New Tampa YMCA Donates School Supplies To Students In Need

By Matt Wiley | September 10

YMCA Donations, collected throughout the month of August, were distributed to children in need at Tampa Palms Elementary.
YMCA Donations, collected throughout the month of August, were distributed to children in need at Tampa Palms Elementary.

Heading back to school after summer vacation can be tough for students. Who wants to start doing homework again after so many days off? For many students, however, homework isn’t among their biggest concerns. For families in need, heading back to school can be much more difficult, as a simple thing like school supplies can be tough to fit into the family budget.

To help ease the transition into a new school year, the New Tampa Family YMCA, located on Compton Dr. in Tampa Palms, decided to hold its second annual school supply drive to benefit the students of families that may have had a hard time purchasing necessary supplies for classes.Continue reading

New Tampa Teen To Tee Off At Pebble Beach During PGA Event

Terese Romeo, 16, practices her putting at the Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club.
Terese Romeo, 16, practices her putting at the Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club.

By Matt Wiley | September 14

Terese Romeo looks down at the tee box on the signature par-3 17th hole at Tampa Palms Golf & County Club. After judging the distance and deciding her plan of attack to stay out of the hole’s large water hazard, she adjusts her stance, pulls her Ping club back, swings and watches her ball land safely on the green, just feet from the hole.

In just a few weeks, Romeo will be repeating the same process alongside a PGA Champions (formerly “Senior PGA”) Tour pro and in front of an international audience on one of the country’s most prestigious courses, the Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, CA.

At just 16 years old, Romeo, a Freedom High student and Tampa Palms resident, will be playing in front of the entire world during the 2013 Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, which will be held September 27-29 and televised on the Golf Channel.

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Wesley Chapel Woman Wins Big At World Taekwondo Tourney

By Matt Wiley

Wesley Chapel resident Carla Souza with her 1st and 2nd place medals that she won during the American Taekwondo Association's Class AAA World Championships on July 12 in Little Rock, AK.
Wesley Chapel resident Carla Souza with her 1st and 2nd place medals that she won during the American Taekwondo Association’s Class AAA World Championships on July 12 in Little Rock, AK.

Overcoming injuries can be a daunting task. Overcoming an injury and becoming world champion in a sport is another thing altogether.

Lexington Oaks resident Carla Souza, 41, knows this well, after becoming the American Taekwondo Association’s (ATA) Class AAA world champion in combat weapons and finishing second in sparring on July 12 in Little Rock, AK, during the ATA World Championships.Continue reading