Category: News

Local Author’s First Book Sparked By Roar Heard In Wesley Chapel

The RoarWEB — Alicia White was inspired by a thread on the Wesley Chapel Community Facebook page to write her first novel, entitled The Roar.

Although Alicia White has lived in Lutz and Land O’ Lakes for 20 years, she says the first time she heard a roaring sound she describes as “ominous” was when she moved to Wesley Chapel a year ago.

White, who is a fifth grade teacher at Turner/Bartels K-8 School in nearby New Tampa, said the noise shook the windows and she felt it in the ground.

“I happened to be online and noticed people posting about it on the Wesley Chapel Community Facebook page,” she says, and it piqued her curiosity. “It’s the kind of thing that makes you look at someone in the room and say, ‘You heard that, too, right?’”

Alicia says that sparked an idea and led her to write a book. “The story is entirely fictional, but the idea came to me from hearing this roaring noise here in Wesley Chapel.”

Alicia’s self-published book is called The Roar and is available in hard copy and e-book form on Amazon.com. Alicia’s pen name is A. M. White.

The Roar is classified as “young adult dystopian fiction,” Alicia says, and is planned to be the first in a series. The book’s back cover explains it this way: “The world as we know it disappeared with the roars. Alex was enslaved by those controlling them. Little does she know that some have survived the roars and live outside the compounds, and someone out there is very interested in finding her. Alex’s world is about to expand beyond her imagination.”

Alicia is currently writing the second book in the series. Although she doesn’t use the book in her classroom (“That would be a little too much shameless self-promotion,” she laughs.), she does use her story to inspire her fifth graders. “It’s not just my dream to be a published author,” she tells her students. “It’s something that can be realized.”

Alicia says she intentionally wrote the book so that it would be appropriate for her students who might come across it. “Nowadays, it’s harder to find things that aren’t risqué,” Alicia says. “There is some violence in the book, because it’s a dystopian novel and has people trying to survive. But, I kept out profanity and sexual content.”

Alicia has been encouraged by reviews and the response to The Roar so far. She says book bloggers from around the world – from Denmark, India, South Africa, and the Philippines – have contacted her, wanting to read and review her novel.

“That’s been really neat,” she says. “It makes the world a bit smaller.”

The reviews on Amazon.com include this one by Maddy, who says:

“The Roar was a novel that sucked me in before I even started with a unique and captivating concept, took me through twists and turns and then left me wanting more. The characters were interesting and relatable, the story held my attention as I held my breath, cried, and laughed throughout, and the post apocalyptic world painted was one like no other. This book will please fans of post apocalyptic novels with slight nods to The Hunger Games and Divergent. You won’t be disappointed.”

As for those noises in Wesley Chapel? Alicia still hears them from time to time. While the most popular explanation seems to be they are from military exercises from MacDill Air Force Base, Alicia insists that just doesn’t make sense.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s a good explanation,” she says.

You can read more reviews or get your own copy of the book by searching “The Roar by A.M. White” at Amazon.com.

Guinness Record for local hotshot

New Tampa resident Justin Dargahi recently made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for making 26 NBA-range (23’-9”) three-point shots in one minute.

Justin Dargahi doesn’t have the smoothest shot around. His form isn’t ideal, his finish isn’t textbook. In fact, you could argue he looks a little awkward as he fires the basketball towards the rim, jumping forward a bit, landing on his right foot.

“My shot’s been laughed at all my life,’’ Dargahi says.

Until it starts going in, which it almost always does.

Swish.

Dargahi, who lives in Hunter’s Green, is one of the newest entries into the Guinness Book of World Records, for that not-ideal, non-textbook, awkward-motion shot, after he made 26 three-pointers from the NBA range in one minute.

Shooting at the top of the key from 23 feet, 9 inches away, Justin broke the old Guinness record of 25 threes in a minute held by Oregon’s Dan Loriaux, who also holds the record for most treys made in one hour (1,077) and in 24 hours (10,381).

“I told some friends that I set the record, but they just told me to come see them when it’s official,’’ Justin said, laughing.

Well, it’s official.

Taking aim at Guinness record

The former Land O’ Lakes girls basketball assistant coach set the record Jan. 4 in the Land O’Lakes High gymnasium. His record-setting morning, for which he had to file an official application, as well as hiring basketball officials and recording the event, was finally certified by the Guinness Book of World Records last month.

Justin says the Guinness record doesn’t sound like much to some, who are convinced that an NBA player could set it if they tried. But, he says some have, most notably former Boston Celtics All-Star forward Paul Pierce and former NBA journeyman and sharpshooter Jason Kapono, who led the NBA in three-point shooting percentage twice and also won the Three-Point Shootout, held during the NBA’s midseason All-Star Weekend, twice.

It takes consistency and resilience, Justin says, and the fortitude to throw up almost a shot a second. After about 10 shots, most shooters’ arms grow weary. After 20, they hurt and after 30 the ball gets heavier, and the shooting form becomes a bit unraveled.

On Justin’s most recent attempt, which was the fifth time he had tried to break the record, he missed his first shot but then made his next six.

Halfway there (at 30 seconds), he had 16 makes and only five misses.

Justin Dargahi sets the record, seen here on YouTube.

And, with 7.8 seconds left, Record No. 26 swished through the net.

Justin, however, thought he had only made 25. After missing his final four shots, he extended his arms in agony, despite the cheering from the girl basketball players on hand.

“We had to make sure and check the video,’’ he said.

In all, Justin shot 38 times in 60 seconds, and made 26, for a remarkable 68.4 percent.

“It’s a little bit of notoriety, that’s nice,’’ said Dargahi, who works for Future Home Realty, which has six Florida offices, including one in Wesley Chapel.

Guinness confirmation arrives

The official Guinness Record certificate now sits over the fireplace in his home, a testament to setting a goal and achieving it. His next shot at fame, he says, may come from the free throw line, where the current record is 52 made in one minute from that 15-foot distance.

For Justin, the road to the record books was a natural one. He grew up a shooter, always drawing crowds and breaking records at the pop-a-shot games you find at arcades and theme parks.

He first played organized basketball at Tampa Baptist and Tampa’s Cambridge Christian, and had college aspirations. But, there were few spots on college basketball rosters for slightly-built 6-footers who weren’t great defenders.

“I was always by far the best shooter on the basketball teams I played on,’’ Justin said. “But, I wasn’t at good playing defense.”

Instead, Dargahi went to USF — where he once won $1,000 in a three-point shooting contest at the school — and graduated with a degree in journalism.

He continues to shoot hoops. On a recent blazing hot afternoon at Hunter’s Green’s Capt. Nathaniel Hunter Park, Justin shows off his gift, moving around the court and firing up shots, or “shot puts,” he jokes, many from a few feet behind the arc.

Swish.

“I’ve never been better,’’ says Justin, who is 34 years old. “My range keeps getting better.”

Justin still plays on Sunday mornings at Cambridge Christian on N. Habana Ave. with his old high school teammates and friends, and though he lives across the street from the court at Hunter’s Green, he doesn’t get out to shoot as much as he would like.

Still, he recently sent a letter to the University of South Florida basketball program — which has sorely lacked a pure outside shooter in recent years — asking coach Orlando Antigua for a chance to walk on to the team. He figured if he can make the Guinness Book of World Records for his uncommon gift of deadeye, long-range shooting, why not?

“Wouldn’t that be a great story?’’ Justin asks with a smile.

The Force Not With LEGO Thief

Pasco Sheriff’s deputies arrested Shannon Kirkley, a New Jersey fugitive, after he was caught stealing thousands of dollars worth of Star Wars LEGO items from the Toys ‘R’ Us located at The Grove at Wesley Chapel.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Kirkley put up a fight before being taken into custody. He was charged with the theft, as well as resisting arrest and possession of cocaine and paraphernalia.

The Grove at Wesley Chapel wasn’t Kirkley’s first stop, says the PCSO. He is also suspected of stealing Star Wars LEGO items across the country.

The Force was not strong with this one. (h/t to the PCSO).

Wesley Chapel Resident Says He Was Shot Foiling Burglary

A Wesley Chapel homeowner was shot Monday while disrupting an attempted car burglary, according to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the PCSO, deputies were called to a home on the 6800 block of Aramon Court in Wesley Chapel at 12:33 a.m. Deputies were told by the victim that he had come outside to smoke a cigarette when he came upon two men trying to break into his vehicle. He yelled at the would-be burglars, who shot at him. The victim was struck in the left thigh, and transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The case remains open as the suspects have not been captured, according to the PCSO.

First-Ever Ducky Derby Raises $6,000+

I’m always proud to be a member of the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, which meets Wednesdays at noon at Quail Hollow Country Club, but never more so than I was on May 21, when the club hosted its first-ever Duck Derby, held at Lake Padgett behind Hungry Harry’s BBQ off U.S. 41 in Land O’Lakes.

Almost 200 people turned out to see if the ducks they purchased for $5 apiece (or “flocks” of 25 for $100; more than 2,000 total ducks were purchased and numbered) would win one of the event’s almost 70 prizes.

But, the thing I was proudest of was that this event — which now looks as though it will join the club’s annual Adult Spelling Bee as a major fund raiser — grew into something amazing out of an idea brought up by club member John Jay (the DJ, at left in center photo below) and run with by club members Vicki Hamilton, Chris Casella and Jodie Sullivan of Fun Services/Funtastic Events, whose company also was the Big Bird ($4,500) Sponsor for this first annual Duck Derby.

The first duck to finish the “race” was purchased by club members Brian and Isabelle Dunleavy, who won a $2,500 cash prize, a portion of which they announced they would donate to The Joshua House, a local “safe haven for children in need.”

Even after deducting the Dunleavys’ top prize, the club was thrilled to raise more than $6,000 net, which will be donated to the Rotary’s selected nonprofit organizations.

Among the other top prizes was an all-day fishing expedition for five people, a stay at Saddlebrook Resort (donated by club member Alexis Dempsey, see story on pg. 10), a fishing rod handmade by club member and Duck Derby logistics expert (and kayaking rescuer) Jimmy Mason, and a free $400 ad donated by this publication, which was won by club member, Rubber Ducky Sponsor and Cash 4 Gold owner Trevor Campbell. For more info, visit WCRotary.org. — GN