Some of the top young baseball players from throughout Central Florida will compete for the chance to play for a national championship this weekend, at Mike E. Sansone Park. For the first time, the Amateur Athletic Union, in association with Sunshine State Travel Ball, will hold an AAU Super Regional Grand National Qualifier in Plant […]
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Plant City resident Eric Barber in sixth Highland games season
Eric Barber isn’t your typical weightlifter. Instead of the benchpress or dumbbell curls, he prefers to toss a sheaf and a caber — and all while wearing a kilt. “I guess you can say I like to throw trees for fun,” said Barber, 40, a Plant City native. Barber, president of the Art Lounge and […]
Continue ReadingCorny Strawberry Festival challenge accepted
When I decided to participate in the fried corn eating contest at this year’s Florida Strawberry Festival, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve been fascinated with competitive eating since I was a preteen. I remember the first time I saw the famous Nathan’s Coney Island hotdog eating contest, and in 2001, witnessed Japan’s Takeru […]
Continue ReadingArea teams to compete in Saladino Tournament
Reading off some of the names that have played in the annual Saladino Baseball Tournament is like reading the list of a MLB All-Star team. Carl Everett, Luis Gonzalez, Dwight Gooden, Fred McGriff, Gary Sheffield and Plant City High’s own Kenny Rogers are just a few of the former Major Leaguers to play in the […]
Continue ReadingATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Megan Reed
Megan Reed has wanted to go to the University of Florida since she was a little girl. Now as a junior in high school, the Strawberry Crest shortstop is well on her way of reaching that goal. Reed has verbally committed to play softball at Florida. She hit for nearly a .500 average as a […]
Continue ReadingPlant City girls pumped for flag football season
From soccer and softball players to cheerleaders and calendar girls, the Plant City High School flag football team features a wide range of skill sets. It’s the main reason why head coach Larry Langston said this may be his deepest and most talented team yet, despite being young at several positions. “We have a lot […]
Continue ReadingOlympians step up to plate for softball
Olympians Michele Smith and Dot Richardson joined International Softball Federation president Don Porter Feb. 22, at the ISF headquarters in Plant City, for a presentation to local dignitaries on the progress of getting softball back into the Olympic Programme. It’s a process Porter and others have been hard at work to accomplish after the sport […]
Continue ReadingSHOW ME THE MAUNEY: Classic opens eyes to new sport
As I drove down Cowart Road Saturday to arrive at the DI Polo Complex, I still wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve covered a wide variety of sports in my still young career, from lacrosse and rugby to Le Mans racing, but the game of polo was still foreign to me. Rows of exotic cars […]
Continue ReadingATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Trent Robertson
Born in Hawaii before moving to Washington and later Kenosha, Wis., where he lived for about 13 years, Trent Robertson found a home in Florida playing basketball for Durant High School. The guard led the Cougars this year with 20.3 points per game, along with five rebounds, 2.8 steals and 3.3 assists. He recently committed […]
Continue ReadingSCOREBOARD: Durant baseball remains undefeated
Tyler Danish pitched a complete-game shutout Tuesday to lead his Durant team to a 2-0 victory at Alonso. Durant improved to 5-0 with the win and will host Newsome Friday. The Cougars are now the only undefeated team in Class 8A District 7. Four of those five wins came as shutouts. Danish, a University of […]
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