Young YMCA Lifeguards Earn Kudos For Saving Teghan

Teghan Theile (center) with the New Tampa YMCA lifeguards who rescued her (l.-r.): Alfred Briceno, Emma Cutkomp, Aviana Jividen and TJ Hernandez.

On a sunny day just before school let out for the summer, the New Tampa Family YMCA pool was busy. Four teenage lifeguards were on duty as people enjoyed the pool and young synchronized swimmers were training for the upcoming Junior Olympics.

Teghan Theile, a 10-year-old who has been on the synchronized swimming team at the New Tampa YMCA for three years, was participating in the practice, doing what she does most afternoons, for several hours at a time.

As Teghan and her teammates were swimming laps, something about the way her legs were moving caught lifeguard Aviana Jividen’s attention. It didn’t look quite right. As Aviana watched, Teghan blacked out and sank to the bottom of the pool.

Aviana jumped into action, and TJ Hernandez, another of the lifeguards on duty that day, helped pull Teghan out of the water.

“We do practices every month,” recalls Aviana, “so when you actually see it happen, your adrenaline kicks in and you think of all the training that you went through.”

Assisted by lifeguards Emma Cutkomp and Alfred Briceno, Aviana and TJ began lifesaving procedures as 9-1-1 was called.

“They stayed calm, worked together and did what was needed to save Teghan’s life,” says aquatics experience director Lacey Boldman. “All the monthly drills and scenario practice was put into action and they remembered all the steps necessary to make the rescue quickly and efficiently. A life was saved because of their vigilance and quick action.”

Teghan’s mom, Brenna Fender, was in the shower when she got a call that something scary had happened to her daughter. She immediately headed to the pool.

“When I arrived, Teghan wasn’t moving, but they said she was breathing,” says Brenna. “Running out to the pool and finding it silent, with onlookers frozen against the fence while a small group huddled together over a figure that I knew was my daughter, was an experience I’ll never forget.”

Over the next couple of days, Brenna pieced together what had happened.

“Teghan did several laps in a row with very few breaths,” Brenna explains. “She then attempted a 50-meter zero under, trying to swim the distance without taking a breath.”

“I thought I could make it because the wall was just a few yards away,” Teghan remembers. “The next thing I remember, I was out of the pool, lying on a towel, and I was so confused.”

Tampa Y aquatics experience executive Amanda Walker explains that what happened to Teghan is called a shallow water blackout.

“With shallow water blackouts, you don’t even realize sometimes that you need to take a breath,” explains Amanda. “Your brain genuinely plays tricks on you and you pass out.”

Thanks to the quick action of the four lifeguards, Teghan was conscious by the time paramedics arrived, and was transported to the hospital, where she stayed in the pediatric ICU for a couple of days, while doctors ran tests to ensure that there was no underlying medical cause for her blackout.

When Brenna considers that the four people who saved her daughter’s life were all just teenagers, “it was stunning to think about,” she says. “They were so attentive. It was a pool full of people, so who thinks they need to be watching the experienced swimmers? The lifeguards were so prepared and obviously took their training seriously. I absolutely credit the YMCA for that — selecting the right people for the job and training them so well.”

Brenna says that on the way to the hospital, Teghan was already asking if she had to miss school the next day. She was given the all-clear to return to her fourth grade class at Lake Magdalene Elementary just in time for the last day of school later that week.

Within just a couple of weeks, Teghan was back in the pool again.

In early July, just barely a month later, Teghan and her team travelled to California to compete in the Junior Olympics.

Brenna says there was never a doubt she would get right back in and swim again.

“She’s worked too hard,” Brenna says, “I couldn’t keep her from competing at the Junior Olympics.”

Brenna says Teghan has always loved to be in the water. “She was the kid who thought she could swim before she was two years old,” she says. “I’d tell her to jump to me and she’d jump into the water next to me.”

Based on research she’s since done, Brenna understands that it’s unlikely to happen again, as long as Teghan makes different decisions. That doesn’t make the lingering anxiety go away, though, as her daughter continues swimming. “It’s been over a month now, so it’s getting easier,” Brenna explains, “but I’ve had a knot in my stomach that’s been hard to get rid of.”

Brenna is incredibly grateful to the YMCA lifeguards. To provide just a glimpse of the appreciation she and Teghan have for them, they hosted a thank-you pizza party with homemade brownies and goodies, where Teghan had a chance to talk with the lifeguards who saved her life. “It was really good for Teghan, especially,” Brenna says, “because she wanted to see them all.”

Now that Junior Olympics is over, Teghan is getting a brief break from her synchronized swimming practices. Her mom says she loves reading Harry Potter and making her own music videos, and is excited about joining her school’s safety patrol as a fifth grader in the fall.

But, when the swim season starts again, Teghan will be right back in that place she loves the most, practicing synchronized swimming in the New Tampa YMCA pool again.

Luckily for all of us, the New Tampa Y lifeguards will be there, too.

New Tampa DoE School Grades Are Still Among The County’s Best

School grades have been announced for the 2016-17 school year. Of the 12 public schools located in New Tampa, most maintained their grades from the 2015-16 school year. However, two schools — Liberty Middle School and Tampa Palms Elementary — improved by a letter grade, while just one school, Heritage Elementary, dropped a letter grade.

Letter grades are assigned by the State of Florida Department of Education, based on statewide standardized assessments. High schools also have a graduation component, based on how many students graduate in four years. The letter grades then reflect the percentage of points received, of the total number of available points.

Both New Tampa middle schools are now rated A, with Benito maintaining its A rating and Liberty improving from a B.

Turner/Bartels K-8 School maintained its B rating.

Congrats to Chiles Elementary in Tampa Palms, which earned an “A” grade from the State of Florida Department of Education for the 15th straight year, and scored the highest among New Tampa schools in English Language Arts Achievement, Mathematics Achievement and Science Achievement.

Of the elementary schools in the area, Chiles, Clark and Pride all maintained their A ratings, with Tampa Palms jumping up from last year’s B. Hunter’s Green maintained its C rating, and now Heritage is the second elementary school in our area to also be rated C.

Both high schools in our area, Freedom and Wharton, maintained the C grades they received last year.

While the school grading system has many critics, they are widely used by parents as a measure of how well their child’s school is performing.

“The school grades are a snapshot based on school grade calculations and assessments which are subject to change by the state,” says Tanya Arja, a spokesperson for Hillsborough County Public Schools.

“While we celebrate the successes and look for ways to improve,” she continues, “a parent really needs to look at how well their child is doing and if they are making gains. Parents can get a much clearer picture of the education their child is receiving at a school by touring a school, getting involved and talking with the teachers and administrators to see the hard work they put in every day to ensure student success.”

New Tampa’s Andreychuk HOF Bound

Dave Andreychuk #25 of the Tampa Bay Lightning skates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Calgary Flames in game seven of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on June 7, 2004 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning won the Stanley cup by defeating the Flames 2-1. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

For more than a decade, a familiar face around New Tampa and one of the community’s leaders, long-time area resident Dave Andreychuk, has been greeted by many a local, eager to say hello, to thank him for the Stanley Cup he helped the Tampa Bay Lightning win in 2004, and, of course, to tell him he should be in the National Hockey League (NHL) Hall of Fame.

But now…finally…those same fans have a chance to say this: “It’s about darn time!”

Andreychuk received what many feel was a long-overdue call on June 26, telling him his wait was over. The former Lightning captain is an NHL Hall of Famer.

“It’s a great feeling,’’ Andreychuk says. “I’m happy the call finally came.”

Andreychuk, who moved into Arbor Greene in 1999 after signing with the Lightning, before his family moved to their current home in Hunter’s Green, said he was on his way to the airport when his cell phone rang around 2 p.m.

He looked down and saw a Toronto number. “Can it be?,” Andreychuck thought.

Unsure if it was the media calling to ask him his thoughts on not being selected again, or someone from the NHL, he answered to discover it was Lanny MacDonald, fellow Hall of Famer and currently the chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame, with good news.

“It was really a surprise,’’ Andreychuk said. “I had no idea. I immediately pulled over to collect my thoughts. It really was very exciting.”

A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Andreychuk says he knew his day would eventually come. He has been eligible since 2009, and he thought each of the last two years might have been his day. This year, he says he hadn’t been giving it nearly as much thought.

He only hoped that he would make it into the Hall while his parents, Roz and Julian, were still around to celebrate it with him.

“That’s really what I wanted,’’ he said. “So, that it happened now, and they can celebrate it with me, is the best thing.”

Andreychuk will be officially inducted on Monday, November 13, in Toronto.

His inclusion into the Hall of Fame comes after a 23-year career that began when he was drafted in the first round by Buffalo in 1982 and made meaningful contributions in Toronto, New Jersey, Boston and Colorado before coming to Tampa Bay.

Andreychuk is the NHL’s all-time leader for career power-play goals with 273 (Brett Hull is second all-time, with 265), and is the 14th-leading all-time scorer with 640 goals. His 1,639 games are seventh all-time, and his 1,338 points tie him with Denis Savard for 29th on the all-time scoring list.

But Andreychuk’s greatest moment was captaining the Lightning Stanley Cup team in 2004. Outside of Amalie Arena, there is a bronze statue of him holding the Cup over his head.

He said he remembers taking the Cup home to Hunter’s Green the night the Lightning clinched their first championship, to party with his teammates, and then bringing it to the clubhouse a few days later to share it with the Hunter’s Green and New Tampa community.

“The support I’ve always gotten up here has been great,’’ Andreychuk said.

Andreychuk is currently the Lightning’s VP of Corporate & Community Affairs, and continues to be active in the community as a hockey ambassador. In fact, the Captain (as many in New Tampa still call him) was on hand as a dignitary for the opening of Florida Hospital Center Ice.

Lee Nails & Spa: Cleanliness & A Relaxed Atmosphere

Owner Ken Truong (far left) and his friendly, professional staff of licensed nail technicians are available to serve you at Lee Nails & Spa in The Grove at Wesley Chapel shopping center.

Between warm weather and casual fashion, gloves are seldom worn in the Sunshine State. But, since sandals so often are worn here, that means a lot of hands and feet are out on public display.

Keeping Wesley Chapel residents well-manicured is a job the crew at Lee Nails & Spa, located in an outparcel building at The Grove at Wesley Chapel shopping center (next to the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce office), eagerly undertake seven days a week.

Available services range from a basic nail trim and polish (with many fashionable options such as American or French style in a rainbow of colors) to waxing and the trademarked Botanical Escapes Herbal Spa Treatments, such as an herbal detox formula or maybe a Chocolate Mint Bliss recipe.

While the menu of services is extensive, owner Kenny Truong says what Lee Nails & Spa really offers patrons is one of modern life’s most valuable commodities.

“We provide relaxation.”

The relaxation begins as soon as you cross Lee Nails & Spa’s threshold and enter a space of soft track lighting and mellow music.

New arrivals at the spa are quickly attended to and escorted to one of nearly a dozen manicure stations or a plush pedicure recliner with a massage function.

If someone needs to take the edge off a busy day, a complimentary glass of wine, chardonnay or merlot, is offered with each pedicure. Chilled water is an option for non-imbibers. A magazine rack filled with the latest issues of People, Allure, Glamour and other publications offers a chance to catch up on some light, non-digital reading.

Tangible results also are an objective, says Truong, who has 15 years of experience in the cosmetology field. “We’re dedicated to making our customers look beautiful,” he says.

At Lee Nails & Spa, customers can have beauty without risking their nail health. Regular acrylic nails can look great, but they can leave natural nails under them susceptible to itching and even infection. Truong says his salon offers non-acrylic nail alternatives like NexGenNails to customers.

“It’s strong, but doesn’t damage your nails like acrylic does,” he says. “It also has vitamin E in it.”

Informing customers about all of the options available to them that may provide a benefit to them is part of Truong’s business philosophy.

“We also educate customers about what kind of manicure they should get and what kinds of products can soothe and protect dry skin,” he says.

Lee Nails & Spa was opened in 2009 by Kenny’s brother Tony. Both of them emigrated from Vietnam, along with six other brothers.

Kenny and Tony each got their start in the cosmetology field while living in Cleveland, OH. Kenny took over Lee Nails & Spa last year when Tony moved to Orlando to open a new salon.

Maintaining a clean, safe and productive environment that focuses on delivering good customer service is an important element of Truong’s operation. He and his entire staff of nail technicians are all licensed through the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DPR)’s Board of Cosmetology.

According to Truong, he maintains strict sanitary standards by providing customers one-time-use liners for spa pedicures, and also uses commercially-packaged disposable materials like emery board nail files that are discarded after just one use.

There is onsite equipment to sterilize all of the durable tools that are reused.

“One of the most important things that customers love about coming to my salon is the cleanliness,” says Truong proudly.

An Emphasis On Service

Customers entering the salon are likely to be met by Truong personally, and he will graciously deliver them to a staff member who will provide the relaxing and enhancing services requested. Truong recognizes the success of his business is in the hands of the people he hires.

“Our staff is young and talented, to provide the best customer service,” he says.

One such employee is Angela Butdee, who has been working at Lee Nails for two of the three-and-a-half years she has worked as a nail technician. She expresses appreciation for the overall atmosphere of the salon as well as the beautifying task at hand.

“It’s quiet and I like that we have lots of nice customers that come here,” Angela says. “I love doing the designs for their nails.” She adds there is another important attribute for nail technicians. “When you work with nails, you have to be calm and you have to make customers feel relaxed.”

Sharon Gilbert appreciates that kind of customer experience when she comes in to Lee Nails every few weeks for a manicure or pedicure. “They take their time and they’re gentle,” she says. “I feel special when I leave.”

Gilbert also notes the hygienic standards of Lee Nails & Spa.

“It’s very clean and they use plastic linings in their pedicure tubs,” she says, adding that she got into the habit of getting a professional manicure when she taught at The University of Ohio in Columbus.

“A handshake was the first way I was going to meet someone,’’ she said. “It’s a way of putting your best self forward. Now I just do it for myself.”

While indulging in spa treatments may seem like an extravagant luxury, Lee Nails & Spa offers promotions to make its services more affordable.

Customers can join the salon’s VIP Program and get $3 off a single service or $5 off a combo service (does not apply to polish change or waxing), Monday-Thursday. To do so, text LEENAILS2 to 51660.

Other discounts, such as 10-percent-off for customers 12 years of age or younger (parents or guardians must accompany the child) and for ages 65 and older, are available, as are “pop-up” specials announced on the “Lee Nails Spa In Wesley Chapel” Facebook page.

More special deals and samples of the work Lee Nails & Spa does can be found at LeeNailSpaofTampa.com. Lee Nails & Spa is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m., and 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday. It is located at 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., Suite #104. For more information or make an appointment, call (813) 907-8100.

WCNT-tv One-Year Anniversary Party Ends With A Surprise Marriage Proposal!

For those who don’t know me personally, I was separated in 2006 and have been divorced since 2009 and, although I’ve done a lot of dating and had a few relationships since then, I honestly never thought too seriously about getting married again.

Two-and-a-half years ago, when I was a member of the Wesley Chapel Noon Rotary Club, a fellow club member and I who had known each other through business only prior to that, met by chance at what used to be Stage Left (now Brunchies). She was sitting with a few other fellow club members and invited me to join them at their table.

By the end of that super-fun evening (it became my birthday at midnight that night), Jannah McDonald (who was working for the American Cancer Society at the time, but became the marketing and events coordinator for the Pasco Education Foundation shortly after that evening) and I had arranged our first date, where we embarked on a journey that has had a few ups and downs (as all of our friends know all too well). But ultimately, the good times far outnumbered the bad, which led to the night of the one-year anniversary party for WCNT-tv (Wesley Chapel & New Tampa Television), which was held in and outside of my office on June 30.

When we hired mine and Jannah’s favorite local band — Restless Soul (search “Restless Soul” on Facebook) — to not only provide the entertainment for the event, but also to learn a song (“Saint Valentine’s Day, by Bruce Springsteen’s guitarist, Miami Steve Van Zandt, who recorded the song with his own band, called Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, which was released in February 2017) for us to sing with them, I wasn’t actually planning anything other than to have a kick-butt invitation-only party to thank all of our friends and sponsors, but…

A couple of weeks before the event, I decided that Jannah and I should also do a little dance routine during the song’s 45-second musical interlude and it was during our first lesson (anyone who knows me can tell you that I maybe can sing a little bit, but have never been much of a dancer) at the Rhapsody Ballroom on N. 56th St. just north of E. Fowler Ave. that I decided that there would be a surprise ending to the song (you can check out excerpts of the song and the entire dance on our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page).

The evening did not go off without a hitch, which had me concerned about whether we would even get to perform the song, much less whether I would get to spring the beautiful faceted garnet-and-diamond ring I got a great deal on from my friends at Leiva’s Jewelry (in the New Tampa Center shopping plaza) on her.

Although we had a little more than 100 people on hand at around 7, the skies opened up — as they so often do during the summer here in Florida — around 7:15, while everyone was enjoying the truly amazing food from my friends Jessica and Carl Meyers of Little Italy’s Family Restaurant & Catering in Lutz, Ramses and Ana Garcia of Las Palmas CafĂ© and Phil and Natalia from Olde Heights Bistro in Seminole Heights, plus the incredible desserts from Nothing Bundt Cakes (right now in Carrollwood, but looking to secure a Wesley Chapel location) and my friend Evelyn Barreno from 7 Layers Bakery.

The plan was for our song to open the band’s second set — and for us to do a Facebook Live event for the song — at 8 p.m. But, by the time the rain stopped shortly before 8, more than half of the people had left. Undaunted, we went ahead and performed the song when the rain gave us about a 15-minute window and I ended the song by asking Jannah if she would marry me “some Saint Valentine’s Day?” And yes, even though no one actually heard her say it, she did say yes.

Obviously, those who stuck around for it were glad they did and Jannah and I thank the hundreds of you who have already posted well wishes on Facebook.   

Getting A Taste-y Reward!

Although I am now a member of the New Tampa Noon Rotary Club (which meets Wednesdays at noon at Mulligans Irish Pub in the Pebble Creek Golf Club), the Rotary club that put on the successful 2017 Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel is actually New Tampa’s original, or “breakfast” Rotary Club, which meets Fridays at 7 a.m. at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club (TPGCC).

In the spirit of Rotary, I agreed to help (more like forced myself on) the Rotary’s Taste coordinator (and now, newly inducted president) Karen Frashier and her committee with restaurant procurement for the event and the rest, as they say, is history. Or so I thought.

At their club’s annual banquet at TPGCC on June 23, Jannah and I were invited as honored guests and even though it was on one of my deadline Fridays, we were thrilled just to be there. Imagine my surprise, therefore, when I received the plaque on this page from outgoing president (he of the newly shaven head) Brice Wolford. Calling me “Mr. Taste” was pretty sweet, but I had to acknowledge the amazing “You Believed. You Made It Happen” inscription in these pages. Thanks so much!.

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