The Laker/Lutz News

Auburndale

Tennis center secures management

By

Plans to serve up more tennis opportunities for Zephryhills residents — while also creating a regional asset — have moved yet another step forward.

The Zephyrhills City Council on Oct. 9 unanimously approved a 20-year contract with Tennis P.R.O. Florida, LLC, to operate and mange the proposed Zephyrhills Tennis Center.

Tennis P.R.O. is owned by Pascal Collard, shown here. Collard was the director of tennis at Saddlebrook Tennis Academy in Wesley Chapel from 2003 to 2006. He most recently served as the tennis director at The Merion Cricket Club, a private club in Haverford, Pennsylvania. (Kevin Weiss)

Tennis P.R.O. is owned by Pascal Collard, who was the director of tennis at Saddlebrook Tennis Academy in Wesley Chapel from 2003 to 2006.

Most recently, he was tennis director at The Merion Cricket Club, a private club in Haverford, Pennsylvania.

Under the agreement, Tennis P.R.O. will be responsible for day-to-day operations of the facility, which will include providing lessons and running concessions. The firm also will handle memberships and fundraising.

Moreover, Collard’s company will pay $300,000 upfront for capital improvements to the facility — covered court, hitting walls, indoor and outdoor playground and so on.

The agreement also calls for the proposed facility to be open at least 80 hours per week, as weather permits.

“I’m very excited about starting as soon as possible,” Collard told council members.

“I’m already working on the marketing, trying to find out what can we do to make it a big success. We want the community to be involved. We’re also going to have a foundation, where we’re going to try to do a lot of outreach programs,” he said.

Council members unanimously agreed in May to enter negotiations with Tennis P.R.O. LLC, to operate and manage the proposed tennis facility. The firm was selected over Management Partners and Net Results.

The planned $2.19 million complex will include eight clay and two hard surface courts, two sheltered courts, two mini-courts and several pickleball courts, built to U.S Tennis Association (USTA) professional standards.

It also will feature a pro shop, a multifunctional community room, and two office spaces. A second floor, if added, will include an observation deck overlooking the courts with concessions and a lounge for players.

This rendering of the Zephyrhills Tennis Center shows 10 courts (eight clay, two hard surface), two sheltered courts, two mini-courts and several pickleball courts, built to U.S Tennis Association (USTA) professional standards.
The tennis center is also expected to feature a pro shop, a community room, and two office spaces. The project could break ground as soon as March.
(File)

The complex will be located on 4.7 acres of donated land at The District at Abbott’s Square, a new real estate development situated north of Dean Dairy Road and west of Simons Road.

Officials say the project could break ground as soon as March, with construction estimated at 12 to 16 months.

Once complete, it will be renamed Sarah Vande Berg Memorial Tennis Center, after the former Zephyrhills High School district champion who became a scholarship player on the University of South Carolina Upstate women’s tennis team. Vande Berg, the daughter of the Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg, died in an automobile accident at the age of 21 in October 2015.

City Manager Steve Spina said the city will receive no revenues in the first three years of the complex opening, to help Tennis P.R.O. recoup its upfront costs. For the remainder of the agreement, however, the firm will pay rent to the city based on a percentage of its profits.

Spina said the public-private partnership resembles the one Zephyrhills has with the East Pasco Family YMCA, in which the city owns the building property, but outsources programming and facility management.

Meanwhile, recreation impact fees from The District at Abbott’s Square and other developments will be used to finance most of the facility’s construction costs, city officials say. The city also is looking into additional funding from USTA grants, Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP) grants, Penny for Pasco, and partnerships with Pasco County Parks and Recreation, and Pasco County Tourism.

Memberships, or hourly court rental fees, will be required to access the tennis facility, though Zephyrhills residents will see a price break compared to non-residents.

And, while those figures haven’t yet been configured, they are expected to mirror other clay-court tennis centers in nearby communities.

The eight-court Cindy Hummel Tennis Center, in Auburndale, has yearly memberships ranging from $75 to $171, for unlimited court access. Elsewhere, the 10-court Plant City Tennis Center offers individual annual passes for $350, and family annual passes for $700. Hourly court fees range from $1 to $7 at both facilities.

“If you go to Plant City, if you go Auburndale, if you go to Tampa — to have clay courts you have to have fees,” Spina said.

Aside from serving east Pasco residents, officials believe the new tennis complex could become a draw for college and USTA-sanctioned events.

“We think this is more than a local tennis club; we think it will be a regional asset,” Spina told the council.

“This is a feather in our cap,” said Alan Knight, council president.

“I’m excited about it,” said Lance Smith, council vice president. “I think it’s going to bring some people in here, and we don’t really have any idea how big this is going to be. …I think it’s going to be a great success. I’m looking forward to seeing it come along.”

Published Oct. 18, 2017

Wesley Chapel soccer team wins state title

By

Wesley Chapel Soccer Club has always had hard-working, athletic players who enjoy the game and strive to improve. But even with a variety of teams ranging in age from U9 to U18, they’ve never had a state champion.

That is, until now.

Natalie Gonzalez gets past the defense in Wesley Chapel's 4-2 semifinal win. They won the state President's Cup, with a 3-0 victory in the final. (Courtesy of Alex Vilutini)
Natalie Gonzalez gets past the defense in Wesley Chapel’s 4-2 semifinal win. They won the state President’s Cup, with a 3-0 victory in the final.
(Courtesy of Alex Vilutini)

The U15 Girls White Team captured the Region C title — also a first for the club — to participate in the four-team state tournament for the President’s Cup earlier this month. The Flames then got past the Florida Blast (4-2) and Creeks Krush (3-0) in convincing fashion to earn the cup in Auburndale, marking the club’s first state championship since it began more than a decade ago.

“The whole team was thrilled. They were filled with excitement,” said assistant coach Jeff Olsen.

The team was able to execute its team philosophies on its way to the President’s Cup. They utilized a “strike first” mentality, scoring within the first few minutes of both the semifinal and final. But after that they preach a defensive mindset, calling on every player, regardless of position, to be on guard when the other team has the ball. The end result is a quick-strike offense and a challenging defense that was too much for their opponents in the tournament.

They also have a specific plan when it comes to fouls: Don’t do it. Even when the other team plays an overly aggressive style, Olsen said, the players know that the proper response isn’t retaliation. It’s determination.

“We play harder and smarter, but we like to play clean, too,” Olsen said. “We focus on the game.”

That focus allows them to concentrate on scoring and playing sound defense when an opponent might be struggling with a yellow card, which signals a warning, or even a red card, which signals an ejection.

Carrie Greene, a midfielder and team captain, agrees.

“We understand that if we play to the best of our abilities, the rough play won’t matter,” she said.

Playing their best comes easier because the players know each other so well, Greene said. Many have played together for years in the competitive system, as well as the recreational one. That familiarity allows them to predict each other’s movements and play better as a team. As a result, they can set the tone of the game and face challenges with confidence.

The Flames now face a couple of new challenges.

They’ll travel to Lafayette, Louisiana, to represent Florida and to compete in the Region III President’s Cup in June.

And, they have to find a way to pay for it.

The team has less than six weeks to raise around $20,000 for travel, lodging and expenses for 17 players and two coaches.

They plan to reach out to individuals and businesses, as well as host fundraisers, to meet their goal.

Since goals — especially those on the field — seem to come naturally to the team, it is looking forward to its out-of-state competition in June.

Claiming the state regional title, and then the state’s President’s Cup, has already taught players the value of staying focused and playing as a team.

It’s also brought notoriety to the Wesley Chapel Soccer Club, proving that the philosophy of good sportsmanship and enthusiastic-but-clean play can bring results on the scoreboard, too.

“It shows that hard work, dedication, and loyalty to your club and your community pays off in the end,” Olsen said.

The club will have competitive tryouts at the end of May.

For information about the Wesley Chapel Soccer Club, visit WCAASports.org. To help with the U15 team’s fundraising efforts, visit their donation page at gofundme.com.

Published April 22, 2015