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This week in FlaSports - October 15-21
Florida represented at USA Roller
Sports Championships in Australia
By Sam Rabinowitz, Communications Intern
USA Roller Sports announced the athletes participating in the
2007 Artistic Skating World’s Championship, which is being held in
Gold Coast, Australia and the list includes eight skaters from
Florida. This is the 52nd annual competition and the
fourth time it is being held in Australia.
Competition starts on Sunday, October 28
and runs through Saturday, November 10. Jessica Gaudy and Joey
Rodriguez, both of Melbourne (pictured at left), top the roster of Floridians
competing. The duo has been skating together for many years now.
The two will be competing for Team USA
in the dance category and says the competition will sure be stiff.
“The country to beat is Italy for sure.
They are a powerhouse, but they not unbeatable,” Rodriguez said.
“Italy has been the country to beat for
the past decade. They have the best technical and choreographed
routines. They focus mainly on pure style,” Gaudy added. Italy
placed first respectively in all the junior events of 2006 World
Championships.
The experience to go to a foreign
country and socialize with the citizens is one of a kind. The
athletes from other countries are truly great people on and off the
rink.
“They are absolutely awesome people, on
the floor it is all competition, but when we get off everyone is
real nice and down to Earth,” Rodriguez said.
Overall it’s a great atmosphere at the
World Championships. There are 25 countries competing in this year’s
event. The sport is developing into much more and is booming across
the world. Many of the athletes want to see the continuation of
growth much more in the future.
“My goals for Artistic Roller Skating
are to regain the top status that the U.S once enjoyed. Before the
emergence of Italy, the U.S dominated Artistic Skating. Americans
were very strong in dance and figures. I would like for one day to
see the sport make it to the Olympics.” Gaudy said.
Both of these two also participated in
the Sunshine State Games in the previous years and raved about the
experiences.
“It was one of the most fun and
competitive meets in Florida. It provides a great indication of how
you are going to do in Regionals as well as Nationals,” Gaudy said.
How does Florida compare against the
rest of the country on skates? Rodriguez and Gaudy agreed the
Sunshine State is at or near the top. “The southern region is one of
the best and the majority of skaters are from Florida.”
Overall these two are looking to hit it
big this year at the World Championships in Australia. If they
execute their routine flawlessly they have a chance for the gold.
Florida Artistic Roller Skaters who
qualified at the National Roller Skating Championships in Omaha,
Nebraska for the World Championships to be held in October in Gold
Coast, Australia.
Jessica Feuerstein - Kissimmee
Joey Rodriquez - Melbourne
Jessica Gaudy - Melbourne
Alex Poland - Sarasota
Mackenzie Wreidt - Sarasota
Grant Schnell - Melbourne
Audrey Schnell - Melbourne
Ashley Hinton - Port
Richey
Miami Dolphins players help community
through NFL Tuesdays
As part of the Miami Dolphins ongoing
support of the community, members of the team will be participating
in several events throughout South Florida in conjunction with the
“NFL Tuesdays” program.
“NFL Tuesdays” is a program designed to
raise awareness about the day-off charitable work of NFL players and
coaches. As such, every Tuesday, Dolphins players will be doing
special work in the community.
Here is this week’s schedule of the
Miami Dolphins “NFL Tuesday.”
All Community Team
Tight End Justin Peelle will be giving
out game tickets to kids at Boulevard Heights Elementary School in
Hollywood as part of the All Community Team program from 9:30 –
10:00 AM
R.A.P. Session
Safety Renaldo Hill and other Dolphins
players will speak to students from American High School during a
Reaching and Accessing People (R.A.P) session at the Dolphins
Training Facility from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. They will be discussing the
importance of staying in school, academics and getting good grades.
Players will also give out Miami Dolphins game tickets as part of
the All Community Team program.
Teen Read Week T-Shirt Design Contest
Miami Dolphins players, including
Linebacker Donnie Spragan, will speak to teenagers for Teen Read
Week about reading and football at the California Club Branch in
Miami from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Teen Read week, presented by the Miami
Dolphins Foundation, is an annual initiative of the American Library
Association to foster creativity through reading. Dolphins Alumni
will also be making several other appearances at branches throughout
Dade County from October 13th – October 17th.
The winner of the T-Shirt design contest will be announced pregame
on October 21st when the Dolphins play the Patriots.
L.J. Shelton To Visit Marti Huizenga
Boys and Girls Club
Offensive tackle L.J. Shelton will give
out tickets to members of the Marti Huizenga Boys and Girls
Club as part of the All Community Team program at 4:30 PM at the
Marti Huizenga Boys and Girls Club in Hollywood.
Breast Cancer Awareness “Key to the Cure” Benefit
On Thursday, October 18th ,
from 6:00 – 9:00 PM, wives of Miami Dolphins players and coaches
will be attending the Key to the Cure fundraiser, benefitting
the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at
Saks Fifth Avenue, in Bal Harbor.
The Happy Huddle with Ike Hillard
As NFL
defensive backs have found out this season, it’s not always easy to
keep up with Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Ike Hilliard.
That was never so evident as it was on Tuesday, October 9, even
though Hilliard never stepped on a football field. On this
afternoon, which coincided with the Buccaneer players’ day off,
Hilliard and three of his teammates were on hand for the NFL/United
Way Hometown Huddle event at nearby Sulphur Springs Elementary
School.
The school’s students were gathered on the outdoor basketball court,
arranged in a circle. Shortly into the event, a large truck backed
up to the court and Buccaneers Sammy Davis and Maurice Stovall leapt
out of the back. With the help of red-shirted United Way volunteers,
the players unloaded a huge amount of physical education equipment.
That’s
when Hilliard became a blur.
The kids – and Ike, of course – were
invited to immediately begin playing with the equipment, which
included balls, hula hoops, basketball nets and much more. First,
Hilliard organized a game of bouncing balls on a large, colorful
parachute. Moments later, he was under the parachute. Then it
was on to basketball, soccer and, in short order, a
Hilliard-arranged hula hoop contest.
At one point,
Hilliard even stopped to comfort a miserable little girl, upset over
the recent passing of her dog, Socks.
Fortunately, there were many, many more happy faces at Sulphur
Springs Elementary than sad ones on Tuesday. Hilliard, Davis,
Stovall and guard Matt Lehr helped turn one of the team’s most
important annual community events a rousing day of fun.
The Hometown Huddle initiative is one that is observed all around
the league during the season, with the considerable help of the
United Way. Established by the NFL and United Way in 1999, “Hometown
Huddle” is a yearly event that provides players, coaches and staff
the opportunity to participate in day-long community service
activities.
“The kids received personal attention from the players,” said
Elaine Speer, director of marketing and communication for United Way
of Tampa Bay. “It was a great day for Sulphur Springs Elementary
students and staff and a great initiative that made an immediate
impact in this community.”
Amateur Sports Accolades
***
Sandy Scott is a retired airline pilot and cycling champ,
mostly know to his St. Petersburg Bicycle Club training partners
from his recent comeback from a se rious neck injury. Scott crashed
when a spectator walked out on a time-trial course at nationals, but
his toughness was really tested when he came back to win several
national titles during his rehab.
Scott's most
recent win has his SPBC pals smiling. GeezerJock magazine just voted
the St. Petersburg resident as this year's recipient of the Master
Athlete Comeback of the Year Award.
En route to his "Comeback," Scott won a pair of gold medals at the
2006 Florida Senior Games State Championships in the 65-69 age
group. That performance made him a qualifier for the 2007
National Senior Games in June in Louisville, Kentucky, where his
highest finish was fourth in the 5K Time Trials.
*** The 2006
Florida Senior Games State Championships Female Athlete of the Year,
Sari Kisbany, of Redington Shores,
recently competed at the Hunstsman
Senior World Games in St. George, Utah where she won gold medals in
Women's Doubles (with Marta Nykle from Vancouver, B.C.) and Mixed
Doubles with Lynwood Smith.
FlaSports
Calendar of Events this week, October 15-21
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18-21 |
2007 NBC
Sports Dew Action Tournament,
Amway Arena, Orlando
(407) 648-4900
Gainesville Senior Games,
a qualifier
for the 2007 Florida Senior Games State Championships, various Gainesville
locations, (352) 338-9300 |
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20 |
Atlanta
Thrashers
vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, (813) 301-6600
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20-21 |
DragRaceResults.com Racing Series,
Gainesville Raceway, (352) 377-0046
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21 |
New England Patriots
vs. Miami Dolphins, Dolphins Stadium, Miami,
1-888-FINS-TIX (346-7849)
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This week in FlaSports Archive
Volume 1,
Issue 1, August 27
Volume 1,
Issue 2, September 4
Volume 1,
Issue 3, September 10
Volume 1,
Issue 4, September 17
Volume 1,
Issue 5, September 24
Volume 1,
Issue 6, October 1
Volume 1,
Issue 7, October 8
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