Magic On Ice!

OlympianVanessa James gave 7-year-old future ice skating star Serena Kemble a lot more than just some tights -— she gave her a memory that will last a lifetime.

A Simple Gesture By An Olympic Medal Hopeful Inspires A Young Skater At Florida Hospital Center Ice

Serena Kemble had only been figure skating a few months when she first saw Olympic medal hopeful Vanessa James at a 2016 competition at the Ellenton Ice & Sports Complex in Bradenton.

The then-five-year-old was transfixed by Vanessa’s beauty and grace, the way she glided across the ice and so elegantly twisted and turned as she leapt through the air.

And by her skin color.

“It was the first time Serena saw anyone in person skating that was her own skin color,” said Deserree Kemble, Serena’s white, adoptive mother. 

“She was bouncing in her seat, as happy as she could be.”

During the Winter Olympics, which begin today in PyeongChang, South Korea, Serena is likely to once again be happily bouncing in her seat, as she hopes to see Vanessa and her partner, Morgan Cipres, who have been training at Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel since May, represent France as they compete for a medal in the pairs figure skating competition. The duo recently finished fourth at the European World Championships.

As she cheers on her skating idol, Serena just may be clutching a pair of new brown tights in her hands, given to her by Vanessa, a significant gesture that has left a significant impact.

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Deserree and Serena, who is 7 years old and has been skating for two years, grew dismayed by a lack of equipment for skaters of color, especially tights, which are primarily supposed to match the skater’s skin tone, while adding protection in case of falls.

“We bought her tights, but I recall they never did look right,” Deserree says. “Tights are supposed to resemble the skater’s skin tone and hers stood out. They were obviously not close to her skin tone.”

Deserree tried dyeing the tights they had, but nothing seemed to work. One competition, Serena skated without them, but fell and suffered ice burns on her legs. They managed to locate a used pair from Nyman, and by mending holes and double-layering the tights, made them last.

Deserree connected with Vanessa, whom they had met at a skating event in Ellenton, on Facebook and shared some of the difficulties she and Serena encountered being a skater of color. Having endured her own obstacles, Serena’s story touched Vanessa.

The next time she saw Serena, she vowed she would be ready. Her coach, John Zimmerman IV (a 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame inductee), and FHCI Ice Skating Director Shari Klutz, helped orchestrate a future meeting.

On Jan. 24, Deserree was on Facebook when she noticed a post announcing the final practice for Vanessa and Cipres before they headed off to the Olympics, with an autograph session to follow.

She rearranged her schedule so she and Serena could drive across the state to see Vanessa up close, although she kept it a secret. Traffic, though, caused them to miss the morning session. So, Serena free skated while they waited for the night practice session.

After a few hours, as Deserree and Serena stood at the Guest Services desk at FHCI, Vanessa came in the door and also walked up to the service desk.

“Serena was just in shock,” Deserree says of the unplanned meeting. Serena stared at Vanessa. She had no words.

“I told her, ‘You waited two years for this moment, you’re not going to say anything?,’” Deserree says.

A star-struck Serena mumbled, “She’s so pretty.”

Vanessa looked down and realized it was Serena, the little girl from Facebook who couldn’t find a pair of tights in her skin tone.

“Let’s meet after the night practice session,” Vanessa told her.

Serena got a front-row seat for Vanessa and Cipres’ practice session, where the figure skaters performed their long program, or free skate, to the tune of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sounds of Silence.” She excitedly provided the play-by-play for her mother.

“Serena told me every move they did that she knew the name of, and when she didn’t, she just sang their song,” Deserree says. “When it was over, Serena looked over at me and said, ‘This was the best day ever.’”

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Little did Serena know that the best day ever was going to get even better.

After the training session, Vanessa signed autographs, including a copy of SKATING, the U.S. Figure Skating magazine, January issue. In the Kid Zone section of the magazine, Serena is featured, and named Vanessa as one of her skating role models.

As the autograph session wrapped up, and only Serena was left, she met with Vanessa. After a brief conversation, she asked them if they could wait around for a few minutes. Serena nodded her head.

Vanessa sped home to nearby Seven Oaks, where she has lived while training at FHCI. With music playing in her head, a beaming Serena waited in the lobby, practicing axel after axel, nearly 75 in all.

Deserree stood nearby, smiling.

Vanessa returned with gifts — tights for Serena.

The first two pairs were tights in Serena’s size, and skin tone, that Vanessa’s mother shipped her from France.

The third pair actually belonged to Vanessa. “One day,” she told Serena, “you will grow into these.”

“Serena was over the moon excited,” says Deserree. “When we were in the car driving home, Serena said she would never wash the tights Vanessa gave her, and would never wash the hand that she shook.”

Deserree chuckled. “I told her she might want to think about that, but left it there for the time being.”

Serena may have had trouble finding tights to match her skin tone, but she definitely didn’t have any trouble finding a role model who does.

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The Kembles, Deserree and Lance, adopted Serena and her 6-year-old biological cousin, Elijah, at birth, rescuing the children from their rough background, through a program with the Kembles’ church.

“It just seemed like the right thing to do,” Deserree said.

The Kembles hardly imagined that their daughter would discover figure skating, of all things, but a 2016 family trip would change Serena’s world forever.

At a ski resort in Gatlinburg, TN, Serena saw ice, and people skating on it, for the first time. She was mesmerized as the skaters whizzed by her, and begged her parents to let her try it.

A few moments later, Serena had laced up a pair of cheap, worn rental ice skates and was gliding around the ice with surprising aplomb, charming the other skaters, many of whom couldn’t help but notice.

“How long has she been skating?,” someone asked Deserree.

“Oh, about two minutes,” she replied.

When it was time to leave, Serena begged to stay. She has been skating ever since, inspired by Vanessa on that night in Bradenton, just a few months after she began. Her mother says Serena has already been in about a dozen competitions, earning nine gold medals, one silver and one bronze. She also skates with a performance team called Theatre On Ice, and is the youngest member of the team coached by Katie Nyman, who also coaches at one of Serena’s home rinks, the Space Coast IcePlex in Rockledge (near Cocoa Beach), which is known for its strong figure skating program.

Serena is heading into competition season now, and will have her first competition in a more competitive classification this March, in Coral Springs. The Florida State Games are coming to FHCI in Wesley Chapel this summer, and Serena plans to compete there.

She will be wearing her new tights.

The Winter Olympics begin Feb. 9 in PyeongChang Olympic Stadium and continue through Sunday, Feb. 25. Vanessa and Morgan will skate Feb. 13-14.

Wesley Chapel Chamber Gets A New Name & A 2018 Taste Update

Hope Allen

Is there any way to change something that has been hugely successful without ruffling some feathers?

Based on the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC)’s recently announced name change to the “North Tampa Bay Chamber,” the answer is probably “no.”

However, that doesn’t mean that the name change wasn’t a necessary thing to do, nor has it been anyone’s plan to throw away all of the good will that has been created by the only Chamber of Commerce Wesley Chapel has known for the last 20 years.

Even so, CEO Hope Allen of the new North Tampa Bay Chamber has been hearing some unhappiness about the Chamber’s name change from people who wonder if the newly named Chamber will still be the first place people see when they search “Wesley Chapel Chamber” on Google or Facebook.

“We still own the name and the domain name online, so we should still come up when people are searching for Wesley Chapel,” Hope says. “Once we completed our acquisition of the Greater Pasco Chamber last year, we knew we’d have to change the name. We also knew that there was no way to please everyone, no matter what name we chose.”

Even though Wesley Chapel has been the name (and the community) that has given the Chamber its identity the last two decades — especially during the last few tremendous growth years that are continuing to make “The Chap” one of the fastest-growing communities in both Florida and the nation — the fact is that the expanded Chamber (which also acquired the failed New Tampa Chamber of Commerce a few years ago) no longer is confined geographically to “just” Wesley Chapel.

“We are now the largest Chamber in Pasco County,” says new Board Chair and local dentist Dr. Zack Kalarickal. “But, we also serve the businesses in New Tampa, Lutz (where the Chamber recently moved to a new office), Land O’Lakes, Trinity and even north Pinellas County. And, our name needed to reflect that.”

Some of the Chamber’s members have been trying to find a way to still incorporate Wesley Chapel into the new name, even if it has to be a subhead. As the primary news media in Wesey Chapel, I also found myself wondering what anyone could do to somehow not lose the Chamber’s Wesley Chapel connection.

Although I couldn’t come up with a name that would make it work, I hope there could at least be a subhead or subtitle that says something like, “Built in Wesley Chapel; Building a Chamber to Serve the Tri-County Area.”

Whatever you call it, the newly expanded Chamber has more than 800 member businesses and has renewed its commitment to WCNT-tv — Wesley Chapel & New Tampa Television.

To that end, I hope you’ll check out the next several episodes of WCNT-tv’s “Chamber News,” which feature Dr. Zack being interviewed by WCNT-tv’s Mollyana Ward (photo above), shot at the amazing Overnight Success Studio owned by Chamber member Miroslav Beck. Those segments are available now on our Neighborhood News Facebook page and on the WCNT-tv channel on YouTube.

I also hope you’ll keep an eye out for some exciting announcements about the only web-based “TV channel” serving both New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. The new Chamber may be expanding beyond those borders, but we will continue to focus our energies — both online and in these pages — on our two “home” communities.

Taste 2018 Off & Running!

I’m also really excited about the plans for the 2018 Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel — on Sunday, March 25, noon-4 p.m., at Florida Hospital Center Ice (in conjunction with the new Chamber)  — as the Rotary Club of New Tampa hosts the event for the second time. Last year, my restaurant committee was able to attract nearly 50 restaurants and beverage providers and about 2,000 people attended. This year, sponsorship committee co-chairs James Carner and Jason Contino already have surpassed last year’s sponsorships and I’m already at nearly 25 food and beverage providers, with just about six weeks still to go until the Taste.

Those sponsors (in alphabetical, not monetary, order) already include:

‱Acme On The Go

‱Audi Wesley Chapel

‱Campaign of TK Hayes

‱Central Bank

‱Family First Allstate

‱Harbor Bank

‱Ierna’s Heating & Cooling

‱New Leaps Academy

‱Murtha & Murtha LLC

‱Pilot Bank

‱Pinot’s Palette

‱Suncoast Credit Union

‱TSYS Merchant Services

‱Usman Law Firm

Among the new restaurants already committed to serving samples at the Taste are Acai Brazil, Bruster’s Ice Cream, Cappy’s Pizza, Cinebistro at The Grove, O’Brien’s Irish Pub, Pinchers Crab Shack, Taco Son, Texas Roadhouse, Top Shelf Sports Lounge and Wicked Chickens, Deviled Eggs.

For more information about the 2018 Taste, including how to pre-buy tickets or volunteer, visit TasteofNewTampa.org! And, check out our exclusive Taste 2018 Preview Section in our next issue of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News!

Rotary Club Updates On A Unique Exchange Student & The Taste!

Despite my best efforts to keep our readers informed about all of the wonderful things New Tampa’s two Rotary Clubs do to help people both here and internationally, there’s no doubt that both clubs do many amazing things to live by Rotary International’s motto of “Service Above Self.”

Rotary International (RI) is the world’s largest service organization, with more than 1.2 million members in thousands of clubs worldwide. RI is the organization that has now all but eradicated polio, once a dreaded scourge afflicting millions without discriminating for race, color, creed or national origin. Today, there literally are only two countries in the world — Pakistan and Afghanistan — that still have new cases of polio being reported, with only eight such new cases in those two war-torn nations because they won’t allow Rotary and the World Health Organization vaccinate everyone in certain areas where those new cases still pop up.

But, RI and the thousands of Rotary Clubs across the globe are about so much more than just eliminating polio. Rotary Clubs — including the 20+-year-old Rotary Club of New Tampa (which still meets Fridays at 7 a.m., at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club) and the 15-year-old New Tampa Noon Rotary (which meets Wednesdays at noon at Pebble Creek Golf Club) — provide service to their local communities, the Tampa Bay region and the world.

One way clubs get involved globally is by exchanging outstanding students in their communities with students from foreign countries to live for a year (there are shorter programs, too), where they get to travel, spread the word about Rotary and immerse themselves in other cultures.

The New Tampa Noon club, of which I am a member, has never really been big enough to sponsor a Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) Scholarship student before; but even though our club still has fewer than 20 active members, we recently jumped on the RYE bandwagon in a big way.

Wharton High graduating senior M’Kya Gonzalez-Richardson is the president of the school’s French club and French Honor Society, and is already fluent in “la langue” (the French language), so the fact she was interested in traveling to France was no big surprise.

What was surprising to learn was that M’Kya and her mom, Thelsuice Gonzalez (who was disabled from an accident at work when M’Kya was only 9) were actually homeless a few years ago. Although they live in a home in the Wharton attendance district today, their situation isn’t typical of most RYE exchange students — and that’s another reason this very well spoken, excellent student was selected by the New Tampa Noon club to receive the prestigious RYE Scholarship.

“It costs $5,500 for room, board, tuition and a small monthly stipend to spend one academic year overseas,” says Helen Chan (with me and M’Kya in the photo), the RYE coordinator for Rotary District 6890, which includes both New Tampa Rotary Cubs and 43 others in Hillsborough, Highlands, Hardee and Polk counties. “So, most RYE students are somewhat affluent themselves, so they can pay those costs. But, the goal is to select high-level students, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds, to be RYE Scholarship recipients and M’Kya is exactly the type of student — and ambassador for our District — who deserves this type of honor.”

Despite their time living on the street (and moving from one relative’s home to another), and her mom’s disability (“I had to grow up faster than most kids because I had to be the one doing the shopping and cleaning for us at a young age,” she says),M’Kya has always thrived at school, whether in Thel’s tough hometown of Gary, IN, or from her time attending Benito Middle School and Wharton here.

And, she’s not afraid of having to do some fund-raising of her own to help pay for her year  in the northern French city of Normandy.

M’Kya and Thel have created and sold hand-made holiday cards and blank thank-you note cards, and sold some homemade cakes to raise money. And, while she will be representing all of District 6890  during her visit, she also is now receiving the proceeds of the New Tampa Noon Club’s weekly “Brag Bucks.” In addition, she plans to compete in next month’s Rotary District 6890 club speech contest. If she wins at the “club” ($100 for first place) and “group” levels ($250), she will advance to the District Finals in March, where the prize is $1,000. 

“That would really help me out a lot,” says M’Kya, who will likely do at least some portion of her speech en Français. “But, I’m prepared to do even more to raise all of the money before I leave for France.”

A “Tasty” Connection?

I’m also proud to announce that the New Tampa “Breakfast” Rotary Club, which is again the organization putting on the Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel — on Sunday, March 25, noon-4 p.m., at Florida Hospital Center Ice (in conjunction with the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce)  — has agreed to give $1,000 of this year’s Taste proceeds as a thank-you to my Noon Rotary Club, for the efforts of not only yours truly as the restaurant coordinator for the event again, but also for our club’s assistance with day-of registrations for the 2018 Taste.

I was able to secure nearly 50 restaurants and beverage providers for last year’s Taste and hope to surpass that number this year. I also hope my club will donate at least a portion of those proceeds for M’Kya’s trip.

For more information about the 2018 Taste, including how to pre-buy tickets at a discount before February 1, visit TasteofNewTampa.org!

Garden Provides Serenity For Wharton

Members of the Wharton High “Beautification Club” hope to raise funds to add some green to this serenity garden, which serves as both a memorial and a place of peace and quiet on the school’s campus.

Several years ago, students in Wharton High’s Key Club created a place on campus to remember students and faculty members who had passed away. But, the quiet corner it’s tucked into doesn’t have sprinklers, so grass won’t grow, and plants planted in the “serenity garden” wither.

Over the years, it fell into disrepair. In fact, says Jennifer Bell, an English teacher at the school, “It became a weed-choked barren thing with a picnic table — not the kind of memorial garden we wanted.”

So Wharton’s “Beautification Club,” which Bell co-sponsors with fellow English teacher Lindsey Glenn, went to work.

Back in September, with the help of the school’s head custodian, Junior Cintron, club members completely overhauled the area, adding raised plant beds with drought-friendly plants.

Now it’s much improved, but members of the club think it still has a way to go. While other solutions have been tried, such as mulch (which washed away in heavy rain), it was decided that the best way to improve the space would be with artificial turf, since no water is available to keep grass alive.

The turf is expensive, so the club hopes members of the community might help to make this project happen. The turf is estimated to cost about $1,200.

“We know there are people in our community who have been touched by those who were lost,” says Bell.

She emphasizes that the area is not only a memorial, which is why it was named the serenity garden.

“We want to make it a place that is uplifting and beautiful, as a place of reflection,” she explains. “So, if you need to go and re-center yourself, it’s off the beaten path a little, so you can take a quiet moment to yourself if you’re having a rough day.”

She says that is already happening. “We’ve heard there are definitely students who have noticed the improvement and have been sitting out there if they are upset and need to take a moment to themselves.”

Bell says that the serenity garden isn’t the only project the Beautification Club has undertaken since its inception last year.

“One thing that’s striking at Wharton is that everything at the school is gray,” she says. “We felt like the lack of color and beauty was hurting morale at Wharton.”

She explains that while the club hopes to overcome the gray with some color, it’s about more than that.

“We want to boost morale and improve the overall climate around the school,” she says, explaining that the club takes on a couple of large and a couple of small projects each year. “We’ve placed anonymous Post-It notes to encourage students, we’ve made sensory bottles — also called calm-down bottles — to help autistic students, and painted murals at our on-campus preschool playground.”

To support the Wharton Beautification Club’s efforts to install artificial turf in the school’s serenity garden, contact the club’s sponsors via the school: (813) 631-4710. Checks, made out to “Wharton High School” and designated for the Beautification Club, can be dropped off at the school.

Octogenarian Trying To Bring Truly “Old-School” Hockey To Wesley Chapel

Wesley Chapel resident Norm Dann (in the goalie gear) recently competed in the 80s Division at the Hall of Fame Games in Ottawa, Canada. Dann’s team was comprised of octogenarians from all over the country, the oldest playing being 86 years old.

Florida Old Timers Hockey Association secretary/treasurer Norm Dann is looking for a few good (older) men — and women — to come out in support of ice hockey in Wesley Chapel.

The Canadian-born Dann just turned 80 years old, and amazingly, he says 75 of those have been spent playing organized hockey. He also says he once had pro aspirations while playing in a juniors league for the Ontario Hockey Association, but says a back injury torpedoed his chances. As a teenager, he moved to Tampa in the 1950s, but never stopped playing hockey.

It’s easier to find venues these days for Dann, who lives in Wesley Chapel and is already taking part in some senior hockey programs already going at Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI).

The USA Hockey Adult Nationals Program has been at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon since 2004. Dann says in 2015, at its zenith, the program produced 50 teams of 50-over players, 12 teams of 60-over, eight teams of 65-over and six teams of 70-over.

There were even 24 ladies teams for ages 50-over. Yes, ladies. There is room for you in senior hockey leagues, too.

Meanwhile, FHCI hosts a myriad of hockey leagues for many different age groups, from beginners to ages 50-over, but Dann is pushing for an even older hockey division.

“It’s definitely something we could do,” says FHCI general manager Gordie Zimmerman. “Last year, we had a very successful adult nationals hockey tournament here.”

Finding the older skaters is the next goal. Dann says he meets seniors frequently at FHCI, many of them snowbirds who had no idea that there is an opportunity to play locally.

“I’ve met 12 guys just standing around and when I ask them where their gear is and they say, ‘Up home, up north,’” Dann says. “I go over there (FHCI) two or three times per week, just to see who’s there and to get on the ice. Most guys I talk to are interested, we just have to let people know that if they are interested, to contact us.”

The leagues and the membership are already strong in the Tampa area for older hockey players.

Currently, Dann, who credits a 125-over-65 blood pressure with a resting heart rate of 50 to the health benefits of playing hockey, skates at Clearwater Ice Arena in Largo, and his bonds run deep there.

He says the camaraderie and warmth in a hockey locker room is like no other, and that spirit is what makes it difficult to start a league in Wesley Chapel.

“There’s guys that would like to play here (Wesley Chapel) but they play in Brandon or Oldsmar and they’ve made friends there,” Dann says. “They don’t want to leave their leagues.”

But, Dann is hoping to create those same bonds here in Wesley Chapel.

“It’s a beautiful facility here, everything anyone could want,” Dann said. “They have a studio, a half rink (aka “minipad”), weight rooms and off-ice facilities. It’s so new you can still smell the paint.”

Dann and his teammates don’t bang each other around like they might have in their youth. In fact, checking and other overly physical contact is not allowed.

“It becomes more of a finesse game, “ Dann says. “All these guys have great stick handling.”

Appreciation for the sport over decades isn’t lost on Zimmerman, who also grew up playing hockey in Canada before moving south.

“I’ve been playing since I was three and I’m 52 now,” Zimmerman says. “I enjoy it as much now as I did back then. You can play until you’re someone like Norm’s (Dann) age and still enjoy it.”

Anyone interested in joining a senior hockey league at FHCI  can reach Norm Dann at Florida Old Timers’ Hockey Association, PO Box 7218, Wesley Chapel, FL 33543-0103. Or, call (813) 973-3654 or email old.puck@juno.com.