The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Land O' Lakes High School

Blankenship defeats Connolly for union president

By

Pasco County’s teacher of the year came up just short in succeeding Lynne Webb as president of the United School Employees of Pasco, the county’s teachers union.

Ken Blankenship, a former Land O’ Lakes High School teacher who has spent the past three years as an instructional vice president for the union, was elected the group’s leader with 55 percent of the vote. He defeated Pat Connolly, who currently teaches at the same school and earned Pasco’s prestigious instructional award, for the top job.

“I am dedicated and deeply committed to work on behalf of all employees to defend and improve contractual rights, ensure dignity and respect, and strengthen USEP membership and organizational unity for both units,” Blankenship said in a release.

Nearly 900 votes were cast in the election, which were sent by mail through the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections office. On the same ballot, Gay Kennedy won 64 percent of the vote to defeat Bill Hull for School-Related Personnel vice president.

Teacher vice president Lee Kulikauskas, secretary-treasurer Cheryl Vinson, and the union’s executive board were elected without opposition.

Webb, who served as president of the union for 15 years, chose not to seek re-election this term.

This will mean a big decision coming for Connolly. He told The Laker/Lutz News last month that if he lost the election, he would put in one more year at Land O’ Lakes High before looking for other opportunities. Based on how they felt about Connolly when helping him become teacher of the year, his students likely will be happy to have him back in the classroom.

“They trust me to take them on this ride called education,” Connolly told reporter B.C. Manion in February. “And, without that trust, I can’t do what I do. I think I have earned that trust from them. I’ve shown them that I care about them. I’ve shown them I have interesting things to teach them, and that I have faith that they can learn it.”

New academy will offer a head start for careers in agriculture

By

The agricultural industry is big business in Florida, and a new academy starting next year aims to give Central Pasco County students a competitive edge in that sector.

(Courtesy of Land O' Lakes High School)
(Courtesy of Land O’ Lakes High School)

Florida’s agricultural industry employs approximately 2 million people and contributes more than $104 billion to the state’s economy, according to the “2013 Florida Agriculture by the Numbers” report published by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

With its 47,500 farms, the state ranks 18th in the nation. In 2012, Florida ranked first in the nation in the value of its production of oranges and grapefruits, according to the report.

But agriculture goes well with growing crops and tending cattle, said John Hagen, chairman and chief executive of Pasco Economic Development Council. It offers myriad opportunities in science and technology, as the industry seeks to find ways to get greater yields and prevent environmental damage.

Central Pasco students who are interested in the industry will have a new opportunity to prepare for career opportunities in agriculture as Land O’ Lakes High School launches its Academy of Agritechnology next fall. Land O’ Lakes High has had a strong chapter in the National FFA Organization ever since the school opened in 1975, said school principal Ric Mellin.

The academy will offer many of the same courses as the school has offered in the past, but also will begin providing opportunities for students to earn industry certifications while still in high school, Mellin said.

The program will be open through the Pasco County’s school choice option to students attending Central Pasco high schools, Mellin said. That means students who would normally attend Sunlake or Wiregrass Ranch high schools who have an interest in the program can apply to attend Land O’ Lakes High.

The application period for the coming school year has closed, but Mellin expects that the program will grow gradually in coming years.

About a half-dozen students from outside Land O’ Lakes High boundaries have expressed an interest, Mellin said. He also expects a large number of Pine View Middle School students who will attend Land O’ Lakes High next year, to enroll in the program. Pine View has a strong FFA program.

This program will give students an opportunity to prepare for careers in agriculture, as well as food and natural resources management. Students will learn about such things as animal and plant production and processing, marketing, agricultural mechanics, communications, human relations, and employability skills.

They also will have opportunities to do laboratory work, prepare student projects and take advantage of cooperative education opportunities.

One of the key strengths of having academies like this in high school is the opportunity it presents for a student to try out a career area before heading off to college, said Hagen, who chairs a committee that provides advice to the school district on its career academies. Students sometimes arrive at college thinking they want to pursue a particular career, but once they delve into it, they discover it’s not what they expected.

Career academies give students greater insight into what they may encounter, he said. They also can help students develop skills that give them a leg up on the competition when they enter the work force.

Published March 12, 2014

Gators, Warriors girls hoops teams reach new highs

By

When a high school team makes the playoffs, it’s an impressive achievement. But they also know that, unless they win the state title, their entire season and postseason will end with a loss. It’s just a matter of time.

The Steinbrenner Warriors reached the regional finals for the first time, falling to Harmony in a close game. (Photo courtesy of Josee Briere)
The Steinbrenner Warriors reached the regional finals for the first time, falling to Harmony in a close game. (Photo courtesy of Josee Briere)

Often a school measures success not just by reaching the postseason, but how far they get in the tournament.

In that regard, two girls basketball teams are holding their heads very high.

The Steinbrenner Warriors (26-4) and Land O’ Lakes Gators (23-5) both closed out the year on the losing side of a playoff game, but they each went far beyond any other team in school history.

For Steinbrenner, that was the Class 7A regional championship game, where they fell to the Harmony Longhorns, 44-40.

For Land O’ Lakes it was a step farther: The Gators lost in the state semifinals for Class 5A to the Southeast Seminoles, 49-24.

Land O’ Lakes trailed for most of the game in a contest that didn’t turn out to be very close. But Southeast, from Bradenton, lost just one game all year and finished the season with a 27-game win streak and the state title.

Coach Phyllis Crain said her team didn’t play a perfect game, but they played a team they knew would provide a big challenge.

“They’re a very good team,” Crain said about the Seminoles. “Yes, we could have done things differently, but I don’t know if it would have made the result better. Bradenton Southeast is a very good team.”

Land O’ Lakes proved they’re also a good team themselves this season, and Crain attributes the school’s first regional title to a commitment to teamwork and playing well together. The Gators were considered underdogs headed into the postseason — they finished as district runner-up to the Gulf Buccaneers — and had to come from behind in two of their three playoff victories.

But Crain saw their confidence build and is proud of how far their teamwork took them.

“I’m very pleased with the season and I’m very proud of my girls,” she said. “They played well together.”

Steinbrenner also is proud of their accomplishments, but the end of their playoff run is more bittersweet because they were very close to advancing to the state semifinals. The Warriors had a sizeable lead in the second half, but a run by Harmony evaporated that advantage, and they lost by four.

“We had everything you could want for a team that was trying to get to a Final Four: Hosting a regional final, having a nine-point lead going into the fourth quarter and playing a great game for the first 24 minutes,” Coach J.R. Allen said. “Unfortunately, the last eight minutes of the game we weren’t true to who we were the whole season.”

But Allen also admitted that before the season started, he thought Steinbrenner would be hard-pressed to get anywhere close to the regional final. For each of the four years the team has been in existence (led by Allen since the beginning), the Warriors have gotten better. But after last season, the team lost their main offensive weapons and it looked like they might struggle.

Allen challenged the girls to live up to the success of the previous group, even telling them he wasn’t sure they would be as tough as their predecessors. He hoped they would respond in a positive way, and was pleased when he got his answer.

“They bought in. They really bought in and they responded to the challenge well,” he said, noting the team took on a strong defensive identity he plans to carry over into next season. In addition to taking another step forward in the playoffs, Steinbrenner also had their first holiday-season success this year, taking the Indian Rocks Christian tournament back in January.

Both coaches are pleased with their respective campaigns, and can look back on the year with pride. Plus, they understand that the last game has to be put in context of the entire season, since almost all good teams end the year on a sour note.

“The only person who’s not going to hurt at the end of the season is going to be the champion,” Crain said.

Published March 5, 2014

Pasco’s top teacher says he’s ‘living the dream’

By

When Pat Connolly was in high school, he thought he had his future mapped out.

He planned to become an engineer and had even been accepted to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Pat Connolly jots out a problem during his Advanced Placement calculus class at Land O’ Lakes High School. Connolly recently was named Teacher of the Year for Pasco County Schools. (Photo by B.C. Manion)
Pat Connolly jots out a problem during his Advanced Placement calculus class at Land O’ Lakes High School. Connolly recently was named Teacher of the Year for Pasco County Schools. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

All that changed, however, after he began tutoring some high school peers.

As he worked with them, Connolly saw the light bulb go on in their heads when they understood what he was teaching.

“I felt then that I’d been given a gift, and it became my moral responsibility to the universe to use that gift,” said Connolly, recently named Teacher of the Year in Pasco County Schools.

Instead of going to MIT, Connolly headed to the University of Chicago where he earned a degree in mathematics and picked up some classes in education. Even then, Connolly said he understood that there’s both an art and a science to teaching.

It’s not enough to have mastery of the material one’s teaching, said Connolly, who teaches mathematics at Land O’ Lakes High School. It’s also essential to able to convey it in a way that connects with students.

“They (students) trust me to take them on this ride called education. And, without that trust, I can’t do what I do,” he said. “I think I have earned that trust from them. I’ve shown them that I care about them. I’ve shown them I have interesting things to teach them, and that I have faith that they can learn it.”

Even after decades of teaching, Connolly still delights in seeing that light bulb go on when a student finally catches on after struggling with a concept. He often sees that light go on when he’s introducing new ideas.

“They’ve got no clue what you are talking about,” he said. “Then, after five minutes, you get a bunch of them nodding. Then, you finally get this one kid, after 15 or 20 minutes, he’s like, ‘I got it!’”

Watching students become confident in their ability to learn is satisfying, Connolly said. Students in his Advanced Placement calculus class describe him as a teacher who is not only in full command of the material he’s presenting, but also can relate mathematics to just about anything in life.

“He knows like everything,” said Carlos Osorno, the high school’s senior class president. “Anything we talk about, even random topics that come up in class, you really don’t know how he knows everything.”

Classmate Andrea Slouha agreed. “Any subject you ask him about, he seems to always have an answer for it. I don’t think he’s ever said, ‘I don’t know’ to anything.”

Vincent Trang, who has taken Connolly’s classes for two years, described him as a teacher who wants his students to succeed.

“He’s a really helpful teacher,” he said. “There are some times when I don’t understand a concept. He would take the time to make sure I understood it.

“I think he loves teaching,” Trang said.

Robin Hanna, another AP calculus student, said she took the class because of Connolly’s good reputation, and he’s lived up to the billing.

“He has turned out to be really interesting,” Hanna said. “There’s never a dull day in this class. I have learned a lot — not just about math, but about how certain things work and about how math can be applied to real-life situations. Just a lot of random facts, too, because he can go off on tangents.”

Another student, Ryan Kova, said Connolly is tuned into students and can tell if his lessons are getting through to them.

Connolly has been teaching in Pasco County Schools since 1989, first at Ridgewood High School, then transferring to Land O’ Lakes two years later.

His wife Sherri is a teacher at Centennial Elementary School, her school for 25 years. They live in Zephyrhills and have three adult children, Shanna Harper and Sara and Shane Connolly.

Before arriving in Pasco County, Connolly taught for five years in Missouri, followed by six years as an instructor at the Naval Nuclear Power School in Orlando, as well as two years at the Naval Academy Preparatory School.

Connolly had considered retiring at the end of this school year, then seeking out a teaching job overseas. But he put those plans on hold to instead run for president of the teacher’s union.

If he wins, he’ll finish out the school year and take on that role. If he loses, he’ll stay on for another year at Land O’ Lakes High and pursue overseas teaching opportunities the following year.

For now, though, he’s enjoying the privilege of teaching. He said people think he’s joking when he says he’s “thrilled to be here” or that he’s “living the dream.”

But he’s serious.

In his application for Pasco’s Teacher of the Year, he explained his love for teaching by describing a scene from the movie “City Slickers.”

In that scene, a character named Curly explains the key to happiness is finding the one thing that really matters to you and sticking to it, no matter what.

“It seems teaching is my one thing,” Connolly wrote.

Published Feb. 12, 2014

Land O’ Lakes girls soccer: Undefeated and focused

By

When a high school team is undefeated after winning games by scores such as 8-0, 7-0, 9-1 and 6-1, you might think they have a very good baseball program with talented athletes on offense and defense.

And that assumption would be correct. Except for one thing: Those aren’t baseball scores. They’re soccer scores.

Land O’ Lakes coach Vicky King gives a pep talk last winter to a team that finished with its second straight district title. The Gators have a strong start to this season, off to an 11-0 start, and averaging just under six goals a game. (File photo)
Land O’ Lakes coach Vicky King gives a pep talk last winter to a team that finished with its second straight district title. The Gators have a strong start to this season, off to an 11-0 start, and averaging just under six goals a game. (File photo)

The girls soccer team at Land O’ Lakes High School isn’t just beating their opponents on their way to an 11-0 record, they’re burying them with 65 goals in 11 games, versus just eight goals scored against them. Only two games have been close (each decided by one goal), and they rule Class 3A-District 8 with a 10-0 record.

Land O’ Lakes has a strong history — they’ve won their district the past two seasons — and a very bright future this year. But don’t tell that to Coach Vicky King. She doesn’t let her players rest on their laurels or look past opponents toward the end of the season. They focus only on the practice ahead of them, the next opponent and playing good soccer every time they step onto the pitch.

“We don’t even talk about our wins and losses. No one has talked about our record at all,” King said with a decisive tone. “We don’t take anything for granted. We have to earn every goal. Nothing will be given to us.”

In fact, King said she doesn’t even remember her team’s record last year, even though they won the district title. Her time isn’t spent on the past, but getting the Gators ready for their next opponent.

Now in her 27th year coaching soccer at Land O’ Lakes, King has guided dozens of different teams. She noted that this squad is very talented, and while they do have a standout scorer — sophomore Victoria Cannata leads the team with 12 goals — the Gators have 16 players who have scored at least one goal so far this season. That diversity in offense makes them difficult to defend, and gives the team a number of options they can use to attack their opponent.

“You can’t shut us down by shutting down one person,” King said. “We have a lot of depth. We’ve created a lot of scoring opportunities that we haven’t created the past two years.”

Senior Brooke Silvest has played soccer all throughout high school, and notices something special about this year’s team. Even though they’re very young and skilled, it’s been improved team chemistry that has made a difference.

“We all work really well together,” she said. “We all get along much better than we ever have in the past. That helps a lot.”

Players aren’t selfish with the ball, often choosing to earn an assist rather than take the shot themselves. Talented underclassmen have chemistry with the more experienced players, and as a result, Silvest believes this is the school’s best girls soccer team since she’s been a member.

Silvest and the team have also bought into King’s philosophy, making no assumptions before a game and maintaining focus throughout their matches, regardless of the score. She admits that some of the earlier games were closer than they should have been because they weren’t playing their best (and possibly looking ahead on the schedule), but their focus is now always on the task in front of them.

The team goes into each match with the simple goal of working hard, rather than considering opponents’ records or their own past performances, Silvest said.

And while she doesn’t want to deviate from that strategy, Silvest has a lot of optimism about the team’s potential, and believes they have a chance to eclipse last year’s accomplishments.

“Last year we got knocked out in regional semis, and I think we can go to state this year,” Silvest said. “We’re a much better team, and I think we can beat the team that knocked us out.”

The Gators still have a half-dozen district games remaining on the schedule, including a rematch against Sunlake, whose only loss was a 2-1 defeat to Land O’ Lakes last month. But whatever they accomplish this year, it will be with a commitment to growing as a team and getting better with each game.

“We should improve,” King said. “We don’t want to peak too early. We want to improve as the season goes on.”

A Pasco County classic: Sunlake stops Land O’ Lakes in OT

By

When a football game looks like a good match-up on paper, too often the end result is a lopsided affair that fails to live up to expectations.

And last Friday’s contest between Land O’ Lakes and Sunlake looked like a potential classic on paper.

This time, the game didn’t meet expectations. It beat them.

At the end of the game — which required overtime — the Sunlake Seahawks defended their home turf, put themselves in good position in the district standings and turned away the previously unbeaten Gators with a 28-21 victory.

That overtime was necessary underscores how close the game was: Neither team led by more than seven points, and they were tied at halftime, the end of the third quarter and at the end of regulation. And when Sunlake stopped Land O’ Lakes in overtime to clinch the win, Seahawks head coach Bill Browning’s first thoughts came from the perspective of both a football coach and a football fan.

“It was just relief, and what a great game to be a part of,” Browning said. “It was a great high school football game. Both teams played their hearts out.”

Each team had an offensive star suiting up for the contest, and both showed up to play: Sunlake’s junior running back Nathan Johnson and Land O’ Lakes’ junior quarterback James Pensyl had a hand in six of the seven touchdowns scored in the game. In the end, it was Johnson’s third touchdown run in overtime that became the margin of victory, eclipsing Pensyl’s three scoring passes.

But Browning pointed out that another player was instrumental in Sunlake’s victory. Senior quarterback Esteban LeWallen didn’t dominate the stat sheet, but his second start in place of injured junior Dayton Feiden was a solid one. He ran in a short touchdown and made important plays with his arm when it mattered.

“He came in and hit some very big passes in the course of that game that helped tremendously,” Browning said.

While beating an undefeated team is cause for celebration in itself, there was more at stake than one football game. With the win, Sunlake improved to 2-1 in the district while Land O’ Lakes fell to 1-1, keeping Sunlake alive for one of the two playoff spots. An earlier one-point loss to Springstead (currently 2-0 in district play) meant that losing to Land O’ Lakes would have handed both teams a better current record and tiebreakers over the Seahawks, eliminating them from playoff contention.

Instead they emerged with new life, a big victory and a potential tiebreaker against their district rival.

But if the team is vulnerable to a letdown after such a big win, Browning plans to use the schedule to ensure that doesn’t happen. The Seahawks have a bye this coming week, and he plans to use it to get them settled after an emotional victory and focused on their final district contest against Fivay (0-2 in district play, 3-4 overall) on Nov. 1.

Headed into their week off, Sunlake now has a 1,000-yard rusher in Johnson, renewed confidence and an eye on the playoffs. But to Browning, none of that matters unless they take care of business in their final district game.

“It kept us in the hunt. It guaranteed nothing, but it kept us in the hunt,” he said about the team’s recent win. “Land O’ Lakes still has to play Springstead, and of course, we still have to beat Fivay. All we can do is keep winning and things will take care of themselves, hopefully.”

Collision Course: Gators, Seahawks battle for gridiron supremacy

By

The one thing a high school football team can’t control is its schedule.

Some games look pretty lopsided; either a team is playing an outmatched opponent, or they’re facing a superior team and have little chance at success. Other games look evenly matched but reveal a lack of talent, which might produce a dull contest.

But every so often there’s a game on the schedule that features two powerful teams that have enjoyed a lot of success, and are in each other’s way as they battle for district supremacy. They both have a lot of strengths and relatively few weaknesses, and it will be up to the coaching staff and individual efforts on the team to try and exploit them.

It’s Land O’ Lakes versus Sunlake this weekend, and while James Pensyl, below, is ready to tack on to his 230 yards per game, the Seahawks will have to do without Dayton Feiden, left, who suffered a season-ending knee injury. Senior Esteban LeWallen is taking over after shutting out Wesley Chapel last week. (File photos)
It’s Land O’ Lakes versus Sunlake this weekend, and while James Pensyl is ready to tack on to his 230 yards per game, the Seahawks will have to do without Dayton Feiden, below, who suffered a season-ending knee injury. Senior Esteban LeWallen is taking over after shutting out Wesley Chapel last week. (File photos)

With a lot on the line for the teams and plenty of entertainment for the fans in the stands, those are the good ones.

One of those good ones is on tap Friday night at Sunlake High School, when the Seahawks (6-1, 1-1 in district play) host the Land O’ Lakes Gators (6-0, 1-0 in district play).

This isn’t just a matchup featuring two good teams: It’s the highest-scoring offense in the district (Land O’ Lakes has already put up 181 points) facing the stingiest defense (Sunlake has given up just 23 points all year, with four shutouts).

It’s also a true hometown rivalry, as the schools are less than 10 miles away from each other. And it’s critical to the standings, as both teams are chasing Springstead (6-1 overall but already 2-0 in the district). According to Land O’ Lakes Head Coach Brian Wachtel, following the game plan will be key in a contest featuring two good teams.

“Football is kind of like a chess match out there on the field,” he said. “The bottom line is, with football it comes down to execution. Your players have to execute the plays that are called.”

Nobody will be surprised if Land O’ Lakes tries to execute a number of passing plays, since they have a star in junior James Pensyl. He is averaging more than 230 yards per game, with a couple of rushing scores to complement double-digit touchdowns through the air.

Pensyl has shown a lot of growth in his second year, Wachtel said, and has a firm grasp of both the team’s objectives and the scheme they’re using to get there.

Even Sunlake Head Coach Bill Browning has taken note of Pensyl’s progress.

“He is vastly improved over last year,” Browning said. “They’ve developed a good scheme around him, that I think fits what he does well.”

Unfortunately for Browning, his own starting quarterback won’t be suiting up for Friday’s game: Junior Dayton Feiden suffered a recent knee injury, and was scheduled for surgery earlier this week. He’s out for the year.

That means senior Esteban LeWallen is transitioning from backup to starter (he was behind center for the team’s win against Wesley Chapel last weekend). With four years’ experience in the system, Browning saw good things in LeWallen’s first start and has confidence in him going forward.

Still, fans can expect a lot of running plays for Sunlake, specifically for star running back Nathan Johnson. The junior scored two more touchdowns last week against Wesley Chapel (boosting his season total to 10), and already is closing in on 1,000 yards rushing.

But Johnson isn’t guaranteed an easy time on Friday: Land O’ Lakes is second in the district with just 54 points allowed all year.

Dayton Feiden
Dayton Feiden

Still, Browning admits that Johnson will, as usual, be the focal point of their offense. “He is every week. It’s no secret,” he said.

No matter how the game itself plays out, both coaches are coming into the contest with a healthy respect for their opponent and the realization that this is a special week.

“This is a rivalry game. This is a community game. There will definitely be a great atmosphere there; there’s no doubt about that,” Wachtel explained.

And Browning agrees. “This is what high school football is all about. You want challenges like this as you play,” he said. “I would imagine that anybody who’s a high school football fan in Land O’ Lakes, Fla., will be at that game Friday night.”

After cancer diagnosis, community runs for Keppel

By

Kris Keppel is never one to give up.

Always a fighter in his 20 years as a coach of the Land O’ Lakes High School cross-country team, he now is facing an even tougher battle — pancreatic cancer — and his team, school and community are rallying around him to notch yet another big win.

“Life has definitely turned on a dime,” said Karen DeHaas, the coach of the Gators’ girls’ cross-country team. Better known as “Mima” to the runners because of her granddaughter’s influence on the team, DeHaas was one of the first to find out about Keppel’s diagnosis just a little more than two weeks ago.

“I cried so much,” DeHaas said. “You don’t know how much I cried. I’d be lost without him.”

The cross-country teams of Land O’ Lakes High School don ‘I run for Keppel’ shirts in honor of Coach Kris Keppel, who was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
The cross-country teams of Land O’ Lakes High School don ‘I run for Keppel’ shirts in honor of Coach Kris Keppel, who was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

Breaking the news to the rest of the team was hard, especially when Keppel could not be at his first cross-country event in the two decades he’s been a coach. But he was still there, thanks to technology, as he watched the first runners cross the finish line thanks to a FaceTime video feed from someone’s smart phone.

The runners, who have never felt abandoned by Keppel over all these years, were going to stand by him, too.

Two of DeHaas’ runners, Carolyn Estrella and Mary-Kathryn Guenette, got together and designed “I run for Keppel” T-shirts. Complete with a purple ribbon, representative of those who are fighting pancreatic cancer, the girls have already raised more than $1,000 for Keppel’s family. And they plan to add even more.

“Coach Keppel always cancelled doctor’s appointments in the past just so he doesn’t miss practice, so when he didn’t cancel one appointment for a practice, we knew something was wrong,” said Estrella, a junior at Land O’ Lakes High School. “The next day after that missed practice, we found out he had cancer. It was hard for all of us.”

Estrella and Guenette had 100 shirts printed right away, which the entire cross-country team donned in his honor last Friday, and DeHaas is confident that the two can actually sell more than 1,000 after it’s all said and done. Each one costs $15, and the proceeds go to Keppel.

“There are so many coaches that have already stepped up,” DeHaas said. “We have this big invitational coming up, and I have had phone calls from coaches in Brandon, Tampa, Hernando, all the surrounding counties. I can’t believe all the compassion and support that I have received from all these coaches.”

For Guenette, the cancer diagnosis hit closer to home. Her younger brother, Spencer, battled brain cancer at a very young age. But he also proved that the fight is quite winnable, and now at 14, is in remission.

“I know what the Keppels are going through right now, and it’s a tough time,” Guenette said. “My parents were really proud that we stepped up and made a difference (for Keppel). It’s a good way of coping.”

There is no such thing as an “easy” cancer to be afflicted with, but pancreatic cancer is aggressive. In 2013, the American Cancer Society estimates that more than 45,000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, evenly split between men and women. Treatment ranges from chemotherapy and radiation to surgery.

All of that will require a lot of attention and energy on Keppel’s part, but DeHaas knows that he’ll still find a way to influence the runners he has led for so many years.

“He’s hoping that even if he has to be pushed in a wheelchair, he’s going to be out there watching regionals,” DeHaas said. “I told him he could use my chair, which has a big umbrella on it to protect him from the sun. Either way, if there is any chance he can make it out there, he’ll be there.”

The “I run for Keppel” shirts are available to the general public as well, with proceeds benefitting the Keppel family. To order, email — that’s “carolyn” followed by a zero, two ones and “jr” — or visit the athletics department social media page at Facebook.com/lolhsgators.

Hair-raising fundraising event planned for Land O’ Lakes teen

By

Emily Raymond was just 1 when her hair first starting falling out.

She was diagnosed with an autoimmune form of alopecia, where Emily’s immune system attacks hair follicles, preventing new hair from growing.

As a young girl, Emily covered her head with hats or bandanas. But since seventh grade, the now 17-year-old Land O’ Lakes High School senior has worn wigs,

“When I got my first wig, I didn’t really want to wear it,” Raymond said. “I was just afraid to, I guess.”

It took Audrey Pease three years to grow her hair this long, and only seconds for stylist Lucy Rosado of Susan’s Mane Tamer in Lutz to cut it off. It’s all to support Emily Raymond, background, and Locks of Love. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
It took Audrey Pease three years to grow her hair this long, and only seconds for stylist Lucy Rosado of Susan’s Mane Tamer in Lutz to cut it off. It’s all to support Emily Raymond, background, and Locks of Love. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

Good wigs, especially those made from natural human hair, are expensive, ranging in price from $700 to $2,000, she said. That’s why nonprofit groups like Locks of Love are so needed.

“I am definitely grateful,” said Raymond, who plans to attend Pasco-Hernando Community College next year to begin studying to become a dental hygienist. “It’s wonderful that people want to grow their hair out and donate it to for others to wear.”

That’s what Audrey Pease, a Mary Kay cosmetics sales consultant, decided to do for Raymond. Pease met her when Raymond was just 12. Her son and Raymond’s brother attended Boy Scout meetings together, and Raymond would tag along.

“I didn’t really understand what was going on with her,” Pease said. “But when I learned what was wrong, and what it costs to buy wigs, I knew I had to help.”

Pease tried a fundraiser through Mary Kay, raising $100 for a wig. But as an encore, Pease decided to add something to this year’s fundraiser — she would actually donate some of her hair.

“I’d been growing it for three years, and I didn’t want to get it cut until it was long enough to help Emily,” Pease said.

Locks of Love, which started in 1997, requires hair donations to be at least 10 inches long. It has to be bundled in a ponytail or braid, and cannot be bleached. Pease had 12 inches of hair ready to go, and it took just seconds for stylist Lucy Rosado to cut it away.

“I love my new haircut,” Pease said afterward. “My hair had been getting in my face a lot, and made it hard for me to turn my head while I was driving. It’s shorter now than what it was when I first started to grow it out, so it will take some getting used to.”

Pease’s hair will not necessarily go to Raymond. However, such donations can save Locks of Love money from acquiring hair from other sources, thus bringing their overall costs down. The nonprofit does sell hair it doesn’t or can’t use, a controversial practice it says is necessary to help offset manufacturing costs. That includes shorter and gray hair.

While Raymond won’t benefit directly from Pease’s hair donation, she will benefit from Pease’s latest fundraiser. Through Nov. 15, Pease is donating 40 percent of her Mary Kay sales to help Raymond get a new wig.

“That’s pretty much everything I make from the sale,” Pease said. “But it’s absolutely worth it.”

Raymond has two wigs custom-made for her right now, but she really only uses one. At one point she had four, but she donated two of hers to a family friend who also was losing her hair.

“I joke around with my friends that I could just get a bunch of different-colored wigs, and wear a different wig each and every day,” Raymond said. “I want to do it.”

For more information on Audrey Pease’s fundraising benefit for Emily Raymond, visit tinyurl.com/RaymondLocks.

Swimmers scramble to compete at elite level

By

When Brian Vaile took over as coach of the boys swim team at Land O’ Lakes High School this year, he saw a lot of things he liked: A dual-meet winning streak spanning more than a decade, a few very talented athletes, and an interest in maintaining a strong program.

Cam Hilgenberg is part of a small family dynasty that has been part of the Land O’ Lakes swim team’s dual-meet streak dating back to 2000. He had to recruit some new swimmers to make sure that streak remained intact this season. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Cam Hilgenberg is part of a small family dynasty that has been part of the Land O’ Lakes swim team’s dual-meet streak dating back to 2000. He had to recruit some new swimmers to make sure that streak remained intact this season. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

But it was the one thing that was missing that worried him: Swimmers. As in, not enough swimmers to field a competitive team.

“Unfortunately, you could win first place in every event and still lose the meet,” said

Vaile, who has more than 15 years experience as a swim coach. In high school swimming, teams need more than just the fastest athlete in the pool. They need enough competitors to challenge for the second- and third-place spots and collect those points as well.

Otherwise, a team could win individual competitions but still lose the overall contest if their opponent takes the points associated with the other places. And without enough swimmers to challenge for those spots, Vaile knew his team would face a lot of disappointment no matter how fast they swam: The school’s win streak would evaporate and be replaced with a season of frustration.

With just seven experienced swimmers on the roster — and needing to increase those numbers quickly — Vaile called upon his team to recruit others to join the cause. And the team responded; the Land O’ Lakes boys swim team now has 12 members.

While Vaile would have liked 16 swimmers, the Gators have enough to compete in their meets. And he feels good about where the team is headed this season.

“I’m a science teacher. I look at it like an atom: We have a really good nucleus,” he said. “You’ve got seven strong swimmers who can swim almost any stroke or event you ask them to.” And with the added depth, they can work toward keeping their winning streak intact.

That streak is important to the team, but it’s a source of family pride for Cam Hilgenberg.

The senior has been with the team since his freshman year, but he’s not the first of his family to swim for Land O’ Lakes. His brother Craig was on the team when its dual-match streak began back in 2000. Another brother, Curt, kept it going after him. His mother, Robin, even coaches the girls swim team.

So a lack of numbers that threatened the Gators’ winning ways had Hilgenberg worried.

“At the end of last year we weren’t sure what was going to happen,” he said. “Even at the beginning of this year, until the week before (the first meet), I was still pretty nervous.” Hilgenberg is the youngest of his siblings to compete for the Gators.

“I’m the last Hilgenberg,” he said. “I’m just trying not to blow the winning streak.”

As one of the team’s leaders and top swimmers, Hilgenberg did his part to boost their numbers: A member of the school’s baseball team, he recruited one of the pitchers to compete in the pool as well. And along with the other experienced swimmers, he helps guide and advise the new members, working on techniques and providing pep talks when necessary.

That work has paid off. The team has won all their meets so far, and the members have confidence as they complete the schedule.

“I think if we keep on the same path as we’re on right now, I think we’ll do pretty well,” Hilgenberg said.

Vaile wants to prepare the swimmers for conference, district and state competitions, but he still has an eye on the dual-meet schedule. He said they’ve defeated some quality opponents and still have challenges on the schedule, but he feels confident the streak won’t end under his first season as coach.

“I think it’s safe for the rest of this year,” he said.