermann said. “Others might have six- or seven-hour gaps, and they can go to Wiregrass mall, and maybe to a restaurant.”

Coming right behind it is a planned 120-room hotel expected to close on 3 acres of land this summer, developers said. It would complement offerings already in that area, including an existing Hampton Inn & Suites.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano joined other government leaders at the presentation in endorsing the project, calling the project a crowning achievement to what the county is trying to accomplish in the State Road 56 and Interstate 75 corridor.

“Two rinks would’ve been great, three rinks is phenomenal, but with four, everyone is going to want to come here and play this from all around the world,” Mariano said, highlighting potential interest to travel here from groups outside Florida, and even outside the United States. “If you had to go to Canada or down here to play hockey, where would you want to go?”

Published June 4, 2014

Developers, Andreychuk set to unveil new ice sports facility

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As the ink dries on sales documents conveying key land to its new owners near Interstate 75 and State Road 56, hockey great Dave Andreychuk and other dignitaries will gather Thursday to unveil plans for a new 150,000-square-foot, four-pad ice and multi-sport facility.

Andreychuk, who won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, is one of several special guests expected to attend the unveiling for media and members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. A public groundbreaking is expected to take place in August.

The facility will be located just off Cypress Ridge Boulevard in Wesley Chapel, and will be developed by Z Mitch LLC, a company run by Gordie Zimmermann.

Among the dignitaries joining Andreychuk and Zimmermann to launch the project will be retired NBA shooting guard Anthony Parker, as well as retired Tampa Bay Rowdies star Jack Shannon.

The event also will include county commissioners Jack Mariano, Kathryn Starkey, Pat Mulieri, Ted Schrader and Henry Wilson; state Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby; Wesley Chapel chamber president Jeff Novotny; and hockey team representatives from the University of South Florida, Mitchell High School and Wiregrass Ranch High School.

The facility, tentatively called Ice I-75, is expected to be a boon to the growing area just off Interstate 75, not far from where an outlet mall is scheduled to start construction.

Its development team includes Deborah Tamargo from ROI Commercial Property Brokerage Inc., Skinner Brothers Realty Co., Keith Appenzeller from King Engineering, Michael Slater from Triad Consultants, Mark Jonnatti from Jonnatti Architecture, Jeff Novotny from American Consulting, John Hagen and John Walsh from Pasco County Economic Development Council Inc., and the Pasco Tourism Council.

Mayoral candidates take bribes, give back to charity

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By Sherri Lonon

It’s not every day that politicians give kickbacks from their campaign coffers rather than get them from shady types hoping to get a favor or two during a victor’s time in office.

Troy Stevenson, right, will pass the Wesley Chapel Honorary Mayor’s sash to Cathy Bickham on Jan. 1. (Photo by Sherri Lonon)
Troy Stevenson, right, will pass the Wesley Chapel Honorary Mayor’s sash to Cathy Bickham on Jan. 1. (Photo by Sherri Lonon)

That was exactly the case, however, Nov. 20 when the two candidates in the Wesley Chapel Honorary Mayor’s Race doled out donations to three local charities. While the candidates did, in fact, buy their way into the positions they’ll assume on Jan. 1, there wasn’t anything “shady” going on.

The honorary mayor’s race is staged annually by the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce as a way to raise awareness about the organization and its members while garnering money for its efforts and charities in the community. Candidates in the highly unofficial event buy their way into office by earning “votes,” which are actually cash donations, similar to the annual Lutz Guv’na race. A portion of the money they raise in the mayoral race goes back to charities of their choosing.

“It gives us an opportunity to provide a figurehead to Wesley Chapel” for ribbon cuttings and other events, explained chamber president Jeff Novotny. It also delivers “benefits on many levels” for the community and chamber.

This year’s race had two candidates and two winners — Cathy Bickham bought her way to the “mayor’s office” and Mary Ann Yaney gets the honor of serving as Wesley Chapel’s deputy mayor in 2014.  Bickham and Yaney collected $637 for their charities of choice while running for office.

Bickham, who is a market strategist for Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, donated proceeds from her campaign to Support the Troops, a Wesley Chapel-based nonprofit that sends care packages to soldiers serving overseas. Yaney, the assistant vice president of Central Bank in Wesley Chapel, donated her share to Tampa Leads & Philanthropy and the Wesley Chapel Rotary Club.

Both women say they got involved in the race to have fun, give back to the community and raise awareness for their businesses and the chamber.

While running takes a lot of work, Yaney recommends the challenge to other area businesspeople.

“If you want to work for your community and you want a way to get more” public relations, it’s a great opportunity, she said.

Bickham is no stranger to the mayor’s race. She’s worked on the campaigns of others in the past, so she knew what she was getting into, she said.

“I truly love Wesley Chapel,” she said. “I really care about the people and the prosperity of the town.”

For more information about the chamber, visit it online at WesleyChapelChamber.com.