Austin Channels (left), a Boy Scout with Troop 180, built this sign for Freedom High in Tampa Palms as his Eagle project. Austin (with Freedom principal Kevin Stephenson) will graduate from the school next May.
To achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank for scouts with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), Austin Channels had to lead a project that would help his community.
As a student at Freedom High in Tampa Palms, who will start his senior year this fall, Austin wanted to do something to impact his school for good.
“In previous years, there was a football sign that was up with the football schedule,” Austin explains. “Every year, they had to make a new sign and print it just for the new football schedule.”
So Austin — with the help of his mom, Kim — came up with the idea for an interchangeable sign that could make announcements for all the sports and other important school-related info.
Austin got approval from the school and led a team of fellow scouts and family members to conceptualize, design, build and implement the sign, plus add lighting and landscaping. He had to do his own fund raising to purchase materials, and says he met his goal of about $800 by selling T-shirts.
He worked to pick the perfect spot for the sign, where it could be seen by cars both entering and leaving the school.
Now, Austin’s sign will be maintained by the school, with student assistants changing the words on it as needed.
A final phase of the project will be to add clear plexiglass and a lock, so that no one can switch the letters around without the school’s authorization.
Austin is glad to be able to use his Eagle project as a platform to do something significant at his high school.
“It was cool to give back,” Austin says. “After being there for years with everyone teaching you, it’s good to give back to the school a little bit.”
Austin’s Eagle project is the culmination of his many years in Scouts, starting with Cub Scouts, when he was in third grade at Tampa Palms Elementary.
To achieve the Eagle rank, he’ll need to complete a Board of Review, which he expects to do soon. Once he earns the Eagle rank, his family will host a celebration this fall.
“It’s not as easy as other people made it look,” says Austin, who explains he’s seen many older scouts complete their Eagle projects, “because you’re leading everyone, you’re not just doing the project.”
Austin is a member of Troop 180, which meets at Compton Park in Tampa Palms. He says the best thing about his Boy Scout experience has been some of the incredible trips he’s had the opportunity to take, such as a 50-mile backpacking trip through the mountains of Wyoming, including Yellowstone Park.
He says his journey to earn the Eagle rank is just another part of his Scouting experience, and he looks forward to finishing out the year with his troop before he completes the program when he graduates high school.
“It’s like mountain climbing,” Austin says, “You climb one, but then there’s another one a little bit taller that you can climb.”
His dad, Steve, who is a teacher at Freedom, says Austin’s scouting experience has taught him skills and helped him to be more self-reliant than many kids his age.
“Austin has little side businesses repairing cell phones and doing car repairs that has taught him to appreciate money,” says Steve. “He bought his own car with his own money, after saving for several years. Not many teenagers do that.”
Steve says his son has spent a lot of his time this summer doing yard work for elderly neighbors, including one he drives to various appointments and whenever she needs a ride somewhere.
“It’s been a delight to follow his journey,” says Steve, “and yes, I’m really proud of him.”
Classical ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and even hip-hop classes are offered at the New Tampa Dance Theatre, where future dance pros and recreational dancers all receive outstanding training.
It may be housed in a quiet building on a busy suburban street, but the New Tampa Dance Theatre (NTDT) offers dancers a world-class, professional experience that is unmatched in the Tampa Bay area, whether you or your child like to dance for fun or dream of a career on stage one day.
Located on Cross Creek Blvd. (across from Heritage Isles) in New Tampa, the 7,500-square-foot NTDT is the largest professional dance training facility in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area. Owner and artistic director Dyane Elkins IronWing is in her 24th season of creating dance memories and futures for her New Tampa- and Wesley Chapel-area students, many of whom have gone on to study dance in college and/or dance professionally.
“As always, I’m so proud of our students,” says Elkins IronWing. “Our dancers become excellent college students, with their impressive time-management skills, perseverance and creative thinking.”
Elkins IronWing herself says she started dancing at age 5, later trained in New York City, and performed with the Ballet Metropolitan in Columbus, Ohio.
She moved to Tampa in 1995 to be near family and friends and immediately opened NTDT in the Pebble Creek Collection on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. In 2002, she purchased the property on Cross Creek Blvd., designed her spacious new studio herself, and moved the school to the new building in January 2006.
With the bigger location, Elkins IronWing was off and running, offering smaller class sizes and larger, more varied schedules.
She says she also has a larger pool of students today, with the ongoing explosive growth in Wesley Chapel.
“Our name might say New Tampa; however, our location is much closer to Wesley Chapel than one might assume,” says Elkins IronWing. “We are extremely convenient to all of the current growth (there). Wesley Chapel families are shocked to discover just how close we are and excited because of how quickly they can drive to our school.”
All Ages & Experience Levels
Elkins IronWing caters to both the recreational dance lover as well as the devoted pre-professional, and every level in between.
NTDT’s leveled curriculum offers multiple art forms for students to explore. Through personalized attention and professional expertise, the NTDT faculty provides a positive educational experience based on the studio’s core principles of respect, responsibility and teamwork.
Teen/Adult classes include four eight-week sessions (from Sept.-May) of classical ballet, tap and Zumba.
Children ages 3-4 can participate in the Early Childhood Program, ages 5-8 can take part in the Children’s Program, and ages 9-18 can participate in NTDT’s Youth Program.
In addition to classical ballet, the studio offers full programs in creative movement, modern, jazz, tap and hip-hop.
Each program has its own directors and specific syllabuses guiding students in a structured manner through their studies.
Dyane’s husband, Troy IronWing, is NTDT’s director of tap, while she will instruct ballet, jazz and creative movement classes this season. Both have continued to tour internationally, now for 14 years, with the Rhythm Extreme performance troupe.
In addition, NTDT ballet director Cristy Garcia Tanner started her dance training at age 3 in her native Puerto Rico, and at age 13, she was invited to join the Ballet Concierto Company in San Juan, PR.
Modern dance director Carla Armstrong, who joined the NTDT faculty in 2005, graduated from the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Dance.
Jazz director Kristine Morgan has been dancing professionally since age 19, and she earned her BFA degree in Dance from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA, and also currently is the director of entertainment at Busch Gardens.
Hip-hop Director Dreama Davidson, who also has been with the school since 2005, has 19 years of professional performances and choreography to her credit, including participating in the “Katonga” show at Busch Gardens.
The facilities at NTDT are as top notch as the instructors, and include maple flooring for the tap classes, 20-25-ft.-tall mirrored walls, student locker rooms and a large studio space that can accommodate up to 200 people. Sprung floors provide shock absorption to protect the dancers’ joints, and an on-site physical therapist ensures the health of the dancers. NTDT also features a café offering light meals, snacks, coffee and other drinks.
The Training You Need
NTDT has developed a reputation for creating strong, professional dancers with alumni who have moved on to highly respected companies, Broadway productions and the Walt Disney Company.
Because NTDT students learn to be proficient in multiple art forms, these students have an edge in the competitive world of dance and many of them have been accepted into prestigious summer intensive programs, including the School of American Ballet and American Ballet Theater in New York City, The Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago and the Boston Ballet.
However, Elkins IronWing also is diligent about providing the same quality of instruction to the roughly 60 percent of the students who are enrolled in NTDT’s popular recreational programs, who have no professional dance ambitions.
“If a student doesn’t choose to pursue a career in dance after high school, they can still reach a level of artistry to be accepted into many college dance programs,” says Elkins IronWing. “Believing in yourself, respecting the process of working toward a goal, and having a well-rounded dance education give our students the tools and confidence to continue discovering new passions throughout their lifetimes.”
Great Productions, Too!
All students get to perform in the “Spring Production” and — through the studio’s nonprofit partner, the Dance Theatre of Tampa (DTT) — in the winter production of “The Nutcracker,” as well as the “Summer Concert Series,” held in June at USF.
DTT provides more than 300 free tickets to NTDT’s corporate sponsors, local community supporters, alumni members and students. A small costume rental fee for productions is the only cost over the tuition that parents have to pay at any time — there is never a requirement to buy advertising or pay performance fees.
New Tampa residents Dan and Lisa Sirois relocated here from Port St. Lucie in 2016 and enrolled their daughter at NTDT.
“With Cassidy dancing since she was 3, choosing the correct school was important,” Lisa says. “Right away, we knew we made the right decision. We appreciate the fact that Dyane faithfully believes in running the school with a policy that all students are treated fairly, with no favoritism. Absolutely no bullying is allowed. And, above all, Dyane strives to help guide each student to become respectful, decent human beings as well as great dancers.”
Transferring at 11 years old, Lisa says Cassidy was originally placed in the Youth Program Level 3 and has made true, long-lasting friendships at NTDT. “Her dance technique and confidence have improved tremendously because of all the extremely caring and knowledgeable dance teachers,” Lisa says. “She loves NTDT!”
Every holiday season, Dyane says local residents look forward to the community’s largest and longest-running interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet, “The Nutcracker,” now in its 19th season. This year, it will be held Friday-Sunday, December 14-16, at USF Tampa’s College of the Arts Theater 1.
You can catch free sneak peeks of NTDT’s “The Nutcracker” at the Shops at Wiregrass mall on Saturday, November 24, Friday, November 30, Saturday, December 1 and Friday-Saturday, Dec. 7-9.
NTDT’s much-awaited Sugar Plum Fairy Tea fundraiser is now in its 14th season and will be held Sunday, December 2, at USF’s Gibbons Alumni Center. This popular event features a light lunch, desserts (including a chocolate fountain), giveaways, a sneak preview of “The Nutcracker,” and an opportunity to dance with Clara (the lead role of the young girl who receives the beloved Nutcracker as a Christmas gift) and her “party friends.”
Each year, a portion of the proceeds from the Tea is donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities in South Tampa. Tickets for both the Tea and “The Nutcracker” go on sale on Monday, October 1.
“It’s all about the children at NTDT, always has been and always will be,” Dyane says. “We are a company that enables children to succeed. The key is setting high expectations all while having fun and building self-confidence. With the amazing season ahead of us, we would like to thank all of our trusting and loyal families over the years and the organizations that continually support our vision. Without their recognition and time, NTDT wouldn’t be the magical place it has become!”
The New Tampa Dance Theatre offers year-round free trial classes for prospective dancers of all ages. To tour the facility or to rent it for a meeting, party or function, visit NTDT at 10701 Cross Creek Blvd. For more information and to check out the exciting lineup of fall classes, visit NewTampaDanceTheatre.com or call (813) 994-NTDT (6838).
(Left to right) Jon Karthaka, Ansh Bhatt, Aaryan Sharma and Nusheen Immen lead the Catalyst Club at King High, where they are all juniors in the school’s IB program.
While many students recognize the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) concepts and some join robotics or science clubs, it is likely that there are some kids who haven’t been exposed to STEM in a way that is fun and engaging.
Aaryan Sharma, a 16-year-old International Baccalaureate (IB) student at King High on N. 56th St. in Tampa wants to change that.
“We want to reach out to kids who are not already interested in STEM,” the Arbor Green resident explains.
Last year, Aaryan started the “Catalyst Club” at King with a goal to teach STEM to middle school students.
Middle schoolers, says Aaryan, are the perfect age — not too young to comprehend the subjects, and not too old that it is too late for them to become interested.
“Middle school kids are mature enough to grasp advanced concepts,” explains Aaryan. “High school students might be apathetic,” especially if they’ve already determined their path, and aren’t really open to being introduced to a new passion.”
So, Aaryan and fellow club members and officers worked last year to get the Catalyst Club up and running. This summer, their efforts took off.
Catalyst Club members reached middle school students, mostly through the HOST (Hillsborough Out of School Time) program, which provides care for students after school and during the summer.
They visited Liberty Middle School once a week, and Turner/Bartels K-8 School twice a week this summer.
Using presentations, hands-on activities and friendly competitions, Catalyst Club members teach STEM concepts to middle school students at Turner/Bartels K-8 school.
Each visit included a new lesson, first taught via a PowerPoint presentation, which was then followed up with a hands-on activity.
Jon Karthaka, the club’s director of information and content, explains a recent lesson last month.
“We’re teaching about non-Newtonian fluids, using oobleck,” he says. Oobleck is a mixture of cornstarch and water that has properties unlike a typical liquid. “We put oobleck in a Ziploc bag, then put an egg in. The kids can drop it and throw it, and the egg won’t break.”
He explains that the hands-on activities piqued the students’ curiosity and gave them the opportunity to learn in a fun way.
“We always have a demonstration and try to have competitions,” Jon explains. “They love it.”
He says the competition aspect of the club captures the middle school students’ attention. For example, at one lesson, club members gave the students popsicle sticks and tape to make a boat and see which one could hold the most quarters without sinking. This helped teach engineering, buoyancy and other principles.
“If we just teach the theory behind it, kids might be confused,” says Aaryan. “Having hands on activities, it clicks. The concept makes more sense.”
Along with Aaryan, Ansh Bhatt is the club’s vice president, and Nusheen Immen, who lives in Tampa Palms, is the club’s director of outreach and communications.
All are 16 years old and juniors in King High’s IB program.
They’re doing the typical things other high school students do, too, but are making time in their schedules to teach younger kids STEM concepts.
“We’re busy studying for SATs, too, but this is a way for us to give back,” says Aaryan. “That’s our core motivation.”
Not only do they want to volunteer and help those around them, they also are hoping to plant seeds that will lead to more students pursuing STEM careers.
They call it their “macro goal” — not just to impact some students here in New Tampa and surrounding areas, but to “bolster innovation and scientific progress in society,” Aaryan says.
“We hope to ignite a spark to create a beautiful chain reaction,” Nusheen adds.
Working with the HOST program has been a great match so far, and that is expected to continue, now that the students have returned to school. The lessons from the Catalyst Club members don’t conflict with the school day, where teachers might not have time to incorporate them.
Catalyst Club members also can attend their full day of school and go to HOST to teach after their school day ends.
“Another thing we love is it gives us opportunities to reach all kinds of students,” says Aaryan, not just students who are already gathered together because they’ve joined a STEM-related club. Catalyst Club officers say they hope to expand their lessons to more schools — and students – via the HOST program or other means.
They also emphasize that they’re not limited to just schools. So far, in addition to schools, they have also presented to Girl Scouts and are open to working with other organizations.
They hope more high school students will start their own Catalyst Club chapters at their schools, too, to increase their impact.
Aaryan says the middle school students he met this summer asked them to come back, and look forward to their visits.
“It’s so good to see the kids and develop a relationship with them,” he says.
Catalyst Club officers emphasize that they do all the work and don’t charge for their services. When they work with a school or organization, they agree on dates and times, then club members plan everything.
To learn more about the Catalyst Club, to request a presentation for a middle school group, or for high school students to find out more about starting their own chapter of the club, visit CatalystClub.TK.
Adam Smyk (above) owns the Bricks & Minifigs store at the Shops of Wiregrass, where patrons can buy, sell and trade Lego blocks and kits.
To the uninitiated, a business called Bricks & Minifigs might suggest a shop where you can buy fine masonry and, perhaps, Ficus carica saplings, but to those in the know, the national chain’s Shops at Wiregrass lifestyle center location (across from Buckle on Paseo Dr.) is the go-to destination for serious devotees of all-things Lego.
It’s a place to buy hard-to-find, gently used Lego model building kits (many of them from collectible retired lines) and original creations ready for display, as well as loose pieces such as interlocking bricks, character figures and a variety of accessories.
According to the Lego company’s Wikipedia entry, about 600 billion of the bricks and related pieces have been manufactured by the Billund, Denmark-based company since 1949, and franchise owner Adam Smyk says there’s no reason any of the blocks should ever end up n a landfill.
“You never want to throw Legos away,” says Smyk, who specializes in buying, selling and trading those random blocks.
Over the more than six decades that Legos have been on store shelves, their cross-generational popularity has remained strong enough that Smyk embarked upon a second career as a Bricks & Minifigs franchisee after serving 20 years in the U.S. Navy. He says he learned firsthand that the value of these toys lies in the experiences created by diving into a pile of the primary-color plastic blocks and creating something.
“When the kids were young and I’d come home from deployment, I’d use Legos as a way to re-connect with them,” he says.
Smyk, who retired from the Navy as a Senior Chief Electrician’s Mate, says he became acquainted with Bricks & Minifigs by shopping at a store in Hawaii while he was stationed at Pearl Harbor. “There was a store there I loved taking my kids to,” he says.
Bricks & Minifigs stores are something of a rarity, with only 38 located throughout the U.S. Smyk has the only such store in Florida.
(Note-Bricks & Minifigs has no formal licensing relationship with The Lego Group.)
Merchandise sold at Bricks & Minifigs includes a mix of assembled and unassembled verified-to-be-complete kits representing a cross-section of licensed themes, such as the “Star Wars” series.
Smyk says that some of the merchandise in his store can cost hundreds of dollars, but there’s plenty to attract customers who are on much stricter budgets, such as display cases full of assembled kits, many of them priced well under $50 (with a large selection under $20), and an extensive line of minifigures (including the popular “Ninjago” series) selling for less than $10.
For fans with big projects on their agendas and who are interested in volume purchases, there are tables full of blocks and parts to scoop up, as well as a design-your-own minifigure (minifig) station for customizing Lego characters.
Smyk is building the business partly on the premise that his personal experience with Legos is shared by other families, a point that he says is often validated in the course of conducting daily commerce.
“We had a family from Memphis, Tennessee, on vacation in Orlando that came all the way over to our store because what they like to do as a family is spread the bricks out and build something together,” Smyk says.
Whether it’s rebuilding a retired Lego Bionicle or Castle set, or manipulating bricks into a personal creation, Legos can supply plenty of indoor recreation during the hot summer days ahead, as well as during power outages that are sometimes part of the season as well. They also can be part of life’s special moments, like birthday parties.
For those who want to celebrate the Lego way, Bricks & Minifigs offers a party space and plenty of Lego pieces to do so. The cost is $175 for a 90-minute party. The venue does not serve food, but does provide plastic utensils for customers who bring their own and — most important, according to Smyk — “we take care of the cleanup.” He says that one of the biggest party attractions is when guests build their own Lego cars and race them on the store’s Lego Derby track.
Smyk’s enterprise involves his family, with adult son Daniel and his girlfriend Jenny Fraley working there, as well as his two younger, elementary-school-age sons, who occasionally help out when they aren’t in school.
For Fraley, providing a good customer experience for everyone who visits is paramount.
“It’s a personal joy of mine, trying to find a piece they’re looking for,” she says.
Fraley and Smyk say Legos have a wide appeal, and attract customers of all ages to the store.
“A lot of our adult customers enjoy them for the relaxation,” Smyk says. “People come in and say, ‘This is my childhood.’”
Thomas Annitto, 18, says he has found some merit in Smyk’s assessment of Legos as more than just a kids’ toy.
“I’ve always played with Legos since I was a little kid,” Annitto says. “This store is the coolest place ever. It’s perfect for little kids and big kids.”
Running his shop, however, is more than just playing around with toys for Smyk. It’s a business in a competitive market and for Smyk, that entrepreneurial lesson sank in when he was searching for a storefront for his shop.
A Pinellas County mall tenancy abruptly ended, and a Brandon location fell through. He says his family business has found a good home among the merchants at The Shops at Wiregrass.
Smyk and his family moved to the Tampa Bay area after he retired from the Navy two years ago. When they researched where on the mainland to move to from Hawaii, the answer was clear to them.
“All the magazines like Forbes and Money listed Tampa among their best places to live,” says Smyk. So, he and his family moved to the area without having previously set foot here. They recently moved to Tampa Palms from a community in southern Hillsborough County.
Smyk opened his Shops at Wiregrass location in March, and it has proven to be a regional customer magnet as a shopping destination. In addition to the aforementioned family from Memphis, the five-star Facebook testimonial by Lakeland resident Harold Joe Strickland Jr. speaks to the business’ regional appeal.
“It was over on hour drive from Lakeland,” Strickland Jr. wrote, “but well worth the drive.”
While a lot of his customers appreciate the distinctive products Bricks & Minifigs offers, Smyk says his used inventory offers great value.
“It’s all good as new,” he says, “but a cheaper cost because it’s used.”
Whether someone is buying, selling or trading a rare, limited edition set or looking for a deal on a bulk order of Lego bricks, the store’s objective is the same, according to Fraley.
“I like to see a smile on someone’s face when they walk out the door,” he says.
Bricks & Minifigs is located at 28210 Paseo Dr., Suite 150. You can learn more, including up-to-date information about new arrivals and special deals, by searching for “Bricks and Minifigs, Tampa” on Facebook, or by visiting BricksandMinifigs.com/store/tampa-florida. You also can call (813) 994-7171 or see the ad on pg. 28 of this issue.
The spring sports season ended last month, and, of all the spring teams at New Tampa’s two high schools, the Wharton baseball team proved to be the last team standing, falling in the Regional semifinals.
They weren’t the only team to put up a strong postseason, however, as Wharton’s softball, track & field and girls tennis teams all made it past Districts, as did the softball and both tennis teams at Freedom.
Here’s a recap of some of the highlights:
WHARTON BASEBALL: The Wildcats made yet another Regional playoff run in 2018, after finishing as the runner-up in the Class 8A, District 4 tournament. Wharton set down crosstown rival Freedom 4-0 in the District semifinals, but fell to the Strawberry Crest Chargers in the final.
After an 8-1 win over Ocala Forest in the Region quarterfinals, Wharton got another shot at the Chargers, but dropped a 3-2 decision to finish the season at 17-9.
The Wildcats’ three-man pitching rotation was a strength all season. Duncan Pastore, a senior, and junior Brian Baughman each won six games — Pastore had three shutouts — and junior Zach Allen was 4-2. The trio combined for 127 strikeouts in 117 innings.
Pastore also led the Wildcats with a .431 average and 17 RBI, while Baughman batted .398 and led the team in hits. Senior Leo Alfonzo batted .397 and tied for the team lead with 17 RBI.
“Starting pitching, as well as talented freshmen and sophomores, have been key to our success this year,” coach Scott Hoffman said. “Brian Baughman was a stud down the stretch.”
The Wharton baseball team even earned the District’s Team GPA Award with a team Grade Point Average of 3.505.
Freedom’s baseball team finished 6-16, dropping its last eight games. Senior Hunter Kniskern hit .333 with five doubles to lead the Patriots.
FREEDOM SOFTBALL: After a slow start,. the Patriots went 13-1 down the stretch to finish 19-6.
The only loss in that streak was to arch-rival Wharton, but the Patriots got revenge when it mattered most, beating the Wildcats 13-0 to win the District 8A-4 title.
“That was the first District title for softball in Freedom’s history, so it was a great accomplishment for those 11 girls,” Patriots head coach Autum Hernandez said. “The girls were motivated before the game, they wanted to prove that they hadn’t played their best against Wharton the two previous times we played them.”
Freedom advanced to the Regional semifinals by beating Ocala Forest 6-2 in the first round of the State Class 8A playoffs, before a 7-0 loss to East Ridge ended the Pats’ season.
Sophomore Ellis Erickson led Freedom with 34 hits and a .442 batting average. She was one of a number of underclassmen — sophomore Shaniyah Pope had 25 RBI, while freshman Lilly Kiester led the team with 26 runs and junior Abigail Vandeberg hit .361 — to shine for the Patriots, who have a bright future, according to Hernandez.
The team only had two seniors, with Kristina Calixto driving in a team-best 27 runs while going 8-2 in the pitching circle, and Dallas O’Clair batting .333.
The future also looks promising for Wharton, as underclassmen led the team in average, runs and doubles (freshman Tieley Vaughn), hits and RBI (junior Jordyn Gendron) and triples (junior Asia Thomas).
Sophomore Jillian Long was the winning pitcher in 13 of Wharton’s 15 wins.
The same East Ridge team that ended Freedom’s season did the same to Wharton in the first round at Regionals.
FREEDOM TENNIS: The Patriots broke through for a historic season in 2018, taking two boys and two girls to the Class 3A State tournament in Orlando under fourth-year head coach Rich Simard.
“We’ve been pretty consistent the last four years, both boys and girls,” Simard said. “We’ve been either District champs or runners-up over that time.”
The Freedom boys won a third straight District title in 2018. At the District 3A-9 tournament, Patriots sophomore Hakim Zerki took the title at No. 1 singles, and then teamed up at No. 1 doubles with senior Jared Klay for another title. The wins qualified both players for States.
The Zerki-Klay doubles team made the Round of 16 at the State tournament, the highest climb for a boys doubles team under Simard. Things look even more promising for the future, as Zerki’s younger brother, Malik, will be a Freedom freshman next year.
On the girls side, sophomore Julianna Gibson won her second straight District singles title at No. 1, and then teamed up with sophomore Zoe Ruszin to win at No. 1 doubles. That helped the Patriots team to a second-place team finish at Districts, but Gibson and Ruskin qualified for States as individuals.
“The girls are going to be even stronger next year,” Simard said. “Gibson was very close to breaking through deep into the State tournament, and next year is going to be a good shot for her.”
WHARTON TRACK: The Wildcats took 13 athletes from the boys and girls teams to the Class 4A State meet at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville on April 16.
Senior AJ Hampton was the top finisher for Wharton, running the 400 meters in 48.09 seconds to take fourth place. The time was just off his personal and school record of 47.53, set a week earlier at Regionals.
Hampton capped his high school career with three medals at States. Next year, he will attend Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, on a football scholarship. Northwestern, however, does not have a men’s track program.
“AJ willingly did the most painful event in track, knowing that if he qualified for States, it would be his last race,” Wharton boys coach Kyle LoJacono said. “Having AJ as kind of the captain of the sprints and Frankie (.) as captain of distance was huge this year.”
Godbold, a four-year runner and two-year captain for the ‘Cats, surprised even Coach LoJacono with his chance entry in the 800 meters.
Godbold, more of a traditional long distance runner that LoJacono threw into the 800m halfway through the season, was only seeded eighth at the District meet. However, he finished second in 2 minutes, 3 seconds. He cut his time even further at Regionals, with a 1:57.97, the fastest time for a male 800m runner for Wharton in the last decade.
“Just getting to states for Frankie was incredible, it made me so proud,” LoJacono said.
Teammate Nehemiah Rivers, a junior, became the first male Wildcat distance runner to win the 1600m at Regionals. He also became the first Wildcat to qualify for the State meet in both the 1600m and 3200m races in the same season.
Rivers placed 12th in the 3200 at the Class 4A State finals with a time of 9:44.44, and he was 22nd in the 1600m finals, running a 4:36.70.
Both times were markedly slower than Rivers’ breakout performances at Regionals, where he set personal and school records in the 1600 (4:25.39) and 3200 (9:25.77).
While winning the 1600 at Regionals, Rivers ran a sterling 59-second final lap.
