Originated by Native Americans as a game “said to be played ‘for the pleasure of the Creator,’” according to the online Wikipedia, lacrosse is becoming popular yet again in the States with the FishHawk Coyotes Youth Lacrosse being forged.
Kicking off in December, the new team is inviting those in second-sixth grades to enroll in the team, with the rec team playing second to fourth grade students and the youth team welcoming fifth through sixth grade students. Up to 25 players will be chosen to put their skills to the test on the fields of the FishHawk Sports Complex, with 10 being on the field at one time.
“The team was started because there was an opportunity for lacrosse to be played at the FishHawk Sports Complex,” says coach and FishHawk resident Brian Lemon, who is vice president of Operations for the National Lacrosse League, having once joined the ranks as a professional lacrosse player for the National Lacrosse League. “We had the choice to bring the team under the umbrella of the FishHawk Youth Sports Association and felt it was a good time to do so.”
Amidst 10 other lacrosse teams connected to the Tampa Bay area’s West Florida Lacrosse League, the FishHawk Coyotes Youth Lacrosse will play a total of 12 games from January to mid-April, with practices beginning in late November. Led by Lemon and fellow coaches Tim Jones and Andrew Cox, also FishHawk residents, the sport of lacrosse “teaches sportsmanship, how to work with your teammates and life lessons so that they can transfer into the real world, done so by the provision of a solid coaching philosophy,” mentions Lemon. “Really, it is all about the kids.”
Any first-year players are welcome to register for the team as ongoing sign-ups continue. The cost is $175 which includes the player’s uniform as well as all equipment being supplied, though players will have to furnish their own lacrosse stick. The league has future plans to develop a middle school team as well as a girls program in the upcoming year, though girls are welcome to sign-up for the current teams until this concept becomes a reality. For further information or to sign-up for the team, visit www.leaguelineup.com/FHCOYOTES or call Lemon at 689-2070.

Known for its high number of students who receive both athletic and academic scholarships year after year, Riverview High School has once again wasted no time to hold its first college signing of the 2008-09 school year.
Continuing in the tradition of parents, friends, teachers and coaches who gather in the principal’s conference room for a festive occasion, the school hosted a college signing for Kayla Webb in September.
Webb, who has played for the Sharks’ girl soccer team, was excited to sign her letter of intent on attending and, of course, playing soccer for Tennessee Temple University, a choice, she admitted was not too difficult to make since she will be joining her best friend Brandy Schock, who had signed with Tennessee Temple University at the end of the last season and began attending this year.
“My coaches and Brandy have convinced me to take this road, and, now, I can hardly wait to start,” Webb said.
Pleased with Webb’s success, Riverview High School Athletic Director Ron Wardlow began the ceremony by sharing his thoughts with those present.
“The greatest joy for a school is to see a student succeed and advance both academically and athletically,” Wardlow said, adding, “We are extremely proud of Kayla and wish her the best at her new school.”
Riverview High School principal Robert Heilman was also proud of Webb and her decision when he said, “I am pleased with your choice, not only of the sport but of the education as well. We wish you a successful future.”
According to Steven Houle, who has coached the girls soccer program at Riverview for the last three years and has now tuned the responsibility over to the school’s new head soccer coach Katie Reed, Webb was essential to the Sharks’ success.
“Kayla is a happy spirit, and I have enjoyed her company on the team. She has played and is capable of playing well in every position. She is a team player and never questioned her coaches. I am honored to have had her here with us,” Houle said.
Webb’s future college coaches Matt Smith and assistant coach Carlos Goncalves were also present during the celebration. While Webb will play-out most of the current season, she will be graduating early.
For more information about upcoming events and future college signings, please call the school at 671-5011, ext. 222.

“It has been six months overdue, but it is finally a reality,” said Tyana Marlowe, owner and head coach of Tampa Bay Rhythmics, as she talked about the new 4,500 sq. ft. gym she and her team of talented gymnasts recently had the opportunity to occupy.
Now located at 6542 Krycul Ave. in Riverview, it is not the only thing Marlowe is proud of. With the challenges of not having a facility and having to switch gyms in between, Marlowe’s team still came out on top during the 2008 season.
“We have posted the best rhythmic gymnastics team in Florida and region 6 which is comprised of states as far north as North Carolina and as far west as Texas,” Marlowe said.
The team’s recent success includes the 2008 Compulsory Junior Olympics, held in Columbus, Ohio in mid-June where level 4 qualifier Chase Anthony (10), level 5 Pamela Tang (11), and level 6 Tiffany Paul (13), each won their age division national title.
Earlier this year, Ivana Benson and Rachel Little both advanced to the level 10 USA Visa National Championship qualifying event in New York City in May.
It is also noteworthy that talented gymnasts Dafne Medina and Valeria Weidman followed up the season with qualifying to be on the Future Stars National Team, now being eligible to train at the United States Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid in late September.
Marlowe said that to top things off for the group this summer, a visit by the 2004 USA Olympian Mary Sanders was a great highlight. “Visits like this mean a lot for the team and for each girl individually,” Marlowe said. “It helps them appreciate the fact that someday they can all be Olympians.”
The next event for the team will be the Suncoast Sports Festival, which Tampa Bay Rhythmics will be hosting the rhythmic portion January 23-24 at the Florida State Fairgrounds.
Classes will be available for ages 3 and up starting September at the new gym in Riverview. For more information contact Marlowe at 741-2827.

Trying to predict the success or failure of a certain athletic program at the start of the season can be done by anyone, but how much credit someone’s words actually merit or if those predictions can actually be trusted is a whole new ball game.
However, when you have someone like East Bay Indians varsity football coach Bryan Thornton with 15 years of coaching experience under his belt who says that his boys have a great chance of bringing home the district title, people might pay attention.
That, of course, does not mean that coaches like Thornton do not make mistakes or are ever wrong. But it does mean that the experience has some weight and both his players as well as neighboring schools should mind what is being said.
Facing its first district game of the 2008-09 season against Brandon with a 2-1 record, the Indians had everything to gain. Just hours before the game, Thornton admitted that to win, his boys must avoid the mistakes and not allow the turnovers that had plagued the team during the first three games of the current season.
“We have to stop making mistakes and letting turnovers cost us the games,” Thornton said.
While East Bay did beat Brandon 18-17, proving to be one of the night’s best games, it was not without fumbles and key penalties; the very things Thornton had hoped to avoid.
But this head coach knows his game and the sport he has been teaching for a long time. Trailing 17-3 in the third quarter, the Indians were ready to make some changes on the scoreboard.
After a touchdown by Chaz Burrows, the Indians lined up for a point, after which, due to a costly mistake on the part of the Eagles, turned into a two-point conversion by Andre Simpson placing East Bay within six. After making good on a gift-fumble by recovering the ball on the Eagle’s 13 yard line with less than four minutes left on the clock, East Bay scored on a five-yard run.
Happy with the win and confident of a good season, Thornton is hopeful that his team will get better as the season goes on.
For more information about the East Bay Varsity Football Program, please visit www.highschoolsports.net or www.maxpreps.com.

There was no doubt that on the mind of anyone who follows high school football that the Bloomingdale football program will have its work cut out for the 08-09 season, but most did not expect to see the Bulls suffer a defeat by Spoto High. At the end, however the score board showed 26-12 in favor of the Spartans.
Expecting a strong opponent and trying to get back on track after a disappointing game the week before, Bulls head coach Jason Stokes said that his team was ready to take on the Spartans.
“We have been training hard and we should have a good game tonight,” said Stokes, just before the game.
Unfortunately, Spoto proved to be a bit too strong, too fast and too much for the Bulls to handle.
Spartan’s running back Tim Randolph turned in a great night of football by posting a 147 yards on 14 carries including the scoring on a 67-yard run in the second quarter topping it off with a 34 yard run later.
Bulls’ running back Derek Johnson ran for 95 yards on just 10 carries while Anthony Amos was able to gain 67 yards for Bloomingdale for the night.
True to Stokes’ words the game was a close one with Bloomingdale running the ball for a total of 160 yards and passing for 77 yards, while Spoto ran the ball 176 yards and passed for 78 yards.
Bloomingdale had almost twice the amount of first downs with 14 to the Spoto’ seven.
But, while the Bulls, according to Stokes, have been concentrating on the fundamentals they were only able to gain most of the yards in the final quarter, which proved to be a little too late to catch up with the Spartans’ big plays throughout the game.
“Spoto has a great football program,” Stokes said, adding, “They are tough, and clearly have a lot of speed and will be hard to beat this season.”
For more information about the 08-09 high school football season, please visit www.highschoolsports.net or www.maxpreps.com.

Thanks to TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer) many mentally and physically challenged youth in the Brandon area, from ages 5 years and up, will have the opportunity to be a part in a busy athletic season while playing soccer.
“The program is both social as well as athletic, designed for children and some young adults with disabilities the opportunity of learning the game and having some fun at the same time,” said TOPS local founder Ken Muzyk.
Muzyk explained that through the generosity and support of local businesses as well as organizations such as BAYSL (Brandon Area Youth Soccer League) TOPS, a national soccer program, will begin its tenth season this year on September 13, and will end on November 8, with a party as well as a trophy for each player.
As it was true in previous seasons the support of the community allows each player to be supplied with cleats, shin guards as well as uniforms at no cost while the program is carried out in a caring coaching environment.
According to Muzyk, TOPSoccer was designed not as a competitor to the programs run by other sports organizations for people with disabilities, but rather as a complementary program that works hand in hand with organizations like Special Olympics to expand the overall training and competition opportunities for young people with disabilities.
“This is an excellent program and it works well, which is why it has been able to exist for almost a decade. Muzyk said, adding, “We have on an average 120 athletes some of whom are in a wheelchair and many of them returning for the tenth time.”
While there are no practices during the week games are played on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until noon at the J.C. Handley Park Soccer Complex, located at 3104 South Kings Avenue in Brandon.
The sports complex is also the location for registration which is scheduled for September 20. Each player is required to bring his or her birth certificate, Individual Education Plans (IEP), and a parent or guardian with photo I.D.
Volunteers are still needed to help with several parts of the TOPS program. For more information please visit www.brandonsoccer.comor call 657-5271.

Never before has a Tampa bay area AAU, U-13 team finished in the medal bracket in the prestigious Cooperstown, NY “Baseball World” Summer Tournament… up until now!
Valrico’s Ostinger Baseball Academy brought home the silver recently after competing in its inaugural season losing 3-2 in to the California Demons in the championship game.
Jim Osting, manager and owner of the Academy along with assistant coaches Dave Reed, Shawn Reed and Jack Bartlett helped 13 local U-13 boys achieve what began last summer as athletes and parents pledged to start a travel team that would compete throughout Florida against top ranked clubs.
“The goal was simple,” Osting said. It was to compete for the USA National Crown at the Baseball World National Summer Tournament.
Team parents and players organized two successful fundraisers which have included a “Dinner to Go” night at the Brunchery Restaurant as well as golf tournament that helped raise the funds required to travel and participate in the coveted tournament during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction week.
“It was a dream come true for all of the boys, the parents and the coaches while provided the inspiration to build a world class area Baseball Academy,” said Bill Farley owner of the Brunchery restaurant.
Osting had a vision to create a baseball academy in the Valrico area dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs primarily focused on Baseball. The inaugural season goals were to finish with a record above .500 and to compete well in the Cooperstown Baseball World Tournament. The Ostingers finished the second half of their season going 20-6 including a 6-1-1 record in Cooperstown.
But Cooperstown did not end the summer success for the young athletes at the academy.
At the end of August the Ostingers won the 14-U USSSA tournament in Leesburg Fl., beating the Central Florida Predators 12-3. The Back to School Classic had six teams from the state.
“It was a total team effort and everyone played their part in winning the tourney,” said Osting adding, “The dedication of our young players have started to pay off.”
Former major league pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers Jim Osting, has built a successful program training area children starting as early as U-9 up to top prospect Varsity HS Baseball players that have gone on to receive scholarships to top colleges in the country. He is also has broken ground on the Academy Training Facility that is located just east of Lithia-Pinecrest Road and Highway 39 and estimates that the facility will be completed by October 1st.
The Academy now has 2 AAU teams competing as U-13 and U-14 that will play out of the new FishHawk Sports Complex. For more information about the Osting Baseball Academy please call 404-1775.

Sara Valenti is not a coach, athlete or even a fan of any one particular sporting event, but she is very much a part of Durant High School’s athletic program. May it be football, soccer, basketball or any other fall, winter or spring program, she can be seen at the sideline interacting with the players before, during and after the games.
Valenti, whose credentials include a master’s degree from Southeast Missouri State University as well as a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of South Florida (USF) in athletic training, is a USF full-time certified athletic trainer (CAT) deployed in one of 10 high schools across Hillsborough County. Licensed by the state of Florida to practice athletic training, all of the trainers are involved with laying a foundation for a statewide initiative in connection with raising the standard of care for students competing in team sports.
Under the direction of USF’s Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma Institute (SMART), Valenti and a number of other certified trainers are helping transform sports safety through integrated education, research and community outreach.
“It is very rewarding, and I am glad to be part of this program as it provides athletes with first responders who can be available and are qualified to asses injuries as soon as they occur on the court or out on the football or soccer field,” said Valenti.
Valenti explained that parents often take their children to a doctor after an injury unnecessarily. At the same time, some injuries are ignored because parents are not sure if it merits a doctor visit.
“This is an area we can help as well. Certified athletic trainers can refer players to doctors or save the parents the trouble of unnecessary doctor visits,” said Valenti.
SMART was established in 2006 as a Florida state-sponsored, interdisciplinary program focusing on preventing needless injuries on the field. According to SMART Executive Director Jeff Konin, more than 3.5 million U.S. children under the age of 15 are treated for sports-related injuries each year. “More than half of those injuries happen at practice,” Konin said.
One of the most common injuries which disproportionately affects female athletes is a ruptured or torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). SMART began to track the incidence of ACLs and other sports-related injuries in high schools.
Another important aspect of the program is to identify areas that threaten the safety of athletes and do what it takes to make a difference. Professor and chair of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at USF, Robert Pedowitz, said that through the computerized injury surveillance program, SMART has the ability to measure the impact of preventive programs, such as its Prevent Injury, Enhancement Performance (PIEP), on the student athletes.
But that is not all for SMART. Its interdisciplinary faculty includes orthopedists, primary care physicians, public health professionals, physical therapists and trainers. In addition to providing trainers to schools, SMART has partnered with school districts, youth programs, youth sports leagues and athletic training associations to teach and train a sports safety course to coaches, physical education teachers and health teachers across west Central Florida. SMART has already been nationally recognized for its research on the early detection of heat illness in athletes.
“I hope that this program will continue and legislation will approve that the supporting of SMART is in the best interest of all athletes as well as the parents,” said Valenti.
For more information, coaches, parents of students or others interested in SMART can contact Konin at 369-9625.

The Riverview Sharks girls volleyball program posted an overall record of 8-11 and a league record of 3-9 last year, drawing attention to the challenges girls were facing last season.
But this is a new school year, a new season and, at the helm, a new head coach. Well, not exactly brand new. Sharks volleyball head coach Faye Graham has replaced former Riverview coach Kelli Russo who has decided to take a break from coaching and turned the scepter over to her assistant coach to lead the young team this year.
“It’s been a fairly easy transition for me since I have been with the team as the assistant coach,” Graham said, but after acknowledging the Sharks’ previous season’s performance said, “Of course, last year could have been better.”
Graham graduated from Savanna College of Arts and Design in Georgia, and has a degree in photography but she is grateful for the opportunity to coach the Sharks and have the hand in guiding the girls toward being successful both on and off the court.
“We have a young team and a long way to go, but we are also blessed with a lot of talent,” she said as she explained that one of the strengths of her team is the girls’ ability to play in any of the positions on the court.
“A lot of them are club players so they do have the chance to play the sport all year-round,” Graham said.
She did mention, however, that her team is very young with just 12 players, posting only two seniors, Erin Endres and Chelsey Pachoud and only three juniors, while the rest are sophomores and one freshman, but was upbeat about the girls’ willingness and commitment while she said that the hitters have stepped up their game this year.
As far as the season is concerned, Graham simply said that she and her team are going into each game the same as the other. “We focus on one game at the time,” she said.
For more information about the Sharks volleyball team, game schedule or roster, please visit www.maxpreps.com or www.fhsaa.com.

A small ceremony including a ribbon cutting featuring county and league officials was recently held in order to dedicate Hillsborough County’s latest sports complex located in the heart of Riverview.
The 23-acre $3 million Summerfield Soccer Complex will be used and officially occupied by and will be the home to the South Hillsborough Soccer League (SHSL) serving 750 members in its recreational and competitive soccer programs.
The dedication was also the official opening of the new Summerfield Soccer Park. This park was in the planning stages for about 10 years, but funding was only approved by the board of county commissioners about three years ago. While bids for the complex were solicited two years ago, construction began in late September 2006.
Located at 11942 Big Bend Rd., approximately 5.5 miles east of I-75, includes seven soccer fields, concession building, a maintenance building, lights, sidewalks, irrigation system, parking, and landscaping as well as an entrance road.
According to SHSL President Bob Bruce, the dedication program proved to be a success which included a silent auction, 50/50 raffle, a DJ, free soccer ball giveaway, bake sale, snow cones and cotton candy while it also hosted three soccer games.
Guest speakers included Hillsborough County Commissioner Al Higginbotham who thanked all the volunteers and sponsors that have contributed to the facility’s present condition and said “I am looking forward to the success of the season as well as the facility.”
Florida Youth Soccer Association’s Region C Vice President Dave Ditillio presented a Hackworth-Davis Scholarship Award to one of SHSL’s most talented players, 18-year-old Rachael Sandora. Her mother accepted the $250 award on her behalf because Rachael is currently attending Gulf Coast University.
“I am very proud of Rachel. Her dedication and hard work has truly paid off,” Kim said.
Rachael played soccer at South Hillsborough Soccer League (SHSL) since the age of 5, playing in both of the recreational and competitive programs. Rachael was also a coach and referee at SHSL.
Besides the fun and food more than 170 children registered to play soccer for the upcoming season. SHSL officials were proud of raising money to support the upcoming athletic events and to bu more new equipment for the fields.
“The money will be spent on new player benches, goals and equipment,” SHSL League President Bruce said, adding, “Everyone had a great time and although Tropical Storm Fay made her presence felt, the weather didn’t dampen our spirits or hold down attendance too much.”
For more information about SHSL’s youth and adult athletic programs as well as season, field and volunteer programs please e-mail League President Bob Bruce at president@shslsoccer.com.