Whenever you have the best weather of the year for your outdoor event, you’re bound to be successful. So yes, when the American Cancer Society (ACS) decided to host its annual “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Pasco” walk on October 22, some people who might not have been planning to take a 2-3-mile walk that day at the Shops at Wiregrass mall may have decided to go ahead and take that morning constitutional in the crisp, sub-70-degree sunshine and crowds of happy people wearing pink.
In other words, although the ACS website MakingStridesWalk.org/PascoFL’s “official” online statistics say there were 1,136 registered participants on 126 teams that raised more than $125,000 (not including sponsorship money, which hadn’t been totaled up at our press time) taking a stroll from the mall to Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, ACS of the South Nature Coast of Florida (serving Pasco, Hernando & Citrus counties) senior market manager Robyn Liska says the actual number of people on hand that day was closer to 5,000.
Photo: Ashley Wilson
Of those 126 teams, the three that raised the most money for the event (although donations are still being accepted that will be added to the totals) were the “Clerks for a Cause” team, whose 32 members raised nearly $19,000; the “KBR Pirates in Pink,” who had the largest team at the event, with 65 members, that raised almost $13,000; and the “Jazzercise Bosom Buddies, which had 34 members (some of whom did a performance during the event) who raised nearly $10,000.
The top individual fund raisers at this year’s Strides of Pasco were Diane Ricca of the “RMCBP Volunteers” team, who raised nearly $3,700; Jean White of the “KBR Pirates in Pink,” with $3,500; and Diane Gonyea and Kathy Ritz of the “Walmart’s Ride for a Cause” team, who raised $3,056.50 each.
Just like the fight against breast cancer itself, the numbers for the event may not have been finalized at our press time, but a great time was had by all. For more info about ACS, visit Cancer.org.— GN
The Wharton High girls team won the team competition last year.
It’s time to dust off your running shoes and consider building up a nice little calorie (and maybe oxygen) deficit that might just let you indulge in an extra piece of pumpkin pie later in the day, as a pair of Thankgiving Day 5K (3.1-mile) races — both of which will be held on Thursday, November 24 — are right around the corner.
The fourth annual “Wiregrass Wobble” 5K is scheduled for Thanksgiving Day at the Shops at Wiregrass mall, with 5K runners heading out at 7:30 a.m. and the 1-mile Fun/Run/Walk (which might earn you half an extra piece of pie) will be held at 8:15 a.m.
The event has raised more than $75,000 since the inaugural run in 2013, with proceeds this year supporting the Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel Foundation, FITNiche Foundation and the Rotary Club of New Tampa’s selected charities.
The Brass Tap will host post-race awards and festivities, 8:15 a.m.-10 a.m. and Pioneer Medical Group is the presenting sponsor.
The pre-registration donation is $30, and can be done online at WiregrassWobbleTurkeyTrot.com. If you register the day of the race, the suggested donation is $35. The event also will feature the School Team Competition (won by the Wiregrass Ranch High boys and Wharton High girls last year) and a Corporate Team event.
Looking to be part of an even bigger crowd of runners? The Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA’s “Goody Goody Turkey Gobble” 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run/Walk will also be held Thanksgiving morning, starting at 7 a.m. Goody Goody, the title sponsor, is providing free breakfast to all participants in the race, which begins and ends at Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa. The race route takes runners across the Platt St. Bridge and along scenic Bayshore Blvd. Strollers and dogs are welcome.
The YMCA says 100 percent of the proceeds raised will support the Livestrong at the YMCA program for cancer survivors and their families. Registration is $35 for the 5K, and $15 for the 1-mile. Prices go up on theday of the race. To register, visit RunSignUp.com. — John C. Cotey
Wharton girls soccer coach Denis Vukorep looks on during a recent practice. His Wildcats are looking to repeat last year’s success, when they reached the Regional semifinals.
When coach Denis Vukorep looks out at this year’s girls soccer team at Paul R. Wharton High, he sees plenty of familiar faces, and that’s always a good thing.
He doesn’t return his leading scorer from last season, midfielder Tyler Hubbard, although he does return Tyler’s little sister Sydney. His second leading scorer, Alisha Deschenes, is back. So is keeper Caroline DeLisle, midfielder Delaney Rowen and defenders Emily Johnson and Natalie Noble.
In all, seven starters from last year’s team that went 13-6-4 last year return.
It’s enough to keep expectations high, as the Wildcats hoped to follow up one of their most successful seasons as the 2016-17 campaign kicked last this week with the 10th annual Wharton Invitational. The Wildcats are already 4-1, and have outscored opponents in the games they have won by a 19-4 margin. The lone loss came 2-0 to Land O’Lakes, the Class 3A state runners-up from last season.
“Every team loses players, but when you return so much talent, you expect the team to be in the same spot it was last year,’’ Vukorep says.
For the Wildcats, that “same spot” would be the Region semifinals, where they fell to Palm Harbor University High 2-0 last year. The Hurricanes are five-time state champions and one of the top girls soccer programs in the state, and have become, for the moment, Wharton’s primary nemesis after handing them three of their six losses in 2015-16.
This year, Wharton has its sights set on toppling PHU, although Class 5A, District 7, is fraught with other challenges, like former state champion Steinbrenner and perennial playoff contenders Wiregrass Ranch and Plant.
The combined 2015-16 record of every team in 5A-7 was 73-35.
“It’s one of the toughest districts around,’’ Vukorep said. “Look at Steinbrenner last year, they were 10-5 and finished fifth. There’s not a lot of margin for error.”
The Wildcats will lean on DeLisle, who had eight shutouts last season in 17 games, with an impressive 1.10 goals-against-average. This season, she has allowed only six goals in five matches.
A University of Central Florida in Orlando commitment, DeLisle is a natural athlete who skipped volleyball this fall to focus on soccer, and has elite reflexes and athleticism.
“She levels the playing field (against teams that have big-time scorers),” Vukorep said. “She lets us be more aggressive out there on offense, and when we get a lead and play a little more conservatively, it’s just that much harder to score on her.”
Deschenes, who made the All-Conference team along with DeLisle last season, is the top returning scorer after netting 10 goals in 2015-16. Deschenes, who passed on cross country this fall to hone her soccer game, has already almost matched last year’s total, scoring eight goals in the four victories.
Sidonne Vickers had four scores last year, but Vukorep is hoping that Vickers can return to her freshman year form, when she led the team with 17 goals. She leads the team so far with five assists.
Midfielder Sydney Hubbard is filling in for departed sister Tyler, now at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and has three goals, and Noble will be asked to shore up the defense, which lost two starters to graduation.
Vukorep is also excited about some newcomers — midfielder Payton Jones and forward Avery Damjanovic, a pair of freshmen that Vukorep says will add some punch to his offense. Damjanovic scored two goals against both Robinson and East Bay, and netted the fifth goal of her young prep career in a win over Plant City.
“We’ve been to the Region semifinals a few times now,” Vukorep says, “and it would be nice to break off and make it to the final, and maybe even the (State) final four. That’s what we’re shooting for.”
Boys Hoping To Bounce Back
The cyclical nature of high school sports at most schools can drive coaches batty. You’re up a few years, then you are down, at the mercy of the quality of each class of players that enters the school.
Wharton boys soccer coach Scott Ware knows all about that feeling. After winning an average of 15 games a season from 2006-11 — including the school’s first State championship to cap the 2007-08 season -— the Wildcats have managed just 16 wins in the past four seasons.
Ware, though, holds his hand out, palm down, and then turns it upwards a little and raises his arm.
Clifford Adeji led the Wildcat boys with 10 goals last season, and hopes for more during the 2016-17 season that kicks off Monday.
“It’s been tough, but I think we’re back on the upswing,’’ he says.
Wharton is coming off a 4-9-2 season, but is carrying Ware’s largest team in years— with 25 players, “And it’s a good 25,’’ he says.
His seniors, who have been on teams that have gone a combined 11-41-4 in their career, are determined to turn things around. SO far, the team is 1-1.
“I think they are taking ownership of this thing,’’ Ware says. “They are good players. It’s just that their confidence hasn’t been there. Losing takes a toll.”
The Wildcats’ two top scorers, seniors Alex Ramirez and Clifford Adjei, are back. Adjei, a strong, physical forward, had 10 goals last season and scored two in the season-opening 6-0 win over Armwood; Ramirez, a midfielder who relies on speed and finesse, chipped in with five.
Junior forward Jamal Farhoud scored twice last year and hopes for more, and the midfield will be bolstered by Donovan Quigley (three goals, four assists last season), who Ware says might be the fastest player he has ever coached. Ware is high on a trio of freshmen: Nicolas Vasquez, Sebastian Echeverry and Zachary Godbold, who areall expected to contribute.
Defensively, Matthew Hartnell has started every game he’s played since his freshman year, and for the first time Ware is carrying three goalkeepers because the competition has been so fierce. Two newcomers, junior Enrico Dagostino and promising freshman Ethan Hernandez, are challenging Andy Ilken, who played in six games last year, for the starting job.
Wharton will once again face a challenge with a touched schedule and tough Class 5A, District 7, which includes Steinbrenner, Alonso and Wiregrass Ranch (combined record of 46-7-6 last year) as well as Palm Harbor University, the region runner-up in 2015-16.
“It won’t be easy, but our goal is to get back into the playoffs,’’ Ware says. “If they play with the confidence they have shown, that’s a possibility. The schedule is tough, though. We’ll need to get some ‘W’s early, and hopefully we build off that.”
Midfielder Rachel Diioia works the ball around at a recent Freedom girls soccer practice. Diioia is expected to have a big impact on the Patriots fortunes this season.
There are always question marks when a new coach takes over. What system will he or she implement? How quickly will they find the best positions for their players? That’s not the case at Freedom, as coach Jennifer DeMik takes over the girls team that finished 5-7 last year.
DeMik knows the players and the system very well. She’s a math teacher at Liberty Middle School and she’s had nearly the entirety of the current varsity team on her Liberty school soccer team.
“Our chemistry is really good and we have strong, veteran leadership to go with a promising future,” DeMik said. “It’s a good balance and I like (what I) know is coming (up from middle school).”
DeMik coached girls soccer at Liberty for eight years and her teams made the District meet six of the eight years, including a trip to the District finals in 2012. The eighth graders from that season have now become DeMik’s senior leaders as she takes over Freedom’s varsity program from Jenna Lamour, who is now in administration.
“She (Lamour) built this program to what it is today,” DeMik said.
Starting up top in DeMik’s 4-4-2 scheme are senior captains Emily Dabrowski and Emma Eldridge. Dabrowski is typically the team’s top goal scorer. She’s played club soccer, lacrosse, has run on the cross country team and DeMik says she is a phenomenal student. The coach also credits Dabrowski with helping get the team started.
Next to Dabrowski up top is Eldridge. DeMik likes her co-captain’s versatility.
“She’s a great athlete and can play all over the field,” DeMik said. “We’re stronger at other positions this year, so it frees her to play up top.”
The tandem, having played together going back to middle school, could develop into a potent scoring threat.
“Emily and I have a friendly competition going between us,” Eldridge said. “It’s so great that we started playing soccer together (at Liberty) and we’ll finish playing together (at Freedom).”
A pair of senior midfielders also are the other two team captains at Freedom. Rachel Diioia and Carly McCoy form a dexterous and rangy midfield tandem. DeMik is particularly excited about the “beautiful triangle” formed by Dabrowski and Eldridge along with Diioia.
Diioia played for the West Florida Flames club team before deciding to commit more to the school’s team. DeMik likes her vision of the field, as well as her footwork and ball control.
“She just slides in front of you and the ball’s gone,” DeMik said.
Even beyond the seniors, DeMik has a core of young players developing, including a few that will step in and contribute right away. Sophomores Kelsey Skendzel and Bethany Green help form a defensive back line for the Patriots. Both defenders came up with DeMik through Liberty.
DeMik jokes that the pair communicates telepathically.
The continuity is just what the Patriots need this season as they are in a very tough Class 4A, District 8, and their regular season started off with a 1-0 loss to Alonso, with games scheduled against State semifinalist Newsome, Regional semifinalist Wharton and Regional finalist Mitchell.
“The front end of our schedule is tough,” DeMik said. “We’re going to see what we’ve got early.”
Boys Looking For Goals
The Patriot boys struggled offensively last year on the way to a 3-12 record, scoring just 34 goals, although their top two scorers — Jon Hornecyck and Kwami Amankwah — were both underclassmen.
Hornecyck, a junior forward/midfielder, led the Patriots last season with eight goals and one assist. Amankwah, a junior forward, scored six goals with two assists.
The Patriots, who have had only one winning season since losing the 2009 Class 5A State championship game to Palm Harbor University, are off to solid start, beating Tampa Prep 2-0 and Carrollwood Day 3-2. The Patriots will try for their first three-match winning streak since 2013 when it hosts rival Wharton on Thursday, November 10.
(L.-r.): Tampa City Council candidates Cyril Spiro & Jim Davison & State Rep. Shawn Harrison & other local candidates & their families have spent even more time together holding signs in front of the New Tampa Regional Library on Cross Creek Blvd. since early voting began Oct. 24.
Avis Harrison says she had no idea what she was getting into when she decided to run for the Tampa City Council District 7 seat, which represents New Tampa.
On a Thursday morning in front of the New Tampa Regional Library on Cross Creek Blvd., where she has stood and waved to visitors every day since early voting began on Oct. 24, Harrison was nursing a sore throat and was exhausted from previous days holding signs asking for votes.
“It’s hard, but it has also been rewarding,’’ Harrison says. “I have met so many nice people. They have been very open, very receptive to this campaign. But, it’s also been hard, and (campaigning) can really wear on you.”
Harrison, an Arbor Greene resident for the past 17 years, is one of six candidates running for District 7 seat, along with Hunter’s Green residents Luis Viera and Dr. Jim Davison, Cory Lakes Isles’ Dr. Cyril Spiro, Tampa Palms resident Gene Siudut and former Tampa police officer Orlando Gudes, the only non-New Tampa resident who lives in the Copeland Park area south of Busch Blvd.
With the presidential election seemingly sucking the air out of everything else politically, it is more difficult than ever to stand out. In this election, there haven’t been television commercials or debates, and because it is a special election to replace Lisa Montelione — who resigned the Dist. 7 seat midway through her four-year term to run against incumbent Shawn (no relation to Avis) Harrison for the Florida House Dist. 63 seat, the whole city council election process has been compressed into six months.
So, how does this group of virtual unknowns get noticed by enough people in a six-person race without the benefit of time and mass media to win?
Lots of shoe leather.
“Hard work,’’ Viera says. “The harder you work, the luckier you get.’’
Viera adds that endorsements, money and optimism help as well, but at the end of the day the key might be being seen — every candidate has published an op-ed and advertised in this publication, which reaches every home in the 33647 zip code.
Like the other candidates, Viera spent last week waving to passersby at the busy library or voting stations in Temple Terrace and North Tampa. Despite a sizable advantage in money raised and endorsements over his opponents, Viera has found there is no replacement for old-fashioned pavement pounding. A regular day in the final weeks of his campaign would include dropping his son off at school, waving at voters for two hours, getting in a few hours of work at his law firm then walking neighborhoods and making phone calls for another 4-5 hours.
All of the candidates have attended various forums, hoping to discuss policy and ideas. But, the forums aren’t always well attended and the questions many times have little to do with their actual district.
“If you add them all up, I’d be surprised if there were 100 voters from our district at all of them,’’ Davison says. “You just try to make a good impression on the ones that are there, and hopefully they tell some friends who are district voters.”
Because the City Council race is non-partisan, candidates can’t even rely on picking up votes from people who vote their party line. So, sign placement, eye-catching mailers, ads in this publication –— anything that helps with name recognition — becomes a vital tool.
Davison, a 6-foot-3 emergency room physician with a simple, white sign with red letters on a 3-foot-stick who is not shy about walking long distances, has been a fixture on Cross Creek Blvd. During his campaign, Davison has walked down Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., from the corner of County Line Rd. all the way to Hunter’s Green, roughly four miles.
“It’s a lot of time, and a lot of sweat,” says Davison, whose also gets lots of help from his wife Diane (treasurer), daughter Ashley (media and digital) and daughter Allie, who despite living in Charlotte, NC still makes calls on her dad’s behalf. “Without a lot of help from my family, I couldn’t have a campaign,” he admits.
All of the candidates lean heavily on their families. Some are more fortunate than others. Harrison, widowed in 2014, has a son in the military, a daughter at Florida State University in Tallahassee and another who is a flight attendant. Most of the time, “It’s just me,’’ she says, and a solid group of friends to help her out.
For Harrison, she hopes that group grows a little larger with each wave and smile. “It’s been fun, the people have been great, and I’ve gotten so many invites for Thanksgiving and Christmas,’’ Harrison says. “So, that’s good.”
“It’s one of the toughest districts around,’’ Vukorep said. “Look at Steinbrenner last year, they were 10-5 and finished fifth. There’s not a lot of margin for error.”
Defensively, Matthew Hartnell has started every game he’s played since his freshman year, and for the first time Ware is carrying three goalkeepers because the competition has been so fierce. Two newcomers, junior Enrico Dagostino and promising freshman Ethan Hernandez, are challenging Andy Ilken, who played in six games last year, for the starting job.
Like the other candidates, Viera spent last week waving to passersby at the busy library or voting stations in Temple Terrace and North Tampa. Despite a sizable advantage in money raised and endorsements over his opponents, Viera has found there is no replacement for old-fashioned pavement pounding. A regular day in the final weeks of his campaign would include dropping his son off at school, waving at voters for two hours, getting in a few hours of work at his law firm then walking neighborhoods and making phone calls for another 4-5 hours.