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May 5 - May 19 2016

Volume 2 • Issue 6

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West Orange Baseball / Softball

Look to secure State Championship

Page 2 Florida Sporting News • 5/6/16 - 5/19/16

Local High School Athlete Loses Battle with Cancer by Greyson Everidge

BISHOP MOORE – Joe Skinner, a local baseball player and student at Bishop Moore High School, tragi-cally passed last week after losing his long battle with cancer. Skinner had become a symbol of strength, and touched all that he knew in a meaningful and impactful way. People all across the county are mourning the loss of a great young man who had a bright future.

Skinner was a great baseball player, serving Bishop Moore well in his time spent at the local Catholic High School. In addition to being a high school ball player, Skinner had signed on with the University of Central Florida to further his career in the game. Coaches and fans alike were fond of Skinner, who was not only a great player to have, but a great teammate and person as well.

Joe had been diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia in December, and was going to un-dergo an experimental treatment to try and cure the cancer. It didn’t work, and he passed away last week. zBishop Moore held a prayer service

Monday morning, and students filled his senior parking spot with flowers and kind messages writ-ten in chalk, to pay tribute to their teammate and friend. The UCF baseball team also took a moment of silences before their game, pay-ing their tribute to a member of the UCF baseball family. The teenager, who was just 17 years old, touched many lives before his passing. The social media campaign, #Skin-nerStrong has had a strong pres-ence for a while now, capturing for many what he is all about – strength.

Joe will be missed by all he touched but many agree that they were lucky to have known him, and will keep him in their prayers for weeks to come.

Drop 14 pounds by summer! By Ron Betta, Art of Fitness

Summer is just around the corner and many people are coming in to the studio asking about how to get that summer body! With about 7 weeks before the official start of our hottest sea-son, here are a few things to have on your side: proper nutrition proper exercise (a mix of resistance and car-dio training) plenty of water

Because there are around 3,500 calories in pound of fat, in order to drop 14 pounds over the next 7 weeks, you’re aiming for a loss of 1,000 calories each day (7,000 pounds each week). While this may sound difficult, the formula is rather simple.1. By exercising for 45-60 minutes, we can an-ticipate that you will burn around 500 calories.2. By reducing your caloric intake by 500 calo-ries per day, you would be down 1,000 calories.If this sounds hard, it’s not as bad as you might think. Most Americans underestimate their

caloric intake by 800 per day, so imagine just cutting out some (or most) of that and you’ve already dropped quite a bit.The more you exercise, the faster your metabo-lism will become. Muscle is the machine that burns fat. The more conditioned your muscle, the faster fat drops off. Questions? We are Fit-ness Nutrition Specialists and can help you drop fat faster using food as a weapon to burn fat and get fit faster! Summer is around the corner - get that beach body now!

Bishop Moore baseball teammates remember their teammate Joe Skinner

5/6/16 - 5/19/16 • Florida Sporting News Page 3

Olympia Baseball Runs an Even Seasonby Andrea Lerner

ORLANDO - The Olympia Titans baseball team (15-15) has kept up their game this season to hit off an even re-cord. The boys have given an immense amount of effort and clearly see their hard work paying off.

Coming off of last year, the Olym-pia boys are excited about how well they’ve done this season. Beating schools such as Wekiva, Ocoee, and Dr. Phillips, the team felt confident in their game play enough to keep their heads held high through the losses they’ve endured.

Even though the team did not win over certain schools like West Orange, and

Apopka, they are mentally preparing for what they need to do next year. Each game they have lost has been a lesson for the boys, and they have been taking notes of what it is

they should fix. With this tactic, the Olympia Titans intend to be an even stronger team next year.

Coaches and supporters are proud of how far the team has come this season, but the boys themselves know for sure that they can do better. While appreciating the time they’ve had, most of them admit to already wanting to start up practice for the new sea-son. With an upper hand, the Titans feel as if they could have a real advantage on the field.

An even record has impressed most, and the team has come together in more than one way to celebrate their efforts this sea-son. Games have been intense and games have been effortless, but either way, the Olympia Titans are more than thankful for what they’ve accomplished as a team on and off the field.

Page 4 Florida Sporting News • 5/6/16 - 5/19/16

Windermere Prep Baseball Struggled to Hit Home by Andrea Lerner

WINDERMERE - The Windermere Prep baseball team (9-18) have given this season all they have, but are fully aware that they’ve had a hard run. The boys have learned more than one les-son from this year and hope to use their knowledge next season.

With more losses than wins, the Windermere boys aren’t too headstrong over their standing record. While most losses have been close calls, like 7-6 in their most recent game against The First Academy (16-8), oth-ers have been completely off balance. The Winder-mere Lakers have no doubt struggled this season, but constantly tried to improve.

During each game, the Lakers have put in as much effort as possible. Never los-ing their focus, the team has constantly pushed each other to come together and play as a single unit. Determination is key for the Windermere team, and they made sure to not lose sight of that fact, no matter what.

In any sport, obstacles are going to take place. Most games are not going to go how the team originally thought they would. This has been the case for most games the Windermere boys have entered. They have appreciated the opportunity they had to be challenged, and admit that it will only make them stronger next year.

Both on and off the field, the boy’s baseball team is learning what it means to be a team. Their connec-tion on the field matters just as much off, and they have observed other teams who are stronger because of this tactic. As a main goal, the Windermere Lakers hope to become closer off the field, so they can play better on. With this in mind, they are thankful for the lessons of this season and are confident they will encourage them to enrich their skills next year.

NFL Celebrities help raise money for two local charitiesWith the efforts of Tom Flaherty who founded Maddy’s Mis-sion, Beth Prince, Principle of Lake Whitney Elementary, Scott Novak of Miller/Coors, Mike Attardi with the NFL players and 175 local golfers and supporters, The Maddy’s Mission Pro/Am was a huge success.

The Pro/Am golf event with celebrity NFL players took place on Sunday, April 24th at Orange County National Golf Course. Celebrities like NFL Football Hall of Fame induct-ee, Larry Little, All-Pro Clifton Smith, NFL first round draft picks Ki-Jana Carter and Ikaika-Alama Francis, Mayor Gary Bruhn and 34 former NFL players came out to support the cause. Maddy’s Mission foun-dation in Madison Flaherty’s memory, is to give aid & support to children and families in similar situations. There are times that these children do not qualify for services and are declined. The foundation hopes to assist those children that might not get the same opportunities and also the support they need by

supplying the necessary equipment and resources through-out the community.

To date the foundation has donated over $15,000 to the Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital and partnered with the Lake Whitney Education Fund helped to raise another $20,000 towards keeping a registered nurse at the school. Please visit http://www.maddysmissiontohelp.org to learn more information.

The Dolphin Educa-tion Fund has the responsibility to raise $24,000 to support Lake Whitney in off-setting the cost of hav-ing a registered nurse on campus every day.

This golf tourna-ment helps ensure the continuation of our nurse program at Lake Whitney Elementary School. This event

with the help of 175 golfers and celebrities came out and helped raise over $42,000.00 for both charities.

Tom Flaherty, Scott Novak, Mike Atardi & Beth Prince

5/6/16 - 5/19/16 • Florida Sporting News Page 5

Foundation Academy Softball Strikes a Season That’s Evenby Andrea Lerner

WINTER GARDEN - The Foundation Academy softball team (13-13) has overcome all their fears this season as they have struck an even record. Giving everything they have, they feel confident in what they’ve achieved.

With an equal amount of losses, the Foundation Lady Lions have learned a thing or two about overcoming a hardship. For this team, each loss serves as a hardship that they have learned to overcome. Instead of settling on what they’ve

done wrong, they turn it around to strategize how they can perfect it moving forward.

The Lady Lions have enjoyed taking on wins against teams such as Master’s Academy, Jones, and Lake Mary Prep. With almost all the wins attributed to a high scoring game, the Founda-tion girls are more than satisfied with how well they have played. As a small team coming from a small school, the girls have achieved more than what a larger team would have experienced.

Coaches and supporters of the girls have been behind the team during every game and every practice. With each downfall, the team has been

more than capable of picking themselves back up and getting back out on the field. As they have overcome most of their fears during each game, they feel confident to be able to do it all again next year.

As the seniors leave, the team makes way for new players to branch out their skills and abilities. The senior girls are grateful for the experience they’ve received this year, and feel bittersweet about leav-ing their high school field. With the juniors step-ping up to the plate, the Foundation Lady Lions are more than determined to create an even better season on the field next year.

ORLANDO - The Olympia High School girls’ lacrosse team (23-3) lost in the final four match against Bartram Trail (18-7) this month. The girls put in an extreme amount of effort, but in the end were defeated by a score of 11-10.

With the final score off by one point, the Olympia girls were devastated. The playoff game held too much on the line for the Olympia Titans, but they remained strong up until the very end. The entire match was a constant push of effort from both teams, but the Bar-tram Trail Bears came out on top.

Prior to this game, the Titans were extremely proud to have a record of only two losses. Add-ing a third to their record, along with losing the final four, was not a note of encouragement to

the team. They went into the game against Bar-tram headstrong, and confident that they could pull off a win. Although they did not succeed, no player ever gave up when they were on the field.

Making runs and plays was not easy for the Olympia team, they knew they were taking on some tough competition. Dur-ing each moment of game play, the girls kept their eyes off the scoreboard and stayed focused on what was directly in front of them. For this reason, they were able to put as many points on the board as the opposing team, just coming up short by one.

The Titans have held up a strong season, ranked number six in the state of Florida, according to MaxPreps. Their coach, Brooke Tobin, is proud of what the girls

brought to the table despite losing in the play-off game. Either way, the team created a strong bond of unity that will only continue to benefit them in the future.

by Andrea LernerOlympia Girls Lacrosse Score a Great Season

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Page 6 Florida Sporting News • 5/6/16 - 5/19/16

Olympia Softball Stronger Than Ever by Andrea Lerner

ORLANDO - The Olympia Titans softball team (14-9) has done everything they can to pull off an im-pressive season. The girls have worked hard despite the stress of school work, and it has paid off.

While losing the playoff game against West Or-ange (28-1) took a toll on the Lady Titans, they did everything they could not to let the loss take over what they have accomplished. They established a well set record, and are proud of what they have achieved. By having more wins than losses, the Olympia girls felt confident going into each game they have played.

The team has won against some well matched schools like Freedom, Wekiva, and Lake Nona. With these wins under their belt, the Lady Titans felt as if they can take on any opponent and give all

their effort, no matter what the final score is. As they have learned this season, more is able to be accom-plished if the scoreboard is kept out of mind.

Overall, the Olympia girls have been affected by a loss, as any team would be. They have constantly had a drive to win and when they haven’t succeeded in doing so, they have been let down. The Lady

Titans have learned to not let a loss affect them as much as it has in the past. This way, they do not lose confidence go-ing into the next game and avoid the risk of los-ing yet another match.

As the season ends, the girls are satisfied with how they have done. They have become a family more than a

team, and all of the players admit to being very good friends with each and every player. While sharing a sisterly bond off the field, they have learned to share an even stronger bond when they play. It is because of this that they have achieved the glorifying season they call this year.

HB7029 School Choice

Bill Passes by Greyson Everidge

TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Legislature, both the House and Senate, passed the HB7029 School Choice Bill, which will take effect al-most immediately. The bill, among other things, allows for the transfer of players who will be immediately eligible to play for their new school.

The bill is a game changer for recruiting of athletes, with as posed trouble for schools in the past. Now, it will become slightly easier to recruit players, because the players can play for

their new team immediately.

It also allows any school to play any school, which brings big changes for smaller schools, including private and charter schools. The bill extends these changes which is sure to have an impact on athletics statewide.

The vote passed in the Senate by a vote of 29-10. It passed in the House on account of a 82-33 vote.

It also provides capital funding changes for Charter schools, which will impact both educa-tion and athletics for the small schools aimed at helping underprivileged or disabled kids.

The bill also provides open enrollment for all K-12 students to public school, and codifies public college and university performance fund-ing in state law. It faced opposition on both parts of the legisla-tion, with conditions being met by both sides and parties to get the bill passed.

All that is needed for the bill to become law is the signature of Governor Rick Scott, which is expected to come sometime soon.

The best way to see exactly what this bill does, is to see it in action. Only then will the people affected be able to actually see what it means for them.

5/6/16 - 5/19/16 • Florida Sporting News Page 7

Rowing Scholarships for Two West Orange Students by Greyson Everidge

WINTER GARDEN – Two West Orange student athletes received scholarships to row in col-lege, after putting in years of hard work. Chloe Goodyear and Nick Hill, both Warrior seniors, received offers from UCF and Stetson respec-tively. It marks the strong presence of rowing among teenagers, a sport that has been growing among high school students in recent years. Chloe Goodyear, who will attend UCF starting in the summer, is over the moon.

“For me, years of hard work and experience in athletics has led me to an even bigger opportu-nity to further my education.” said Goodyear. “Scholarships have been a very important factor

in my college decision as well as preference in location.”

Goodyear opted to start her term in the summer, which she thinks is very important. She sees it as an opportunity to start her college adventure a little bit early, and likes the idea of getting to know the campus before the droves of students come in for the fall term.

UCF was a school she wanted to be at, and the scholarship only sweetened the deal. She couldn’t have done it without the support of her family and friends, but also acknowledge that her hard work is what ultimately got her there.

Keeping constant drive and focus in school to maintain grades is a big part of who see is, it’s clear to see that that drive carried over into her athletics. In her words, “Never back down!”

Nick Hill will attend Stetson starting in the fall, a college which has long been known for their strong rowing program. For Hill, it is an oppor-tunity to continue his athletics as well as aca-demics at a school he knows is right for him. For both of the signees, good things are coming. The duo from West Orange are sure to do big things in their sport, all while maintaining strong academic success.

West Orange Short of Districts but look forward to Next Seasonby Greyson Everidge

West Orange Boys Volleyball had one the best seasons they have ever had as a pro-gram, marking a historic win over power-house district rival Bishop Moore. If you think that was the highlight mark of the season, then you are mistaken. The Warriors finished the season (16-9) and capped off the successful season by finishing 4th in their district, which secured them a spot in the District Tournament.

The Warriors squared off against the 1st seed Bishop Moore at the Doctor Phillips gym. The Hornets got off to a hot start, not forget-

ting about the last matchup they had against the Warriors, and won the first set by a score of 25-12, then kept the momentum into the second game holding the Warriors to just 13 points routing them 25-13. The War-riors tried to catch up but it was too late and surrendered the final game to the Hornets 25-20. The Hornets completed the sweep and moved on to the District Champion-ship, awaiting Olympia and Doctor Phillips games.

The Warriors had a great season and now that they have playoff experience, they

promise to be back next year, stronger than ever. Junior Outside Hitter Matt Anetrella had words after the game. “This was a tough loss for us as a team, but we will all learn from this and are grateful for the opportunity to be here. Look for us to be back in this Tournament next year”. For Bishop Moore, Senior Setter/Outside Hitter Dominic Stratford had a team-high 12 kills and added 4 blocks to the team. Matt Anetrella had 5 kills and 10 digs for West Orange in their tough loss. The Hornets im-proved to (21-4) and the Warriors dropped to (16-9) on the season.

Page 8 Florida Sporting News • 5/6/16 - 5/19/16

Lake Highland Prep Boys Lacrosse Loses in Final Fourby Andrea Lerner

ORLANDO - The Lake Highland Prep boys la-crosse team (13-10) lost their most recent match in the final four against Ponte Vedra (25-1) at the end of April. The final score was a close 16-11, advancing Ponte Vedra.

The Lake Highland team was grateful to have advanced as far as they did. During the playoff game, they increased their focus and determina-tion knowing they were up against such a strong opponent. Having such an impressive record, Ponte Vedra was an intimidating team to the Lake Highland boys, and their suspicion proved to be correct.Without worrying about the score, the boys on the team tried to make their only goal being to control the game. They felt that if they were calling the shots on the field, the scoreboard would reflect their efforts. While this was true for most of the match, it unfortunately did not hold up until the very end, where the score mat-tered.

Even with the loss, the Lake Highland boys never lost their initiative and the effort they put into the game. They truly gave it their all until the game was over, and the close score is a re-flection of that fact. The boys are confident that if they play like this next year, they can advance to the championship and hopefully even win that.

With the end of the season, comes the end of a team that has worked hard to get as far as they did. With an almost even record, the boys had

no expectation of making it as far as they did. They tackled each game as a brand new one, and were thankful at the outcome they’ve expe-rienced. The Lake Highland boys intend to use the knowledge gained from this season to go even farther next year.

by Noelle Clay

5/6/16 - 5/19/16 • Florida Sporting News Page 9

by Greyson EveridgeWest Orange Softball Win Region Title and Looks for States

WINTER GARDEN – Winning ball games has be-come a trend of sorts at West Orange, and it contin-ued last week as the Warriors Softball team won not only Districts, but Regionals as well. It secured their spot in the State semis, and they are fired up and anxious to get on with it yet again.

The extended run started in the Regional Quarter Finals, where the Warriors smashed Freedom by a score of 16-0. From that game, West Orange moved on to the semis, where they beat Lake Brantley by a tight score of 2-1.

The Regional Finals were played last week, and the Warriors played Spruce Creek (20-6). The War-riors had the advantage on paper, as they are ranked number one in the Sentinel Super 6 and number one in the State by Miracle sports. However, everyone

knows anything on paper means nothing as soon as the game starts so the Warriors knew they needed to show their worth to push on in the tournament.

In the end, West Orange won by a score of 2-0. Spruce Creek pitcher Ashley Appell struck out the first 16 West Orange batters before Maggie Wheless broke through with an infield single to third. It was then that sophomore Lexie Blair hit a single to center

field that scored Wheless and Hai-ley Penrose.

Another West Orange stand-out was Lauren Mathis. The pitcher, who is

a Georgia signee, has been a force for the Warriors all season. Mathis has given up three earned runs in 125.1 innings, and played well in the Regional Final as well. She struck out 13, throwing strikeouts to five

of the last six batters for Spruce Creek.

The State Semi-finals will be played on Friday, May 6 at 6:35 p.m. The Warriors will come up against Western High School, who have an impressive 23-5 record overall, having gone 10-0 in their district.

Say Yes to the Blues..by Charissa Ward

Say Yes to the Blues…well to Blueberries that is. Blueberry season is now in full swing in Florida. So know is the time to stock your fridge with these nutritious beauties. Yes, we all know fruit and vegetables are a part of a great diet but some them have many more added benefits. Blueberries are very high in antioxidants, which help fight the damage to cells from free radicals and protect us from certain diseases. Due to their high antioxidants that help as an anti-inflammatory for our bodies. Those suffering for diabetes can also see a benefit from these sweet little berries as they help control insulin levels. This list goes on.

So what’s the secret to the blueberry? Blueberries are full of all kinds of good vitamins; for example,

calcium, iron, vitamins C and K and potassium. On the food rainbow this fruit is blue which is cause by Anthocyanins. This also attributes to foods like eggplant, red cabbage, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, and blood orange to name a few. So adding these little beauties into you daily diet can be very beneficial.

There are many options on consuming blueberries daily. Many people choose the smoothie option. This is a great way to enjoy blueberries year round. Blueberries freeze very easily and can be thrown into a blender with almost anything. They add their own special sweetness to the smoothie. Eating fresh blueberries is of course the all-time favorite. The mix of sweet and tart is the perfect combination. To know if your blueberries were picked at the ripest point look for a completely dark blue berry. The berries should be completely blue without any hint of red.

Keep them in your fridge without washing them for maximum shelf life.

So where can you get your hands on some of these berries. We here at Jnan Riyad we work closely with two local blueberry farms to bring you organically grow blueberries at a fraction of the cost. One of our growers, Huckleberry Hill Farms, prides himself in using organic growing methods while at the same time using no pesticides (even the organically ap-proved ones).

If you want a U-Pick organic farm check out Blue-berry Hills, they provide certified organic blueber-ries that you can pick yourself. Knowing where your food comes from is very important so we work closely with local farmers to bring you high quality fruits and vegetables. So come check us out soon and see the difference.

Page 10 Florida Sporting News • 5/6/16 - 5/19/16

West Orange Baseball Clinch District Title in Style by Greyson Everidge

WINTER GARDEN – The West Orange War-rior baseball team, who are ranked number one in the State, continue to push forward in their pursuit for a state title. With 26 wins and only two losses at this point in the season, they are no doubt favorites to win the title, despite stiff competition from a num-ber of other schools.

Districts started off on the right foot, as they advanced past the first round with no trouble. In the semi-finals, the Warriors played their bitter rivals Olympia, who posed a real threat to West Orange. A

walk off single from Gerry Brown captured the 4-3 win for the Warriors, which moved them into the district finals against another longtime rival, Apopka. The Blue Darters sat

with a solid record of 25-5, but they couldn’t keep up with the Warriors.

West Orange hammered Apopka to win the district title, coming out on top by a score of 10-2 to solidify their number one spot in the rankings. They dominated from the very be-ginning, displaying fine attacking play while maintaining a solid defense.

They then moved on to play Freedom (14-13), where they narrowly won by a score of 3-2. It was a bit shaky for the Warriors, but they got the win, which is all that matters in the end. They play Apopka next in the Regional Semi-finals, and are not taking anything for granted. They know that just because they beat them in Districts, it doesn’t mean that they will in Regionals.

With a Regional Final spot on the line, West Orange will throw everything they have at it. “It’s been a really good season for us so far, but we still want more. It isn’t over yet and we still want to move on all the way to a State Championship.” said sophomore pitcher Doug Nikhazy. If the Warriors beat Apopka yet again, they will play the winner of the Spruce Creek and University game. It will be tough, but the Warriors have everything it takes to push forward and move onto States.

5/6/16 - 5/19/16 • Florida Sporting News Page 11

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Page 12 Florida Sporting News • 5/6/16 - 5/19/16