Wharton High’s Zach Godbold, the top-ranked javelin thrower in the state, is headed to the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Godbold announced his commitment on May 9. He had narrowed his decision down to Florida and Florida State (in Tallahassee).
It was during a visit to Gainesville in December that Godbold says he began to lean towards becoming a Gator. He said seeing where he would be living, as well as the training facilities and new weight rooms, was impressive.
“It was as you would imagine for a Division 1 school, but it was really top-notch,” Godbold says.
Godbold has been one of the country’s top javelin throwers for his age since finishing second at the AAU Junior Olympics in 2014.
Two years later, as a 14-year-old and prior to his freshman year at Wharton, he took home the gold at the Junior Olympics.
Although the state didn’t have javelin as an official event his first two years of high school, the Florida High School Athletic Association added it as an experimental event at the state championships for Godbold’s junior season. Competing against the seven best throwers in the state across all classifications last spring, he won with a throw of 52.40 meters (171.75 feet).
Javelin was made an official event for the 2020 season, and Godbold was cutting a clear path towards winning the first state championship in the event.
He establish personal bests in back-to-back meets with throws of 54.62 meters (179 feet) on Feb. 20, and 55.15 meters (181 feet) a week later at the Wharton Invitational, the best throw in the state and third best in the U.S.
With the postseason just around the corner, Godbold was a big favorite to win gold at the state meet, but school was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It was definitely upsetting,” Godbold says. “I was ranked No. 1 in the state for high school since my sophomore year, and last year was kind of not really an event. This year would be my only chance to win an actual state championship. But, I look at (the cancellation) now as motivation for the future.”
A scholarship from one of the country’s best track and field programs isn’t a bad consolation prize for Godbold, who also was a starting kicker on the Wildcats football team and starting defender on the school’s soccer team.
The U-F men’s track and field program has won nine national titles. Steve Lemke, the Gators’ associate head coach in charge of throwers, was an All-American himself in the javelin and has mentored seven Olympians, including javelin throwers Oliver Dziubak (2014) and Pal Arne Fagernes (1996, 2000).
Godbold would like to be the next one to be in that company.
“I’ve been playing soccer and football, but all my focus will be on the javelin now,” Godbold says. “The Olympics is definitely a goal.”
Sprouts Farmers Market is preparing to open its latest location on Aug. 12.
Sprouts Farmers Market, the healthy green grocer anchoring the new Village at Hunter’s Lake development off Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in New Tampa, has announced the store’s grand opening for Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 7 a.m.
The Phoenix-based grocer says it will announce details about the grand opening at a later date.
The 30,000-sq.-ft. store, located at 8620 Hunters Village Rd. across from the entrance to Hunter’s Green, specializes in natural and organic foods. Sprouts opened its first store in 2002, and now has more than 300 stores in 20 states.
The market for a large organic grocer in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area is wide open after the last green grocer to open, Earth Fare, opened on S.R. 56 across from Tampa Premium Outlets and closed within a year.
The New Tampa location will be bringing approximately 110 full- and part-time jobs to the area. Sprouts will host a virtual hiring fair with video interviews on July 1 and 2. If interested, you are encouraged to apply online at sprouts.com/careers.
Sprouts will be hiring department managers, assistant department managers, clerks, cashiers and other positions.
Wesley Chapel’s Jamie Hess envisioned a Grand Opening for his new dueling piano bar and restaurant TrebleMakers when that day came, which was supposed to have been in early June. He pictured hundreds of people lined up outside, loud singing and tons of laughter inside and an event to remember forever.
Covid-19 has thrown a wrench into those plans.
Hess still plans to open his doors in June as part of The Grove’s revival, but he’ll have to live with a more subdued opening, more of a ripple than a splash, with the big crowds replaced by scattered customers maintaining social distancing.
“It’s a shame,” Hess says. “Coronavirus has definitely changed it. We’ll open and be safe and smart, but we’ll have to hold off on the official grand opening until we’re fully released.”
While bars have to remain closed, according to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Executive Order that took effect May 4 for Phase I of reopening the state, Hess is classified as a restaurant.
A number of local businesses are nearing the finish line for being completed and open, like Double Branch Artisanal Ales brewery (above), but that will all depend upon the state’s new rules governing business openings and reopenings. (Photo: Charmaine George)
However, the Double Branch Artisanal Ales brewery, located right across from TrebleMakers in The Grove, also was planning to open around June 11. Unless there’s another executive order or phase easing the restrictions, Double Branch will be unable to make its debut that soon.
The same goes for F45 Training, the new fitness center in The Grove that is ready to open; DeSantis’ current order also is keeping gyms closed.
While area businesses that are up and running are feeling the sting from the current pandemic, there are many that, like Hess, were planning to open over the next few months but are now in limbo. Any new businesses may not see the benefit of opening in this environment, which limits the numbers of people that can be inside any location at one time, combined with mandatory social distancing.
Aldi, the popular discount grocer located on the corner of S.R. 56 and Wesley Chapel Blvd., was expecting a spring opening and would already be open now if not for the virus.
Also on S.R. 56, Rock & Brews, the family restaurant founded by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS, looks ready to go, as does Main Event, the bowling and entertainment center that relies on large crowds interacting.
On the north side of S.R. 56, Aussie Grill by Outback is nearly complete (with Bonefish Grill also close to being ready and Carrabba’s Italian Grill also on the way).
“All of that stuff is pretty much ready to roll,” says Hope Kennedy, the CEO of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. “It’s just going to be a matter of how they open up.”
Kennedy says that while the actual buildings may be finished, another problem for the new businesses is being able to train their new employees.
“Everyone is going to have to figure out what they can and can’t do,” she says. “It’s a difficult situation for everyone.”
ZAXBY’S IS COMING: While businesses that are open or close to opening try to figure out the best course of action, a number of new projects are under way across Wesley Chapel, including some neighbors for the new Aldi store.
The strip of land between the western side of Costco and Wesley Chapel Blvd. —part of the Cypress Creek Town Center development on the south side of S.R. 56 — has a sign posted announcing that Tidal Wave Car Wash is coming soon, next to Aldi.
Immediately south of the 3,120-sq.-ft. car wash, plans for a Zaxby’s, a fast casual restaurant that specializes in chicken wings and fingers, as well as sandwiches and salads, were filed with the county in late February.
Founded in 1990 in Statesboro, GA, Zaxby’s has more than 900 locations in 17 states, mostly in the south. The Wesley Chapel location will have seating for 70 inside its 3,652-sq.ft. space.
And, just south of that, plans were filed April 9 for an 8,700-sq.-ft. commercial retail/office plaza, though none of the five potential tenants has been named.
On the north side of S.R. 56, work continues on a number of businesses located on the land between Bahama Breeze and the Hyatt Place Hotel. There are permitting requests by Zukku Sushi, Crumble Cookie, Charles Schwab and IVX Health, all filed in March and April. Eurowax Center and Woofgang Bakery & Grooming are also in the currently unnamed plaza.
We’re not sure if Crumble Cookie, which is opening in a 1,200-sq.ft. space, was misspelled in permitting or if it may actually be Crumbl Cookie, a popular cookie joint out west. They told us on Facebook they didn’t have any current plans for Florida but hope to soon, and to stay tuned. Hmmmm.
COMPLEX SITUATIONS: While retail and restaurants are all the rage in the Cypress Creek Town Center, two apartment projects also are in the works on the northern end of the development.
At the northeast corner of Sierra Center Blvd. and Garden Village Way (north of the Hyatt Place, alongside I-75), plans were submitted in March and April to build a 300-unit, three- and four-story multi-family community on 12.7 acres.
Named the Silverslaw Apartments, the site plan indicates the complex will have a dog park, yoga lawn and large areas of green space between the buildings, including a neighborhood park.
The Garrett Apartments are another project in Cypress Creek Town Center North with plans filed with the county.
The 11.84-acre project site is located east of CR 54/Wesley Chapel Blvd., a half-mile north of SR 54/SR 56. It will include 260 luxury apartment units.
Garrett has developed more than 50 apartment home projects in 14 states, for a total of more than 11,000 rental units, according to the project’s narrative. This will be Garrett’s third venture in Florida, as the developer also has projects in Davenport and Fort Myers.
Doug Greseth is the all-time winningest coach at Wesley Chapel, with a 300-164 record leading the boys basketball team.
He removed the poster of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls team that won 72 games. He packed up boxes of trinkets and papers accumulated over 36 years of teaching physical education and 34 years of coaching.
After 17 years at Wesley Chapel High (WCH), a tenure that included a 300-164 record — the most wins of any coach at the school in any sport — Wwildcats’ boys basketball coach Doug Greseth has officially hung up his coaching whistle.
He’s certainly earned it. Greseth has played and coached basketball for more than 50 years and, including his previous tenure at Tampa Jefferson (1999-2002) and Okeechobee (1983-96) high schools, his coaching record was 533-325 overall
Greseth and the Wildcats finished the shortened 2019-20 season with a 16-9 record. It was the 14th year his Wildcats finished with a winning record. His run also included nine playoff appearances.
“I think kids really like discipline,” Greseth said about the secret to his success. “I think they like leadership. I think they like organization. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being demanding with kids.”
His best seasons at Wesley Chapel were back-to-back 24-5 records in 2011-12 and 2012-13, including a District championship and two Sunshine Athletic Conference Coach of the Year awards.
Forward Erik Thomas, the school’s all-time leading scorer (2,138 points) and rebounder (1,203) and the 2013 Class 4A Player of the Year, starred on both of those teams. Greseth, who also spent time as an assistant coach at the University of Tampa, said Thomas was the best he ever coached, and the two still stay in touch.
“Playing for Greseth in high school is what helped me grow into the player I am today,” says Thomas, who is currently playing professionally in Argentina. “He was an awesome coach that really cared about his players and it showed in our performance. The fact that he is always willing to welcome me with open arms says a lot about his character and, to this day, we still remain connected.”
Greseth, who remembers high school basketball when the 3-point line was taped on the court because it was experimental prior to 1987, also fondly recalled guard Chase Bussey, the leading scorer from his first Wildcats team, forward Greg Jenkins (who went on to play football for the Oakland Raiders) and forward Isaiah Ramsey, the leading scorer on his last four WCH teams.
Peter Livingston, 36, has coached the girls basketball team at Wesley Chapel for the past six seasons, and he says the school has big basketball shoes to fill, not only for Greseth’s on-court successes, but because of the intangible benefits the coach brought to WCH.
“The administration will be sad to see him go because you could always go to coach Greseth and he straightened things out,” Livingston says. “One of the kids got caught doing something and the administration said they weren’t going to give him a referral, but they were going to go tell coach Greseth, and the kid said, ‘No, no, please, give me the referral!’”
Known as a defensive-minded disciplinarian, the 63-year old son of an Air Force officer used his man-to-man defense to turn young boys into successful men.
More than 40 players Greseth coached went on to play basketball or football in college, including one in the NBA and three in the NFL.
What’s next?
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I’m going to take a vacation.”
As the Pasco County Commissioner representing District 2, which encompasses most of Wesley Chapel, it is a big part of Mike Moore’s job to help local businesses that are struggling during the current Covid-19 pandemic in a variety of ways — from forming committees to find relief to helping engineer, and vote on, small business grants to making plans for an uncertain future.
But, one of the more unique and fun ways Moore is helping out is by giving social media shout-outs to local businesses with the requisite #SupportPasco hashtag.
Moore began encouraging area restaurants to send him their T-shirts — he promised to return them — so he could wear them in videos he has been posting on his Facebook and Twitter pages. Whatever shirt he is wearing that day, Moore shares a little about the business and encourages viewers to stop by and grab some takeout.
He started with Al’s Famous Pizza in San Antonio, and has also featured 900º Woodfired Pizza, Buttermilk Provisions and The Brass Tap.
Not only does Moore get to shine the spotlight on local businesses, it also gives him the chance to show off his new Grizzly Adams-style “quarantine beard.”
“It was just a fun thing that kind of started just to get the word out about these places,” Moore says. “It’s tough right now for them to spend money on advertising, so this is a big help. Every little bit you can do to help these small businesses is worth it.”
His videos generally receive more than 1,000 views, and he says his Facebook inbox is jammed with requests.
“I can’t even get to them all,” he says. “I sit there in bed at night trying to get through them.”
Moore’s video spotlights have been such a hit that he has opened it up to small businesses other than restaurants, and increased his output to two videos a day.
Social media has become a popular way to support local businesses, by sharing various specials and news about restaurants and other businesses. Moore has lots of company when it comes to promotion — the Wesley Chapel Community page on Facebook has open threads where small businesses can advertise, and here at the Neighborhood News (also promoted by Moore), we have done a series of videos and Facebook posts promoting local businesses, with more to come.
As businesses begin reopening under new rules and new hours, getting the word out will be more important than ever.
