01.24.13 Plant City Observer

FREE • thuRsday, JaNuaRy 24, 2013

in focusSPORTSstrawberry crestcharged up forregional run.PAGE 11

PLANT CITYObserveryou. youR NEighboRs. youR NEighboRhood.

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crossword ......... 14 obituaries ......... 10 opinion ................8 sports ............... 11Vol. 1, no. 29 | One section

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+ Win two ticketsto annual cookout!

The Plant City Observer and Plant city Elks Lodge #1727 have partnered to give away two tickets to the 25th annual Wild Game cookout.

This men’s night out will take place from 6 to 11 p.m. feb. 9, at the Hillsborough county cattlemen’s Association Building, 6404 s. c.R. 39, one mile south of state Road 60.

Entering is simple: Visit Plantcityobserver.com, and click on the contest ad in the top right corner. once on the contest page, you will be asked to Like us on facebook. Enter your email address and hit submit, and you’re done!

The fine print: contest runs through 11:59 p.m. feb. 3. This is a men-only event, and you must be 21 to attend. only one entry per person. Tickets are valued at $150.

ouR ToWn

indeX

Plant City Motorsports rumbles intodowntown

coming soon by Matt Mauney | Associate Editor

The full-service facility, located in the former Firestone Tire building on east Baker Street, will open March 1.

The old Firestone shop at the corner of Baker and Palmer streets soon will go from servic-ing vehicles with four wheels to those with two, three, four — and even none at all.

Plant City Motorsports, a full-service shop specializing in ser-vicing all makes of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, side-by-sides and watercraft, is set to open March 1.

Entrepreneur Matt Ackles, along with Craig McKee, con-sultant Jerrod Monaghan, and Craig’s son, Chad, partnered to open the new shop, which they expect will fill a need in the local market.

“There are several shops in the area that will work on motorcy-cles, but not any that service all makes,” Monaghan said, noting the shop will service everything from Harley-Davidsons to Japa-nese sport bikes. “If it’s got a mo-tor and a way of propulsion, we’re hoping to be able to service those vehicles.”

A Michigan native, Ackles at-tended the Motorcycle Mechan-ics Institute, in Orlando. After graduating and returning home to Michigan, he eventually moved back to Florida for better opportunities.

“We looked at (more than) 30 different properties in the Great-er Plant City area before decid-ing on this location,” Monaghan said about the shop’s new home, 203 E. Baker St., in historic down-town. “We did a lot of homework before settling on that location, and it was by far the best facility that we found.”

Monaghan also said the part-ners plan to obtain a seller’s li-cense to sell used vehicles from the shop within six months.

According to Ackles, the reason for coming to Plant City stemmed

See MOTORSPORTS / PAGe 2

in focus: MLk cELEBRATion by the observer staff

The annual MLk parade featured plenty of student musicians.

Foundation Freedom

Plant City celebrated one of Amer-ica’s greatest heroes with the 2013

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Arts Festival.The festival, themed “Faith, the Founda-

tion of Freedom,” was a joint effort between the Improvement League of Plant City and the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival.

It kicked off with opening ceremonies Jan. 18, with special guests, Mayor Mike Spark-man and the Rev. Dr. Shafter E. Scott, of St. Mary M.B. Church. The festival continued with the Step Show Jan. 18, parade Jan. 19, a two-day carnival and much more.

Erika Judd and Durant High school’s Alpha cougar omega put on a circus-themed show.

Lincoln Elementary fourth-grader Jaden Clark was one of many performers of the Pride Drum Ensemble at the opening ceremonies.

kids of all ages loved zooming around on the car-nival rides.

Keivonte Fuller is the vice president of Gentlemen’s Quest, a group from Marshall Middle school.

oF

SEE MORE EVENT PHOTOS ON PAGE 9

+ Visit our websitefor exclusive content

The winners of the 2013 Junior Royalty Pageant sat down with Associate Editor amber Jurgensen to share some insight into their lives, hopes and dreams.

see our exclusive video on Plantcityobserver.com!

+ Got a love storyfit for Hollywood?

Was it love at first sight? Did you overcome some awe-some obstacle to be with your spouse? Maybe your parents have a love story that rivals Hollywood’s best flicks.

if so, we want to hear from you! The Plant City Observer is planning a special edition for Valentine’s Day, and we want to hear your love story.

contact General Manager Michael Eng, (813) 704-6850 or [email protected].

Plant city observerTHURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 20132 PlantCityObserver.com

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from the number of riders in this area.

“There’s not really anything else in the immediate area that meets those needs,” Ackles said. “That’s why we’re here.”

Ackles will serve as the head mechanic and technician at the shop, while McKee also will work in-house. Monaghan is a consul-tant who has helped with more than 100 motorcycle dealerships and shops in the United States. He has worked with a variety of markets but says Plant City has been one of his most unique ex-periences.

“Plant City has been so gra-cious and open-minded to us and really the entire motorcycle community,” he said, noting the city’s more that 10-year involve-ment with Bike Fest, a monthly

festival held in McCall Park, just a few blocks from the shop’s lo-cation.

“(Brining in) hundreds of motorcycles and riders in each month could strike fear in some people, with preconceived no-tions of groups like the Hells Angels, but this is a family sport and hobby much more than it is about the 1%,” Monaghan said. “I applaud this community for having that foresight and for looking at it as an asset and not a liability to bring in tourism dol-lars.”

Monaghan hopes the monthly festival will bring in customers and that Plant City Motorsports can build a good relationship with Bike Fest.

“It’s great to see the small-town community feel Plant City brings,” Monaghan said. “We really feel at home in this envi-

ronment, and we are looking forward to being a part of this community.”

Monaghan added that they have made an effort to set up lo-cally, with banking and financial services. Plant City Motorsports also has submitted paperwork to join the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce and has plans to host a ribbon-cutting event April 5. Ackles also noted he has received interest from members of Plant City’s First Baptist Church, located across the street. First Baptist has a group called the Faith Riders, that ride their motorcycles to church every Sunday.

“They’ve been congratulating us on everything and are inter-ested in what we have going on,” he said.

Contact Matt Mauney at [email protected].

MotorsPorts/PaGe 1

Matt Mauney

Plant City Motorsports will be located in the former Firestone Tire service shop at at 203 E. Baker St. in the historic downtown district.

IT’S READ EVERYWHERE!

If you want to be featured in It’s Read Everywhere, snap a photo of you with the paper at your destination of choice and email it to Michael eng, [email protected]. Make sure you include your full name and where the photo was taken.

57tH PresiDential inaUGUration. Walden Lake resi-dents C.L. and Ione Townsend brought their favorite communi-ty newspaper with them to the 57th Presidential Inauguration Jan. 22, in Washington, D.C. This photo was taken at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

PlantCityObserver.com 3 Plant city observerTHURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2013

Walden Lake Community As-sociation board members hope an official copy of the association’s policies will help stymie any con-fusion regarding the community’s rules and regulations.

Last month, the board direct-ed its enforcement committee to draft a formal policy on code enforcements. Chairman Jim Chancey presented the draft at the WCLA’s Jan. 21 meeting for board members to review and revise.

“A lot of people have questions about policies,” On-Site Manager Tom Daramus said. “We want ev-eryone to be on the same page.”

The policy will address com-mon subjects, such as how the notification process for violations works, defines the roles of the ho-meowners associations, fining, reoccurring violations and arbi-tration. No policies were changed.

“It’s very comprehensive,” Chancey said during the meet-ing. “It’s not a library book, but it addresses things we haven’t ad-dressed in the past.”

If the document is approved by all board members, it will be sent to the 16 communities WLCA oversees. Each president then will review and return it signed.

PRESIDENTS MEETINGDaramus warned the presi-

dents about burglaries in Walden Lake. He encourages anyone who is a victim of theft to call the po-lice. Hopefully, the number of calls would increase patrols in the community, he said.

Many of the burglaries come from unlocked cars.

“I consider those pretty much an invitation,” Daramus said.

A representative from the Plant City Police Department was sup-posed to be present to answer crime questions at the meeting

but was unable to attend. The police department had requested from homeowners association presidents a list of addresses of vacant homes. The police depart-ment suspects that many of the burglars will hide out around the vacant homes after committing a crime to escape police patrols.

Several presidents mentioned forming a neighborhood watch to further combat the thefts.

Contact Amber Jurgensen at [email protected].

WLCA drafts formal policy on enforcementsWalden Lake Community Association board members will take the policy home to review it for the next meeting.

GOVERNANCE by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

IN OTHER NEWSWLCA President Jan Griffin

thanked the presidents for decorating the entrances of their neighborhoods during the holiday season.

“You made it very tough to judge,” she said. “I thank you for bringing the Christmas spirit to Walden Lake.”

Laurel Lake won for the large category; Fairway Estates won for the medium category; and Wedgewood won for the small category.

• Former board member chip stone died Jan. 21. He served as a board director from April 1994 to May 2000.

• The 5K Strawberry Distance Challenge will begin at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 9.

• The board also approved a Relay for Life run on March 23, in honor of Walden Lake resident angie rollyson and her sister, autumn Parrish. The run will begin at 8 a.m. The goal is to have 100 registered.

• The next annual meeting is April 11.

Music fest strums into DoverMusic lovers enjoyed a week-

end of camping and tunes at the first Acoustic Animal Jam Festival Jan. 18 to 20, off Berry Patch Road, in Dover.

The weekend featured plenty of talent performing in diverse styles, including Americana, folk,

bluegrass, jazz, Southern rock and more. Performers included Sa-vanah Palen, Sassafras Acoustic, Psychedelic Possum, The Cotton-Eyed Does, Free-Range Roost-ers, The Dreadful Snakes, Gypsy Wind, Big-Bear Franchise and Grandpa’s Cough Medicine.

The mantra of the new Plant City Com-munity Ministries is “Helping Families Stand,” and the min-istry intends to do just that by utilizing an educational approach in its work.

The new Plant City ministry will open Feb. 4.

“It’s not just a band-aid ap-proach,” Benny Keck, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dover, said. “It helps people from go-ing to church to church seeking services. We’re offering long-term support.”

Community Ministries is offer-ing a variety of programs to help those in need, from families to the homeless and seniors to those suffering from addiction.

One of the most popular services is the food pantry, which will provide emergency food sup-plies for those who need it. But Commu-nity Ministries goes one step further, of-fering food classes

through which participants will receive recipes and learn about budgeting and planning low-cost, nutritional meals.

“We’ve found a lot of needs are food-based,” Director Cheryl Hickman said.

As well as food education, the ministry will offer employment resources. Participants can work on their résumés, find out about job openings, network and learn new skills for interviews. A closet

will be filled with business attire for participants going to inter-views.

“People are getting employed,” Hickman said. “It works. Some-times, people get discouraged. Sometimes, you have to put 100 applications out before hearing back. But don’t give up.”

A team of pastoral counselors also will be on-site to talk to any-one dealing with addiction, grief, divorce or who may counseling.

Volunteer advocates will be staffed at the ministry from Mon-day through Friday. Advocates not only will help run the classes but also help connect people with ser-vices they need.

“People really want ... the edu-cational aspect of it,” Hickman said. “They may not know what to do next. But when they come here, we help them with a short-term and long-term plan.”

Hickman has experience run-ning a similar ministry. She

started the Women’s Resource Center in Brandon 10 years ago. Since then, she has helped serve 25,000.

Hickman was inspired to start the center after she struggled as a single mother. She felt like there were no resources for her.

“God just laid it on me to minis-ter to those in need,” she said.

She started a group with 100 women. Within two years, she ob-tained a facility and now has 17 volunteers staffing the center.

Hickman connected with Keck and Dan Morris, director of mis-sions with Shiloh Baptist Associa-tion, after doing CareFest last year. Morris and Keck were interested in the concept of a true com-munity resource center that also

taught Christian values. Glenn Culler, pastor of Johnson Road Community Church, also was in-terested the ministry. He needed a resource center to help mentor his senior members about issues such as Medicaid and Social Se-curity. Culler let the ministry use its back building for the center of operations.

Several churches in the area as well as churches from the Shiloh Baptist Association have pledged to help the ministry through do-nations or volunteer services.

“If every church in the area con-tributed a little, we’d have a lot more resources,” Morris said. “We can do a lot more together.”


Attendees enjoyed cooler weather throughout the weekend.

Right: Jon Murphy sings and plays upright bass for Grandpa’s Cough Medicine.

Mike coker’s nickname is “Banjo Boy.”

brett bass, of Grandpa’s Cough Medicine, began playing guitar at age 11.

unplugged by Michael eng | Managing Editor

churches unite to create new community ministryPlant City Community Ministries will offer programs to help those in need.

outreach by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Amber Jurgensen

The ministry will operate from the back building of Johnson Road Community Church, 103 Johnson Road, Plant City.

Plant city coMMunity Ministry address: 103 Johnson RoadPhone: (813) 754-5968


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Paul Daily was no stranger to horses, but one day, in 1997, as he watched a wild horse buck and run in a fit of unruliness, he felt the call of God.

“It became clear that I had been run-ning from God,” Daily said. “I wanted to make this horse something of value, just like God makes us. There is a correlation between a man training a horse and God showing us the way.”

He held his first demonstration break-ing horses at his home in Jena, La., for a Sunday school class of 92 people. It was supposed to be a one-time deal, but af-ter the demonstration, Daily received requests to do another demonstration. Before he knew it, Daily was traveling around to different states as a performer. Finally, in 2000, Daily quit his job working in the oil fields to travel for demonstra-tions year-round.

Since his first demonstration, Daily has performed 1,612 throughout the country. Wild Horse Ministries will come to Plant City Jan. 25, at Lebanon Baptist Church, and Jan. 26, at The Farm, in Lithia.

“This is what we do now,” Daily said. “We travel and share the word. I’m not a preacher. I’m just a country boy.”

Daily says he doesn’t break horses but rather “gentles” them. In Plant City, Daily will gentle a 3-year-old American quar-ter horse gelding that has never been rid-den.

“It’s not as easy as you think,” Daily said. “You never know what horse you’re going to get. Every horse is different. It’s ex-citing.”

His wife, Joanna, and daughter, Lenora, have joined him on this lat-est tour, which also en-compasses three stops in Georgia and six in Florida, including the two in the local area.

“It used to scare me,” Joanna said about her husband riding wild horses. “You didn’t know what would happen. But you just have to give it up to the Lord.”

J o a n n a didn’t grow up around horses, but her son, Dan, and L e n o r a s h a r e their fa-ther’s love for the animals. They both had horses in high school ro-

deos and help out frequently with the show.

“Lenora is a real cowgirl,” Daily said. During the two-hour demonstration,

Daily will train the horse while sharing corresponding Scripture. As he works the horse, he follows what he calls the Round Pen of Life, which includes 10 steps or similarities to the relationship God has with his people. The Round Pen of Life is based on trust, faith and obedience.

Plant City resident Riviere Thomas first heard about Wild Horse Ministries two years ago.

He instantly became interested and wanted to get the ministry to come to

Plant City. Last year, he invited Daily and his ministry to Plant City. This year, he is

pleased to have Daily return. “I love horses and how they

relate to me and the message of God,” Thomas said. “The ministry

reaches a number of people that do not come to organized church.”

Thomas is a member of Plant City’s First Baptist Church,

but he worked with friends in Lithia to invite Daily,

Cowboy Up Ministry and Frontline Ministry for a weekend of faith.

The weekend starts on Jan. 25 with an inspi-

rational country music concert. On Jan. 26, there

will be square dancing, and Daily will give his horse

demonstrat ion. The weekend concludes with

a cowboy church and a free barbe-

cue dinner. Skip-per Calder, with the Cowboy Up Ministry, will

perform a horse d e m o n s t r a t i o n with the horse Dai-ly broke to show

how continued faith and obedi-ence coincide with a relation-

ship with God. Contact Amber

Jurgensen at ajur-gensen@plantcityob-

server.com.

Christian-inspired horse whisperer trots into townLouisiana-based Paul Daily will break an untrained horse in front of an audience as part of his evangelical ministry, Wild Horse Ministries, Jan. 25 and 26, in Plant City.

giddy-up! by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

IF YOU GOWHen: 6:30 p.m. Jan. 25WHere: Lebanon Baptist Church, 110 N. Forbes Road, Plant City contact: Glen Churchwell, (813) 754-7722

WHen: 3 p.m. Jan. 26WHere: The Farm, 7820 Lithia Pinecrest Road, Lithiacontact: Riviere Thomas, (813) 764-8064

Wild Horse Ministries’ Paul Daily performed at The Farm last year.Linda Constant Photography


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Residents dressed in glitzy gowns and snazzy suits dined and danced at the 2013 Strawberry Ball Jan. 19, at the Evelyn and Ba-tista Madonia Agricultural Center.

This year’s ball featured a Mardi

Gras theme, and the center was decked out in purple and green linens and masks. Perhaps the showpiece of the ball was a stage resembling a paddle showboat.

Before the presentation, the

DeLeon Band marched down the red carpet in the middle of the dining tables while passing out beads.

The event drew about 350 at-tendees.

Strawberry Ball sweetens seasonJustin Keel, Strawberry Queen chelsea bowden, Daniel lynch and Strawberry Queens court member regan Knotts

James and anita surrency, festival President ron Gainey and festival General Manager Paul Davis

The DeLeon Band provided live music for the evening.

BLACK TIE by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

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By the time actress Charleene Closshey is done starring in her first feature film, she will have lived Christmas all year long.

“An Evergreen Christmas” is a holiday-themed dramedy that will start shooting in February. It is set to release Christmas 2013.

“It’s my favorite time of year, and I’m so happy that my first feature film is a Christmas film,” Closshey says.

Closshey describes the movie as a “Sweet Home Alabama Meets” and “A Wonderful Life.” From the producers of “Hit and Run,” the film is expected to premier as a TV movie. It follows an aspiring musician who returns to her small hometown after her father dies.

A triple threat, not only can Closshey act, but also she is a mu-sician and composer, making her a perfect fit for the part of the viva-cious musician.

“That’s one of the things that is so intriguing about this character,” Closshey says. “She’s a musician. Like any artist, she’s trying to find her voice. Without that journey, as an artist, you’re just recreating not creating something new.”

If all goes according to the script, in the opening scene, Closshey will be playing the violin. In the closing scene, she will be leading a Christmas carol on the piano. The

movie contains original and sea-sonal music.

“We’ve really got an amazing team on the project,” Closshey says. “It’s really a stellar team of songwriters and producers.

HOMETOWN GIRLThis isn’t Closshey’s first experi-

ence with performing.In 2012, she spent the summer

in Australia working on a theatri-cal show, “Feather,” which had its world debut in Queensland at The J Noosa. Originally called “Ca-tharsis,” the show is performed in a style that has never been done before. Each show benefits a char-ity. One person from the charity is selected to have their story told and performed on-stage. Further-more, an artist from New Guinea paints that person’s portrait in the middle of the performance.

Closshey produced, starred and wrote the music for the perfor-mance. She directed the mood of the scenes with musical composi-tions she also improvised at times.

“You have the freedom to cre-ate in that moment, similar to the visual art,” she says. “You never know what you’re going to get, which is exhilarating.”

Closshey hopes that the perfor-mance will make its American de-but on Broadway at the New York

Musical Theatre Festival, in July. If not, the show was invited back to Australia for a tour.

Closshey works at a fiery pace. She wrote the music for “Feather” in just three weeks. Before that, she was commissioned in May 2012, to compose a yoga album for the 13th Annual Association of Comprehensive Energy Psychol-ogy. It took her one week to make the music flow into an album called “Glimpse.”

Closshey also scored her first short film, “Walking with Francis,” in one month. The film, about the life of St. Francis Assisi, premiered in Italy and will be distributed by the Vatican.

“That’s the beauty of faith and connectivity,” Closshey says. “I’m not even Catholic, but good story

and message transcends presets that humans have.”

BORN TO PERFORMClosshey has been telling sto-

ries since she was a red-headed infant on the packaging of North-ern Bathroom Tissue. She at-tended the Harrison Center for Performing Arts, in Lakeland. She purposefully chose not to go to conservatory after high school and instead obtained degrees in marketing management and ex-ercise science from Florida South-ern College, in Lakeland.

“I didn’t want performing beaten into me,” Closshey says. “I wanted to have the freedom of exploration. I didn’t want it to be a job.”

But Closshey came back to sing-

ing and acting. She performed as a violinist during a Josh Groban tour and shared the stage with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Frank Sinatra Jr. She continued her artistic education at both Cir-cle in the Square Theater School in New York City and with Juilliard’s Dalcroze studies.

Other theatrical performances include “A Thousand Cuts,” a tele-vision pilot, “Terminal Kill” and a variety of other feature and short-film appearances.

“I love being in a position where I can connect with people and connect people with people — whether that’s marketing or act-ing,” Closshey says.


Triple ThreatIn addition to other notable performances, Plant City native Charleene Closshey will star in her first feature length film this year.

SPOTLIGHT by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Courtesy photo

charleene closshey says her favorite part of the performing arts is being able to connect with people.


The Mosaic Company proudly celebrates the phase one opening of Streamsong® Resort. As we welcome guests to the resort’s beautiful golf clubhouse and courses, we’re especially proud to introduce Streamsong® as an example of revitalized former mining land and an economic driver for the community.

Streamsong’s® two extraordinary golf courses, Streamsong® Red and Streamsong® Blue, refl ect the unprecedented collaboration of world-renowned architects Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw and Tom Doak. The Clubhouse, designed by Tampa’s Alfonso Architects, features 12 guest rooms, meeting facilities and a three-meal restaurant.

In fall 2013, Streamsong’s® golf experience will be joined by a 216-room Main Lodge featuring a full-service spa, conference center, fi ne and casual dining, as well as various nature-inspired outdoor amenities. Together, they will create more than 200 permanent, local jobs.

Bringing Streamsong® Resort to life is one way we’re demonstrating our continued commitment to economic and environmental sustainability in Florida.

Join in Mosaic’s promise at www.mosaicco.com/promise.

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That’s our promise.

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Since becoming an avid runner, Rebecca Rothman wanted to find a way to stand out from the crowd.

The perfect idea came to her while working out at the Plant City Family YMCA.

“God graced me with the idea of designing athletic ap-parel to witness to others — whether it be at the gym, a marathon or just at the store,” she said.

That day, Rothman was inspired to create her own clothing line, which later became Lifted Fitness, a local athletic apparel line dedicated to sharing the Christian faith.

Rothman opened the line with her husband, Mark, in December. In the first 24 hours of shirts being up for sale, they had more than 40 orders.

“It’s being blessed more than I could have imagined,” she said. “We have gotten wonderful response, mainly because it is such a unique item and there is nothing quite like it available.”

Originally, the line offered only men’s tech fabric T-shirts and women’s tech fabric tank tops, but the line has expanded to include several other items with the launch of a new website, liftedfitness.seuniforms.com, including baseball caps, gym bags and golf towels.

Each piece features a Bible verse. “Typically, the gym is not conducive to conversation,

(because) iPods are frequently used,” Rothman said. “(Because) we have Bible verses on the back side of our shirts and cross design logos on the front, it is meant to be a visual display of our faith in Christ.”

Twenty percent of the proceeds from clothing sales ben-efit Church at the Park, Plant City’s First Baptist Church’s homeless ministry that Rothman launched last year.

“Someone from our church begins the evening with a short devotional and blesses the food, then myself along with a team of faithful volunteers serve the food that we prepared earlier in the afternoon,” Rothman said.

Prayer and needs cards also allow church members to pray for those in need.

“It is such a need in our community, and we are blessed to be able to fulfill a small portion of their needs,” she said.

Now about a month into taking orders, Rothman said business has continued to be good, with orders coming in steadily.

“The more we sell, the more benefit it is to the less for-tunate, and that’s the main purpose of our faith and our clothing line,” she said.

Rothman’s ultimate vision is for Plant City to have a full-time food pantry and clothes closet. In the meantime, she hopes the line continues to do well and help spread the word of God.

“My prayer is that these shirts promote conversation which in turn allows a person to more effectively lead someone to know our one true God,” she said. “As for the Lifted Fitness brand, I am trusting that God will guide us in the direction that is in line with his will for our busi-ness. He has big plans for this, I am sure of it.”


Lifted Fitness combines athletic wear, evangelismThe local clothing line benefits Plant City’s First Baptist Church’s homeless ministry.

ONLINE: Lifted Fitness can be found on Facebook, facebook.com/LiftedFitness, or on its website, liftedfitness.seuniforms.com.

FAITH by Matt Mauney | Associate Editor

Courtesy photo

LIfted Fitness offers men’s and women’s apparel, along with hats, gym bags and other items.


Several years ago, I played a small part in the movie, “Why I Got Married, Too,” directed by Tyler Perry. Although it has been a while, I am still not 100% sure how to describe the experience. In my past, I had been an extra in a few films and knew how to blend in with the best of them. Heck, when I was in the Sandra Bullock movie, “The Blind Side,” I blended into the football crowd so well that you couldn’t even see me. Yes, it takes a seasoned

actor to not be noticed.

But this movie was different. I was chosen for this role and had to wear makeup. But that isn’t the weird part. OK, I was told to be in this movie and not worry too much about my

lines. They were paying me pretty decently, so I did like any other person who can’t afford their Starbucks habit — I showed up on the set to make a few bucks.

Let’s back up for a second. I wasn’t even aware I was in a movie. I thought it was a com-mercial or something. Appar-ently, one of the casting directors was at one of my comedy shows and picked me for this role. I am still not sure why I was picked. Anyway, I showed up at the set in Atlanta and was escorted through several layers of security and told to hit the dressing room. Once there, they took away my normal clothes and made me wear a suit, while several people cut my hair

and applied layers of makeup to my freckled face. During the frenzy to make me look camera-ready, the script director came up and, with a condescending look, handed me my lines for the scene and told me to be natural. This made me suspicious.

Immediately, I was ushered to the movie set, where I was introduced to a very tall African-American man with a familiar face. It was Tyler Perry. Perry welcomed me to the set and ex-plained the movie to me. My role was to act like an uptight white architect. Yes, I had to play a white character. It was a stretch, but I felt up for it. Anyway, I had to simply carry files to a secre-tary, chat with her and then look upset when my office environ-ment is interrupted by an irate wife of a fellow co-worker.

He then told me to “be cool,” because the wife was being played by Janet Jackson, and her brother had just died a few weeks

earlier. Be cool?! Was he kidding me? Yes, he told me that I was going to be with Janet most of the day and that she was upset. Basically, I was told not to look her in the eyes or partake in small chitchat.

But, Perry didn’t tell me what would happen next. We got into places, and Perry told me to simply act by being natural. OK. As I carried the papers to the office worker and engaged in chitchat, Janet came running in, screaming at me that it was her husband’s birthday.

It got weird. Janet was be-ing followed by a large birth-day cake on rollers. The cake stopped next to me and, all of a sudden, a slender man jumped out of the cake and began danc-ing with me. Act natural? How do I act natural when something so unnatural is happening? So I danced — kind of. It wasn’t good dancing. It was horrible dancing. It was so bad that after

about 20 takes of me trying to dance, Tyler told me to never dance again and to simply look surprised and stunned. I found this much more natural.

It was a unique experience to say the least. I thought it was behind me, until TBS showed it on local television recently, and I was hounded (teased) by friends laughing at my incredible acting ability. Maybe they were sur-prised I could play a white guy so well?

Folks, I don’t know many of you and am still fairly new to Plant City. Let me share a lesson I have learned through all of this acting nonsense. Don’t settle in life for a few minutes of fame and do not waste your life playing a supporting role to someone else. Sure, you should be a support-ing role to your family, friends, and church, but I am not talking about that. Rather, I’m saying don’t spend your lives living a life that is not yours and reading everyone else’s script. Be the main character in your life, be the hero, be the character you were made to be. You are loved by God, deep-ly loved. Let that love not only guide you but define you and free you from fear. Remember: Even when the script of life does some-thing strange, embrace it. For you have everything you need to win the Oscar for best lead role — the deep love of God.

Josh Loudermilk is an in-spirational speaker/comic and available to speak at your church, group or event. He, his wife, Me-lissa, and daughter, Chloe, live in Walden Lake. You can reach Josh at [email protected].

God’s love is the ultimate academy award

Courtesy photo

Josh loudermilk played a white guy in tyler Perry’s “Why I Got Married, Too.”

JOSHLOUDERMILK

JOSHING AROUND

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding

principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly

progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944

ObserverPLANT CITY

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to aDvertiseCall veronica Prostko at 704-6850.

senD Us yoUr neWsWe want to hear from

you. Let us know about your community events, celebrations and family member achievements. To contact us, send your information via: Email: Michael Eng, [email protected]

Mail: The Plant City Observer, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-A, Plant City, FL 33563

contact UsThe Plant City Observer is published once weekly,

on Thursdays. It provides free home delivery to several neighborhoods in Plant City. The Plant City Observer also can be found in many commercial locations throughout Plant City and at our office, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-A.

If you wish to discontinue home delivery or if you wish to suspend home delivery temporarily, call linda lancaster at 704-6850.

I’ve always been bothered by those signs in factories or indus-trial work zones that read, “This site has been accident-free for X days.” If the number is really low, then everyone who sees it won-ders what had just happened. If the number is high, then it seems like disaster is about to strike any

second now.If we had one

of those signs at our house on Jan. 19, it would have read: “This daughter has been accident-free for 1,105 days.”

The next day: “This daugh-ter has been

accident-free for 0 days.”Throughout our entire lives,

neither my wife nor I have ever broken a bone (knocking on some wood even as I type this). Sadly, we cannot say this about our daughter, Aria, who just turned 3 Jan. 8.

During our bedtime routine last Saturday, my wife, Jess, was reading the kids’ their bedtime story. Usually, this is a family affair — with both kids and both parents participating. On this night, I had dozed off — exhaust-ed from several assignments earlier that day and one the night before. Jess generously offered to do bedtime on her own, allow-ing me to stay in bed. We had planned to have a parents’ date

later in the evening — take out and a movie.

She took the kids into our son Lyric’s room and began the story. After a few minutes, Aria began to scoot herself to the edge of the bed; she wanted to get down to tell me something. But, she scooted one inch too far and fell backward, landing awkwardly on her shoulder.

It is true that parents can discern even the most minute of nuances in their children’s cry. This one was distinctively different and rattled me from my half-asleep state. In the seconds it took me to jump out of bed, Jess already had Aria in her arms.

She writhed in pain as heavy tears chased one another down her cheeks. She wouldn’t let either of us anywhere near her shoulder area.

The next minute is blurry — much like the early morning when Jess’ water broke almost six weeks before her due date with our son. Before I knew it, Jess had her keys in hand, purse over her shoulder and Aria strapped into the car. We decided I would stay home with Lyric to keep him settled.

After finishing his bedtime routine, I suddenly found the house empty and deafeningly quiet. I couldn’t sit still. I paced. I picked up toys. I paced. I picked up more toys. I grabbed the iPad and began my own diagnosis. (After all, an Internet connec-tion makes anyone a qualified

physician, right?) I waited with my phone in hand for a report from Jess.

Finally, the first text came through: “Tests. I’ve been hold-ing her until now. They just took X-rays. She’s in a lot of pain.”

The ER doctor confirmed Aria had fractured her collar-bone, which, according to my Googling, is a common injury among preschool-age children. The ER sent Aria home on ibu-profen and with a referral to a pediatric orthopedic specialist.

Jess phoned me as they left the ER, and I stood outside to wait for their arrival.

Much to my surprise, Aria was in good spirits — even

smiling. She happily showed me the special bear they gave her at the ER, and Jess told me the doctors had given her a blue slushie as a treat. Aria showed off her blue tongue, which matched the blue sling that now held her left arm.

And, because of the blue slushie, she proclaimed: “I’m all better now. My boo-boo is gone.”

If only.Today, four days after our first

ER trip as parents, Aria seems to be recovering just fine. The specialist said in four weeks, it likely would be impossible to tell which collarbone had been broken. Aria has amazed us by her ability to accomplish every-day tasks — such as climbing into her seat at the dining table or pulling up her pants — with only the use of her right arm and hand.

This morning, Aria even returned to her preschool, with her arm tucked securely in her sling. She was thrilled to go back — she was done with reruns of “Team Umizoomi” and “The Fresh Beat Band” — done with the couch.

As one of my friends told me, these accidents always are more traumatic for the parents than the child. And as my stepmother said, “Now, she’ll have a good story to tell when she’s older.”

Dad, remember that time I broke my collarbone, and you were fast asleep?

Yep, I can hear it, already!

Daughter injured in freak accidentobserved | never a dull moment

MICHAELENG

Michael Eng

Ever the trooper, aria seems to be adjusting to life with one arm just fine.


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Taken By Surprise’s zombie-themed show won this year’s Step Show.

The Hillsborough County Twirlettes performed a routine during this year’s parade.

Left: This spinning attraction had its riders spinning in every direction.

t.J. Jennings showed off his dance moves at this year’s carnival.

The Rev. Dr. shafter e. scott, of St. Mary M.B. Church, was a speaker at the opening ceremonies.

The Kappa League steppers won second place.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1


Reach more than 40,000 readers with the first of its kind, Plant City guide to the Florida Strawberry Festival. The guide will be inserted in the Plant City Observer as well as distributed by hand at local seasonal events.

• Listing of all the performers and attractions

• Map of the festival grounds• Behind the scenes stories of

the volunteers and residents who make the festival possible

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Adam Christopher BowmanAdam Christopher Bowman,

21, of Plant City, died on Jan. 17, 2013.

Born June 3, 1991, in Syra-cuse, N.Y., he was the son of Ray Bowman and Lisa Klosheim Bowman.

Mr. Bowman was 2009 a grad-uate of Durant High School. He enjoyed playing guitar, writing poetry, karaoke and playing pool.

Survivors include brothers, Jesse Bowman, Ray Bowman II and Tim Bowman; sister, Holly Bowman; grandparents, Sharon

and Alvin Bowman; and a beloved cousin Todd Secor.

Online condolences may be made at haughtfuneralhome.com.

Lillian Retha PriceLillian Retha Price, 84, of Plant

City, died Jan. 15.Mrs. Price was a former mem-

ber of New Hope Worship Center. She was predeceased by hus-

band, Ervin “Erv” Price. Survivors include stepsons,

James Alvin Price (Denise) and Jo-seph Ervin Price; and niece, Becky Hart (Shelby).

Funeral services were Jan. 22, at Wells Memorial & Event Center Chapel, with the Rev. Jim Creel

officiating. Interment followed at Hillsboro Memorial Gardens, Brandon.

Online condolences may be made at wellsmemorial.com.

Michael Edward SprouseMichael Ed-

ward Sprouse, 53, of Polk City and formerly of Plant City, died Jan. 9.

Born Oct. 17, 1959, in Banks, Ala., he was the son of the late Billy Sprouse and the late Alice Veasey. Mr. Sprouse worked for Southern Milling and Lumber. He

enjoyed bicycling, reading and movies.

Survivors include daughters, Ashley Yavonne Sprouse, Sa-mantha Ann Shouse and Lind-sey Nichole Johnson; brother, Kenneth Sprouse; sister, Debora Veasey; uncles, Rex Veasey and George Sprouse; aunts, Ann Hostetter, Barbara Hittle and Judy Newman; and one grandson, Lo-gan Bradley Shouse.

A graveside service was con-ducted Jan. 16, at Memorial Park Cemetery, Plant City.


Gayle Jean Chrisp ThomasonGayle Jean Chrisp Thomason,

82, of Plant City and Tupelo, Miss., died Jan. 16, at Sun City Center Hospice House, Ruskin.

Born Jan. 10, 1931, in Jackson,

Tenn., she was the daughter of the late Charles Chrisp and the late Gladys Chrisp Young. She was the wife of Billy Thomason. She was preceded in death by her sister Bette Marie Chrisp.

Mrs. Thomason was a church secretary at Englewood Baptist Church, in Jackson, Tenn., and attended Plant City’s First Baptist Church in the winter months. She also attended Harrisburg Baptist Church in Tupelo, Miss.

Survivors include a son, Den-nis Thomason; daughters, Debo-rah Gurriere and Dorothy Rog-ers; seven grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

In lieu flowers, donations be made to either the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF.org) or the church of your choice.


OBSERVEROBITUARIES

David Hawthorne remembered for revitalizing downtownPlant City can’t talk about its

downtown revitalization without mentioning the work of David Hawthorne and his wife, Vicki. Mr. Haw-thorne, responsible for renovating at least seven historic buildings, died from a self-inflicted gun-shot wound Jan. 17. He was 62.

Pinellas County Sher-iff’s Office deputies re-sponded to a welfare call made by neighbors at about 10:45 a.m., Jan. 17, in South Pasadena, where Mr. Hawthorne was staying. The case remains under investigation.

The impact Mr. Hawthorne made to Plant City through his

work is undeniable. He, along with Heritage Con-struction owner Tim Mar-tin, began downtown renovations in 1997. By the time they were done, they had breathed new life into the Pennisular Phone Building, Hookers Depart-ment Store, McCrory De-partment Store, Blacks De-

partment Store, Old Fish Market, the Miller Building and Kilgore Seed Warehouse.

Mr. Hawthorne originally hired Martin to complete work on his

historic homes on Calhoun and East Reynolds streets. Hawthorne later asked Martin to join him on his new venture.

“It was a lot of work,” Martin said. “We basically took it back to just walls and started over.”

They worked for four years to transform the downtown.

“He was a walking calculator,” Martin said of Mr. Hawthorne. “He and I would walk through a building, and he would ask me how much it would cost to do this or that, and would add it up in his head and know before we even walked out if it was even worth doing.”

Martin said Mr. Hawthorne shared his love of history by reno-vating the buildings, but that Mr. Hawthorne was also in the busi-ness of making money.

Mr. Hawthorne’s family settled in 1840, in Plant City. His fam-ily still has property north of Varn Road. When he was 18, he joined the U.S. Army. He attended the University of South Florida from 1972 to 1975 and earned a bach-elor’s degree in business admin-istration. In 1977, he enrolled at the University of Tampa, where he earned his master’s degree in busi-ness administration.

For 13 years, he worked for Gar-dinier Inc., a coalition of French companies. In Florida, the com-

pany bought phosphatic fertilizer. From 1986 to 1990, Mr. Hawthorne got his first dose of rehabilitating almost-lost causes, working for a couple of businesses that focused on revitalizing failing companies.

In 1990, Mr. Hawthorne took a job with Servico Hotels and Re-sorts, in West Palm Beach. There, he met Vicki. The two married in 1995. Mr. Hawthorne was serv-ing on the board of directors and acted as chairman of the compen-sation committee for SuperMedia and was the owner of Black Angus Cattle Company when he died.

The family has not set a time and date for his service with Hopewell Funeral Home.

— Amber Jurgensen

iN memoRiAm

The Plant City native died Jan. 17, in Pinellas County.

With the district schedule in the books and only a few regular season games on the docket, the Strawberry Crest girls basketball team is getting ready for the Class 6A District 11 tournament.

The young Lady Chargers team is hoping to continue what has been a strong second half to the season by getting to the district championship and securing one of the two available spots for the Class 6A Region 3 tournament.

Strawberry Crest sits at 16-5 and has won its last five games

going into Wednesday night’s non-district showdown at Hills-borough. The Lady Chargers have won 11 of their last 13 after drop-ping three straight from Nov. 29 to Dec. 4.

“We have been playing really well lately, and the girls have real-ly been coming together and gell-ing as a team,” said head coach Latosha Lewis.

The Lady Chargers are a young team but have been playing be-yond their years this season. They have no seniors on the roster and

only two juniors. One of those juniors is leader

Aliyah Gregory, who leads the team with 22 points per game. Sophomore guard Maiya Trigg also has had a strong year, scor-ing nearly 17 points per contest, along with posting five assists, 4.4 steals and nearly five rebounds per game.

In addition to the play of that duo, Lewis said the improvement the rest of her team has shown is equally as impressive.

“We’ve grown up a lot over the

last few games,” she said. “We still have some young players that are lacking the confidence that I’d like them to have, but they are play-ing well and logging some quality minutes for us.”

The program at Strawberry Crest has come a long way since it began in 2009. After a 0-21 in-augural season, the Lady Char-gers went 15-12 in 2010-11 before posting a .500 record at 11-11 last season after moving up from Class 4A to 6A.

Now, they have their sights set on their first trip to regionals.

“Anything can happen, but we definitely plan to be playing for a district championship,” Lewis said.

To get there, Lewis said that she will have to continue to have strong play from her post play-ers — freshman Terra Brooks and sophomore Nandi Jorden.

Sports have the ability to have an effect on a lot of things.

They can bring people together or tear them apart. They can give a city hope or send that same city into a state of depression.

I was hoping to be able to write a more uplifting, light-hearted and inspirational col-umn this week — but things didn’t play out that way.

Instead, I’ll explain why being a true die-hard fan of a team is the both the great-est and the worst thing in the world of sports.

But first, a little background.I grew up

in a sports household. My brother, 12 years older than me, played base-ball. My father was a former football and baseball player and coached my

brother for a few years. I, being the rebel I am, de-

cided I would do the opposite. Yes, I played sports when I was younger — mainly baseball and soccer — but I often spent more time wondering what the post-game meal would be rather than concerning myself with whether my team won.

And when it came sports I didn’t play, I could not care less.

Growing up in Atlanta, my whole family was fans of the Atlanta pro teams, especially the Braves and the Falcons.

Even though I didn’t care that much then, when the Braves won it all in 1995, my 8-year-old self jumped up and down with the rest of my fam-ily, but I couldn’t truly appreci-ate what would become the only championship in Atlanta sports history to this day.

I can honestly say I truly began to be a sports fan three years later, when a guy named Gary Anderson missed a field goal, a guy name Terance Mathis made a touchdown catch, and a guy named Morten Andersen made a field goal.

It was Jan. 17, 1999, and the Atlanta Falcons were going to the Super Bowl.

I’ll spare you the details of the game (feel free to look it up), but needless to say, it was one of my proudest memories and one of my first as a true fan.

My dad is one of the biggest Falcons fans I know. He went

Y O U T H | H I G H S C H O O L | G O L F | S E N I O R S | C O M M U N I T Y | T E N N I S

SportsATHLETE OF

THE WEEKEdgar Morales

anchors Raiderssoccer team. 14

THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2013PLANTCITYObserver.COm

SEE MAUNEY / PAGE 12

SHOW ME THE MAUNEY

MATTMAUNEY

It’s hard being a die-hard fan

Plant City to host slow-pitch tourney senior sluggers by matt mauney | Associate Editor

SEE BASKETBALL / PAGE 12

HIGH HOPesMatt Mauney

Freshman Alexis brundridge is one of several underclassmen on this year’s young Strawberry Crest team.

Age isn’t a factor in sports. Just ask any of the participants

in this weekend’s International Softball Federation/International Senior Softball Association World Tournament of Champions.

The event will be held this weekend, at Plant City Stadium and the Randy Larson Softball Complex, along with other facili-ties throughout the Tampa Bay area. The tournament will feature 53 teams in age divisions ranging from 50 to 75.

“This tournament is just an-

other example that the game of softball is for anyone,” said ISF president Don Porter. “And don’t let their ages fool you, this is al-ways a competitive tournament.”

The field of teams comes from across the country and the globe, representing 13 states, as well as teams from Canada and Colom-bia.

All domestic entries had to qualify through previous events held across the United States, in-cluding winners of ISSA tourna-ments and national champions

from all major softball associa-tions.

The tournament will be from Jan. 25 to 27, in Plant City. Admis-sion is free.

PREMIER VENUEThe event continues a long his-

tory of bringing prestigious soft-ball events to Plant City since the ISF moved its headquarters here in 2000.

The ISF is the official governing international federation for soft-ball in the world. The ISF hosts

tournaments all over the globe, but Porter hopes to continue to bring quality events to the place the ISF calls home.

“Our goal is to have several international tournaments held here each year,” Porter said. “Unfortunately, we have limited facilities here, which makes it hard to have large tournaments. We’re trying to expand interna-tional events here as much as possible, but it depends on the

basketball by matt mauney | Associate Editor

With a young but maturing team, the Strawberry Crest Lady Chargers are seeking their first trip to regionals.

The 53-team Tournament of Champions will feature elite senior teams ranging in age divisions from 50 to 75 at Plant City Stadium and the Randy Larson Softball Complex.

SEE VENUE / PAGE 12


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to the first exhibition game in 1966, at Fulton County Stadium, which the birds shared with the Braves, way before the Geor-gia Dome, the Falcons current home, was built.

The Falcons were bad for the majority of the years between that game, my birth and my evolvement into a sports fan.

There was a time I actually thought the Falcons were not allowed to be broadcast on TV, because they were never on it. My dad would listen to them every Sunday on the radio — where I thought they had an exclusive contract, not realizing that people had to actually go and watch a team play for them to air the game on television.

Obviously, that 1998-99 sea-son was a big one for my dad, my brother and even my mom. But it meant more for me. Shar-ing that experience opened my eyes to the great and terrible life of being a true sports fan.

The Falcons would be blown

out by John Elway — playing in his last game — and the Denver Broncos in that Super Bowl, but it didn’t matter. That shred of hope was planted in me that day.

Every year since has been filled with hope. Hope, sand-wiched between a lot of pes-simism. Hope was at an all-time high this year. The Falcons won 13 games in the regular season and finally got over the hump and won a playoff game in the Mike Smith and Matt Ryan era.

Then, Sunday came, and the Falcons fell to the 49ers, one of their first NFL rivals, in the first NFC Championship played at the Georgia Dome.

I credit the Falcons as the reason I love sports to this day. You could even say they are the reason I do what I do for a living.

The way this season ended was hard pill to swallow, but I woke up Monday morning still a Falcons fan.

That’s something that will never change. Sadly, winning a Super Bowl may not, either.

“Everyone knows that Maiya and Aliyah are going to put on a show, but we will have to be solid down low on both offense and de-fense to go deep into the tourna-ment,” Lewis said.

The team to beat will be Sick-les, the host of this year’s district tournament and a team the Lady Chargers fell to in both regular season meetings.

Armwood, also a young team, will be another challenge. Straw-berry Crest split with the Lady Hawks in the regular season, avenging an early season road

loss by beating them 40-37 Dec. 19, at home.

After each finishing with a 7-3 district record, Strawberry Crest will take the No. 2 seed into the district tournament after win-ning a tie-breaking coin toss, held Tuesday.

Lewis hopes a tough district schedule combined with a non-district schedule full of tough games and holiday tournaments will have her young team ready for the tournament.

After a first-round bye, Straw-berry Crest will face the winner of Armwood and Leto Jan. 30 for a spot in the finals.

PLANT CITYEntering Wednesday’s non-

district game with Durant, the Plant City Lady Raiders were los-ers of five straight and dropped seven of their last eight.

Plant City ended its Class 7A District 8 schedule with a 58-22 loss to Riverview Jan. 18, ending the regular season at 2-8 in dis-trict play.

The Lady Raiders are led by sophomore Avery Brown (9.4 ppg), freshman Shayna Law-rence (7.3 ppg) and senior Dela-zia Jones (6.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg).

As the No. 5 seed, Plant City will face East Bay in the first

round of the district tournament Jan. 29, at Tampa Bay Tech.

DURANTCalling this season a rebuild-

ing year for the Durant girls team would be an understatement.

The Lady Cougars entered the year after a 23-5 season in which they went 8-2 in Class 8A District 7 and lost in the semifinals of the district tournament.

With a much younger team and after losing two four-year starting guards in sisters Asia and Ashley Nelson, the Lady Cou-gars have found themselves in a much different situation, with a

record of 1-16 entering Wednes-day’s game with Plant City.

They wrapped up the regular season district schedule Jan. 18 with a 46-42 loss to Blooming-dale.

Even as the No. 6 seed, Durant coach Kyla Donlevy hopes her team can take others by surprise.

“We have had a rough sea-son,” Donlevy said. “We have lots of post players, but we have young, inexperienced guards, so we have struggled with ball han-dling and feeding our post.”


number of teams and partici-pants.”

Currently the ISF has access to Plant City Stadium — the former spring training home of the Cin-cinnati Reds — and the Randy Larson Fourplex, bringing the amount of useable fields to five.

Plant City Stadium was con-verted into a baseball stadium af-ter the Reds left town, making it a great fit for the ISF when it moved its from Oklahoma City.

In 2001, the Plant City facilities hosted the first Junior Girls World Cup, and the Slow Pitch World Cup was held in June 2002. That same year, the facilities were used for North American tryouts for the 2004 Greek Olympic Team.

The ISF headquarters also hosts umpire certification semi-nars, coaching clinics and various meetings.

Although no concrete plans are in place, Porter hopes the facilities can expand to bring more tour-naments, thus bringing in more money for the local economy.

“We have interest to maximize the use of the facilities we have,” he said. “One of the prime reasons we came here was to work with the city to expand participation and the use of the facilities.”

The World Tournament of Champions is the only ISF event planned in Plant City this year, but the Girls International Youth World Cup and the ISF Coed and ISF/ISSA Masters/Seniors Inter-national Tournament of Champi-ons plan to come here in 2014.

The ISF recently held another in-state tournament when the Men’s Fast Pitch International Tournament came to Altamonte Springs (Orlando) earlier this month. That tournament featured 28 teams from the United States, Panama, Puerto Rico, Domini-can Republic, U.S. Virgin Islands, Bahamas and Venezuela, as well as players representing New Zea-land, Australia and Argentina.

FUTURE PLANSIn December, the ISF partnered

with the International Baseball Federation to form the World

Baseball Softball Confederation, to get both men’s baseball and women’s fast-pitch softball back on the Olympic Programme, be-ginning in 2020.

Both sports are former Olympic sports, but after they were voted not to be included by the Inter-national Olympic Committee, the two federations decided to team up and run as one ticket.

Porter will continue to stay busy with international presentations through May to promote the bid. The final decision will be made in September in Buenos Aires.

Porter has several potential plans for tournaments he would like to see come to the area, in-cluding one that could tie in with the Florida Strawberry Festival.

“I’ve been working with the College Coaches Association, discussing what might be pos-sible,” he said. “We would love to do a tie-in with the festival and have the ‘Strawberry Festival Cup’ or ‘Strawberry Festival Tourna-ment.’”


venUe/PaGe 11 MaUney/PaGe 11

basKetball/PaGe 11


CROSS_ANS_012413

This week’s Cryptogram answers

This week’s Crossword answers

2013

1. The annoying and infuriating habit of snoring could aptly be described as “sound, asleep.”

2. The slickest Halloween threat on Twitter is “trick or tweet.”

1004

30

Lady Raiders best East Bay in finalsAfter playing to a scoreless

tie in the regular season, the Plant City High girls soccer team got the best of East Bay in the Class 4A District 9 tourna-ment finals Jan. 18, at Straw-berry Crest.

The Lady Raiders faced a 1-0 deficit going into the half but battled through, tying the game in the second half, be-fore winning it in penalty kicks, after two scoreless overtime periods.

The win gave Plant City its second consecutive district title and clinched a No. 1 seed and home-field advantage for the Region 3 tournament, which began Wednesday night, when the Lady Raiders faced Tarpon Springs.

“We’re both extremely phys-ical and fast teams,” said head coach Caleb Roberts after win-ning districts. “When you put us side by side, you can see that we’re very evenly matched and we love to play them, because we love to play good teams.”

district champs by Matt Mauney | Associate Editor

Plant City faced East Bay on a cold and windy night for the dis-trict title.

ericka lott has led the Plant City offense this year.

Junior Diana corzine has been solid in the midfield for the Lady Raiders.

Freshman midfielder Kylee burroughs (6) has performed well as a young player this season. This is the second consecutive year Plant City has won the Class 4A District 9 championship.


CROSSWORD_012413

O B S E RV E R C RO S S WO R DEdited by Timothy E. Parker

CRYPTOGRAMS

1. X A G F K K W Z B K E F K J B K U S C B F X B K E A F D B X W U Q K W C B K E

H W S V J F Y X V Z D G J G Q H C B D G J F Q , “ Q W S K J , F Q V G G Y. ”

2. B R G K F D T X G K B R L F F P Z G G M B R W G L B P M B Z D B B G W D K “ B W D T X

P W B Z G G B . ”

ACROSS 1 Ralph Kramden, for

one 7 “I” problem 13 Omega’s opposite 18 Said without feeling 20 Daydreamer’s

drawings 22 Noted ancient

Greek physician 23 Three things on a

“hot” list 25 Arkansas’ ___

Mountains 26 Some denim

garments 27 ___ for tat 28 Capital of Italia 30 Salt Lake City’s

home 31 First family’s

garden home 32 Unbroken, as a line 36 Angler’s hope 38 Barbed spear 42 Cordage fiber 44 Jong and Kane 47 Abbr. on a

toothpaste box 50 Habitual method 54 Lennon’s Yoko 55 Fast sailboat 57 Where to find

dishes piled up? 58 Hayloft locales 60 Arum family plants 61 “Dragnet” star Jack 65 Pub 67 Church recesses 68 Big name in tea 71 Nightingale or

Barton, e.g. 72 Bodybuilder’s unit 73 Two things on a

“hot” list 75 Bit of school

writing 78 Impolite looker 81 Refuse to accept 82 Toyota model 84 Home on the

plains, once (var.) 86 Like a teddy bear 87 “___ you the clever

one!” 88 Red-spotted

creatures 90 “Not only that ...” 93 Bladed boot 96 ___ loss for words 97 Moved forward by

its own force 102 Prof’s aides 103 Hot Wheels

company 105 Brother of Moses 106 “ ___ Around”

(Beach Boys song) 108 Grommet 111 Casts desirous eyes

at 113 Bird sacred to

ancient Egyptians 117 Pat baby on the

back 119 Fizz flavoring 121 Palindromic

exclamation 123 Vice President

Agnew 124 Invite for a

nightcap, e.g. 126 Four things on a

“hot” list 131 “Harlem Nights”

co-star Della 132 Property recipient,

in law 133 Roseanne’s

television daughter 134 Words before

“remember” or “relax”

135 Becomes inflexible 136 Garden tool

dOwn 1 Volume in a

courtroom 2 Proceeding

independently 3 Cooking apparatus 4 Imitating a cow

5 “No ifs, ___ or buts” 6 Wedding notice

word 7 The first people to

play crosswords 8 “Red state” grp. 9 “Aah!” accompanier 10 Promise at the altar 11 Utter one’s words

indistinctly 12 A quark and an

antiquark 13 “A long time ___ in

a galaxy far ...” 14 “Lapis” follower 15 Three things on a

“hot” list 16 “Iliad” quarreler 17 Egyptian symbol of

enduring life 19 Banned bug spray 21 Teamster’s truck 24 “Whether ___

nobler ...” 29 Not yet up 33 Chinese

philosopher ___-tzu 34 Babysitter’s handful 35 Day, to Claudius 37 Hush-money payer 39 Accumulate 40 Supporting 41 Consumer’s

protective agcy. 43 Preposition in

poetry 45 ___ Arbor, Mich. 46 “Help!” 47 Rose oil 48 Hang loosely 49 Four things on a

“hot” list 51 Render mad 52 Tiny tunneler 53 Subtle difference 56 Homer’s barkeep 59 “___ Poetica” 62 “Good heavens!” 63 ___ noire 64 Alliances 66 Saturn SUV

introduced in 2002 68 Like the Northern

Lights 69 Scandinavian

seaport 70 Look embodied by

Kate Moss

73 Cheerleader’s requirement

74 Up to 76 Prefix meaning

“five” 77 Lugs around 79 Grasp 80 Apartment dweller 82 ___ deux (dance for

two) 83 Noah’s boat 85 Character in a

Christmas special, often

88 Where many war vets fought

89 Airport posting (Abbr.)

91 Masseuse’s milieu 92 Kind of testimony 94 Monumental 151? 95 Brain scan (Abbr.) 98 90-degree pipe

joints 99 Seam treasure 100 “Once upon a

midnight dreary” poet

101 Dresses like a justice

104 Keyboard operator 107 Have more than a

few 109 Exile island for

Napoleon 110 Implements 112 “That’s all ___

wrote!” 114 Any animal with

two feet 115 “Flashdance” singer

Cara 116 More black-and-

blue 117 Simpson kid 118 Rehab candidate 120 Stage direction 122 Unusual 123 Parched 125 Classical opening? 127 “Look at Me, I’m

Sandra ___” 128 Free-throw score 129 Ducktail

application 130 Backwoods

patriarch

On THE HOT LIST by Sheldon Brecker

3

What was it like dealing with all the adversity this season?

We had a lot of players back from previous years and thought that we would have a good year. We had a lot of seniors and juniors, and unfor-tunately, they had a hard time not only with injuries but also red cards and some indiscipline. We had a lot of players on the bench that were ready to come in and play, so I had faith in the team.

Being a senior, what was your role through all that?

I told them that is just a part of soccer and you can’t expect everything to go your way. If you go against them, they’re just going to fall down worse, so my role was to learn from every-thing that happened on and off the field and be able to deal with that.

How many years did you play at Plant City?

I played my freshman, junior and senior years.

What are some moments you will remember?

I don’t just look at the good things, I also look at the bad. I want to think about what I did

good and also the bad mo-ments, because those are the things that make you a better player.

What are some things that you’re going to miss?

I’ll miss teaching the players during practice. I always like to stop when something didn’t go our way and pull them to the side and tell them what they did good and also how they can do better. Just teaching them how to be team players.

Do you have plans for college?

I’d like to go to a four-year school. I’ve looked at maybe going to Florida Gulf Coast and maybe walking on the soccer team there.

Do you know what you’d like to study?

Ever since I was little my main interest was engineering, so I’d like to do something with that. I really like aeronautics, so I’d like to maybe be an air-traffic controller or something like that one day.

edgar moralesIn a year during which his team faced a multitude of injuries and suspensions due

to red cards, senior center-mid Edgar Morales stayed on the field for the entire season for the Plant City boys soccer team. He finished his final season with the Raiders with eight goals and four assists. Morales was one of the senior leaders for Plant City, which fell 3-2 to Hillsborough in the opening round of the Class 4A District 9 tournament Tuesday.

ATHleTe of THe week by Matt Mauney | Associate editor

Monster Jam truck Maxi-mum Destruction and driver Tom Meents made a stop in Plant City Jan. 18, at Walmart to promote the Tampa Mon-ster Jam, held Jan. 19, at Ray-mond James Stadium.

Fans had the chance to take a picture with Max-D and get an autograph from Meents, a four-time Monster Jam World Racing Champion.

Meents is also the only driver to win both the World Racing Championship and the World Freestyle Champi-onship in the same year.

Maximum Destruction rumbles into Plant City

big wheels By Matt Mauney | Associate Editor

big wheels by Matt Mauney | Associate editor

brent calero, 6, was excited to meet and get an autograph from Maximum Destruction driver tom Meents.

William Dunbar was amazed at the size of Maximum Destruction’s tires.


”““”

The Plant City Observer has created quite a positive stir within the Plant City community. Through our activities with many local families, we hear nothing but praise for the local coverage. Everyone enjoys seeing the articles but also the many photographs — in color — that bring the paper to life every

week. Their efforts to reach us immediately with event coverage through social media is well received. The Plant City Observer is a great addition to our local way of keeping in touch with the happenings of the Plant City area.

JaCk HollandDirector, Plant City Recreation & Parks Department

Why THe observer?

PLANT CITYObserverYou. Your Neighbors. Your Neighborhood.

ObserverPlant City. Longboat. East County. Sarasota. Pelican Press.

Longboat Observer and Sarasota Observer were named Local Media Association’s 2012 newspapers of the Year. OMG has brought its award-winning journalism to Plant City.

“”

What I love about the Plant City Observer is that it is a great paper with big, vibrant, beautiful pictures and stories from the heart about great local hometown people. The local sports coverage is second to none and covers a variety of local sports. Best hometown newspaper ever.

RIChIE longReader

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01.24.13 Plant City Observer