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2021 offered special moments in local sports (Part One)

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This past year levied countless memories in the local sports scene — from shattered records and career achievements for individuals and teams, to several major events and showcases in the area.

Here is a look back at some of the moments in sports in 2021, from across Pasco and Hillsborough counties, in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

(This is Part One of a two-part series.)

Land O’ Lakes Little League celebrates 50th anniversary
The start of each Little League season often elicits a heightened level of nostalgia.

Alissa Canter, vice president Land O’ Lakes Little League, holds the 50th Anniversary charter with director, Gary Gwinn. (File)

With spring in the air, youth of all ages and skills partake in America’s favorite pastime, testing their mettle on the mound, at the plate and in the field.

For Land O’ Lakes Little League, this year’s Opening Day festivities took on added significance: The organization celebrated its 50th anniversary on Feb. 27, at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, off Collier Parkway.

The organization actually formed back in 1967 at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center (now Heritage Park) off U.S. 41, but it didn’t receive its first Little League charter until 1971.

The local league has come a long way since its initial startup — boasting upwards of 800 boys and girls, ages 4 to 16, playing baseball and softball across 10 fields.

The large ballfield took center stage in the league’s season-opening event.

Teams from all age divisions were spread across the infield and outfield, signaling the league’s staying power and sustained growth.

First pitches were accurately thrown from veteran baseball players, as well softball Little League players.

Local players sang the national anthem and read the league pledge.

There was the unveiling, too, of a framed 50th anniversary “golden ticket” issued and signed by the Little League International Headquarters, which is based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The beauty of the organization is it’s a recreational format.

It welcomes the novice player that may never make an all-star team or play high school ball, to others who have the potential to earn college scholarships and maybe play professionally someday.

“I think every kid should play Little League,” Land O’ Lakes Little League President Gary Gwinn told The Laker/Lutz News.

NBA hopefuls showcase hoops skills in Wesley Chapel
Pasco County and the greater Tampa Bay region isn’t really known for its basketball prowess, but that reputation, or lack thereof, may soon change.

Pursuing dreams of playing professional basketball, a large group of athletes dropped by Wesley Chapel, of all places.

Six-foot-11-inch Nate Reuvers, from the University of Wisconsin, takes a few practice shots prior to the start of the 3-point and slam dunk competitions held during the Tampa Bay Pro Combine. Some 50 players from throughout the country converged in Wesley Chapel for the basketball event. (File)

In early June, some 50 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft-eligible hopefuls descended upon the area to showcase their athleticism and hoops skills in the inaugural Tampa Bay Pro Combine (TBPC), at the AdventHealth Sports Arena at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County.

The elite-level hoopers — many from recognizable high and mid-major NCAA Division I programs — dribbled, dunked, jumped, shot and passed their way into the eyes and impressions of various NBA and international coaches and scouts.

Several names may be familiar from deep runs in the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball March Madness tournament, such as University of Southern California guard Tahj Eaddy, University of Houston forward Justin Gorham, and University of Loyola-Chicago center Cameron Krutwig, among others.

The three-day event featured drills, games (5-on-5, 2-on-2 and 3-on-3), athletic testing and measurements, as well as a 3-point shootout, dunk contest and more.

The player selection committee was led by ESPN television analyst Fran Fraschilla and BasketballNews.com NBA Draft analyst Matt Babcock, who were there to evaluate players during the weekend.

The competition came together in a matter of about six weeks, seeking to replicate the Virginia-based Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a long-running hoops combine event canceled a second-straight year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quade Green was the leading scorer at the University of Washington this past season, at 15.4 points per game.

Like others, it was his first time stepping into the Wiregrass Sports Campus.

He came away impressed with the state-of-the-art digs.

“This is a beautiful gym,” Green said, in an interview with The Laker/Lutz News. “Lot of great players here, great people around you, too. They’ve got connections. Life connections, too, for the long run.”

Zephyrhills runner competes in U.S. Olympic trials
Evan Miller’s sprint for a spot on Team USA for the Tokyo Summer Olympics may have come up short — but it was still an experience most athletes can only ever dream about.

The Zephyrhills athlete on June 25 competed in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials at the legendary Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Miller — then a rising senior at University of South Carolina — clocked 21.04 seconds in the first-round heat of the men’s 200-meter dash, finishing 23rd overall.

Evan Miller (File)

He competed in the same heat against other widely known professional sprinters, including Terrance Laird and Jaron Flourney, among others.

The competition was televised live nationally on NBC Sports Network.

Miller’s trials mark was a shade off his personal best of 20.50 seconds — which he recorded at the Weems Baskin Relays hosted on-campus at South Carolina in late March; he wound up earning second-team NCAA All-American honors during the season, too.

Miller was one of about 30 sprinters nationwide who either qualified or accepted an invitation, and declared for the men’s 200-meter trials event.

From there, the top three men’s 200-meter finishers at trials earned spots on the U.S. Olympic team — Noah Lyles (first, 19.74 seconds), Kenny Bednarek (second, 19.78) and Erriyon Knighton (third, 19.84).

While disappointed with his own trials output overall, Miller relished the opportunity so very few earn — let alone coming off a 2020 track season hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“All around, it was a really good experience,” Miller told The Laker/Lutz Newspaper. “It was kind of surreal that I was there with the top athletes in the country. It was just a really good feeling. I was kind of trying to take it all in, but I also couldn’t like believe it at the same time.”

Before college, Miller had made a name for himself as a sprinter at Zephyrhills Christian Academy.

His senior year, he won the Class 1A individual crown 100-meter dash (10.75) at the 2018 FHSAA State Track & Field Championships. He also was a leg of the school’s 4×100 relay team that won back-to-back state crowns in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Locals athletes taken in 2021 MLB Draft
It’s not uncommon for at least a few ballplayers from area high schools and colleges to be taken in the Major League Baseball (MLB) first-year player draft.

The year 2012 was no different, as five local athletes from The Laker/Lutz News coverage area were taken in the nationally televised draft, which spanned 20 rounds (and 612) picks from July 11 through July 13:

  • Sunlake High/University of Florida pitcher Tommy Mace (Cleveland Indians/Guardians, Comp B, 69th overall)
  • Wharton High shortstop Zach Ehrhard (Boston Red Sox, 13th round, 376th overall)
  • Gaither High shortstop A.J. Graham (Pittsburgh Pirates, 18th round, 523rd overall)
  • Saint Leo University left-handed pitcher Jimmy Burnette (Toronto Blue Jays, 18th round, 543rd overall)
  • Gaither High/University of Texas third baseman Cam Williams (Kansas City Royals, 19th round, 559th overall)
Sunlake High/University of Florida product Tommy Mace was selected 69th overall by the Cleveland Indians (now named Guardians) in the 2021 MLB first-year player draft. (File)

Every player, except for Ehrhard opted to sign with their drafted team, for various dollar figures.

Mace — the highest selection from the local community — inked with the Indians (now Guardians) for a $1.1 million signing bonus; Graham signed with the Pirates for $125,000; Burnette signed with Blue Jays for $50,000; and, Williams signed with the Royals for $25,000.

Ehrhard, meanwhile, will play collegiate baseball at NCAA Division I Oklahoma State University, majoring in applied exercise science with a focus on strength and conditioning. He was this year’s recipient of the 2021 Wade Boggs Athletic Achievement Award, which honors a high school baseball player in Hillsborough County on the basis of outstanding athletic, scholastic and community achievements.

(While slightly outside our coverage area in west Pasco County, Fivay High/University of Mississippi product Gunnar Hoglund went in the first round (19th overall) to the Blue Jays. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander from Hudson ultimately signed with the team for just under $3.25 million.)

National champion returns home to teach aspiring players
Land O’ Lakes native Shannon Saile was a part of history — guiding the University of Oklahoma women’s softball team to the 2021 NCAA Division I national title, serving as one of its top senior pitchers.

With her decorated athletic career in tow, Saile’s next major task was organizing a series of fastpitch softball clinics to train the next generation of youth standouts.

Shannon Saile, left, a national champion softball pitcher for the Oklahoma Sooners, explains the fundamentals of the fast pitch to 11-year-old Laila McClelland, center, of Odessa. (File)

To do that, the 23-year-old returned to her central Pasco hometown and set foot on the same park ballfields that forged a pathway for myriad athletic accomplishments.

The upstart Shannon Saile Pitching Clinic was held on July 25 at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, home to Land O’ Lakes Little League.

About 30 girls — ages 8 to 15 — took part on a steamy Sunday, eager to take in guidance from Saile and other widely known pitching instructors and volunteers.

With Saile’s tutelage, young campers sharpened their fastballs and secondary offerings like changeups, through arm path mechanics and leg drive techniques, as well as various speed, agility and balance drills.

“I just hope that I can teach them the foundation of pitching, because it’s much more important than just getting out there and throwing pitches,” Saile explained to The Laker/Lutz News. “The drills are super important, because they help me grow my strength and my confidence in my pitches.”

Besides learning newfound softball techniques, campers also had an opportunity to get signed autographs and take pictures with Saile, who’s become a household name in the sports world. She was invited to ESPN’s nationally televised 2021 ESPY Awards, for being part of one of the best moments from the year in sports.

Saile goes down as one of the most accomplished — if not most accomplished — fastpitch softball players to ever come out of Land O’ Lakes High School and the greater Tampa Bay area.

As a Gator, she amassed 517 strikeouts and a career 1.76 ERA in four varsity seasons from 2013 to 2016, also compiling a combined 41 wins, 31 complete games, 11 shutouts and five no-hitters.

The advancement to the college ranks likewise went swimmingly for the 5-foot-7 right-hander.

Saile began her Division I softball career at Florida International University, finding immediate success with a pair of sub-2.00 ERA seasons in the circle, before transferring to Oklahoma.

As a redshirt senior this past season, Saile posted an impressive 1.70 ERA and 1.06 WHIP while being second on the team in wins (17), innings pitched (100.1), complete games (six), and strikeouts (132).

Published December 29, 2021

Zephyrhills runner competes in U.S. Olympic trials

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Evan Miller’s sprint for a spot on Team USA for the upcoming Tokyo Summer Olympics came up short — but it was still an experience most athletes can only ever dream about.

The Zephyrhills athlete on June 25 competed in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials at the legendary Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Miller — a rising senior at University of South Carolina — clocked 21.04 seconds in the first round heat of the men’s 200-meter dash, finishing 23rd overall.

Zephyrhills native Evan Miller earned an invitation to the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon, where he competed in the men’s 200-meter dash. Miller missed the cut for a spot on Team USA for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, but his track career is far from over. He next gears up for his senior season at the University of South Carolina, where he earned second-team NCAA All-American honors a few months ago. (Zephyrhills native Evan Miller earned an invitation to the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon, where he competed in the men’s 200-meter dash. Miller missed the cut for a spot on Team USA for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, but his track career is far from over. He next gears up for his senior season at the University of South Carolina, where he earned second-team NCAA All-American honors a few months ago. (Courtesy of University of South Carolina athletics department)

He competed in the same heat against other widely known professional sprinters, including Terrance Laird and Jaron Flourney, among others.

The competition was televised live nationally on the NBC Sports Network.

Miller’s trials mark was a shade off his personal best of 20.50 seconds — which he recorded at the Weems Baskin Relays hosted on-campus at South Carolina in late March. He wound up earning second-team NCAA All-American honors during the season, too.

A last-minute heat and lane scheduling change at trials in Oregon arguably impacted his performance, in some form or another.

Miller originally was slated to compete in heat 2, lane 5, but event officials switched him to heat 3, lane 9 just hours before the race.

Here’s why it matters: The middle lanes (such as lane 5) are viewed as more advantageous in track, as it allows sprinters to visibly pace themselves against competitors in real time, Miller said, “to have someone to kind of push me toward where I’m trying to go, how fast I’m trying to run.”

But being positioned in outside lanes (such as lane 9) is more out on an island of sorts — unable to see if you’re going too fast or too slow against the competition. “You’re just out there, (so) you’ve just kind of got to run your own race,” Miller said.

Miller was one of about 30 sprinters nationwide who either qualified or accepted an invitation, and declared for the men’s 200-meter trials event.

From there, the top three men’s 200-meter finishers at trials earned spots on the U.S. Olympic team — Noah Lyles (first, 19.74 seconds), Kenny Bednarek (second, 19.78) and Erriyon Knighton (third, 19.84). (Knighton is a 17-year-old sensation from Tampa who attends Hillsborough High School and became the youngest track and field athlete to join Team USA since 1964.)

While disappointed with his own trials output overall, Miller relished the opportunity so very few earn — let alone coming off a 2020 track season hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He had plenty of support at the momentous event, as both his parents and sister were in attendance, along with several coaches and teammates.

“All around, it was a really good experience,” Miller said. “It was kind of surreal that I was there with the top athletes in the country. It was just a really good feeling. I was kind of trying to take it all in, but I also couldn’t like believe it at the same time.”

Miller has since flown back to the Tampa Bay area, but may soon head back to Columbia, South Carolina, for the remainder of the summer to take on more in-person instruction from college coaches.

He’s already eyeing the next trials in advance of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. He plans to be a professional track athlete by then.

Miller appears on the video board ahead of the U.S. Olympic track and field trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. (Courtesy of Erica Miller)

“I’ll definitely be there,” he said. “This isn’t going to be the last time.”

More immediate tasks, however, include the upcoming college indoor and outdoor track seasons, as well as the 2022 World Championships.

Goals are set on running in the low-20s in the 200, somewhere between 20.1 and 20 seconds flat for the time being.

Miller also is considering adding the 400-meter dash to his repertoire, with the aim of reducing his time in the 200, he said.

Focusing on nutrition will be key to moving forward, Miller said. He noted his calves cramped up a few days before the trials, showing perhaps a sign of dehydration.

Further fine-tuning sprint techniques — from starting block to transition and finish — also is on his mind, to yield improvements.

“There’s a lot of stuff I’ve got to work on,” he said, “so that’s why I’m confident that I’ll be able to drop my time, because there’s still a lot to be done.”

From Zephyrhills to Olympic hopes
Miller has generated buzz athletically since his days at Zephyrhills Christian Academy.

He was better known for his play on the football field, but he took track more seriously following a broken ankle while playing in a 7-on-7 tournament.

As a teenager he eventually linked up with AAU track and high school coach BB Roberts, who runs the Wesley Chapel-based Speed Starz Track Club, and lists NFL and MLB athletes as training clientele.

Roberts, a former track star in his own right at Wesley Chapel High School and Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College, worked to correct Miller’s sprinting form and technique, among other tips.

Miller proceeded to win the Class 1A crown 100-meter dash (10.75) at the 2018 FHSAA State Track & Field Championships, as a senior at Zephyrhills Christian. He also was a member of the program’s 4×100 relay team that won back-to-back state crowns in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

He would go on to qualify for AAU nationals, too.

Miller initially planned to compete in football and track at Warner University, a small NAIA school in Lake Wales.

Zephyrhills athlete Evan Miller readies for warm-ups at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. He finished 23rd in the men’s 200-meter dash, clocking 21.04. (Courtesy of Erica Miller)

That was until the more prestigious South Carolina track and field program came calling with an offer from longtime head coach Curtis Frye — who’s overseen over 60 NCAA champions, 121 SEC champions, 20 Academic All-Americans and more than 500 NCAA All-Americans across his 25-year career.

It’s all been a whirlwind for the hometown speedster, from small private school off Eiland Boulevard to joining a blue-blood SEC college program, to much-grander Olympics aspirations.

“I definitely wish I would’ve discovered track sooner, but I really didn’t expect to be able to do all these things,” said Miller.

“The switch from Warner to (South Carolina), that happened so fast, and then, once I got to (South Carolina), I knew, I wanted to be great at anything I do, not just track but anything in general, so I made it work.

“I’m glad I’ve made it to where I am, in such a short amount of time.”

Miller has grown to love the sport over time. It not only feeds his competitive nature, but also forges mental toughness, he said.

Said Miller, “I like to be the best, in anything that I do, but also I started to realize, it’s a very mental sport. You’ve got to be very mentally strong, and that just also helps me with life in general, being able to handle certain situations, having that mental strength to push through anything.

“It definitely helps me push through certain situations, but just everyday training, it just makes me mentally stronger.”

Published July 07, 2021

USA Women’s Hockey, fans celebrate gold in Wesley Chapel

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Just days removed from celebrating a gold medal win in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, the USA women’s ice hockey team returned to where their remarkable journey all began — Wesley Chapel.

The U.S. women’s national ice hockey team posed for pictures on Feb. 28 at Florida Hospital Center Ice, in Wesley Chapel. The team spent more than five months training at the facility and lodging at Saddlebrook Resort. (Kevin Weiss)

It’s where the team spent more than five months getting prepared for the Winter Olympics, training at Florida Hospital Center Ice and lodging at Saddlebrook Resort. It’s also where daily practices, off-ice testing and intrasquad scrimmages were used to determine the 23 players selected for the Team USA roster back in May.

The team spent the better part of an hour on the afternoon of Feb. 28 greeting fans, posing for pictures and signing autographs at the Center Ice facility.

The surprise visit was part of a nationwide media blitz that took them to Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and New York City.

A week earlier, the team defeated Canada in a 3-2 shootout to win gold, ending a 20-year drought for the women’s hockey program.

Moments since have been nothing short of surreal for Team USA, from celebrating the victory to the fan support.

“It’s been overwhelming, exciting, just a whirlwind,” said two-time Olympian and forward Kendall Coyne. “It’s been truly an honor to bring home this gold to the United States, and to see the reaction from everybody and the support.”

“It’s been crazy,” added 19-year-old defenseman Cayla Barnes, the youngest member of Team USA. “This has been a goal of ours for so long, and it just proves you can do whatever you set your mind to.”

Two-time Olympian and forward Kendall Coyne shows off her Olympic gold medal. She is one of 23 players on the U.S. women’s national ice hockey team.

Their time spent in Wesley Chapel won’t soon be forgotten, either, from top-flight training digs and hospitality, to the warm, sunny weather.

“These facilities were awesome, the staff here was amazing, and they really helped us with everything we needed,” Barnes said. “It was great to be down here, such nice weather, and really nice to train out here in preparation for the games.”

“Hockey in Florida was new to a lot of us, but I don’t think it took long for us to realize that hockey is serious in Florida,” said Coyne. “The growth is amazing, and just to see the growth in the short six months we were here just shows how much more there can be.”

Coyne added, the gold medal victory provides a “huge opportunity” to further the sport in the United States, particularly among young girls.

The 25-year-old herself was inspired by Hall of Famer Cammi Granato and the 1998 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey, the last team to win gold.

“With our win, I think we can get more girls playing across the United States,” Coyne said.

“If you look at our team currently, a lot of us are playing because we saw the ’98 team win a gold medal. So, knowing that feeling and knowing personally I was one of them… I saw Cammi Granato, and seeing her gold medal made me want to become one of them.”

Tampa resident Chad Courson is all smiles after posing for a picture with Team USA Women’s Hockey. He came equipped with a Team USA jacket and ‘Gold Medal edition’ box of Corn Flakes to get autographed.

Having Team USA train in Wesley Chapel was likewise beneficial to Florida Hospital Center Ice and the Tampa Bay hockey community, said Gordie Zimmerman, managing partner and developer of Florida Hospital Center Ice.

The $28 million,150,500-square-foot complex was picked as Team USA’s training ground over such hockey facilities in Boston, Chicago and others.

“It’s been terrific on every front — for the development of hockey for the girls and the boys, and just the awareness and having the girls here in the facility,” explained Zimmerman.

“I think there was a lot of pressure on them and where they train…and it turned out to be a great experience for everybody. This wave is going to continue, and you can see like with the girls’ (programs) — and that’s what it’s all about.”

As one of dozens of fans at the meet-and-greet, Wesley Chapel resident Rob Simonelli just couldn’t pass up the chance to take photos and chat it up with the newly crowned Olympic gold medalists.

He found out about the team’s surprise appearance at Center Ice through a friend who caught wind of the event.

“I had a feeling because they had been here for a couple months with their training that they’ve got to come back and take a look at the people at the rink,” said Simonelli, who plays recreational hockey at Center Ice along with his son.

“They’re really friendly, and it’s nice that they decided to come and just kind of say ‘Hey’ to the people.”

Simonelli said he watched much of the Olympic coverage on television, and even attended some of the team’s tryouts and international games at Center Ice last year.

Besides national pride, he felt some local pride, too.

“I just was excited that this was their home base. Just following them when they made this their home was kind of cool,” Simonelli said.

Another exuberant fan, Tampa resident Chad Courson, came to the event equipped with a Team USA jacket and a “Gold Medal edition” box of Corn Flakes featuring a cover picture of USA women’s gold winning hockey star Meghan Duggan.

He brought both items to get signed. He also bought about 40 other boxes of the limited-edition Corn Flakes to get signed later that night at Amalie Arena as part of another Team USA appearance.

“I met the team on previous occasions, but it’s still cool,” Courson said of the team’s stop in Wesley Chapel.

As for the team’s run in PyeongChang?

“It was amazing,” Courson said.

Published March 7, 2018

Land O’ Lakes soccer team gears up for the world stage

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The Land O’ Lakes Special Olympics soccer team recently traveled to Indianapolis to begin preparing for its appearance in the 2015 Special Olympics Summer World Games.

The soccer team claimed the gold at the Special Olympics Florida State Summer Games in May, and found out on July 21 that they would trek to represent Team USA at the games in Los Angeles.

Ordray Smith plays with intensity during a scrimmage in Indianapolis, as the Land O’ Lakes High Special Olympics soccer team prepares to compete in the 2015 Special Olympics Summer World Games. (Courtesy of Land O' Lakes High School)
Ordray Smith plays with intensity during a scrimmage in Indianapolis, as the Land O’ Lakes High Special Olympics soccer team prepares to compete in the 2015 Special Olympics Summer World Games. (Courtesy of Land O’ Lakes High School)

The team competes in Division 2 soccer, with seven athletes on each side of the ball. It is a unified team, meaning there are four Special Olympics athletes playing along with three partners, who are there to provide help and support.

The Land O’ Lakes team will join thousands of Special Olympics athletes from 170 nations to compete for international medals. The games include 21 Olympic-style sports.

To help prepare for the competition, the team headed to Indianapolis in early October to begin training for the games, and to get a feel for what the schedule will be like in Los Angeles, said Vicky King, the team’s coach. The training camp in Indianapolis included 352 athletes and 96 coaches from across the United States.

While there, the team received Team USA gear from Finish Line, practiced their soccer skills, scrimmaged against other teams, toured the NCAA Hall of Fame, attended the Circle City Parade and the Circle City Classic football game, and visited the Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The World Games are scheduled from July 25 to Aug. 2.

While the team is gearing up for the competition, it’s also involved in fundraising efforts. There will be a Champions Breakfast Nov. 7 at the Academy of Culinary Arts building at Land O’ Lakes High School to raise money to support the team’s trip to the World Games. No tickets are available for this week’s fundraiser breakfast, but efforts are ongoing to raise the $35,000 the team needs to make the trip to Los Angeles, King said.

Anyone who has any questions can email King at .

Anyone who wishes to contribute can send a check payable to Special Olympics Pasco, attention Vicky King, Land O’ Lakes High School, 20325 Gator Lane, Land O’ Lakes, FL 34638.

Published November 5, 2014

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Local man offers spiritual help at Sochi Olympics

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The 2014 Olympics in Sochi may have been half a world away, but a chaplain from Lutz was there, offering spiritual support to athletes.

Scott Hamilton autographed a sign that Asif Shaikh held up at the ‘Today Show’ set at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Shaikh’s wife Leaha saw the sign on television. (Courtesy of Asif Shaikh)
Scott Hamilton autographed a sign that Asif Shaikh held up at the ‘Today Show’ set at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Shaikh’s wife Leaha saw the sign on television. (Courtesy of Asif Shaikh)

Asif Shaikh, who pronounces his name “Ah-sif Shake,” traveled more than 30 hours, with stops in Chicago, Dusselfdorf, Germany, and Moscow before flying over the opening ceremonies to land in Sochi.

But it wasn’t his first Olympic experience. He and his wife Leaha tended to the spiritual needs of athletes at the Olympic games in London in 2012 as well.

This time, however, Shaikh traveled alone to Sochi and said his ministry work there involved prayer and Bible studies with hockey players and speed skaters. One of the athletes he prayed with was Jessica Lutz, a hockey player who was born in the United States, but because her father was born in Switzerland, was able to play on the Swiss team.

Lutz — who pronounces her name the same way as the northern Hillsborough County community — already was familiar to Shaikh.

He and his wife met the hockey player during a summer program they worked at in Colorado in 2009. Shaikh’s wife was Lutz’s advisor.

As it turns out, Shaikh was able to watch Lutz’s Swiss team play against the American team in a contest where the Swiss were soundly defeated. But he also saw Switzerland defeat Sweden in the bronze medal game, where Lutz scored the winning goal.

The idea of interacting with world-class athletes is nothing new for Shaikh. Besides providing spiritual guidance in London, he also had daily chapel gatherings for athletes competing to be part of the American team during the 2012 U.S. Olympic track team trials in Eugene, Ore.

Before that, he was a chaplain to the U.S. soccer team at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and served in the same capacity at the track and field International Association of Athletics Federations World Championship in Daegu, South Korea and the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Because of those experiences, Shaikh is familiar with the types of security precautions taken at international events. Despite reports of potential security threats leading up to the games, Shaikh said he felt completely safe while there. He rated the quality of the security as “off the charts.”

“There was no issue. They were ready,” Shaikh said.

The hotels, however, were another matter. Although he stayed in a private home, Shaikh said media reports about some of the hotels not being ready were true.

The trains, on the other hand, were fantastic and they were beautiful, he said.

While he was able to pray with some athletes, Shaikh said the most important part of his trip this year was making connections for future Olympics. He got to know people involved with the U.S. Olympics Committee and with people within the Procter & Gamble Co., who sponsored the P&G Family Home in Sochi.

There the company offered moms, Olympians and their families a home away from home during the Olympics. It served as a place to hang out and be pampered, he said.

The USA House also served as a gathering place for members of the U.S. Olympics Committee, for Team USA, for corporate partners, sponsors, suppliers and licensees.

Shaikh hopes the connections he made during his time in Sochi will lay the groundwork for him to volunteer his spiritual help at the USA House, the P&G house or both during a future Olympics.

“I’m trying to get established. I think the next step would be, ‘How can I help, in the sense of volunteering my time,’” Shaikh said. “They don’t have any spiritual leaders. They don’t recognize that as something that’s important.”

The chaplain said he’s found that athletes often welcome spiritual support. Many of them travel to the competitions by themselves and some of them are facing personal crises, even as they prepare to compete on a world stage.

Besides praying with athletes in Sochi, Shaikh said he was lucky enough to get free tickets from Procter & Gamble for several events. He was able to watch American skaters Meryl Davis and Charlie White win the gold medal in ice dancing. He also watched bobsled, ski jumping, speed skating, curling and the half-pipe.

While there, Shaikh also had his own fleeting taste of fame. On Valentine’s Day, he went down to the set for NBC’s “Today Show” onsite at the Olympics carrying a sign that Lutz had made for him to hold, wishing his wife a happy Valentine’s Day.

“Scott Hamilton signed an autograph on it and it was on TV,” Shaikh said. “Leaha saw it, so it was really neat.”