The Laker/Lutz News

Saddlebrook Preparatory School

Expansion plans unveiled for Zephyrhills tennis center

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The Sarah Vande Berg (SVB) Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills has sights on a major expansion to significantly enhance its tennis offerings and also establish a boarding program — all of which may run upwards of $20 million, when all is said and done.

The existing tennis center situated on 10 acres of land at 6585 Simons Road already has garnered much attention for its present slew of amenities, including:

  • 11 regulation-size outdoor tennis courts (nine clay surface, two hard surface)
  • Eight outdoor pickleball courts
  • Four outdoor padel courts
  • Outdoor multipurpose turf field
  • Nearly 8,000-square-foot indoor clubhouse, featuring a full-service restaurant/cafe, fitness center, salt room, yoga room, cryotherapy chamber and pro shop

But, the center could be broadening its reach through an expansion that would be funded by a state appropriation, private investments and financing.

Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center CEO Pascal Collard (Courtesy of Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center)

Preliminary details and various renderings were announced during a special presentation at the facility on Feb. 25.

Perhaps of greatest interest to the general public are proposals to nearly double its tennis offering by installing 10 more courts.

This would include six outdoor regulation hard surface tennis courts, plus a 30,000-square-foot multi-use indoor sports complex with room for four full-size tennis courts, as well as other athletic events, trade shows, banquets and ceremonies.

A nearly $4.7 million state appropriation for the slate of courts is being sponsored by state Sen. Danny Burgess, a Republican from Zephyrhills.

Besides helping to stimulate Pasco’s economy, the initiative would “provide access to low-income residents and children, as well as to provide athletic tournaments and events to east Pasco,” according to the state funding proposal.

If approved in the 2021 state budget, funding would become available around July, with expectations to begin construction by September or October, said Pascal Collard, the CEO of the SVB Tennis & Wellness Center.

Plans call for a half-dozen hard courts to be built on the northeast corner of the tennis center property, while the multi-use complex would be situated on another adjacent 10-acre tract of land southeast of Simons Road purchased by Collard and other private investors a few months ago.

Collard emphasized the need for the court additions during the presentation, citing the facility’s rampant demand since opening October 2020, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: “We have days where there’s a waiting list. We have days where there’s not enough space on the parking lot. We are already too small. We are, literally. There are moments where we don’t have enough courts,” he said, during the special presentation on the proposed expansion.

Adding an indoor component is particularly important, too, Collard said, noting, “sometimes it rains, sometimes it’s too warm for the kids” to play tennis and other sporting activities.

The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills could be in store for a roughly $20 million expansion that calls for an international sports boarding program and a slew of indoor and outdoor tennis courts. (File)

An international sports boarding program?
Aside from further beefing up tennis offerings, Collard and other private investors are pursuing financing to establish an international residential sports academy and boarding program — similar to a scaled-down version Bradenton’s IMG Academy and Wesley Chapel’s Saddlebrook Preparatory School.

The concept calls for an assortment of phased-in student condos, dormitories and houses on the adjacent land tract that would eventually accommodate from 60 to 80 international students. That would be called the Sarah Vande Berg Learning Village.

A shared master plan rendering shows a dormitory building, 31 individual 1,500-square-foot homes and a three-story condo building with nine two-bedroom units and nine one-bedroom units, with walkable or rideable connections to the present tennis center.

Renderings also show the learning village subdivision is slated to feature a community center, pool, park, playground, community garden, and pond and fountain, among other outdoor and recreational features.

Here’s how the sports academy would work: International and out-of-state students would train and reside at the tennis center properties, then get bussed to North Tampa Christian Academy in Wesley Chapel for a more traditional academic setting, Collard said. The academy also would offer training and development packages for youth golfers and soccer players, Collard said, through partnerships with Dade City’s Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club, and Florida Premier FC.

Depending on the amount of amenities and programs (boarding, meals, sports training, academics), costs could run anywhere from $50,000 to $70,000 annually per visiting student, Collard said.

Meanwhile, he added, there will be opportunities for area-based youth to enroll in various portions of the sports academy, while still living at home. Various sports academy scholarships also will be made available for Zephyrhills area youth through the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation, he said.

“This is going to enhance what we’re trying to do here for the kids,” Collard said. “We went to be special and different, and bringing some stuff to the table that nobody has, and that’s truly what we’re doing with everything. We want to create an atmosphere that kids are loving…”

This rendering shows plans for an international sports academy boarding community on property adjacent to the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, at 6585 Simons Road in Zephyrhills. The community would feature dormitories, apartments and housing for international and out-of-state students looking to enhance their athletic skills, in hopes of securing college scholarships or professional opportunities. The concept would be similar to Bradenton’s IMG Academy and Wesley Chapel’s Saddlebrook Preparatory School. (Courtesy of Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center)

Collard acknowledged the boarding program initiative is “not a done deal yet,” though he noted that multiple banks are interested in taking on the project.

Collard indicated initial investment for the boarding campus may be in the ballpark of $10 million to $15 million.

The proposed project also has an ambitious timeline. The idea is to open a portion of the boarding program in conjunction with the multi-use complex around September 2022, he said.

Benefits of the expansion, as outlined in the presentation, include: raising the city’s regional and national profile; additional tax revenue and increased property values (projected up to 15% or more); and, providing a valuable community resource; and, introducing a diverse international presence to Zephyrhills.

The existing $4.9 million Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center is a public-private partnership between Collard and the City of Zephyrhills. The municipality owns the facility while Collard’s company, Tennis Pro Florida LLC, is tasked with management and day-to-day operations.

The facility is named after Sarah Vande Berg, a former Zephyrhills High School district champion and three-time state qualifier who died in an automobile accident in South Carolina at the age of 21, on Oct. 11, 2015, while a member of the University of South Carolina-Upstate women’s tennis team.

Collard and his team were responsible for leveraging connections and forging partnerships with individuals and organizations to bring aboard some of the facility’s splashier features — such as the salt room, cryotherapy, and restaurant. The city — with the help of a state appropriation and other impact fees — funded the tennis portion of the facility.

Collard brings a varied tennis background, having founded other academies in his native Belgium, and being a former tennis director at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel and The Merion Cricket Club, in Haverford, Pennsylvania.

His professional coaching resume includes working with several widely known international tennis pros, including Younes El Aynaoui and Dominique Monami, among others.

Published March 24, 2021

Saddlebrook Prep student-athletes strive for success

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Cosette Anderson moved clear across the country from Seattle when she was in seventh grade to attend Saddlebrook Preparatory School — with the hope of developing her golf game.

Tennis player Noah Schachter also ventured to the school from the Pacific Northwest.

Meanwhile other athletes, including Aline Krauter and Sifan He, moved even greater distances to attend the renowned prep school. They crossed international waters, with Krauter coming from Germany, and He making the trek from China.

Four student-athletes from Saddlebrook Preparatory School penned their National Letters of Intent at a signing ceremony last month. From left: Cosette Anderson, signed with Elon University; Sifan He, signed with Pepperdine University; Aline Krauter, signed with Stanford University; and Noah Schachter, signed with Texas A&M University.
(Courtesy of Chris Rosenke)

Students arriving on the Wesley Chapel campus have specific goals in mind. They are aiming to earn a Division I college athletic scholarship and to compete in professional sports.

Anderson, Schachter, Krauter and He have achieved part one. Each of them signed National Letters of Intent during a signing day ceremony on Nov. 9.

Schachter signed with Texas A&M University; Anderson signed with Elon University in North Carolina. Krauter and He, meanwhile, intend to spend the next four years golfing in California, for Stanford and Pepperdine universities, respectively.

The fall signing period wrapped up last month, whereby several student-athletes from The Laker/Lutz News coverage area went from prospective recruits to college signees.

The designated period allowed athletes who have made verbal commitments to a university to officially accept a scholarship by signing with their chosen school.

It holds particular meaning for sports academies, including Saddlebrook, where many students have professional sports aspirations, and work tirelessly everyday to reach that goal.

Saddlebrook Prep has 85 students, and caters to grades 3 through 12; all but three students actively compete in tennis or golf.

Tuition for the prep school and golf academy costs nearly $49,475 annually for non-boarding students and $64, 875 for boarders. Its tennis academy — combined with prep schooling — is slightly less expensive, at $42,060 a year for non-boarders and $60,665 for boarders.

School leaders say Saddlebrook’s “world-class training facilities and strong academic focus” set it apart from other tennis or golf boarding schools.

Student-golfers are coached on the resort’s two Arnold Palmer-designed courses, while tennis players train daily with their coaches on 45 tennis courts.

Both sports programs allow students to participate in local, regional and national tournaments, traveling as part of the Saddlebrook Prep team, or individually, depending on the tournament and player.

More than 50 percent of its student-athletes wind up signing a college scholarship or some type of grant-in-aid agreement, headmaster Chris Wester said.

Making international connections
Saddlebrook Prep’s record of success annually attracts dozens of boarding students from more than 20 countries, including such places as Sweden, Germany, France, Poland, Czech Republic, Russia, Malaysia, South Korea, China, Australia and Brazil, among others.

About half of Saddlebrook’s enrollment consists of international students.

Many discover Saddlebrook Prep by competing in international tournaments and by word of mouth.

That was the case for China’s Sifan He, who enrolled in September.

The Chinese student said a friend recommended the school to her, and she believes the boarding school experience has proven worthwhile — socially, academically and athletically. Her college of choice—Pepperdine— consistently fields one of the nation’s top 10 Division I women’s golf programs, and is widely regarded as one of the nation’s premier private institutions.

Saddlebrook Preparatory School has 85 students, catering to grades 3 through 12. More than 50 percent of its student-athletes wind up signing a college scholarship or some type of grant-in-aid agreement. The school attracts students from more than 20 nations, primarily from Asia and Europe.

She gave Saddlebrook high marks. “The program here is very good. All the people here are very friendly, and they’re willing to help you. I like all the staff here — they’re really, really nice. And, the facilities here are very good.”

Aline Krauter arrived at Saddlebrook during her sophomore year, from Germany.

Krauter, an elite golfer in her own right, won the 2016 German International Amateur Championship. More recently, she finished seventh this year at the Portuguese International Ladies Amateur and 22nd at the Annika Invitational in Sweden. She also placed in the final 64 at the Ladies British Open Amateur Championship, and competed in the European Girls Team Championship in Finland.

Krauter said the move from Germany to Wesley Chapel wasn’t a huge transition, having attended an international school in her native country.

“I was used to having an international environment, so it wasn’t too much of a difference,” she said.

Something she couldn’t do in Germany, however, was golf everyday.

As soon as she finishes school at 12:05 p.m., she can head straight out to the golf course, she said.

Saddlebrook’s daily schedule is modeled after the NCAA format for athlete participation; twenty hours is the maximum number of organized practice hours at the NCAA level.

High school students have classes from 7:30 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. They then practice from 1 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. — which includes fitness time.

The boarding program, meanwhile, requires additional responsibilities of its students, such as washing clothes, cleaning dishes and making beds — helping to create a collegial atmosphere on campus.

“Our kids master time management, whereas kids that maybe went to a public school and went to golf every other day…they may not have the same time management skills that our kids would have, because they’ve been living it for a period of time,” Wester said.

Some sports academies are criticized for not emphasizing academics enough.

Wester argues that’s not the case for Saddlebrook Prep, which is fully accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS-CASI), and the Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS).

Seventy percent of the school’s faculty members hold master’s degrees.

Said Wester, “If you look at where our student-athletes matriculate to, and the pathways that we’ve created with universities, our academics are deemed to be rigorous enough for Stanford, Texas A&M, Virginia, Florida from last year, Vanderbilt, Duke. They all know — because we have sent students there previously — what they’re going to get.”

In addition to the four athletes that signed last month, Wester anticipates more than 11 more seniors — out of its 22-member senior class — to sign some sort of scholarship in the spring signing period in March.

Besides strong academics, advanced sports instruction helps make the reality of a college scholarship possible.

All of Saddlebrook’s tennis and golf instructors played at the collegiate level; a majority played their sport professionally, too.

Mark Hirschey is the director of instruction for Saddlebrook Golf Academy.

He said coaches and athletic trainers assist students on technique, decision-making and in-game strategy.

Hefty focus is also given to strength and flexibility training, and mental fitness—encompassing visualization, proper breathing during to pre- and post-shot routines, and positive self-talk.

Being around other motivated, likeminded athletes, too, provides an invaluable experience.

“It creates a competition that helps them improve and, at the same time, learn to handle the pressure. They not only learn from the coaches, but also by the example the better players set,” Hirschey wrote in an e-mail to The Laker/Lutz News.

Saddlebrook also accommodates a tournament travel schedule during the school year where athletes can compete throughout Florida and the U.S., and even the Bahamas and Cayman Islands. Athletes can compete, as long as they make up their classwork when they return.

“We have designated time for them to come back and get one-on-one instruction with their teachers, so that they stay academically sound,” Wester explained.

Schachter, who is rated as the No. 23 player in the 2018 class by tennisrecruiting.net, considers that option “the best part” about Saddlebrook.

“Academically, it’s helped me a lot,” he said, “because I can travel to tournaments where I would normally not be able to at a regular school, and they’re really flexible here, and I’m allowed to make up my work easily. It’s made for athletes and that’s been like a huge help, because I don’t feel stressed whenever I want to travel to tournaments.”

Schachter earned a career-best ITF (International Tennis Federation) ranking of No. 185 in February, after earning ITF points from wins at several sanctioned tournaments.

“The biggest thing that’s helped me develop as a player is just having a good schedule and being able to have private instruction with the coaches, and also being able to hit with like really good players,” Schachter said.

The daily grind can be demanding.

In the long run, Anderson said, that will serve her well.

“I feel like the structure and everything is definitely a component where your life is set up in a way where you’re taught to practice no matter how you feel, so it’s good and bad, but I mean in the end, after high school, after it’s all done and you’ve graduated, all those days that you put into practice, you’ve grown as a person and feel like a stronger athlete,” she said.

Besides golf, Anderson serves as Saddlebrook Prep’s council president for the Class of 2018.

She appreciates the small, tight-knit environment the program creates.

“Everyone gets really close, so you have a sense that you’re a family in the community,” Anderson said.  “And, that’s helped me a lot as a person because I’ve been able to build really, really close relationships with people from all over the world, and I can go to a lot of different places and know people from there, and have a connection.”

Published December 6, 2017

2016 marked by rapid growth, touching moments

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The national election captured headlines and attention, but 2016 was an eventful year in many other ways, as well, across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

The big story is the region’s growth.

Eighty-eight-year-old Angel Torres, center, a veteran from Puerto Rico and a resident of the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home, is being positioned to have his photograph taken by Mark Fosket, of Valrico, during the ‘Honor Flight’ ceremony at the nursing home. Gabrielle Perrella, a volunteer from Baltimore, Maryland, who is dressed in a uniform costume, posed with each veteran for their portrait.
(File Photos)

New houses are popping up all over the place, with developments such as Long Lake Ranch, Estancia at Wiregrass Ranch, Connerton, Bexley and Asturia, just some of the residential communities beckoning to buyers.

Pasco County is on the move in many other ways, too.

A futuristic, technology-based network of communities across 7,800 acres in northeast Pasco County is in its planning stages.

Raymond James Financial has closed on a deal to buy 65 acres across from Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, with the financial services giant expected to have hundreds of workers in Pasco County at some point.

Florida Hospital Center Ice — a new 150,000-square-foot hockey arena and sports complex — is nearly set to open, and that is expected to be a big draw for both tournaments and tourists.

And then, there’s the commercial development that continues to transform the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor, especially near the Interstate75/State Road 56 interchange.

Just in that vicinity alone, there’s Tampa Premium Outlets, Longhorn Steakhouse, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Chick-fil-A and Culver’s.

A 186,000-square-foot Costco Wholesale is expected to open in February, with an estimated 200 employees.

A historic photo of a baptism of members of the First Baptist Church of Lutz.

Just across the road, on the north side of State Road 56, Cypress Creek Town Center — another shopping development — is being built.

There are also plans for a new cinema, grocery store, apartments, shops and restaurants next to The Shops at Wiregrass, off State Road 56.

Of course, all of this growth is compounding traffic problems on area roads — and numerous projects are underway or are expected to begin work in coming years.

Improvements are expected to begin near the I-75/State Road 56 interchange. Wesley Chapel Boulevard is slated to be widened. An extension of State Road 56 is planned between Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills, and discussion continues about the best solution for reducing congestion at U.S. 41 and State Road 54.

Growth is putting the squeeze on schools, too.

Pasco County Schools can’t keep pace with growing enrollments.

The district opened Wiregrass Elementary School, in Wesley Chapel, in August, to reduce crowding at area schools.

In the coming school year, it plans to open Bexley Elementary and Cypress Creek Middle/High.

Bexley is being built in a new subdivision off State Road 54. Cypress Creek Middle/High is going up on Old Pasco Road.

School board members gave preliminary approval for boundaries for Bexley and Cypress Creek at a contentious public hearing on Dec. 20. A final vote is expected on Jan. 17.

But, school board members and Superintendent Kurt Browning said the new schools fall far short of addressing district needs. They want the Pasco County Commission to require new residential construction to pay higher impact fees to support school construction.

Paramedic John Ward helps Sister Helen Lange blow out the candles that lit up her 103rd birthday cake at a party at Heritage Park in Dade City.

While growth and its ripple effects clearly dominated the news, there were plenty of other notable moments within the region during 2016.

For instance, there were heroics in everyday life.

On June 3, a fire claimed the life of a tiny black Chihuahua named Peanut, but not until after the dog’s persistent barking saved the life of three generations of a Lutz family.

Later that same week, quick actions by a student at Saddlebrook Preparatory School in Wesley Chapel averted potential tragedy at the international boarding school for aspiring golf and tennis players.

A student smelled smoke, investigated, pulled the alarm and help to ensure that all 28 students and two adults got out of the dorm safely.

It took 55 firefighters more than 1 ½ hours to put out the blaze.

This past year also was one of milestones and celebrations.

The First Baptist Church in Lutz celebrated its 75th anniversary, The San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival turned a half-century, Cox Elementary School turned 90 and the Town of St. Leo marked its 125th anniversary.

On a more personal note, Sister Helen Lange, of Dade City, received a surprise cake to mark her 103rd year on Sept. 28 in Dade City, and Nellie and Gain Hughs Bailey Sr., of Lutz, celebrated 70 years of married life on March 31.

There were inspiring moments, too.

Hundreds of people turned out for the “Honor Flight” celebration on Aug. 20, at the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Home in Land O’ Lakes. The event provided a virtual tour of the nation’s war monuments because these veterans are unable to make the trip to Washington D.C.

The stands were also filled at Ron Allen Field at Gaither High School, in North Tampa, to attend the June 15 vigil to honor Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, one of 49 people killed during a mass shooting on June 12 at Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

There was the inspiring message, too, from Immaculee Ilibagiza, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, who spoke at two days of gatherings at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Lutz.

Ilibagiza’s family, friends and other members of her tribe were brutally murdered in Rwanda, but through her faith, she was able to forgive the killers.

Forgiveness, the genocide survivor said, brings freedom.

Published December 28, 2016

No one hurt in Saddlebrook fire

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Quick actions by a student at Saddlebrook Preparatory School averted the potential loss of life, in the early morning hours of June 9.

About 2:30 a.m., the student smelled smoked and went searching for the source.

When he saw smoke, “he pulled the alarm. He started knocking on doors. His roommates went and knocked on doors. He called security, and security came down and they knocked on doors,” said Pat Ciaccio, general manager of Saddlebrook Resort Tampa, at 5700 Saddlebrook Way in Wesley Chapel.

It took 55 Pasco County Fire Rescue firefighters more than an hour-and-a-half to extinguish the blaze that broke out in the boys’ dormitory at Saddlebrook Preparatory School in the early morning hours of June 9. No one was injured, but the damage was extensive. (Courtesy of Pasco County Fire Rescue)
It took 55 Pasco County Fire Rescue firefighters more than an hour-and-a-half to extinguish the blaze that broke out in the boys’ dormitory at Saddlebrook Preparatory School in the early morning hours of June 9. No one was injured, but the damage was extensive.
(Courtesy of Pasco County Fire Rescue)

The resort has been home to an international school for aspiring professional tennis players and golfers since 1993. Ninety-six students, from 26 countries, attend the school, including 54 who board at the resort. While the school is for students from grade three through 12, it only boards eighth- through 12th-graders.

There were 28 students and two adults in the boys’ dormitory which caught fire, and everyone got out of the building without injury, Ciaccio said.

“We were able to get all of the students out actually, before there were flames. There was just smoke at the time,” Ciaccio said.

“From that point on, it turned into a three-alarm,” Ciaccio said.

Pasco County Fire Rescue Training Chief Shawn Whited said when the fire department crews arrived, “they had heavy fire through the roof of the building.

“As we were getting there, we realized there was a lot of fire there, so we called for a second- and third-alarm to help fight the fire,” Whited added. “The building was heavily damaged. The roof was burned off.”

It took 55 firefighters more than 1 ½ hours to put out the fire, and fire department investigators were still on the scene hours later, trying to determine the cause for the blaze, Whited said.

It turns out that the fire was started by a faulty bathroom exhaust fan/ bathroom heater mounted in the ceiling, Whited said.

No estimates were available on the extent of the loss, but Whited described the damage as extensive. “They’re going to have to gut the entire building,” he said.

On the afternoon after the fire, Ciaccio said, “Really, the extent of the damage — it’s too early — the adjusters aren’t even at the property yet.”

In the short term, the boarders from the boys’ dorm were relocated to the next courtyard.

“They’ll remain in there, those that stay for summer school, and then next school year, we’ll go back into there until Courtyard 11 is rebuilt,” Ciaccio said.

The general manager praised the students, resort staff and emergency rescue workers for their response.

The student who smelled the smoke “went into fire-drill mode,” Ciaccio said, explaining that the school and dormitories have monthly fire drills to know how to handle such emergencies.

“When your chief of security is calling you at 3 a.m., it’s not a good phone call. To arrive on property shortly after that and to have everything as buttoned down — you don’t ever want the tragedy to happen, but you feel good about the preparation,” he said.

“In an hour’s time, we had them (students) relocated to another courtyard, and they were in rooms, laying down,” he said.

He was particularly impressed by the way the students conducted themselves.

“They are in pressure situations all of the time on the tennis court, on the golf course. And, obviously that just extended into their personal lives, because they handled this situation so effortlessly.

“We were business as usual today. The kids were in class, taking exams,” Ciaccio said.

That is, except for the 28 who were in the dorm on the night of the fire. They were excused from exams.

Published June 15, 2016