At the SVB Tennis Center VIP preview on June 27, (l.-r) Bo Sun, Mark Shepherd, Gary Blissett and CEO Pascal Collard were among those who greeted dozens of well-wishers.
Pascal Collard has been pitching an exciting vision for the Sarah Vande Berg (SVB) Tennis Center just outside of Wesley Chapel in Zephyrhills for some time, but on June 27, he was able to show some people how that vision is shaping up.
Collard and his staff hosted a VIP event, complete with beer, wine and hors dâoeuvres, to announce that Advent Health has come aboard as a major sponsor and to show off the new center, which he says should open in August.
While none of the rooms are filled just yet and the tennis, pickleball and padel courts havenât yet been surfaced, Collard filled in the empty spots with his excitement.
And, with Covid-19 cases in Florida rising sharply in recent weeks, Collard promised one thing â it will be safe.
âI hate to say âmost sanitized place in America,â but thatâs what weâre shooting for,â Collard said, adding that the center bought 1,000 face masks and put the staff through hours of classes and presentations to keep the facility virus-free.
The indoor portion of the facility will have plenty of space and feature an indoor restaurant focusing in healthy foods â think air-fried fries and bento boxes with edible flowers â with popular local Chef Mark Vesh of Vesh Catering designing the menu.
There also will be yoga, cryotherapy, a salt room, an exercise room and licensed massage tables. The all-around focus of the facility is on health, from exercise and playing tennis to recovery to refueling the body.
Collard also helped create a school â United Global Academy â offering an accredited curriculum for athletes training in tennis, golf, soccer and one of Collardâs own personal passions â skydiving.
And of course, there will be plenty of racquet sports. The SVB Tennis Center will have four padel courts, eight pickleball courts, two hard tennis courts with U.S. Open surfaces, and eight Har-Tru tennis courts with underground irrigation. Collard says there also will be a grass court: âItâs like a little garden.â
A drone shot of the progress on the center, which has a planned Aug. 15 opening date. Photos by Charmaine George.
There will be a viewing court with seating up to 1,000, and able to expand for bigger tournaments to more than 3,500.
The 30,000-sq.-ft. indoor facility with have four tennis courts but can be converted to accommodate soccer, weddings and even concerts.
If everything goes as Collard hopes, the facility will open Aug. 15.
âItâs really starting to come to together, you can just see it,â Collard says. âWeâre pretty excited about it.â
For more info SVB Tennis Center (6585 Simons Rd., Zephyrhills) memberships and how to join, please visit svbtenniscenter.com or call (813) 361-6660.
Matt Joyce (above) has played 12 seasons in the major leagues, signing most recently to play this year for the Miami Marlins, but he knows he canât play baseball forever.
A big part of his transition into expanding his post-baseball portfolio kicked off June 13, with the Grand Opening of F45 Training off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in The Walk at Highwoods Preserve, next to some new restaurants (see page 34).
Joyce, an opening day starter in the outfield for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009 and a Rays All-Star representative in 2011, his wife Brittany and business partner Blair Johnson have bought into the F45 Training franchise, and the New Tampa location is the first of theirs to open. Another location at Sparkman Wharf in downtown Tampa is just beginning construction, and Joyce expects to open another three by the summer of 2021.
Although the New Tampa F45 Fitness has been open since May 23, with attendance limited by Covid-19 restrictions, the Grand Opening capped the first week at full throttle for the fitness center, which stresses Functional 45-minute workouts; hence, F45.
The music was booming, instructions were barked out and dozens of fitness-minded folks went through high intensity workouts throughout the day, as Joyce expressed delight at the turnout.
âGetting it open is really the silver lining in all of this,â said Joyce, who has been a constant presence at the center since Major League Baseball postponed spring training Mar. 12. âItâs been a whirlwind offseason.â
During spring training with the Marlins, Johnson was making sure the build-out at F45 was going smoothly as Joyce handled the administrative duties. But, with no baseball, Joyce became a fixture at the New Tampa location and currently works out alongside members.
Joyce and Johnson met by chance at Armature Works (north of downtown), where they ended up having a discussion about fitness. Johnson asked Joyce if he had ever heard of F45, which piqued his interest.
After a few workouts at the Land OâLakes location, the former Ray was hooked. The idea of owning a franchise (or a few) was appealing, and the New Tampa location was an 18-month project.
âIâm wired more for stuff like business, real estate and finance,â Joyce says. âI enjoy that side of things. So, it was a perfect combination.â
Founded in Australia in 2011, F45 is high-intensity, low impact training and, according to its website, is the fastest-growing fitness franchise in the world. The smaller, more specialized instructor-led group workouts are similar to what competitors like Orangetheory and Row House do, but with what Joyce says is a greater variety of exercises, as F45 boasts more than 35 programs consisting of more than 1,300 different exercises.
Joyce says the new location is continuing to grow an already solid membership base, and many of the classes, even the 5 and 6 a.m. classes, have had great turnouts.
âWeâve crushed it,â Joyce says. âWe really believe in it, people are enjoying it and we are getting fantastic reviews. I think a lot of people are going to like it.â
Tell Joyce, Johnson and the staff at F45 (18035 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy.) that you read about them in Neighborhood News. For more info, call (813) 560-4047. There also is a separate new F45 Training located at 10701 Cross Creek Blvd. For info, call (813) 522-5332.
CRACKING THE CODE: While Grain & Berry has the distinction of being the first business to open in the new Villages at Hunterâs Lake plaza, TheCoderSchool New Tampa (8632 Hunterâs Village Rd.) wasnât far behind.
Although TheCoderSchool didnât begin its summer camps until June 22, the learning center held its sneak preview event on June 13, the same day Grain & Berry opened.
Owned by Mike and Lesly Ramirez Olavarria, TheCoderSchool is a franchise focused on teaching kids to do computer coding year-round. Founded in 2014 with its headquarters in Silicon Valley, CA, the school offers after-school classes and summer camps for those interested in learning computer languages like Scratch, Python and Java.
At the New Tampa location, there are classes for kids ages 7-18, who will learn to code and do things like build apps and present their projects at a Coder Fair.
The teachers are professional coders, professionals who teach coding and computer science students at the University of South Florida, depending upon the level of class in which the student enrolls.
Many of the classes have a 2-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio, to enhance learning.
âWeâre both in the IT field,â says Lesly (far right in photo above), âand coding has helped in our careers. We want to pass that onâŠ.itâs another tool for your tool belt.â
While the summer classes are in person, Lesly says the fall classes will depend upon what happens with the Covid-19 situation. The school has been able to hold online coding classes, and may continue to do so if the pandemic causes another disruption during the 2020-21 school year.
That hasnât stopped people from calling to sign up, however. âThe phone has been ringing off the hook since we scheduled the Grand Opening,â Lesly says.
Those who do call can get 25-percent-off their first month of classes, and a discount is available for summer camps as well. Lesly says she understands many have been affected by Covid-19, but she will try to work with anyone who is interested in classes.
For more info, call TheCoderSchool New Tampa at (813) 422-5566.
TAAZA INDIAN MART OPENS: Taaza Mart is now open in the Market Square at Tampa Palms plaza, occupying the former Staples location.
The first thing you notice when you walk in? Itâs spacious, and feels much larger than its 16,500 square feet.
The all-Indian grocery will be a welcome addition for New Tampaâs large Indian population, with its wide selection of fresh produce like Indian eggplant, dosakai, dudhi and others.
It also offers Halal meats and there is an ample supply of various spices, as well as the largest selection of multiple varieties of basmati, sona masoori and ponni rice around.
Taaza Mart (6260 Commerce Palms Dr.) has been open for just over a month, and is open Mon.-Thur., 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Fri.-Sun. For more information, call (813) 564-8100 or visit taazamartfl.com.
The most recent hikers lost in Flatwoods Park were found by HCSOâs Aviation Unit (top) with help from the light from their cell phones.
The Hillsborough County Sheriffâs Office (HCSO) rescued two hikers from New Tampaâs Flatwoods Wilderness Park on June 4, a fact that could make those who regularly use the popular 7-mile biking loop wonder:
How did that happen?
Social media teased the hikers, who were not identified, although some also sympathized with them.
But hikers, particularly inexperienced ones, getting lost in Flatwoods Park — which has entrances on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and Morris Bridge Rd. — or even one of the areaâs hidden gems, the New Tampa Nature Park (which can be entered off Dona Michele Dr.), isnât really as crazy as it sounds.
This past December, an avid hiker made the news when she got lost for two hours in Flatwoods, and had to call the HCSO, which sent in a helicopter to help with the search.
âIt happens now and again,â says Jan Kirwan, the City of Tampaâs conservation parks coordinator.
Combined, the two parks, which are connected, have more than 31 miles of wilderness hiking trails. While most of the trails are marked, Kirwan says that some are more primitive than others.
HCSOâs Aviation Unit, which is used to assist in rescues and arrests, was able to locate the most recent hikers to get turned around at Flatwoods thanks to their cell phone lights. The aviation unit then directed park rangers to their location.
According to the 9-1-1 call, a man and his friend were on the popular Panther Path, one of the parkâs off-road trails, but ended up near a swampy area on the west side of the park towards I-75.
While Kirwan says people can get lost, âIf you are familiar with following a trail then you shouldnât have any problem.â Sometimes, hikers will inadvertently follow an animal trail that bisects the regular trails.
But, if you venture off the beaten path, be prepared.
Kirwan says cell phone service is not always available in the park, and if you are relying on maps on your phone, you could find yourself without any directions. Itâs always smart, she says, to have a compass on hand.
Mostly, however, inexperienced hikers sometimes find themselves misdirected when they try to stretch their trip out.
âPeople donât realize how dark it can get,â Kirwan says. âItâs not like there are lights out there, and under the trees thereâs not much moonlight that gets through. It looks very, very different in the dark.â
Thatâs why the hours of the park are generally dawn to dusk. The recent hiker rescue began with a 9-1-1 call at 9:24 p.m., after the park had closed.
While neither Flatwoods or the New Tampa Nature Park are advanced hiking areas, they are a step up from, say, Lettuce Lake Park off Fletcher Ave., which is only 240 acres. Lettuce Lake, Kirwan says, is more of a gateway park into the wilderness parks in New Tampa, which offer a plethora of trails and wildlife.
âYou see a lot of bird (watchers) in the morning, and thereâs plenty of other animals like deer, turkeys, hares and wild hogs,â Kirwan says. âIt should be a fun little hike. Just remember, itâs always good to let someone know where youâre going. Then, if you donât get back, they know where you were.â
The New Tampa Recreation Center began hosting summer camps this week after easing back into things a few weeks earlier with its dance programs. (Photo: Tampa Parks).
Summer camps at the New Tampa Recreation Center (NTRC) have finally begun for eager â and maybe, a little stir crazy â kids and parents, as the city expands some of its preliminary offerings.
Seven different City of Tampa sites with gymnasiums hosted Summer Kickoff Camps through June 19, which took a cautious approach, with limited numbers. On June 22, the Rec Summer Camps kicked off on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The Summer Kickoff Camps had limited groups and served almost as a test run, as the city tries to figure out the best practices for new, more stringent protocols for social distancing and cleanliness.
âWeâd like to be going full-bore right now, but that wasnât feasible,â says Heather Erickson, the City of Tampaâs manager of aquatics, athletics and special facilities. âWe have been very conservative.â
The NTRC did not host kickoff camps. It had been closed since March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, although construction on the centerâs expansion, which will be completed later this summer, has continued throughout.
The city also was able to make a number of improvements all of its facilities.
âThe silver lining is that weâve been able to replace all of our lights in our gyms, and the place is cleaner than itâs ever been,â Erikson says.
The NTRC eased back into things by allowing its softball teams to begin practicing and opening the first week in June for some of its competitive and more advanced dance teams.
The tumbling mats are mopped between each group, coaches are wearing masks and hospital-grade organic anti-bacterial fogger is used every 28 days to keep the air as germ-free as possible.
âWe have some pretty crazy safety protocols in place,â Erickson says, âbut this is the new normal.â
By starting with the older, more experienced kids, who are all part of the year-round programs offered at the NTRC, the facility was able to get a feel for the new standards.
âThe hardest thing is not letting them hug the coaches,â Erickson says. âThey all really missed each other.â
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ended all restrictions on youth activities for the state on May 22, but other than directing people to the CDC guidelines, offered little direction.
Erickson says the NTRC is offering four different summer camps, and typically they host 175 or so kids. She said the summer numbers will be a moving target this year, and could contract or expand depending upon how the camps unfold.
As anyone who has ever coached a large group of 9-year-olds can attest, enforcing group social distancing is simple only in theory.
âI sure wish we had a manual for this,â says Erickson. âWeâre really writing it as we go.â
All Summer Camps Get The Green Light
On June 1, roughly 20 kids showed up at the first PROtential Sports camp of the summer at Heritage Isles.
Two weeks later, a similarly-sized group began camp at the Seven Oaks Community Club in Wesley Chapel.
For PROtential Sports co-owner Nyree Bland, it meant she could finally breathe again.
âI am grateful to be opened again. Itâs good to be back,â says Bland who, along with her husband (and former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver) Tony, has been running PROtential sports camps locally for 17 years.
Meanwhile, Bland says PROtentialâs camps usually have 100-plus participants at each location, but will be limited to 25 percent of their usual capacity in the early going this summer.
She has canceled the field trips that are usually a part of the PROtential Sports summer camp experience.
Counselors will be taking the temperatures of each camper daily.
The groups will be kept smaller than usual, since some of the activities are held indoors.
âThe parents we have talked to that are coming are super excited,â Bland says. âSome arenât ready. I think it is about 50-50. So, weâll be a lot smaller. But, itâs the new normal, and Iâm embracing it.â
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor talks with members of the community who showed up in the wake of George Floyd’s death to march for peace and racial justice.
I would be lying if I said I understood how people of color in this country feel every day about being black or brown in America.
Gary Nager Editorial
So while, like most white Americans, I personally donât care what color the people were who died recently at the hands (and knees) of law enforcement officers were black, brown, green or any color, religion or orientation, I completely understand the outrage being felt again by so many of us who witnessed what amounted to the recent public executions of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks.
As everyone surely knows by now, Floyd â who was killed about four weeks ago by former Minneapolis Police Office Derek Chauvin as three other now-former officers watched â was being arrested (but not resisting arrest) for passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a store.
Three weeks later, Brooks was shot dead by now-former Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe after trying to run away from being arrested at a Wendyâs. Although Brooks certainly did resist arrest and tried to run away from the scene, the fact he stole the Taser from one of the officers and fired it at them from a distance makes his situation different from Floydâs, but still begs the same nagging question:
If either of these men were white, would they still be alive today?
Yes, I believe all four cops (the others let him be killed) shown in a video thankfully released the day after Floyd was killed should go to jail for murder. And no, I donât understand why Floyd was targeted by these cops to receive this particular abuse of their power, especially in light of something that happened to Jannah and me only a year ago.
When we got married in March of 2019, some of our attendees gave us gifts of cash, including a few people who each gave us a $100 bill as a gift.
However, when we tried to pay a tab at a local bar with one of those $100 bills, we were informed that the bill was counterfeit. But, rather than have us arrested â at least in part because the bar owner knew us from previous visits and said it was obvious we didnât know the bill was no good â all he did was ask us to use an alternate method of payment. I then took the bill to my bank, which told me that all they could do was take the bill out of circulation, which meant that we lost that $100 gift. Oh well.
One thing neither of us lost, however, was our life. No one handcuffed us or held us down to our pleas of âI canât breathe.â Today, itâs hard not to imagine that same situation ending with either of us dead after being suffocated for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
Likewise, if a white man in Atlanta perhaps had too much to drink and fell asleep in a fast-food drive-through lane, would the white police officers trying to arrest that white man have used deadly force to stop him? Itâs horrifying to me that black, brown, Asian and LGBTQ people are targeted for this type of behavior so often in this country. Something has to change. And yes, I understand why peaceful protests can and should be part of that solution.
Unfortunately, looting and setting fire to stores owned by people who literally had nothing to do with those situations should never be the target of those protests. But, they unfortunately too often are â as seen around the country once again in the aftermath of Floydâs murder, although, thankfully, most of the protests of Floydâs death after those first few nights have been peaceful. Considering that the shooting of Brooks took place only a couple of days before this issue went to press and the Wendyâs where he was killed was looted and then burnt to the ground the following night, it remains to be seen if violent protests will continue to be an issue.
I have been encouraged, however, by local elected officials like Tampa Mayor Jane Castor (in blue in photo) and New Tampaâs City Council member Luis Viera who have been getting out in the community with the protesters, trying to make a difference.
Taking Action
Before the Rayshard Brooks situation, I wrote about the aftermath of the Floyd killing in our June 9 Wesley Chapel issue and I was very pleased at three emails/letters I received since then from black readers who appreciated my take on the current situation and offered words of advice and encouragement and something much more valuable to me than just the kind words: Two of the readers even offered to help start and/or get involved with a local grassroots movement that might help stem the tide of systemic racism and build better communication here.
I therefore am looking for people in New Tampa who also want to help. What can we do? I really donât know. I just know I want to try. Black, white or otherwise, email me at ads@ntneighborhoodnews.com if you do, too.
