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Kansas City

Figure skating heats up in Wesley Chapel

June 6, 2018 By Kevin Weiss

As Tampa Bay becomes synonymous with hockey this time of year, another ice-based sport is heating up in the region.

For the first time, the Florida Sports Foundation selected Pasco County to be the host community for the annual Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships.

The competition took place at Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, from May 18 through May 20.

The games drew more than 300 male and female skaters of all ages, with skaters and their families trekking all the way from the First Coast to South Florida, and everywhere in-between, to compete in the statewide, Olympic-style program.

The majority of the participants were girls between the ages of 10 to 14.

Ten-year-old Jordan Scott, of Wesley Chapel, won the juvenile girls free skate event and was a recipient of the Betty Stark Award as the games’ top juvenile skater.

Skating sisters shine
A pair of young sisters from Wesley Chapel fared among the best.

Twelve-year-old Haley Scott and 10-year-old Jordan Scott each earned gold medals in their respective competitions.

Haley won the novice ladies division with a personal-best in the free skate (84.96 total score).

Jordan, meanwhile, won the juvenile girls free skate event (48.75 score) and was a recipient of the Betty Stark Award as the games’ top juvenile skater.

Haley won the same award back in 2016 for first-place finishes in the juvenile girls free skate and intermediate ladies short events.

She also won the games’ Dorothy Dodson Award in 2017, named after the late long-time figure skating judge that recognizes the highest combined score in the intermediate ladies free skating and short program events.

The success in Florida has translated to the national stage, for Haley.

Between October and January, she skated in the South Atlantic Regional Championships in Ashburn, Virginia (second place, Intermediate Ladies); the Eastern Sectional Championships in Foxborough, Massachusetts (second place, Intermediate Ladies); and in the 2018 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, California (10th place Intermediate Ladies).

Twelve-year-old Haley Scott, of Wesley Chapel, won the novice ladies division with a personal-best in the free skate (84.96 total score). Her younger sister, Jordan Scott, 10, also earned a gold medal in the juvenile free skate. (Courtesy of Julie Scott)

But, her proudest skating moment came the year before, when she earned a bronze medal in the juvenile girls division at the 2017 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Kansas City, Missouri.

Ranked among the nation’s top young figure skaters, the Olympics may be a reality someday.

“My goal is just to keep having fun, keep pushing to my potential, just enjoying the journey,” she said. “The Olympics would be great.”

The Scott sisters have each been skating for about six years, when they first tried it out at a friend’s birthday party.

They’ve been hooked ever since.

“I like the challenge of it. Each day you get to do something new and try to push yourself,” Haley said.

Added Jordan: “I also love competing. It’s really fun to ice skate.”

In the juvenile division, figure skater Kaitlyn Wright, 6, left, talks with friend, Briana Reich, 7, of Wellington. The two girls are coached by Lauren Salzlechner, also of Wellington. Wright and her family may be moving to Wesley Chapel in order to live near Florida Hospital Center Ice. (Fred Bellet)

A convenient training ground
The skating wunderkinds, along with their mother Julie Scott, moved to Wesley Chapel from Port Orange, chiefly for the offerings at Florida Hospital Center Ice.

Labeled the largest ice sports facility in the Southeastern U.S., the 150,500-square-foot, two-story complex features five ice rinks — an Olympic rink (200 feet by 100 feet), three National Hockey League-sized rinks (200 feet by 85 feet) and a mini rink.

While living in Port Orange, the family would commute three hours everyday to a skating facility in Jacksonville.

They made the daily drive for about four years, until Florida Hospital Center Ice launched in January 2017.

Now they’re just minutes away from sheets of ice.

“This facility is probably the best in the southeast right now. It really is. You really can’t beat it,” Julie Scott said.

The Scott sisters, who are home-schooled, use the Wesley Chapel facility about six days a week for practice and training. Their team of coaches is also stationed there.

“They’ve got ballet here. They’ve got yoga. They have it all. They have a trainer. It’s all in-house, which is really nice,” their mother said.

Other skating families are relocating to Wesley Chapel to access those opportunities.

Josh and Marissa Wright and their two children soon plan to move to the area from Boynton Beach. They want to be within a 15-minute drive of Center Ice.

They recently made the 3 ½-hour drive from South Florida so their 6-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn, could participate in the games’ basic series event.

When Josh first toured the facility, he was awestruck with the complex located off Interstate 75 at the State Road 56 interchange.

“It’s amazing. It’s unbelievable. I mean, there’s nothing like this,” he said, adding the facility his family currently uses only has one rink.

Florida’s figure skating surge
The first Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships began 32 years ago in Clearwater with less than 60 skaters.

It’s grown nearly fivefold since, and has been hosted at several other locations over the years, including Tampa, Ellenton, Jacksonville and West Palm Beach, among others.

Twelve-year-old Avery Kelley and her coach, Steve Belanger, both of Jupiter, made the trip to the annual Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships at Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel. Kelley, a competitor in the intermediate division, skates with “elegance and poise,” according to her coach. (Fred Bellet)

Betty Stark has served as the games’ figure skating director since its inception.

She said it’s “a good tune-up” for skaters with aspirations of reaching qualifying competitions, like regionals and sectionals, later in the year.

“A lot of the kids that participate in the Sunshine State Games get the opportunity, if they place, to go on to the State Games of America,” she said, noting several homegrown skaters have wound up competing nationally and internationally.

Stark, a former club figure skater herself at the University of Florida, has also witnessed the sport’s surge in the state across the past three decades.

“It’s been taking off a lot.” she said. “The number of rinks and the interest in figure skating has increased a lot. Coaches have been coming down here starting up programs. Guests coaches from across the country love to come down for the warm weather…and some of them just wind up staying here; and they bring their expertise from their years of skating and their coaching.”

Meantime, the figure skating event may remain here for the foreseeable future.

Pasco County Tourism Manager Consuelo Sanchez said the county plans to bid to keep the state games in Wesley Chapel for the next few years.

“We are interested to keep it here because it is the most important (figure skating) competition in the whole state of Florida,” she said.

Further, the event may be a springboard for drawing even larger figure skating competitions at Florida Hospital Center Ice.

“The good thing about bringing the Sunshine Games is we’re going to show that we can host big events,” Sanchez said.

“We’re already having conversations with USA Figure Skating to try and bring regionals and, hopefully, national championships here. But, they wanted to see that we have the capability of hosting these events, and this is a great experience.”

The facility is already no stranger to the big stage.

It was the training home for the USA Hockey Women’s National Team that won gold in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

It has also hosted multiple National USA Hockey championships and is the training home for international athletes — including six-time French national champion figure skating pair Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres.

And, it’s bucking the notion that ice sports are reserved for northern states and colder climates.

Said Julie Scott, “Everybody always asks us, ‘Why ice skating in Florida?’ But, why not? You’ve got these great facilities.”

Published June 6, 2018

Filed Under: Local News, News Stories, Wesley Chapel/New Tampa News Tagged With: 2018 Winter Olympics, Ashburn, Betty Stark Award, Boynton Beach, Clearwater, Dorothy Dodson Award, Eastern Sectional Championships, Ellenton, First Coast, Florida, Florida Hospital Center Ice, Florida Sports Foundation, Foxborough, French, Haley Scott, Interstate 75, Jacksonville, Jordan Scott, Josh Wright, Kaitlyn Wright, Kansas City, Marissa Wright, Massachusetts, Missouri, Morgan Cipres, National Hockey League, National USA Hockey, Olympics-style, Pasco County, Pasco County Tourism Manager Consuelo Sanchez, Port Orange, Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships, PyeongChang, South Atlantic Regional Championships, South Florida, South Korea, State Road 56, Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships, Tampa, Tampa Bay, University of Florida, USA Figure Skating, USA Hockey Women's National Team, Vanessa James, Virginia, Wesley Chapel, West Palm Beach

Eiland exits Kansas City Royals organization

October 11, 2017 By Kevin Weiss

Zephyrhills native Dave Eiland was let go as pitching coach of the Kansas City Royals after six seasons with the pro club. (Courtesy of MLB.com)

Dave Eiland, one of Zephyrhills’ most celebrated sports figures, was let go as pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals after six seasons with the major league ball club.

The move to not renew Eiland’s contract — first reported by the Kansas City Star on Oct. 2— was part of a greater staff shakeup as the club enters the offseason following an 80-82 season. The club also opted to part ways with three other coaches.

Eiland, who oversaw pitching staffs that helped the organization reach two World Series, was hired by manager Ned Yost after the 2011 season, making him the longest-tenured member of the Royals coaching staff.

But, Kansas City pitchers struggled under Eiland this past season, combining to post a 4.61 ERA, the sixth-worst mark in the American League.

Moreover, it was the fourth straight season the Royals’ ERA slipped. It was 4.21 in 2016, 3.73 in 2015, 3.51 in 2014 and 3.45 in 2013.

Still, some industry pundits believe Eiland, 51, soon will get another big league coaching opportunity, based on his past experience and reputation, and considering the Royals overall lack of front-line talent in the rotation to begin with.

Before the Royals gig, Eiland was the pitching coach for the New York Yankees (2008-2010), and served in an advisory role, as a special assistant for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011. Earlier in his career, he worked as a pitching coach in the minor leagues for several years in the Yankees organization.

Eiland, the son of the revered Zephyrhills police Chief Bill Eiland, graduated from Zephyrhills High School in 1984 as an all-everything athlete. In addition to baseball, Eiland stood out in football, basketball and golf.

He later went on to play baseball at the University of South Florida and was taken by the New York Yankees in the seventh round of the 1987 amateur draft.

That culminated in a decade long MLB career, which included two stints with Yankees (1988-1991 and 1995) as well as the San Diego Padres (1992-1993) and Tampa Bay Rays (1998-2000).

Published Oct. 11, 2017

Filed Under: Local Sports, Sports, Zephyrhills and East Pasco Sports Tagged With: Dave Eiland, Kansas City, Kansas City Royals, Kansas City Star, MLB, Ned Yost, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, University of South Florida, World Series, Zephyrhills, Zephyrhills High School, Zephyrhills Police

Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Fest draws record crowd

January 29, 2015 By B.C. Manion

About 8,000 people attended the fifth annual Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Fest, breaking another record for the event founded in 2010 by the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

Besides attracting thousands to enjoy the barbecue and bands, the event on Jan. 17 at the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, also lured 51 teams to compete to see who makes the best barbecue. Thirty-nine teams competed at the professional level, and there were 12 backyard barbecue teams, according to a news release issued by the chamber.

With limited room for dancing, Cindy Crismon of Zephyrhills, center, managed to strut her stuff in the crowd while jamming to the music of The Lauren Mitchell Band. This was her first Pigz In Z'Hills BBQ & Blues Fest. She is a winter resident from Lake Orion, Michigan. (Fred Bellet/Photo)
With limited room for dancing, Cindy Crismon of Zephyrhills, center, managed to strut her stuff in the crowd while jamming to the music of The Lauren Mitchell Band. This was her first Pigz In Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Fest. She is a winter resident from Lake Orion, Michigan.
(Fred Bellet/Photo)

Figures have not been tallied, but organizers estimate the event exceeded last year’s proceeds of $30,000.

The money raised benefits local youth and education programs and community services of the Chamber of Commerce.

A crew of more than 100 volunteers pitched in to make the event a success. Many worked the entire week, some arriving at dawn and staying past sunset, to get things ready for the festival and to take it down and clean up the grounds.

“Beyond even our own optimistic projections, Pigz in Z’Hills belongs to Zephyrhills,” Vonnie Mikkelsen, executive director of the chamber, said in an email.

“I’m thrilled by the positive outcome and so very happy for the volunteers, the participants and the community who came together to make it happen,” she said.

There were thousands who arrived by car, and at least 26 private aircraft took advantage of the airport’s “Fly-in” option.

Besides enjoying barbecued foods of many styles, spectators had the chance to listen to music performed by TC Carr & Bolts of Blue, The Lauren Mitchell Band, Doug Deming & The Jewel Tones and Cold Iron.

The event venue was larger this year, too, to make room for increased demand for kids’ activities, vendors, a classic car show, and aviation and military history displays.

The Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ competition is sanctioned by the Florida BBQ Association and is a qualifier for three prestigious championship contests: the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational in Lynchburg – considered the Superbowl of BBQ contests; American Royal World Series of BBQ in Kansas City – the world’s largest and oldest contest; and the Sonny’s Smokin’ Showdown Invitational – the FBA’s newest contest.

Wink’s Barbecue led by Wink Yelverton of Fort Walton Beach, FL won Grand Champion Professional Division qualifying his team for all three prestigious contests. Peter Golob of Extra Mile BBQ from Loveland, Ohio took Reserve Champion. In the Backyard Division, Bettern Store Bot, Dave Grantham of Bushnell won Grand Champion while Bamboo Warrior, head cook Curley McKenzie of Thonotosassa took Reserve Champion.

Pigz In Z’Hills BBQ & Blues benefits local youth and education programs and community services of the Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, visit ZephyrhillsChamber.org, call (813) 782-1913, or visit the chamber’s Facebook Page.

Published January 28, 2015

Filed Under: Local News, Zephyrhills/East Pasco News Tagged With: American Royal World Series of BBQ, Bamboo Warrior, Bettern Store Bot, Bushnell, Cold Iron, Curley McKenzie, Dave Grantham, Doug Deming & the Jewel Tones, Extra Mile BBQ, Florida BBQ Association, Fort Walton Beach, Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational, Kansas City, Loveland, Lynchburg, Ohio, Peter Golob, Pigz in Z'Hills BBQ & Blues Fest, Sonny's Smokin' Showdown Invitational, TC Carr & Bolts of Blue, The Lauren Mitchell Band, Thonotosassa, Vonnie Mikkelsen, Wink Yelverton, Wink's Barbecue, Zephyrhills Municipal Airport

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February 23, 2021 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

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03/05/2021 – Apple Pie Bombs

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will offer “Foodie Feast: Apple Pie Bombs” on March 5. Participants can learn how to make tasty, apple pie bombs. Watch the prerecorded video between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., online at Facebook.com/hughembrylibrary or Facebook.com/newriverlibrary. For information, call 352-567-3576, or email Danielle Lee at . … [Read More...] about 03/05/2021 – Apple Pie Bombs

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The Grand Concourse Railroad, 11919 Alric Pottberg Road in Shady Hills, will offer a Pancake Breakfast and Unlimited Train Rides event on March 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost is $6 for adults and $4 for kids. For information, visit Grand Concourse Railroad on Facebook. … [Read More...] about 03/06/2021 – Pancakes and trains

03/08/2021 – Tomato garden

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present a video on how to grow a tomato garden. Those interested can view the video at Facebook.com/hughembrylibrary or Facebook.com/newriverlibrary, all day, on March 8. For information, call 352-567-3576, or email . … [Read More...] about 03/08/2021 – Tomato garden

03/09/2021 – Grilled cheese

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present a video on how to make green grilled cheese on March 9 at 4:30 p.m., for grades four to seven. To view the video, visit the Library Cooperative on Facebook or Instagram. … [Read More...] about 03/09/2021 – Grilled cheese

03/09/2021 – Poetry discussion

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will host a virtual poetry discussion group on “Female Power!” on March 9 at 6:30 p.m., for ages 16 and older, via Zoom. Participants can share a favorite poem or take part in discussions on poems about women or written by women poets. Themed poems will be sent out to help with the session. Registration is required. For information, contact Amaris Papadopoulos at 727-861-3020 or . … [Read More...] about 03/09/2021 – Poetry discussion

03/09/2021 – Technology Tuesday

The Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, will offer a Technology Tuesday: Robots & Machines on March 9, through a curbside pickup activity. The kit will help kids learn more about technology, from robots to coding, through online and hands-on activities. The pickup is limited to 35 participants and must be reserved ahead of time. A book bundle can be included. Kits must be picked up between March 9 at 10 a.m., and March 13 at 5 p.m. For information, call 813-929-1214. … [Read More...] about 03/09/2021 – Technology Tuesday

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