The Spirit of Zephyrhills Soccer Academy will host a free all-girls soccer night clinic on Dec. 9, for those born between 2010 to 2014. Each session will run from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Samuel Pasco Athletic Park, 39835 Chancey Road, in Zephyrhills. Players must wear shin guards, bring a soccer ball and water. They also must sign a waiver when they arrive at the fields. For information and to register, visit tinyurl.com/2cbt4r62.
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Charter league champs
The Imagine School of Land O’ Lakes Dragons middle school varsity volleyball team recently won the Tampa Charter Athletic League (TCAL) championship. The squad went 8-2 in the regular season, then defeated Terrace Community Middle School (Thonotosassa) and Classical Preparatory School (Shady Hills) in consecutive playoff games. The team is coached by Adriana Williams.
Solid haul
Land O’ Lakes resident Randy Hoedt teamed up with Paul Daniels (not pictured) to win the South Pasco Bassmaster Club Classic Tournament last month in Lake Okeechobee. The duo hauled in a total weight of 24.72 pounds, including a big bass weighing 5.68 pounds. The fisherman caught their haul flipping and pitching buggy whips and cattails, as well as junebug colored plastics. For more information, visit SouthPascoBassmasters.com.
National Signing Day
Several local high school athletes on Nov. 10 ceremoniously signed their letters of intent to play college athletics — the beginning of the fall national signing period for every sport, with the exception of football.
Here is a roundup of known student-athlete signings within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area:
Carrollwood Day School
Volleyball
Laney Higgins, Oglethorpe University (Atlanta, Georgia)
Land O’ Lakes High School
Cycling
Mallory Bryan, Milligan University (Elizabethton, Tennessee)
Lacrosse
Chloe Norman, University of Montevallo (Montevallo, Alabama)
Softball
Kaitlyn Buckley, Webber International University
Ayla Horne, St. Petersburg College
Nehanda Lewis, University of Central Florida
Emma Nixon, University of West Georgia
Volleyball
Jasmine Christian, Pasco-Hernando State College
Kaitlyn Klemm, Pasco-Hernando State College
Steinbrenner High School
Baseball
Evan Cuervo, Presbyterian College (Clinton, South Carolina)
Softball
Emily Chiarella, Florida Gulf Coast University
Madison Frey, Florida State University
Ashley Mantei, University of Tampa
Beach Volleyball
Madison Espy, University of North Florida
Volleyball
Carter Mogridge, University of North Carolina
Sunlake High School
Baseball
Trey Jorge Santana III, Hillsborough Community College
Gymnastics
Hannah Drielick, Northern Illinois University
Wharton High School
Baseball
Evan Chrest, Jacksonville State University
Elijah Dukes, San Jacinto College (Pasadena, Texas)
Ryan Frye, University of Miami
Cross-country
Brooke Reif, University of Richmond (Richmond, Virginia)
Softball
Izzy Rittle, Lynn University
Volleyball
Bella Bonatakis, Brown University (Providence, Rhode Island)
Boxing classes
The Wesley Chapel Recreation Complex, 7727 Boyette Road, is offering boxing classes for ages 14 and over on Tuesday evenings, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Family discounts are available. The first member is $60 per month and additional members, $30 per month. Required equipment includes hand wraps, mouth guard, 16-ounce boxing gloves and boxing head gear. Register online at Secure.rec1.com/FL/Pasco-County-FL, or call 813-345-3145.
FCSAA Hall of Fame
Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) athletic director Steve Winterling recently was inducted into the Florida College Systems Activities Association (FCSAA) Hall of Fame.
FCSAA Hall of Fame nominees are comprised of members that have contributed a minimum of 10 years to FCSAA or one of its member institutions. Selections are made by peers on the merits of community and state college contributions, achievements and significant accomplishments.
Winterling started PHSC’s first intercollegiate baseball team in March 1991.
He coached the program for 27 years, which included finishing fourth at the 2014 NJCAA Division II College World Series.
He has also served as FCSAA state chair for cross-country, pollster for NJCAA DI cross-country and coordinator for the Atlantic Division.
Winterling moved into the role of PHSC’s full-time athletic director in 2018, and is credited with helping launch the school’s women’s soccer program this year.
Women’s soccer camp
The Saint Leo University women’s soccer program will hold an Elite ID Camp on Dec. 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Saint Leo Soccer Field, 33701 State Road 52 in St. Leo.
The single-day event is designed for females between the ages of 14 to 18 years old who aspire to play collegiate soccer. It will feature a goalkeeper’s session, field player technical training session, campus tour, soccer games and more.
Pre-registration is at SaintLeoWomensSoccer.totalcamps.com/shop/EVENT. Cost is $105 per person, and includes lunch and a T-shirt.
For more information, contact Saint Leo women’s assistant soccer coach Arielle Kabangu at
Fishing, Faith and Fun
Registration is open for Idlewild Baptist Church’s Fishing, Faith, and Fun. The program teaches youth basic fishing skills, including casting, reeling, equipment selection and education on conservation, environment and fishing regulations. Taught by certified instructors, participants have the opportunity to fish directly on Idlewild property with different poles and lures.
The six-week program will begin Jan. 8 from 9 a.m. to noon, in Hall 1, on the church’s Van Dyke campus, at 18333 Exciting Idlewild Blvd., in Lutz. It will culminate with a fish fry on Feb. 12.
Cost is $50 per child. Parent participation is encouraged. For more information, visit Idlewild.org/recreation/.
Prestigious accreditation
Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation has received accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NPRA).
The county’s parks and recreation department first earned the CAPRA accreditation, which stays in effect for five years, in 2016.
To pass the reaccreditation process, the department had to demonstrate compliance with more than 150 standards, from quality of operations to management to service to the community. CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies, and is a measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management, and service to the community.
Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation manages 167 parks, 53 recreation centers and 118 playgrounds. It serves an area encompassing 1,020 square miles.
Its programs and accomplishments include:
- Afterschool and summer programming for more than 10,000 participants in the last three years
- More than 350 recreational and education programs serving nearly 6,000 children, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities
- Improving turf at more than 100 high-use sports fields in at-risk communities
- Converting decommissioned wastewater treatment plant into Carrollwood Village park. The park’s playground, splash pad, pump truck, fitness challenge course and walking trail attract more than 71,000 visitors annually.
- Tree management program that includes the evaluation of 11,000 trees and planting 27,000 by 2024 to mitigate the impacts of urbanization.
CAPRA is comprised of representatives from the NRPA, the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, the National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials, the International City/County Management Association, the Academy for Leisure Sciences, the Armed Forces Recreation Network and the Council of State Executive Directors.
Adult coed kickball
Idlewild Baptist Church is offering an adult coed kickball league at its Lutz campus, 18333 Exciting Idlewild Blvd. Games will be played on Monday nights, from Jan. 10 through Feb. 28. Cost is $45 per player. For information, visit Idlewild.org/recreation, or contact Griffin Shollenberger at 813-264-8737 or .
