JUNE 2012
Volume 5
Issue 8
www.Gatorcountry.com
“My daddy, he was somewhere between God and John Wayne.” Hank Williams, Jr.
INSIDE:
Father’s Day Feature Albert & Alberta Secrecy Tennis Star Lauren Embree MLB Draft Preview
Callie Cooper:
One state to reach 50
GATOR DAD
Where are they now? Keiwan Ratliff
Destinations Key West
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FOR THIS MONTH... CEO www.gatorcountry.com Raymond Hines III
COO Bernadette King
CFO Raymond Hines, Jr
MANAGING EDITOR Mike Capshaw
STAFF WRITERS Thomas Goldkamp Adam Pincus Andrew Spivey Justin Wells
REPORTERS Sean Crawford Phillip Heilman Drew Laing Chris Kirschner Max Mattern Thomas Morrell Elizabeth Rhodes
PHOTOGRAPHERS Saj Guevara Jack Lewis Wesley Rodriguez
CONTENTS
CEO Marc Douglass
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Lauren Douglass
COPY EDITOR Daniel Sulphin
ART DIRECTOR Daniel Tidbury
GRAPHIC DESIGN Daniel Tidbury Lisa Torres Jane Dominguez
PROMOTIONS
swamp spotlight 12 Where Are They Now: Keiwan Ratliff 16 The Fighter 26 Strange Sports From Around the World 44 Cross Country Runner Goes Cross Country
On and off The Field FOR THE FAMILY 10 Titletown Gator Club Gathering 14 Florida Feeling a Draft 20 Recruiting Notebook 21 Football Notebook 22 Swamp World: All Sports Notebook 32 Albert & Alberta: A Secret Society? 40 The Lacrosse Dream
08 Let’s Go Camping 18 Olympics Edition Trivia 24 The Play Book: June Events 28 Fairy Gatormother 29 Mom Blog: World Champion Worrier 30 Gator Dad 34 Sun N’ Fun Family Destinations 36 Hook. Line. Sinker. 38 Gear for the Summer
Amanda Liles Karen Jones Hilah Driggers Kristen Cokas
ACCOUNTING Lynsey Parrish
CIRCULATION Eddy Falla
SPECIAL PROJECTS Lauren Kolansky Daniel Sulphin
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Shane Howell (shane@whpinc.com)
ADVERTISING & SALES Shane Howell Bryan Porter
Gator Country Magazine is brought to you by Gator Country Multimedia, Inc. and What’s Happening Publications, Inc. For advertising opportunities, please contact us at 352-371-5881 or sales@whpinc.com. Magazine subscriptions are available at www.gatorcountry.com For subsciption related questions or concerns, please call (800) 601-4623 or email folks@gatorcountry.com Connect with us: TheGatorCountry @GatorCountry
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GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
Fact: Enrolling approximately 50,000 students annually, UF is home to 16 colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes.
Timely vs. Timeless Features
Editor’s
letter As awesome as those teams have been with both being ranked among the top five nationally for most of the season, we cannot predict the future. If they ended up getting beat early in the NCAA Regionals, we have the potential of publishing a feature on a player that would come out after their season was over. That’s what makes magazine planning tricky from time to time. It’s also why we’re slowly working away from following a team’s season in the magazine and moving toward more timeless features. Timeless features can be read at any time of the year, even in the offseason, and still be intriguing. A perfect example There’s a method to our is this month’s feature on cross magazine madness. country runner Callie Cooper, At first glance, one would who is one state shy of reaching figure to see tons of coverage her goal of visiting all 50 states. of Florida Gators baseball and Cross country season is in the softball in this issue. fall, but it’s still an interesting piece After all, it’s June, when now, especially with Cooper both sports usually are in planning to complete her goal by the postseason. visiting North Dakota this summer. Therein lies the problem. These are the kind of features Because of the unpredictability of the postseason as well as when readers will begin seeing more and more as they continuing our deadlines fall, we decided perusing the pages of Gator against loading this issue with Country magazine each month. features on baseball Gators like Of course, we’ll highlight Preston Tucker or softball Gators National Championships in these like Lauren Haeger, even though pages, but for the most part, they are certainly deserving. The way this issue fell on the we’ll leave the timely articles to calendar has us going to press in GatorCountry.com and put the timeless features right here in the middle of May – before Gator Country magazine. postseason play began – and hitting newsstands during the first week in June – after the Mike Capshaw – Managing postseason was well underway. editor, Gator Country Fact: The fall 2010 incoming freshman class had an average 4.3 GPA and 1945 SAT score.
GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
5
tell us what you really think
CHEERS & JEERS RECRUITING LOVER
I want to applaud the effort of Andrew Spivey for keeping up with all the scoops on GATOR RECRUITING. He does a good job and always has a handle on what’s going on with all the kids and the way Muschamp recruits makes it more exciting than ever to keep up with. Well NOT counting last National Signing Day! W. Beauchamp
These are REAL emails from REAL Gator Country readers that come through our inbox each month. Readers can send questions, comments and suggestions to mike@gatorcountry.com. Put “Cheers & Jeers” in the subject line and your email could end up in this feature that we share with the rest of our readers in each issue. 6
GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
EDITOR’S NOTE: We like Andrew, too. His tireless work keeps up ticking, even on slowest days for other sports. The way this class is going – already 16 verbal commitments at press time – UF football coach Will Muschamp may have the 2013 signing class well before the next signing day. Thanks a ton for the feedback.
RECRUITING HATER
I’ve been a member of GC for almost 10 years and get tired of seeing so much recruiting on the front page everyday I log on – Is there anyway to move those somewhere else on the site??? (Name redacted) EDITOR’S NOTE: Because we have a large portion of our members who demand recruiting coverage, we probably won’t be changing where it’s located on the site. However, we are working on a redesign of the website. Without going into too much detail, it will be more appealing and user-friendly for sure. We do appreciate your feedback and the fact you’ve been part of GatorCountry.com for so long.
ANNOYING ADS
Is there anyway to block the ads on the website?? Especially the videos?? I’m on dial-up because wi-fi is not offered where I live yet and it slows down my connection speed. Thanks. L. Barrows EDITOR’S NOTE: Unfortunately, advertising helps pay the bills, so they won’t be going away anytime soon. We’ve looked at ways to offer subscription packages to block ads, which may be possible with the redesign, but at this time, I cannot promise that it will be.
INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE?
I’m a sophomore Journalism major at the University of Florida and was wondering if Gator Country was looking to add any new interns? (Name redacted) EDITOR’S NOTE: We’re always on the lookout for future star reporters and do have two openings for interns to be a part of our 2012-13 team. Even though this student already has done so, others who are interested in getting a jumpstart on their careers can email bernadette@ gatorcountry and mike@gatorcountry.com for more details. Fact: UF began accepting women in 1947.
The Night the Lights Went Out in Gainesville It may be hard to believe, but Gainesville’s move to public power began in late 1911 over a $7.30 bill dispute. At the time, Gainesville was a small town just getting used to hosting the six-year-old fledgling University of Florida, and the community’s electric needs were served by the privately owned Gainesville Gas and Electric Company, known as GG&E. In response to residents’ frequent complaints that the downtown streetlights were either off or poorly maintained, the City Council informed GG&E that $10 would be deducted from the December bill. The company would accept only a $2.70 reduction. The City refused to pay, so GG&E cut off the power on January 26, 1912.
“Gainesville streets are in the dark and local residents are wondering what to expect next,” read an article in The Gainesville Sun the next day. Citizens were outraged at the lack of control they had over their streetlights and organized a grassroots campaign to demand the creation of a city-run electric utility. They got their wish. Construction of the downtown power plant, now the John R. Kelly Generating Station, was started the next year and completed in 1914. So began Gainesville’s ownership of a public power utility, which became Gainesville Regional Utilities. Reliable and safe, not-for-profit electricity from a hometown company–that’s the benefit of public power. Celebrate with us. For a list of events and upcoming contest details visit www.gru.com.
One community. One request. One hundred years of GRU service.
time to pack
Let’s Go Camping UF has a full slate of camps scheduled this summer By Drew Laing
Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan will host several youth camps in June. Photo by Saj Guevara Summer is here, which means the University of Florida Clinics and Camps are just around the corner. This year, the university is offering something for everybody with camps ranging from basketball and football to cross country and lacrosse. More information on those camps can be found on the school’s website. Will Muschamp Gators Football Camp The football camps will be divided into two sections for high school students with the first section June 10–13 and the second section following on June 13–16. In addition, There will be a mini, one-day session on June 9 as well as kicking camp and Jr. Gator camp on June 17–19. Every aspect of football will be taught, including techniques and fundamentals for every position on the field and campers will get the opportunity to be coached by the Florida Gators’ coaching staff. There will also be competition between small teams throughout the session. The Jr. Gator camp is $180 for day 8
GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
campers and the two main sections and kicking session cost $325 for overnight campers and $280 day campers. Billy Donovan Basketball Camp The Florida Gators will host their annual individual basketball camp on June 11–14, opening up the opportunity for boys, ages 10–18, to be trained by current members of the Florida Gators’ basketball coaching staff. Campers will participate in drills as well as team and individual competitions. They will also be able to hear from current Florida assistant coaches and past Florida players. For overnight campers, the camp will cost $440 and only $350 for all-day campers. If you have a child between the ages of 8-10, Florida’s Little Gator Day Camp will also be running during the same time. The cost is $225 and both current Gators players and coaches will coach your child. Billy Donovan’s team camps will also take place from June 22–24. Teams can register online for $575 or by mail for $625.
Baseball Summer Camps
Various Florida baseball camps will be ongoing in the entire month of July and into early August. These camps provide quality teaching and training for all ages. The school will host two youth day camps for children 8-12 years old with the first day camp taking place on July 9-13 and the second session from July 30–August 3. Two middle school sessions be offered for student in sixth to eighth grade on July 16–20 and July 30–August 3. Both the middle school and youth camps will be $315 for all-day campers. Camps will go from 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Campers will receive baseball instruction from Gators coaches and players; however, pitchers will not throw live in the youth camps. For high school baseball players, there will be two sections with the first on July 22–25 and the second session taking place on July 26–29. Commuters will pay $400, while overnight campers will have to pay $475. All campers will receive position specific instruction as well as hitting and pitching analysis. Campers will also compete in games throughout the camp. Fact: UF’s annual economic impact on Florida’s economy exceeds $8.76 billion.
time to pack
GATORS SUMMER CAMPS
All summer Florida athletics will be training and teaching athletes from around the area of all ages. Here is a complete list of all of the camps and clinics the University of Florida will be offering during the summer months. Baseball Summer Camps (7/09/12–8/03/12) Billy Donovan Basketball Camps (6/11/12–6/24/12)
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Will Muschamp Gators Football Camp (6/09/12–6/19/12) Gator Golf Camp (6/10/12–6/20/12) Summer Lacrosse Camps (6/25/12–6/27/12) Gator Soccer Academy (6/11/12–7/13/12) Softball Summer Camps (6/11/12–6/26/12) Gator Swim Camp (6/6/12–7/15/12) Gator Dive Camp (6/26/12–7/4/12) 2012 Tennis Camp (6/10/12–7/19/12) 2012 Florida Volleyball Camps (7/8/12–7/22/12) Fact: UF built the first LEED Platinum certified building in the state of Florida.
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9
swamp party
Gator Country CFO Ray Hines Jr., left, and Ray Hines III are all smiles during hte event.
By GC Staff Photos by Saj Guevara
TitleTown Gator Club Gathering Muschamp is the guest speaker for the second annual event
Florida football coach Will Muschamp made the first of his 10-stop tour of Gator Gatherings at the Gainesville Raceway on April 19. The second-year coach delighted the crowd of about 300 while talking about this year’s team and fielding questions from attendees for the second annual TitleTown. Muschamp stayed to sign autographs after the event that also featured a barbecue dinner and prize drawings. “I just wanted to say congratulations for the upcoming season,” said the first fan to receive the microphone. “Keep bringing the fire!” Muschamp spoke about the improvement of the offensive line during the offseason, something that was a weakness during last year’s 6–6 regular season. He
10 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
mentioned, among other things, recruiting and how the 2012 schedule set up. GatorCountry.com and Gator Country Magazine were co-sponsors of the event. Several staff members, including founder/ CEO Raymond Hines III, his father and company CFO Raymond Hines Jr., and COO Bernadette King, spoke to the crowd and handed out a prize package valued at more than $400. We’ve put together a pictorial of several photos by Gator Country photographer Saj Guevara of the event. For more coverage and the full photo gallery from the event, check out: www.gatorcountry.com/football/ article/photo_gallery_titletown_gator_ club/14135
Fact: UF admitted 1,315 International Baccalaureate students – more than any other university in the U.S. – in fall 2010.
tearing it up
Above: Florida’s Bittany Daishell (22) and Gabi Weigland (35) hug after Dashiell’s goal during a 15–2 Gators’ win against Penn State on May 19 in Gainesville. The PSU player was not seriously injured. Photo by Mike Capshaw UF’s Alexandria Cercone is all smiles after the winning point against Duke on May 21 that sent the Gators into NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship in Athens, Ga. Photo by Jack Lewis
Fact: UF consistently ranks among the top-10 universities in licensing.
After finishing runner-up for the overall team title, Florida’s gymnasts faired well in the Individual Events at the NCAA Championship in Duluth, Ga., on April 22. Pictured, from left, are Amy Ferguson, Alaina Johnson, Marissa King, Ashanee Dickerson and Kytra Hunter. Photo by Jack Lewis
GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
11
then and now
By Justin Wells Keiwan Ratliff played for former Florida head coaches Steve Spurrier and Ron Zook. Photo courtesy UF Communications.
Where are they now?
Keiwan Ratliff Former Gators cornerback coaching in the Orlando area 12 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
Keiwan Ratliff
Age: 31 Sport: Football Position: Cornerback Lettered at UF: 2000–03 Notable: Drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round (49th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft. In 2008, helped the Indianapolis Colts clinch a playoff berth with a 35-yard interception return for a game-winning touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Quotable: “Every time my family comes down (from Ohio to Florida), they never want to leave. That’s what happened with me, I came back on my visit way back in ‘99, and I haven’t left since.” – Keiwan Ratliff on why he decided to live in the Orlando area. Fact: UF received more than $678 million in research awards in 2009-10.
then and now
In 2003, former Florida cornerback Keiwan Ratliff put together one of the finest individual seasons by a defensive player in school history. Playing for a Ron Zook-led squad, Ratliff recorded nine interceptions on his way to capturing Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors. Following seven seasons in the NFL with Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, Ratliff has now settled into his second career, wearing a number of coaching hats while enjoying life in Central Florida. “I played in the UFL last year,” Ratliff said. “Since then, I’ve been coaching with the Orlando Predators, working with these guys, coaching AAU 14-and-under basketball, coaching my son’s basketball. Just trying to stay as close to sports as possible. “I’m a sports junkie, so I was born for this.” Gator Country caught up with Ratliff following the IMG Madden 7-on-7 Southeast Regional Qualifier in Bradenton back in March. At the event, he was coaching with the Central Florida Top Recruits squad, working with future Gators such as linebacker Quinton Powell and safety Keanu Neal. While Ratliff is known for his ability on the defensive side of the ball from his playing days, he was actually coaching the offense on this particular weekend. “I had to put my Steve Spurrier hat on,” he said with a laugh. “I had to channel back to my 2000–01 days, when I was playing wide receiver. As a [defensive back], sometimes it’s easier to coach a wide receiver, because you can teach him what a defensive back is thinking, what a defensive back is looking at, so it helps them work on their routes. “The only hard part is trying to tell the quarterback what to read – that I was a little clueless on.” Participating in the same tournament was Pro Impact
Sports, a squad based out of Jacksonville and coached by Ratliff’s former teammate in Gainesville, Guss Scott. It was Scott who originally convinced Ratliff he should be involved with working on the spring 7-on-7 circuit. After coaching last year at Dr. Phillips in Orlando, converting to 7-on-7 football was a natural move for Ratliff. “Guss is actually the one who got me into this,” he said. “Him and [former FSU defensive back Gerard] Ross, they’ve been doing it for the past three, four, five years. I’ve been going out and watching them play every time I was at home in the off-season, going to Jacksonville to help them out. I had never actually been to a 7-on-7 tournament.” Ratliff readily admits that he would love to be able to go back through the recruiting process and participate in the plethora of events that have now come about for top student-athletes on the spring camp and combine circuit. “I promise you, I’m jealous,” Ratliff said. “I want to be 16, 17 again. You get to come out here and compete with guys from all over the state, guys from other states. Guys you hear about, guys you might not get to see in the regular season or in the playoffs, and you get to match up with them – one-on-one in front of all the media, and see what you’re really made of.” A native of Whitehall, Ohio, Ratliff has become a true-blood Sunshine State transplant. Now that he’s settled in and put some roots down in the Orlando-area – along with his wife, former UF sprinter Shavonda Benjamin – expect Ratliff to stay a while, as he continues to build his coaching résumé. “I mean, if you look around right now, it’s self-explanatory,” he said. “Every time my family comes down, they never want to leave. That’s what happened with me, I came back on my visit way back in ‘99, and I haven’t left since.”
Fact: UF has more than $750 million in new research facilities recently completed or under construction.
GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012 13
top picks By Andrew Spivey
Florida Feeling A Draft Several Gators players and signees are expected to be part of this month’s MLB Draft
This year’s Major League Baseball 2012 First-Year Player Draft is June 4–6 with a total of 50 rounds. Florida should be well represented during the draft as a number of the Gators’ current players and high school signees are projected to be selected. In order to be eligible for the draft, a player must have either completed three years of college or be 21 years old. In addition, any player who has finished high school, but has not enrolled in college is eligible. Not all players who are drafted will sign. College juniors can elect to return to Gainesville whereas high school draftees can decide to go to college instead of signing a contract. Of course, the Gators’ four seniors will not have the opportunity to return to school as their college eligibility has expired. There are a number of different websites that put out mock drafts, and this article highlights three in particular: ESPN. com, Baseball America and MLB Insider. After taking a look at those three sites, five current Florida players and signees are projected to go in the first round or the first 30 picks. Junior catcher Mike Zunino is the overwhelming favorite to be the first player taken for Florida. He is ranked among the top 3–4 players in the draft by pundits. Zunino also is the top college player on most mock drafts with two high school players ahead of him. 14 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
Keith Law of ESPN.com called Zunino the safest pick in the draft and ranked him the No. 1 catcher. Florida signee Lance McCullers Jr. from Jesuit High School in Tampa, Fla., is projected to be the second Florida player drafted. McCullers is projected to go as high as ninth while another mock draft has him going 25th overall. McCullers did not give up an earned run in regular season play this season as he posted a 12–0 record in 65.1 innings pitched while striking out 120 batters. Junior left-handed pitcher Brian Johnson is another prospect projected to be a first rounder. Two different mock drafts have Johnson going 28th overall. Johnson is a two-way player at Florida, but Major League teams are looking to take the junior as pitcher as scouts call his breaking ball an above average pitch.
Shortstop Nolan Fontana is another one of Florida’s juniors projected to be a first rounder. MLB Insider ranks him as the 23rd best player in draft and Baseball America ranks him as the 31st player in the draft. Kevin Law of ESPN.com had this to say about the junior. “He is a true shortstop with great instincts as well as a strong approach at the plate.” Tamarac (Fla.) Coral Springs High outfielder Lewis Brinson, a Gators signee, is projected by MLB Insider to be the 30th player taken in the draft. Brinson is a 6-foot-4 outfielder that is athletic for his size and has been compared to current Colorado Rockies outfielder Dexter Fowler. Brinson also has a strong bat. Last summer, he won the Under Armour All-American home run derby as a high school junior. Fact: UF offers more than 110 courses related to sustainability.
top picks
Windermere (Fla.) Olympia High school outfielder Jesse Winker is ranked as the 56th best player in the country, according to MLB Insider. Winker is a part of the No. 1 high school team in America. Junior right-handed pitcher Austin Maddox is another two-way player for Florida who is likely to be drafted as a pitcher. Maddox has been projected as high as the second round by some mock drafts.
Florida’s Friday night ace Hudson Randall is another right-handed pitcher who is projected to be highly drafted, but he does not crack the top three rounds in any of the mock drafts. Randall could elect to return for his senior season. The Gators have three seniors that should be drafted drafted in the middle to late rounds. Those prospects are outfielder/first baseman Preston Tucker, pitcher Greg Larson and outfielder Daniel Pigott.
DRAFT PROJECTIONS Name
Position Class
ESPN.com
Baseball America MLB Insider
Austin Maddox
P
JR
Avery Romero
SS
HS
50th HS player
Brian Johnson
P/1B
JR
28
28
Daniel Pigott
OF
SR
Greg Larson
P
SR 31st HS player
56
Hudson Randall
P
JR
Jessie Winker
OF
HS
Lance McCullers
P
HS
25
Lewis Brinson
OF
HS
36th HS player
17
9 30
Mike Zunino
C
JR
4
3
3
Nolan Fontana
SS
JR
44
31
23
Preston Tucker
1B
SR
Stephen Rodriguez
P
JR
71
LEFT: Florida junior catcher Mike Zunino is the highest-ranked, draft-eligible college player in most mock drafts and could be one of the first three players drafted this year. Photo by Saj Guevara RIGHT: Tamba (Fla.) Jesuit’s Lance McCullers throws a pitch during the first inning of a 10–0 win against Bishop McLaughlin in the Jesuit Easter Baseball Tournament on April 13. McCullers, a Gators signee, is projected to be drafted in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft. Photo by Daniel Wallace/ Tampa Bay Times Fact: In the last few years alone, UF’s Federal and State funded energy research exceeded $70 million.
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game set match
T he Fighter
Florida’s Lauren Embree Driven From Within
These days in collegiate sports, studentathletes are most celebrated for their honors and achievements. At the same time, many collegiate athletes are also faced with numerous expectations and significant degrees of pressure. While some struggle to find a steadfast balance between the two, others thrive. Florida junior tennis standout Lauren Embree has proven over the course of her time in Gainesville that no matter the level of pressure or magnitude of expectations tossed her way, her focus never shifts away from the task at hand. As crazy as it sounds, all of the pressure and expectations Embree has endured, simply have pushed her tennis game to new heights. Still many wonder, how does someone who never wears her socks up the entire way on her feet and concedes to having an unusual pattern of bouncing a tennis ball eight times before ever tossing it in the air to serve, become such a dominant force in this particular collegiate sport? Embree’s college coach, Roland
16 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
Thornqvist, puts it this way. “She has a mind like a steel trap and is so tough,” he said. “She doesn’t give you an inch and that’s what you need in championship settings. When the pressure is high, her premium goes up.” At press time, Embree was preparing to lead the Gators into the NCAA Round of 16 after they opened with sweeps against South Carolina State and Washington State.
Runs In The Family
Tennis is and has always been considered the primary sport in the Embree family household. Lauren, who hails from Marco Island, Fla., engaged in the sport at the age of five. Her father, Keith, played tennis at the University of Tampa, while her brother, also named Keith, was a Florida high school state champion in 2006 before a stellar career at Florida State. Growing up, Embree attended public school all the way through the end of her junior year of high school. Practicing tennis and training for two hours each day up to
Lauren Embree
Sport: Tennis Class: Junior Hometown: Marco Island, Fla. Major: Social and Behavioral Sciences Notable: Was the No. 1 ranked tennis player coming out of high school. Was homeschooled her senior year, so she could spend more time practicing and competing in tournaments. Quotable: “I think she’s capable of anything. She’s obviously dominated the college level and I could definitely see her going onto the pro circuit and doing well, too.” – Alabama junior All-America Alexa Guarachi on Florida’s Lauren Embree’s potential as a professional player. Guarachi is from Destin, Fla., and grew up playing with Florida’s Lauren Embree.
Fact: Approximately 90 percent of incoming freshmen score above the national average on standardized exams.
Mugshot courtesy UF Communications
By John Holt Photos by Saj Guevara
game set match that point, Embree elected to be homeschooled her senior year and finish her coursework online. The adjustment allowed Embree the opportunity to practice tennis for longer hours as well as to travel and participate in more junior tournaments. “I knew that if I was as good as I was just playing two hours every day, imagine how good I could be if I actually homeschooled like a lot of kids did and played tennis literally all day,” Embree said reflecting back to the decision. “That’s kind of when it hit me that I could potentially be as good as I want to be.”
Success at the Junior Level
As a junior player, Embree competed in several high profile tournaments, including the 2006 U.S. Open Junior Championships and 2009 Australian Open Junior Championships, where she advanced to the round of 16. Shortly after her senior year of high school, she qualified as a wild card for the 2009 French Open, which wound up being her first match in the main draw of a Grand Slam event. In the first round of the tournament, she met No. 11 seed Nadia Petrova of Russia, who in 2006 reached as high as No. 3 in the world. Petrova would defeat Embree 6–1, 6–2, but the experience Roland Garros provided her was instrumental. Following her loss to Petrova, the decision to either remain an amateur or join a collegiate program became much more difficult. In the end, Embree kept true to her college commitment.
The Perfect Fit
By the time it came down to make a decision on where to attend college, Embree said that she looked for four specific things. She wanted to attend a school where she felt comfortable and welcomed by all members of the team. She wanted to enroll in a school that had a superb coaching staff. She wanted to go somewhere that had first-class facilities. And possibly more than anything, she wanted to find a school that offered her the best chance to compete for a national championship. In the end, Florida was the perfect fit, beating out her two other finalists North Carolina and Georgia. “She did very well in junior tournaments,” senior teammate Joanna Mather said. “She won some big junior titles before coming to college, and we were just hoping that she would decide to come to college before turning pro.” Embree, who lists Maria Sharapova and
Kim Clijsters as her two favorite players currently on the women’s professional tour, was labeled as the nation’s top recruit coming out of high school in 2009. Along with Allie Will, the No. 3 prospect in the class, and Waterloo, Belgium native Caroline Hitimana, the trio formed what collegerecruiting.net tabbed that year as the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class. “I saw everything you want in a player,” Thornqvist said of recruiting Embree. “She’s a team player. She’s a world-class athlete.”
High Expectations
Plenty was expected of Embree upon her arrival in Gainesville in the fall of 2009, especially due to being the nation’s top high school recruit. Playing No. 1 singles as a freshman for the Gators, she finished 20–3
Fact: Every state dollar appropriated to the University of Florida results in a $15 return on investment.
in dual matches and became the first freshman ever to win Southeastern Conference Player of the Year. Meanwhile, as a team Florida finished the 2010 season as the NCAA runner-up. “I had a great freshman year,” Embree said. “I was playing well, and I still feel like I’m playing well. I didn’t even know that I was the first freshman to win the award until someone had told me. It’s really special and I’m really grateful to have that award.” This season, Embree was voted the 2012 SEC Player of the Year. It marks only the second time a Florida Gators tennis player has been presented with the award more than once in a career (the first being Jill Craybas, who won the award in 1995 and 1996). To be continued online at www.gatorcountry.com. GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
17
TRY YOUR HAND AT THESE!
OLYMPICS EDITION Trivia Since 1968, how many Gators have represented their countries in the Olympics?
In the 2008 Beijing Games, how many In the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, current and former UF athletes participated? how many times did Florida swimmers A) 34 appear on the award stand?
In the 1996 Olympics, what UF swimmer and Gainesville resident finished second in the 400-meter individual medley?
A) 155 B) 166 C) 145 D) 134
B) 38 C) 32 D) 31
A) Allison Wagner B) Dennis Mitchell C) Steve Mesler D) Nicole Haislett
C) 21 D) 20
A) 19 B) 18 C) 20 D) 13
If the Gator Nation were a nation recognized by the International Olympic In 12 Olympiads, former and current Gator Committee, it would have tied for _____ How many Gators competed in the athletes have laid claim to how many medals? for total medals earned in the 2008 Games. 1992 Barcelona Summer Games? A) 89 B) 100 C) 93 D) 91
A) 18th B) 15th C) 24th D) 23rd
A) 22 B) 25 C) 21 D) 23
Of those medals, how many of them were gold?
How many new countries did Gator Olympians represent in the Beijing games?
Of those Gators, how many won medals?
A) 45 B) 42 C) 41 D) 48
A) 8 B) 5 C) 6 D) 7
A) 16 B) 15 C) 18 D) 12
18 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
What UF grad became the oldest athlete to ever compete in the Summer Olympic games at the 2008 Beijing Olympics? A) Dara Torres B) Allison Wagner C) Krizstina Egerszegi D) Nicole Haislett
Former Gator mentor, Randy Reese, served on how many USA Olympic coaching staffs? A) 2 B) 3 C) 8 D) 4
Answer Key:
A) 14 B) 13 C) 16 D) 18
How many different countries did the Gators represent in the 2008 Beijing Games? In the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, A) 19 how many gold medals did the Florida B) 17 swimmers win?
1–c, 2–B, 3–D, 4–A, 5–A, 6–D, 7–A, 8–D, 9–D, 10–D, 11–B, 12–B, 13–A, 14–A, 15–B
Since 1968, how many Florida coaches have represented their countries in the Olympics?
A) 14 B) 16 C) 17 D) 20
Fact: It opened its doors in Gainesville in 1906 with 102 students.
SWING IT! Florida’s Olivia Janowicz tames the tennis ball during the Gators’ win against Michigan in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament in Duluth, Ga., on May 17. Photo by Jack Lewis
Florida softball player Samantha Holle appears to make the bat bend as she connects on this swing during the Gators’ 1-0 los against South Florida in the NCAA Gainesville Regional on May 20. Photo by Mike Capshaw
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www.teamperformanceproducts.com Fact: Some 50 biotechnology companies have resulted from faculty research programs.
GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012 19
THE LOW DOWN By Andrew Spivey
Since committing to Florida, receiver Ahmad Fulwood has been helping the Gators recruit other prospects to finish out the 2013 class. Gator Country file photo by Tim Casey
Recruiting Notebook Football Gators Have 16 Pledges Already
The Florida Gators’ football team currently has 16 verbal commitments in the 2013 class and will look to sign between 7–9 more prospects in this class. With that being said, this summer’s camps will be big for a lot of prospects, including the quarterback and receiver positions as they look to show the coaches they have what it takes to be a Gator. Florida is looking to add another receiver after picking up a pledge from Columbus (Ga.) Carver’s Marqui Hawkins on May 14. The Gators will host a number of receivers in camp including prospects Reggie Davis, Demarcus Robinson, Carlos Burse, Taj Williams and Richard Benjamin. Another thing to keep an eye on is 2014 prospects as the 2013 class is well on its way to being finished. Fan will start to see more 2014 scholarship offers being handed out and those prospects camping at Florida this summer as well. One big decision that the Gators are waiting on is from Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood defensive end Demarcus Walker. Walker is down to Florida and Alabama. Walker visited Florida for its spring game and said he almost committed, but he followed by visiting Alabama and said it was a “20” on a scale of one to 10. Another prospect expected to make a decision soon is Tampa (Fla.) Hillsborough defensive end Jordan Sherit. Sherit enjoyed his visit to Florida in early May. He said he had thoughts of committing to UF, but wanted to visit a few more schools before making a decision. Notre Dame and Vanderbilt look to be Florida’s biggest competition. Because the class is filling up quickly, I wanted to give a quick breakdown of how I think the class will finish position wise. 20 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
I expect the Gators to land one quarterback, one more receiver, two more offensive linemen, three more defensive linemen and one more defensive back. For the final spot, it could go to another running back or possibly another defensive lineman.
HOOPS HAPPENINGS
Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep forward Anthony Bennett dropped Florida from consideration and will likely pick UNLV. That leaves Florida still looking for a big man in this class. One name that could fill this position is South Carolina transfer Demontre Harris. Harris has been released from his scholarship at South Carolina and visited Florida in May. Florida and Kansas look to be the two programs that stand out for Harris. If Harris chooses Florida, he will have to sit out next year due to the transfer. Another prospect Florida could look at is Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood center Bradley Hayes. Hayes is a name that popped up late and he’s considering going to prep school for a year. If Hayes decides to go the Division I route, Florida could be a player for him if they decide to offer him. If not Florida, Georgetown and Florida State could be teams to watch. Now that the AAU circuit is underway, fans will see Florida start to offer more 2014 prospects. Fans will also see 2013 prospects start committing to colleges. One prospect that is expected to make a decision this summer is Bonifay (Fla.) Holmes County forward/center Chris Walker. Walker has had Florida in his top 3 for his entire recruitment but Kansas and Kentucky are also heavy contenders for his signature.
Florida Football Commitments (Class of 2013)*
1) RB Adam Lane (5–8, 215, Winter Haven, Fla.) 2) DT Caleb Brantley (6–3, 305, Crescent City, Fla.) 3) LB James Hearns (6–3, 235, Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln) 4) LB Daniel McMillian (6–3, 220, Jacksonville, Fla./First Coast) 5) RB Kelvin Taylor (5–10, 205, Belle Glade, Fla./Glades Day) 6) WR Rodney Adams (6–1, 175, St. Petersburg, Fla./Lakewood) 7) LB Quinton Powell (6–2, 195, Daytona Beach, Fla./Mainland) 8) DB Nick Washington (6–0, 180, Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian) 9) LB Dillan Lawson (6–3, 215, Crestview, Fla.) 10) DB Keanu Neal (6–1, 200, Bushnell, Fla./South Sumter) 11) OL Rod Johnson (6–5, 315, Delray Beach, Fla./American Heritage) 12) WR Ahmad Fulwood (6–4, 200, Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) 13) DB Tre’ Bell (5–11, 170, Jersey City, N.J./St. Peter’s Prep) 14) OL Joshua Outlaw (6–4, 280, Lithonia, Ga./King) 15) OL Cameron Dillard (6–3, 285, Canton, Mich./Plymouth) 16. WR Marqui Hawkins (6–1, 195, Columbus, Ga./Carver)
Florida Basketball Commitments (Class of 2013)*
1) Kasey Hill (6–0, 175, Clermont, Fla./Monteverde Academy) *Verbal commitments are non-binding
Fact: UF’s world-class cultural and artistic venues attract individuals from throughout the state and beyond.
THE LOW DOWN
Football Notebook
By Thomas Goldkamp
Will Muschamp seems more confident during his second Gator Gathering tour as the Gators’ head coach. Photo by Saj Guevara
Muschamp makes second rounds of tours around the state Will Muschamp spent the month of May reintroducing himself to Florida fans around the state, making his annual tour of the Gator Clubs for the second time as Florida’s coach. A rejuvenated, reinvigorated man from the one Gators fans saw at the end of a 6–6 regular season has spoken calmly to the dozens of Gator Clubs, exuding a quiet sense of purpose and confidence. Though the Gators are just 15–11 in the past two years, he believes things are close to turning back in a positive direction. “I feel like coach Muschamp is much better prepared and the team is much better prepared than they were a year ago,” said Richard Phillips, a fan at Muschamp’s first stop on tour, in Gainesville. “I do feel a little bit more confident because I feel he’s more confident.” With a new offensive coordinator, a new offensive line coach and a new strength and conditioning coordinator, Muschamp and his staff have set about fixing the team’s mentality. He’s molding the group into a more physical, mentally tough unit. The Gators also played the 2011 season with an attrition-ravaged roster, nearly a full recruiting class shy of the NCAA’s 85-man
scholarship limit. That won’t be as much of an issue this season with the vast majority of the team returning, including almost the entire starting defense. Two key injuries could have a big impact on how Florida looks defensively at the start of the season. Junior defensive tackle Dominique Easley and junior defensive end Ronald Powell are both recovering from torn ACLs. Easley tore his in the Florida State game in late November, and he is right on schedule to recover for fall camp. Powell, on the other hand, could be out a little longer. He tore his ACL in the spring game, and team doctors put a four- to six-month window on his return. Powell had the stitches removed from his surgery in mid-May, and he has been extremely positive since suffering the injury. If he can play at all in the 2012 season, it would be a huge boost for a team looking for more consistent playmakers, which Powell was becoming before injuring himself in the spring game. Florida is also expecting another veteran defensive player to recover from an injury in time for the season. Junior cornerback Jeremy Brown, who missed his
Fact: UF President J. Bernard Machen was the first to sign the ACUPCC for an action plan to become carbon neutral by 2025
first two years on campus with a back injury and all of the 2011 season with a knee injury, is expected to be cleared for contact on July 1. His return would help bolster a cornerback unit with some talented young players emerging and provide the Gators with excellent depth in the secondary. Junior wide receiver Stephen Alli is another player recovering from injury after undergoing surgery to repair a stress fracture in his leg in early May. He is expected to miss three months recovering, putting his return right around the start of fall camp in early August. Muschamp has also announced two other team changes on his recent stops. Sophomore linebacker Graham Stewart opted to transfer to Connecticut to be closer to his family after taking part in all of spring practice. Finally, sophomore defensive end Tevin Westbrook has moved to tight end to help reinforce the depth there and add another big body who can serve as an effective blocker. Sophomore A.C. Leonard could miss games at the beginning of the year as a result of a battery charge that resulted in a suspension from the team during the spring. GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012 21
gator sports review Compiled by Mike Capshaw Photos by Saj Guevara and Jack Lewis
GOLF
Preston Tucker
The men’s golf team finished third in the SEC Championships in late April thanks to a pair of third-place finishes by juniors Tyler McCumber and T.J. Vogel. The women’s team secured a spot in the NCAA Championship for the second consecutive season after finishing tied for fourth in the NCAA East Regional in State College, Pa., on May 12. Senior Evan Jensen’s eighthplace finish led a strong team effort. Both men’s and women’s NCAA Championships were scheduled for late May.
BASEBALL
After spending the first half of the season ranked No. 1 in the nation, the Gators struggled in late April and early May. They even lost 12–7 at Samford in their final regular season non-conference game on May 15, although Preston Tucker tied Mark Ellis’ all-time UF hit record of 319. Florida needed to finish strong during a threegame series at Auburn and during the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Hoover, Ala., if it hopes to land one of the Top 8 National Seeds for the NCAA Tournament. In the meantime, Preston Tucker hit the all-time hit record.
spencer newman TENNIS
evan jensen GYMNASTICS
Florida was runner-up in the NCAA Gymnastics Championship, falling just short of a title by 0.75 points behind National Champion Alabama. It was the third closest margin of all-time. Gators freshman Kytra Hunter won the vault and the All-Around title during the individual events finals at the Area at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga., on April 22.
Both Florida men’s and women’s tennis team had advanced to the Sweet 16 by sweeping their first two matches of the NCAA Tennis Championships. The No. 12 UF men were set to take on No. 5 Ohio State at the Dan McGill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga., on May 18 while the No. 2 women’s team was scheduled to face No. 15 Michigan in Athens on May 17.
Omar Cradduck amanda butler
kytra hunter
michelle moultrie TRACK & FIELD
The Gators won eight individual titles on the final day of the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championship in Baton Rogue, La., Gators coach Amanda Butler announced the SOFTBALL on May 13. Senior Genevieve LaCaze had hiring of assistant coach Angela Crosby on At press time, Florida was set to host an record-setting day. She took home the May 15. Crosby spent last season at North NCAA Regional in Gainesville for the 10th SEC Commissioner’s trophy by winning Carolina-Charlotte and the previous three consecutive season from May 18–20. The seasons at West Virginia. Florida also Gators, who earned the No. 5 National Seed, the 1,500, the 5,000 and the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The women finished in second announced the following day that Vicky were hosting an All-Florida regional with while the men came in fourth in the overall McIntyre would be transferring to UF from Florida Gulf Coast, Central Florida and Oklahoma State. At 6-foot-6, McIntyre will South Florida rounding out the field for the standings led by Omar Cradduck becoming the third different Gator in three years to be the tallest player in Florida women’s double-elimination tournament with the win the triple jump. hoops history. winner advancing to the Super Regionals.
BASKETBALL – WOMEN’S
22 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
Fact: UF admitted 1,315 International Baccalaureate students – more than any other university in the U.S. – in fall 2010.
r o f e c r u o s r You ! e s i d n a h c r e logo m
WWW.WHATSHAPPENING PROMOTIONS.COM
352-371-5881
PART OF
june 1st 7:30pm Room to Dance @
june 12th 8:30am Summer Camp AM1:
Santa Fe College Fine Arts Hall Theatre
DinoMania at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 1.00pm Summer Camp PM1: Awesome Arthropods at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History
june 2nd 11.00am Double Summit E.T. Series Gainesville Raceway 8.00pm Trevis Prince Performing Live @ Civic Media Center 7:30pm Room to Dance @ Santa Fe College Fine Arts Hall Theatre
june 13th 8:30am Summer Camp AM1:
DinoMania at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History june 4th 1.00pm Summer Camp PM1: Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway Awesome Arthropods at the @ Florida Museum of Florida Museum @ Florida Natural History Museum of Natural History 2.00pm Haven Attic 1:00pm Verdant Earth and Volunteers Training @ Haven Teeming Seas: The Natural Hospice Attic Resale Store World in Ancient American june 6th Art @ Samuel P. Harn Track & Field @ NCAA Museum of Art Outdoor Championships 6:30pm Wednesday Night Test & Tune @ Gainesville 1:00pm Verdant Earth and Raceway Teeming Seas: The Natural june 14th World in Ancient American Art @ Samuel P. Harn 8:30am Summer Camp AM1: Museum of Art DinoMania at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum 6.00pm A.W.A.K.E. of North of Natural History Florida @ Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center 1.00pm Summer Camp PM1: Awesome Arthropods at the june 7th Florida Museum @ Florida Track & Field @ NCAA Museum of Natural History Outdoor Championships
june 8th Track & Field @ NCAA Outdoor Championships
june 15th 8:30am Summer Camp AM1:
DinoMania at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History june 9th Track & Field @ NCAA 1.00pm Summer Camp PM1: Outdoor Championships Awesome Arthropods at the Florida Museum @ Florida june 11th Museum of Natural History 6.00pm Learn to Knit! @ Sew june 16th Make Do 2:00pm Summit E.T. Series + 8:30am Summer Camp AM1: Open Comp. @ Gainesville DinoMania at the Florida Raceway Museum @ Florida Museum june 18th of Natural History Summer Camp AM2: 8:30am 1.00pm Summer Camp PM1: Build It! at the Florida Awesome Arthropods at the Museum @ Florida Museum Florida Museum @ Florida of Natural History Museum of Natural History 24 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
JUNE 8:30am Field Camp FC1: Wild About Conservation: Build It! at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 1.00pm Summer Camp PM2: Now You See Me at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 6.00pm Learn to Knit! @ Sew Make Do june 19th 8:30am Summer Camp AM2: Build It! at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 8:30am Field Camp FC1: Wild About Conservation: Build It! at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 1.00pm Summer Camp PM2: Now You See Me at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History
june 20th 8:30am Summer Camp AM2: Build It! at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 8:30am Field Camp FC1: Wild About Conservation: Build It! at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 1.00pm Summer Camp PM2: Now You See Me at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 1:00pm Verdant Earth and Teeming Seas: The Natural World in Ancient American Art @ Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art
june 21th 8:30am Summer Camp AM2:
june 26th 8:30am Summer Camp AM3:
Build It! at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 8:30am Field Camp FC1: Wild About Conservation: Build It! at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 1.00pm Summer Camp PM2: Now You See Me at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 7:30 2012 JJA Jazz Awards Gainesville FL Satellite Party @ Leonardo’s 706
A Whale of a Tale at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 1.00pm Summer Camp PM3: Kitchen Chemistry at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History
june 22th 8:30am Summer Camp AM2: Build It! at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 8:30am Field Camp FC1: Wild About Conservation: Build It! at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 1.00pm Summer Camp PM2: Now You See Me at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History
june 25th 8:30am Summer Camp AM3: A Whale of a Tale at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 1.00pm Summer Camp PM3: Kitchen Chemistry at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History
june27th 8:30am Summer Camp AM3: A Whale of a Tale at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 1:00pm Verdant Earth and Teeming Seas: The Natural World in Ancient American Art @ Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art 6:30pm Wednesday Night Test & Tune @ Gainesville Raceway 1.00pm Summer Camp PM3: Kitchen Chemistry at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History
june 28th 8:30am Summer Camp AM3: A Whale of a Tale at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 1.00pm Summer Camp PM3: Kitchen Chemistry at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History
june 29th 8:30am Summer Camp AM3: A Whale of a Tale at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History 1.00pm Summer Camp PM3: Kitchen Chemistry at the Florida Museum @ Florida Museum of Natural History
Fact: Since 1968, 145 Gators and 13 Florida coaches have represented 34 countries.
Photos courtesy of UF Communications
the Play Book
Super Fans!
A group of young fans yell for one of Florida’s outfielders to throw them a ball that was hit foul during the Gators’ series against Georgia. Photo by Mike Capshaw
It’s always Gameday in Gainesville,
only the venues change. This license plate was certainly appropriate for Florida’s lacrosse game against Ohio State in the ALC Tournament semifinals in Gainesville on May 4. The Gators squeaked by with a 5-4 win. Photo by Mike Capshaw Fans do the Gator Chomp shortly after Florida beat Northwestern 14-7 to capture the ALC Championship at Dizney Stadium in Gainesville on May 5. Photo by Mike Capshaw
VisitGainesville.com Fact: UF’s Century Tower is 157 feet tall.
GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012 25
Strange, Indeed
Strange Sports from around the world To be weird is to be different, but being different is simply a matter of perspective. To us, sports like disc golf and ultimate Frisbee are not weird, they are typical college sports. To us, it’s not weird to call soccer ‘soccer’, even though EVERYONE in the rest of the world calls it football. Having said this, here are some sports that, to their participants, are totally normal, maybe even traditional; to us, well, they’re just plain weird! 26 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
Bog Snorkeling
Between this and the Man vs. Horse Marathon, one might come to wonder if the people in Llanwrtyd Wells, in Wales have enough to do with their time. Also spawned from the questionable minds of Llanwrtyd is Bog Snorkeling. Believe it or not, this sport actually hasaworldchampionship, one that has been going on for 20years. Wearing snorkels and flippers, players must swim through a dense peat bog using only their flippers. Competitors must complete two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard, water-filled trench cut through a peat bog, in the shortest time possible. Due to potential eel bites, competing in the nude is not allowed (as stated in the rules)! Useless Fact: It opened its doors in Gainesville in 1906 with 102 students.
Strange, Indeed
Toe Wrestling
Like arm wrestling but with toes, this childhood game has actually qualified as a competitive sport. The World Toe Wrestling Competition began at a pub in Derbyshire, UK in 1976. It makes sense that alcohol was involved to create this competition. Probably amid quite the stupor, locals of ‘Ye Olde Royal Oak Inn’ believed it would be a great idea to hold a competition where individuals lock toes together and force their opponent’s foot to the ground. In 1997, the organizers even applied to get the sport included in the Olympics. Thankfully, sobriety kicked in and the application was denied.
Fistball
An old sport, make that ancient sport, fistball was first mentioned in 240 A.D by Roman Emperor, Gordianus. Now played all over the world, fistball, like tennis or volleyball, pits teams of five on either side of a net. The goal is to hit the ball with your fist or arm and land it in the opponent’s half where they can’t get to it. After passing the net, the ball may be contacted up to three times (bounces are allowed). Fistball is played out outdoors and indoors. The men’s outdoor game is featured in The World Games and in the Internationaler Faustball Verband’ World Championships for men and women.
Kickball
We all remember it from our youth; you throw the ball, you kick the ball, you run around the bases. Apparently this playground classic has been resurrected with the creation of the World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA). The players may have changed through the years, but the rules are the same. Every year the association holds a Founders Cup Tournament and has been for 14 years. WAKA has even grown so far as to be featured on CNN and ESPN. Maybe we should have tried harder when we were kids. We could’ve gone pro!
Beard And Moustache Championships If you’re tired of shaving, but you’re only excuse is laziness, just tell them you’re participating in the biennial World Beard and Moustache Championship. The competition pits man vs. man in a beard vs. beard face-off (yeah I said it, FACEoff). Despite its ‘controversial’ beginnings, the competition has become an international sport with historical ties to Europe and America. Most notable of the 17 categories are the Dali moustache, the goatee and the full beard freestyle. Fact: As of February 2000, the university had received $61.5 million since it began collecting Gatorade royalties in 1973.
GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012 27
FAIRY GATORMOTHER
Dear Fairy Gatormother, My girlfriend hates watching sports. Are there any tricks I can use to get her interested or things she can do while I’m watching sports to get her involved?
Dear Tricks Are For Kids If I held the magic answer for this I would surely have penned a best selling relationship how-to book and been invited to deliver a TED talk. Then, I would have followed up this smash hit with a second best seller which revealed the answer to, “How do I get my boyfriend to want to help with the dishes, watch chick flicks with me and pick his underwear up off the floor but make sure he stays an alpha male?” and appeared on Oprah (lookin’ good as hell, might I add). However, good though I am – and I am – there is only one way to approach this question and give it the answer it deserves; with a top-shelf margarita in both claws and two more on the way! Now, before I go on, I want to point out that you used the words “Are there any tricks I can use...”. Since I promised the staff I would keep it clean I’ll move on. Shame. Those are the answers that could’ve helped you and your lady friend most ... OK, look my little pollywogup-your-socks-and-throw-themin-the-back-of-the-closet, let’s examine a few things: By your writing, ergo thinking, the words “... tricks I can use ...” this tells me you are not comfortable talking openly with your boo. Words are powerful and if we really pay attention to the precise language people use (including ourselves) we can gain incredible insight into what motivates us, and others. In turn this should make it helpful in engaging in clear, honest communication. Why do you perceive that she needs to be tricked? Are you feeling that the relationship, her feelings, your feelings are on
rocky ground? Are you a duplicitous person by nature? Did you really mean convince, ask, demand, etc.? Sounds like I’m putting a great deal of stock into one word but that’s a big trigger word in relationships of any kind, so it might help you to spend some time meditating on this component. Ask her why she hates watching sports. If she’s your home skillet as well as your main squeeze then, hopefully, she will be honest and you two can work together to find a happy compromise. The next thing to be done is to figure out why getting her involved is important to you. I would venture to say that perhaps, this question is the most important one of all. Why do you want her at your side when you’re involved in the sacred rituals men perform (beer swilling, yelling at people who can’t hear them and don’t care what they think anyway and high-fiving when they’re not the ones who scored)? There are many possible answers to this one, but only you can know your “why” and I have a double order of shrimp steamed in Old Bay on the way (see what I did there). At the end of the day, if you want to go from pollywog to full-blown frog that she can kiss and turn into her handsome prince, talk to her. Hear her. And just give her what she wants because you’re going to lose your man card sooner or later, so just bite the bullet and take one for the team. Till next time ... ooo ... shrimp! Wonder what they have for dessert?
Disclaimer: The Fairy GatorMother is not a licensed anything her advice column is published each month for entertainment purposes. However, those seeking advice from a fictional character can email The Fairy GatorMother at gatormother@gatorcountry.com.
28 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
Fact: The fall 2010 incoming freshman class had an average 4.3 GPA and 1945 SAT score.
MOMMY BLOGGER By Renee Gork realize it until right now as I tell you MOMs about my MOM. In a matter of an hour, I was the worrying daughter for a change and the worrying mother didn’t seem like that big of a deal after all. After that day, I can say I am much more comfortable being a worried mom ALL the time, than being a worried daughter on a few dismal occasions. My husband came in, running from his car, and I calmly gave him a kiss, gave a peck to my son and helped my mother out to the car in one swift movement. I got her to the ER, checked her in, discussed her medical history with the nurse and was back listening to medical personnel. It turned out my mother had a terrible infection, which required hospitalization for more than a week. During this time, I stayed the night with her and rarely left her side. I missed my boys terribly, however, I was just so grateful to spend time with my mom glancing at his grandma with a look of in the hospital instead of wishing I would I used to only worry about whether my concern on his little face, and I simply have spent time with her the week before. team wins or loses. assured him Grandma would be fine and As I am typing this, my mother is back Now, as a mother of two young boys, home. She is still I worry about much more important things, she just needed rest. Little did I know, rest was the very least of what she would need. on antibiotics, in addition to like 70 other in my eyes anyway. How they’re doing in After several minutes passed, Grandma medications, but she is home and better – school, if they had a good day while we woke up sick to her stomach. After helping much, much better. were apart, if they’re going to get hurt her with that problem, the little man After such a scary day, I came to a playing sports … the sky’s the limit when needed to eat. For the first time in my conclusion, all the worrying I do as a it comes to me worrying. entire 35 years of life, I was in a position mother every single day is CAKE and it had I used to wonder why my mother I never could have imagined I would be. me ready for a time when worrying for my worried so much, but now I get it. Nowhere in ALL my worrying about my mother could of been a scary task. Instead, Then, something happened to her – sons doing this, or needing that, did I think I I did what I needed to do and in the end, my own mom. would be in a position worrying about MY everything turned out OK. Late one early May morning, I was mom while at the same time making sure my Apparently worrying is just like sports, dropping off my three-year old at my mom’s SON didn’t worry about MY MOM by being a the more you practice the better you get, before heading to work. My husband, who strong MOM myself. Hard to follow? Not and over the last couple of months, I think normally works from home, had a meeting, this mommy AND daughter has achieved so my mom was going to watch our youngest. really? My mom wasn’t just cold, something was wrong and I knew it. I called my husband champion status in worrying. However, in When I went to her house, she was the future, future as in football season, I standing at the door with a wool sweater on, and told him to come home immediately slippers, and had a blanket wrapped around while at the same time trying to sound as cool hope the only worrying I will be doing is her shoulders. Mind you, this was in Florida as a cucumber and making a ham and cheese about my football team or of course, about sandwich for a certain hungry three-year old. I my son’s football team. Until then, it’s in May, it’s not cold. Her teeth started managed to say grace with him, cover my summer sports and the beach for this chattering, and needless to say, I picked up mommy – and sunburns, deep water, rip the phone and told a colleague at work I was mom back up because she was still freezing, going to be late. My mother gave me a funny throw away the mess she made in the garbage tides, jellyfish, insect bites and apparently, and call my brother in Atlanta – all while much more worrying. look like, “Why are you doing that?” writing down all the medications my mother I wasn’t leaving her the way she was was on because I had made the decision to feeling. It wasn’t normal, something wasn’t Renee Gork is a mother of two boys and the right. I piled up more and more blankets on take her to the ER after she couldn’t tell me student experiences coordinator and assistant to the her and finally she fell asleep. I explained to about what was happening or remember the sports director at WRUF Sports Radio 850, a division my little guy mommy was going to wait and names of common things in her living room. of the University of Florida College of Journalism and As I continued being in this position, make sure Grandma was feeling OK and Communications. She can be reached at rgork@wruf.com. comforting my son, reassuring my mother Daddy will pick him up at Grandma’s after she was going to be OK, and explaining to his meeting and then mommy will go to my brother how bad OUR mother really work. I didn’t make it to work until four was, I was scared to death, but didn’t days later. He was fine with that, but kept
World Champion Worrier
Fact: A total of 4,266 students have been members of Greek organizations at UF as of fall 2000.
GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012 29
Father knows best
Gator Dad Jack Cullen encouraged daughter and UF lacrosse star Kitty Cullen to play sports at an early age
30 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
After featuring several Gator Moms for Mother’s Day last month, we didn’t want to leave Gator Dads out with Father’s Day on June 17. So, we visited with Jack Cullen, the father of Florida junior lacrosse All-American Kitty Cullen, to find out what being a Gator Dad is all about. Most fathers would worry about seeing their “baby girl” get involved in physical sports, Jack Cullen actually encouraged it. “(Kitty) started out like most little ones do with soccer, but we slowly morphed her into basketball,” Jack Cullen said. “Then in about the sixth grade, she got into lacrosse.” Interestingly enough, the Cullens would find out via a feature story a few years later that the now-junior All-American only tried out for lacrosse because neither of her parents knew anything about the game. “She wanted to find her own way without us telling her what to do or how to
do it,” Jack Cullen said. “And I’ll never forget me telling her, ‘Kitty, you should do that.’ And she said, ‘Dad, if I did that it would be a penalty.’ So, I learned my lesson quickly.” Kitty’s older sister, Kristen, paved the way for Jack to not be too concerned about his baby girl playing sports, as Kristen competed in college field hockey. Her real name is Kathleen, but Dad gave her the nickname Kitty after she was born. As a junior who led the team in goals and was the American Lacrosse Conference Player of the Year in 2011, she has become a crowd favorite. There is even “Kitty’s Korner,” a student cheering section that was featured in last month’s magazine. Jack has only missed one match this season despite the family being from Rockville, Md. He said he’s “really proud she chose to be a Gator” and points out that Kitty made her college choice on her own.
Fact: UF now houses 17 LEED certified buildings.
Father knows best “(The University of Florida) has delivered 110 percent above and beyond anything that we expected,” he said. “On the field and in the classroom, the level of support has been phenomenal.” After the Gators beat Northwestern, a team that has won six of the past seven National Championships, in the ALC Tournament finals in Gainesville, Jack helped lead the postgame cheers. All the parents on the UF lacrosse team are really close. Jack even said they are “like my best friends,” due to the amount of time they spend together, whether it’s tailgating before or after games, or cheering wildly during. “The other great thing about this team and this school, it has fostered such a great relationship amongst the parents,” he said. “We just support each other and have just developed a great bond through what the girls are doing. “We get together before, during and after … and way after. I can tell you that downtown Gainesville will see us all tonight (after the team won the ALC Championship). We will be out in force. Lacrosse is as physical as female – or male for that matter – sports can get. They swing sticks like Axe Men chopping wood while flinging a ball that’s as “hard as a rock” as Jack described it. This physicality rang true when Kitty suffered a concussion during a regular season match at Ohio State on March 24.
Of course, Jack was in the stands when it happened. “It was a pretty scary thing,” he said. “It was the first concussion that anyone we know of in our family has ever had.” Dad gives all the credit to the Gators’ training staff for how it handled the injury by not trying to rush Kitty back onto the field. She missed two games. Still, Jack doesn’t worry about injuries. “I think when you play sports, you can’t worry about the danger,” Jack said. “You’ve just got to go out and give it your all. I think I would be more worried if they weren’t playing sports.” Among other reasons, Jack was excited to see his youngest daughter get involved in sports because, as he puts it, it’s one of the best ways for dads to stay connected with their daughters through their teenage years, a time when some may want little to do with their fathers. To raise a daughter into a star college athlete, Jack said the key is to encourage sports and not just one. Let them try a variety of sports to see which one suits them the best. “They might be kicking and screaming when you get them into the gym or onto the field, but once they meet up with their teammates, they’ll start having a great time,” he said. “I think it’s really about encouragement, don’t ever let them get down on themselves when they’re not doing well or had a bad day, just bring them back out the next day.”
Fact: Shands shares joint ownership of three rural community hospitals in north central Florida.
GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012 31
more than a furry suit
Official names: Albert E. Gator and Alberta Gators
History: A live alligator named Albert became a part of football game in 1957, but the first Albert in a costume sighting was in 1970. Alberta joined him in 1984. Notable: Only one of two male and female pair of mascots in the Southeastern Conference. The Arkansas Razorbacks have Big Red and Sue. E., as well as a kid mascot named Pork Chop.
Florida Gators beloved mascots cloaked in secrecy
By Elizabeth Rhodes Photos by Mike Capshaw
Albert & Alberta: A Secret Society? As you see your school mascot run out onto the field to deliver an enthusiastic performance and pump up the crowd do you ever think about the person underneath the suit? Our own Albert and Alberta have been around since 1970 supporting the Gators athletics every step of the way as the University of Florida has built a successful sports reputation. So who are the actual people entertaining crowds and getting Gators fans going? To provide some insight on what goes on behind the scenes of being a mascot Gator Country interviewed a former Alberta (who wishes to remain unidentified) and asked her to explain what being Alberta is truly about. Others we spoke with – and attempted to speak with – declined to go on record about the secret society behind Albert and Alberta. “Alberta is very spirited,” Anonymous Alberta said. “She’s very sassy, spunky and kind of gets after it. She’s very flirtatious and she just likes to have fun.” “At a softball game, Alberta is behind the plate acting like an umpire and calling balls
32 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
and strikes,” AA said. “People enjoy that and people are very amused by that.” Now, first thing is first, the audition process – where dreams can be fulfilled, or turned away for many mascot hopefuls each year. “You have to do a group interview and you also have to do impromptu skits,” Anonymous Alberta said. “You go in front of a panel of judges and that includes the spirit coordinator, the mascot coordinator and a couple of other handful of judges. I actually did a skit that was about a minute and a half.” On top of the audition being completely random with no preparation allowed whatsoever, when the skit is performed all contestants must wear the suit for the first time. Talk about putting the students on the spot. The questions in the interview were similar to those asked in a job interview. ‘How would you describe Albert/Alberta?’ ‘Why do you feel you could fit the role of Alberta?’ Anonymous Alberta explained that she learned quickly who Alberta truly was. Of course, after auditions, there is a
waiting period where everyone is anxious to hear back with “you received the part.” The simple phrase that makes so many people’s dreams come true. When Anonymous Alberta got the phone call, she was floating on Cloud Nine. “It meant a lot to me,” Anonymous Alberta said. “It meant a lot more than I could have ever imagined. I’d always been a Gators fan and most people who become mascots usually are. To actually be the face of a program, it’s really an incredible feeling. “When I got that phone call knowing I would be part of a program that was helping our fans cheer on our team, and to know I was making a difference, it was unbelievable.” Despite the crowd always looking forward to seeing Albert and Alberta’s performance acts and the pressure to keep the fans lively throughout the game, Anonymous Alberta didn’t do anything special before games to prepare herself for the crowd. However, during Florida’s run to last year’s Women’s College World Series, she did stick to a certain regiment before hitting the field. Like some players, Alberta was superstitious, too. “It was more of like a ritual in the sense that Alberta had the same meal every day before each game and she was out in the crowd at the same time,” Anonymous Alberta said. Alberta would chow down on a chicken and cheese sandwich with barbecue sauce and fries and a water to drink before she would run out on the field to entertain the crowd. To give time for her food to digest, Alberta would eat the meal about two or three hours prior to the game. “It provided her a lot of carbohydrates, so Alberta could keep up her energy throughout the game,” Anonymous Alberta said. Not only was Alberta’s meal before the games consistent, but if she wore or did something different when the Gators won,
Fact: For Fall 2008, 7,553 single students lived on campus (4,346 female, 3,205 male).
more than a furry suit
then a pattern would start to continue. “It’s kind of like a ritual in the sense that ‘we won this game so Alberta needs to do the same things at the same time’ or ‘if Alberta was wearing these color stirrups and we won, then she needs to put them back on’,” she said. Still, Anonymous Alberta gets chills when recalling what it’s like to hear fans in The Swamp during football games screaming in her direction. “It’s unbelievable,” Anonymous Alberta said. “For fans to actually take a moment away from the football game and to scream ‘Alberta’ is unbelievable.” The best part of Alberta may
The people behind the mascots are hard-working college students who must exercise more time management skills than most college kids will ever learn. “It’s a lot harder of a job than people think it is,” Anonymous Alberta said. “Even with other people working the suit, you’re working two to three events a week, you’re going to school, you’re going to charity, you’re working every athletic event the University of Florida has at home, you’re traveling-there’s just a lot of work and a lot of dedication that it takes.” The dedication and devotion isn’t something just any college student could master as Albert and Alberta is known to choose
“There are 90,000 people looking at Alberta, know who she is, want to be with her, want to take a picture with her. To be there and be in that excitement is unbelievable.” be the free spirit. Identities stay a secret behind the mask, giving Albert and Alberta the ability to act as wild and crazy as necessary to inspire spirit. “Alberta can be whoever she wants to be and that’s the best part. It’s one of those things where she is just out there having fun and enjoying herself, “ she said. The joy of Alberta isn’t simply running out into the swamp or the Mac or any of the Gators stadiums and fields to entertain a crowd a couple of days a week. It’s hard work. Try putting on a furry suit and dancing around for hours on a sultry day in Florida.
well-rounded and highly regarded individuals. Students must maintain a high GPA and 12 credit hours. It’s a secret society of sorts. What goes on behind the scenes is not shared by many. Anonymous Alberta said the opportunity to enter the program only comes to a select few. “It’s more of a hush down thing,” Anonymous Alberta said. “You don’t usually really find it, it kind of finds you.”
Gator Country reporter Elizabeth Rhodes can be reached at lizxxbeth@gators.ufl.edu.
Fact: UF enrollment is now more than 46,000, and its campus sprawls across 2000 acres.
GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012 33
THIS WAY TO MILE ZERO
Sun N’ Fun By Daniel Sutphin
By now you should be fully submerged in the mid-summer lull. As kids run amok and daydreams of escape set in, the idea of a vacation has turned from a want to a must. In lieu of this thought, the further away you can run, the better. So we at Gator Country decided to save South Florida for next month and head straight for Mile Zero!
Sun-drenched and wet, with the scent of the ocean and salt in the air, the Florida Keys harbor some of the most fascinating sights in the state. While each of the five keys offer plenty of activities to frequent along the way, none quite compare to the history and grandeur of the eccentric Key West! 34 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
108 Duval Street Key West, FL 33040 (305) 293-9939 www.ripleys.com
Ripley’s believe it or not $$
Take sight of the strange at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Ripley’s Odditorium stretches over 8,000 square feet and features 500 exhibits of odd and unusual scenes from around the world. The 13 themed galleries display some of the most unusual objects, items and collections, including a shrunken human torso that once belonged Ernest Hemingway. Fact: Approximately 90 percent of incoming freshmen score above the national average on standardized exams.
THIS WAY TO MILE ZERO
1500 Reynolds Street Key West, Florida 33040 1-888-303-5717 www.casamarinaresort.com www.barefootbillys.com
Casa Marina, A Waldorf Astoria Resort $$$$ For a stay embodying Key West’s past and present, Casa Marina, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, is the perfect destination. In a mergence of old Key West ambience and modern-day luxury, Casa Marina rests along the southern edge of the island – spanning more than 1,100 feet of private beach. The resort is listed in the National Register for Historic Places and has attracted business tycoons, artists and dignitaries since the 1920’s. Casa Marina neighbors a vast collection of fascinating attractions. Within minutes from the resort, guests can wander the quaint Old Town, museums and historic homes or gander a wide variety of sea life at the aquariums. If you want a more first-hand experience of tropical adventure, Casa Marina works directly with watersport shop Barefoot Billy’s, providing access to a large selection of exhilarating activities. Guests can scuba dive into the depths of the ocean to search famous
Fury Water Adventures $$$
Price Range Guide: for each event for an average family of four
0-50: $ 50-100: $$ 100-300: $$$ 300-600: $$$$ 600-1000: $$$$$ 1000+: $$$$$$
shipwrecks and vibrant reefs, or snorkel the shallower waters and encounter some dolphins. They can tour the open sea with a waverunner, sailboat or kayak, or embark on a relaxing sunset cruise. Guests can also explore the island with a trip on a scooter or bicycle and hit the popular Duval Street – home to unique shopping, dining and a luminous nightlife! Casa Marina offers a variety of packages, including: the Bed & Breakfast, the Stay More Play More and the Watersports Package. Its private, backyard beach provides a peaceful escape from the busy city life bustling beyond its walls and the chaos of daily life back home. Although a likely disruption to said tranquility, children are more than welcome at Casa Marina; in fact, if they are under 16, they get in for free! Casa Marina provides an excellent home base for the rest of your Key West adventures!
237 Front St. Key West, FL 33040 (305)294-8899 www.furycat.com
Experience the beauty of Key West’s underwater vistas aboard Fury Water’s Glass Bottom Boat. Eye the wonders of North America’s only living coral reef. The 221-mile-long reef is one of the most biologically diverse marine eco-systems in the world. Elkhorn and brain coral provide protection for more than 300 species of fish that complete the colorful habitat. Special glass “windows to the reef” provide continuous viewing for all passengers and, due to the catamaran’s twin-hull design, the ride is stable and far less rocky than tradition V-hull designs.
Key West Seaplane Adventures $$$$$
Sights to Catch Along the way to Key West:
Although the highway may end, the Keys continue for another 70 miles. With Seaplane Adventures, passengers are lifted above the blue/green waters of the Gulf and taken to the true end of the keys, Dry Tortugas National Park. The park is known for its marine life, pirate legends and pure, unspoiled beauty. Its central feature, the majestic Fort Jefferson, covers most of the island.
• Robbie’s of Islamorado where a school of tarpon come to feed on a daily basis.
3471 South Roosevelt Boulevard Key West, Fl 33040 305-293-930 www.keywestseaplanecharters.com 907 Whitehead Street Key West, Florida 33040-7411 305-294-1575 www.hemingwayhome.com
Hemingway Home $
A 30-minute guided tour takes guests through the very halls and rooms that author Earnest Hemingway once walked. The Hemingway home was built in 1851 in the Spanish Colonial style. When purchased in the early 1930s, Hemingway and his wife remodeled the then-wrecked home, transforming it into the National Historical Landmark that thousands of tourists visit and enjoy today. Fact: UF has 5,434 faculty members with distinguished records in teaching, research and service.
• Key Largo’s “Christ of the Abyss” Underwater Statue • Shipwreck Diving in Marathon – Several famous shipwrecks surround Marathon, as well as a 160-foot-tall lighthouse that was erected before the Civil War GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012 35
Angling FOR A NIBBLE that can be beneficial to the shad component of the forage base. Fishable maidencane edge has been reduced to about three feet or less and the submerged logs of the southwestern shoreline are high and dry. The abundant panfish population of this lake will start their bedding rituals this quarter. Black crappie will take to the maidencane edge for their spawning activities. As the largemouth bass behavior transitions from bedding and nest-guarding this quarter to a more dispersed post-spawn habit, traditional summer baits and approaches will apply.
Hook. Line. Sinker.
As of May 2012. Courtesy of Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. LAKE SANTA FE
A recently conducted Largemouth bass population survey (March of 2012) indicated that it is an excellent year for fishing Lake Santa Fe. Several large bass (over 6 pounds) were found under docks in deeper water, primarily along the Northwestern shoreline of Little Lake Santa Fe, as well as around the Cypress trees in the Southwestern shoreline of the big lake. Large bass were also found under the two fish attractors in the big lake in deeper water. Large crappie were found close to the shoreline in Melrose Bay along the maidencane grass, and large bluegill and redear sunfish were found among the cypress stands.
SUWANNEE LAKE
Very low water levels currently restrict all but the shallowest-drafting vessels to the north section of the lake. Plenty of young-of-theyear bluegill schools were observed, but this does not constitute resurgence in the forage base, especially for this period. Therefore, black crappie and bass should be easily enticed with live bait or close look-alikes.
LAKE WAUBERG
Water levels continue to remain down 2-3 feet in this lake, but the State Park boat ramp is still usable. Water color is a productive, fish-growing green. This points to an increase of available nutrients
SUWANNEE AND SANTA FE RIVERS Boaters should be extremely cautious on both rivers, as low water has made clearance over sand bars and other underwater hazards less certain.
An annual largemouth bass electrofishing survey was conducted by FWC biologists in the section of the Suwannee River downstream from the Suwannee River State Park. This section revealed a robust population of legal and above-average sized bass, both Suwannee and largemouth. Good numbers of harvestable-sized panfish (redear and redbreasted sunfish) were also observed. Farther downstream near the Gopher River tributary, bass were surveyed holding in deeper water along outside bends of the river and areas that support spatterdock and eelgrass. Redbreast sunfish fishing will pick up this period with ultra-small crankbaits fished by drifting being the preferred lure and method. Water color in the Suwannee is currently tannin-stained, most likely influenced form Okefenokee Swamp waters. In the Santa Fe River mullet numbers are high between Rt. 129 and Rum Island. Water clarity is very clear high throughout the Santa Fe, so you might consider using a fluorocarbon line or leader which is more difficult for fish to detect.
RODMAN’S RESERVOIR Look out for floating logs. To prevent boating accidents during the drawdown, boaters are asked to watch their wake and be courteous to anglers fishing along the Barge Canal and river channel.
Rodman Reservoir still offers some of the best bass fishing in the area due to the drought in north central Florida that is affecting many of the surrounding lakes. As water temperatures increase, largemouth bass will move to deep water in the stump fields. Anglers may also try drifting or trolling live shiners in the stump fields on both sides of the barge canal in the pool area. In the Orange Springs area, live shiners floated under overhanging vegetation in the river channel should produce some good catches of largemouth bass. Bluegills are caught throughout the reservoir; however, the Kenwood to Orange Springs area generally seems to be the best. For redbreast sunfish, fish the riverine section of the reservoir (Orange Springs to Eureka). Finally, look for stocky warmouth between Orange Springs and Cypress Bayou
UPPER ST. JOHNS RIVER & LAKES
Levels are presently much higher than this time last year. Expect good fishing success in the river sections between Lakes Winder and Poinsett (Middle River), Washington to Helen Blazes, and from SR 520 to SR 50. Shallow draft or smaller boats typically have an easier time navigating sand bars and secondary channels in the river than their larger counterparts this time of the year. Largemouth bass and panfish should be concentrated throughout the deeper portions of the river. Anglers should target the edges of floating vegetation along banks, sharp bends, and drop-offs near shallow bars. Traditional methods for taking all species will work. Lake Washington will be the best choice for those anglers with larger boats because the lake is impounded for the city of Melbourne’s water supply and typically has the deepest water. Anglers should focus their efforts around the offshore bulrush patches and emergent grasses for bass and panfish.
For the latest updates, visit myfwc.com. 36 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
THE SALT OF THE EARTH Stone Crab
The recreational and commercial harvest season for stone crab closed May 16. Season will reopen Oct. 15.
Grouper Atlantic (including Monroe County)
The following species of grouper were open to recreational harvest in state waters of the Atlantic starting May 1: gag, black, red, yellowmouth, yellowfin and tiger grouper; scamp; rock hind; red hind; coney; and grasby. Season is open through Dec. 31.
Gag Grouper Gulf
Gag grouper opened for recreational harvest April 1in state waters off of Franklin, Wakulla, Jefferson and Taylor counties, including all waters of the Steinhatchee River, Apalachicola Bay and Indian Pass. This season is for 2012 only and will be open through June 30, 2012. Season is open in Gulf of Mexico federal waters and in all other Gulf of Mexico state waters July 1–Oct. 31.
Gulf (excluding Monroe County)
The following species of grouper opened to recreational harvest in state and federal waters April 1: black, red, yellowfin and yellow mouth grouper; rock hind; red hind; and scamp. Season is open through Jan. 31, 2013.
Permit
The recreational harvest of permit inside the Special Permit Zone (includes state waters south of Cape Florida on the Atlantic coast and south of Cape Sable on the Gulf Coast) closed May 1. Season will reopen Aug. 1.
Saltwater update
Upcoming & Continuing Season Openings & Closures
Fact: On October 27, 1930, construction was completed on original Florida Field.
GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012 37
Summer HEAD FOR THE SHORE
Gear for the By Daniel Sutphin
FishTales Log
Whether an avid fisherman or not, it’s important to keep details from past fishing trips to better understand and recognize behaviors and patterns of the species you are targeting. With FishTales Log you can keep your notes safe, organized and accessible in a durable, handsome journal! The affordable logs are an important source for anyone trying to master their fishing skills. The pages are neat and printed with fill-in-the-blank and check box entries so it’s easy to track and record details. The log allows you to relate how tides, seasons and weather patterns impact the fish. You can reference bait location and look back season by season. Most importantly, your fishing adventures will all be documented making it a great keepsake for the future! $18.95 www.fishtaleslog.com
Scosche: solBAT II
The likelihood of leaving your phone behind these days is pretty thin, but the chance of having a bottle opener around when you need one is even less. The Opena iPhone 4 Case puts the two together. The durable and protective polycarbonate hard case stashes a slide-out stainless steel bottle opener on the back!
Mobile devices always seem to die at the worse moment. solBAT II prevents this inconvenience by utilizing a natural source of power: the sun! Use the power of the sun to charge the solBAT II and then transfer it to any USB compatible device.
$39.95 www.opencase.com
$29.99 www.scosche.com
Annex Products: Opena iPhone 4 Case
38 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
Fact: UF student spending supports local and statewide businesses and tourism.
HEAD FOR THE SHORE
ezShade 8-foot Straight Leg Canopy
Grace Digital Audio: Eco Extreme
Built with a rugged, rubberized protective body, the Eco Extreme is handy for anyone on the go, or since it’s summer, for rocking some jams by the water. The Eco Extreme waterproof case is compatible with every MP3 player and cell phone and provides extreme durability, rugged housing and dynamic sound performance! $49.99 www.gracedigitalaudio.com
A day at the beach can be awesome, but eventually the sun can get to be unbearable. Blocking over 99 percent of UVA/UVB rays, ezShade Canopy is a portable sun shield that instantly attaches to any portable canopy. Invented by a mom, the Canopy sets up in seconds with peel and stick hook strips. Multiple panels can also be added to create a portable privacy enclosure! $36.95 www.umbrellasmadeez.com
Swann SportsCam - Waterproof Mini Digital Video Camera
Swann SportsCam lets you capture all of those fun underwater moments without ruining any devices. Waterproof and shock resistant, the Mini Video Camera is great for all sports and recreational activities. It records AVI video files with color. Add a 16GB micro SD card for up to five hours of recording! $99.99 www.swann.com
Icey-Tek
Designed from premium materials to create the ultimate commercial quality coolbox, Icey-Tek is bringing a whole new level to the cooler game! Lighter than its competition, the Icey-tek components consist of a 100-percent, A-grade polyethylene external skin. The internal food-grade liner is non-staining, non-odor absorbing and impact resistant. Max cold is reached by packing the cooler with as much ice as possible or with dry ice and kept in a cool area. It also helps to freeze the intended contents beforehand. All the boxes have heavy-duty, self-stopping lid hinges and are lockable! The lids are fitted with rubber gaskets for complete sealing. The long boxes also come with coated rope handles for easy carrying. Whether storing your latest big catch, or just keeping the drinks nice and cold for later, IceyTek is guaranteed to get the job done! www.icey-tek-coolers.com Fact: UF has won a league-best eight national titles since 2006.
GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012 39
It began as a dream
the Lacrosse Dream The Gators pose for a team picture with the ALC Tournament Championship trophy and with the scoreboard in the background following their May 5 win against Northwestern at Dizney Stadium in Gainesville.
Florida Lacrosse By The Numbers
• 3 seasons Florida has fielded a lacrosse team • 2/20/2010 Date of Florida’s first official regular season win in lacrosse • 22 Players on Florida’s roster from Maryland, New Jersey or New York. Only three are from Florida. • 29 most goals in a single game, against Fresno State on March 28, 2012 • 30-4 Florida’s all-time home record • 2,114 argest crowd at Donald R. Dizney Stadium • 77 most goals scored by a player in a single season, Kitty Cullen 2011 • 1 ALC Championship Florida has won • 3 amount of seasons needed to rank No. 1 in the country 40 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
On June 14, 2006, University of Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley announced that women’s lacrosse will be added to the Gators’ athletic program. “Obviously, it is a very exciting day for our program. Anytime you can add a sport, it is exciting. To have the opportunity to start a program from scratch and build it and hopefully achieve a great deal of success down the road, that is why we do what we do,” Foley said after the announcement. Foley had high hopes for the new program, but the next step was not the simplest. Every prosperous team needs a special coach, so whom would he pick for the position? The answer: Amanda O’Leary. With her 14 years of coaching at Yale, O’Leary had the experience and attitude that Foley desired, and the program needed. O’Leary left an established program for one that was a few years away from actually playing its first game.
“I think it was the opportunity to be able to compete at the highest level,” O’Leary said. “I had a great experience at Yale. I wouldn’t trade it in for anything, but the level of support and the ability to compete at the level that I wanted to coach at … Well, Florida gives you that opportunity.” The administration began the process by promising a new lacrosse facility at the University of Florida. Not many college lacrosse programs have a stadium purely dedicated to the sport, let alone an entire facility. On Sept. 17, 2008, they had the groundbreaking on the Florida Lacrosse Facility, now known as Donald R. Dizney Stadium. At the time, the facility was nowhere close to being built and this is an inaugural program that had not taken a single step on to the lacrosse field. Without a facility and anybody to coach, O’Leary began recruiting. Pitching this idea, or “dream” of what this program can become to these recruits.
Fact: UF activities generate 100,000 statewide jobs.
It began as a dream
By Max Mattern Photos by Mike Capshaw “They really did have to buy into a dream,” O’Leary said. “We had no facility, we had no tradition, we didn’t have anything to show them. All we had to explain to them is that we have this dream. We are going to provide a quality facility; we are going to have the resources to compete at the highest level.” No facility. No tradition. No anything, just a dream. O’Leary responded with the No.1 recruiting class in the nation. O’Leary explained that her competitive nature was the reason behind a successful recruiting class. After being hired in 2007, she made a jump start on recruiting the class of 2009, a year before most other collegiate program s began chasing 2009 prospects. She strongly believes the first one to offer a scholarship and show interest in a player has the best chance of recruiting the player. With a budget of $331,000, the team had 12 scholarships to work with.
Because lacrosse is not popular in the south, it came as no surprise that only four of the 24 players in the recruiting class called Florida home. “Florida is outside the traditional geographic area where lacrosse is played, so I look at these women as pioneers, trail-blazers, risk-takers,” the new coach said. “They didn’t take the road well-traveled; they took a road never traveled. They took a chance to come to a place that had no facilities, we had really nothing to show them, but we talked to them about a dream. “They bought into it, and they’re here.” It took roughly four years of preparation, but the Florida Gators played their first game on Feb. 20, 2010 against Jacksonville University. More than 2,000 people filed into Donald R. Dizney Stadium’s gates to exceed expectations as UF recorded its first lacrosse victory. With many people left standing in the stadium and outside the stadium watching through the fences, it was clear the community welcomed lacrosse with open arms. The checklist for the new program was all but finished: Head coach hired. Facility built. Star-athletes recruited. Team supported by a fan base. The next step was to compete. The Gators participate in the American Lacrosse Conference, arguably the toughest in college lacrosse with powers such as Ohio State, John Hopkins, Vanderbilt, Penn State and Northwestern, a team that has won six of the last seven NCAA Championships. “Our learning curve has to be much shorter than your typical team,” O’Leary said. “When he (Foley) first told me we were going into the American Lacrosse Conference, he told me in order to be the best you have to play the best. And I thought with 24 freshmen, I’m a little nervous. But we’ll get over that. The University of Florida has standards; they have high standards. And we’re going to go right into the best of the best.” The first season, the Gators made solid strides with their 24 freshmen, posting a 10-8 overall record and 1–4 in ALC play. That loss total included a 19–5 drubbing by Northwestern. Fast-forward a year. Florida finished the 2011 season 16–4 and 5–0, including a 13–11 home win against then-No. 2 Northwestern to win its first ALC title. It was the milestone victory Foley and O’Leary envisioned all along.
Fact: The freshman retention rate of 95 percent is among the highest in the country.
“Coming in as a freshman, Amanda was like ‘Yeah, one day we’re going to be a really good team,’” current junior Caroline Chesterman said. “Then last year, we were like ‘Oh my God, after beating Northwestern, we can compete with the best team in the country.’” The Gators reached the ALC Championship in 2011, only to lose to Northwestern in the championship 10-9. Florida then was selected to go to its first NCAA Tournament and made it all the way to the Elite Eight, where the Gators lost 13–9 against fifth-seeded Duke. The progress was on an upward slope each of the first two seasons, and expectations were higher than ever for year three. Florida finished the 2012 regular season with an impressive 15–2, 5–0 records, including an 8–7 win at No. 1 Northwestern. Florida continued making strides by reaching the ALC Tournament to only face Northwestern again. This time around, the Gators got the best of the Wildcats with a 14–7 score to win the ALC Championship. “We like winning championships around here,” Foley said with a smile after the game. At press time, the Gators opened the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed in the nation, and knocked off the University of Albany in the first round. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, this season has been another huge step in building Florida’s lacrosse team into a consistent winner. “It was always the dream. It was always the hope,” current junior Kitty Cullen said. “As a freshman in the fall when I was first here, I didn’t even know if I would make it through playing a Division I sport through four years. “Now, after three years being No. 1 in the country is just an amazing feeling.” It all started as a dream. And in a short time, that dream has become a reality.
Florida players celebrate on the field after beating Northwestern 14–7 to capture their first ALC Tournament Championship on May 5.
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scenes from the stands
Florida football players, from left, tight end Tevin Westbrook, quarterback Jacoby Brissett and quarterback Tyler Murphy were in attendance at Florida’s lacrosse game against Ohio State on May 4. Photo by Mike Capshaw 42 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
Fact: UF began a partnership with Spain in 2000, to create the world’s largest telescope in the Canary Islands.
Above: Fans celebrate after a Florida goal during the Gators lacrosse win against Northwestern in the ALC Tournament final at Dizney Stadium on May 5. Photo by Mike Capshaw A painted fan from “Kitty’s Korner” student cheering section holds up a sign shortly after Florida defeated Northwestern 14–7 to win its first American Lacrosse Conference Championship at Dizney Stadium in Gainesville on May 5. Photo by Mike Capshaw Fact: UF traces its beginnings to a small seminary in 1853.
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at home on the road
Mugshot courtesy UF Communications
Cross Country runner goes Cross Country Florida’s Callie Cooper is one state shy of visiting all 50 states
“We just kind of got in the car and drove,” Cooper said. “We planned it, kind of. We had general places we would go to.” To remember each state, as well as prove she was there, she tries to take a picture of the state sign. To have of picture of each of the 50 would be something a person would never forget. In fifth grade, she and her family went to Hawaii. In the following year, her father finalized his personal 50-state goal by taking the family to Alaska and the two, arguably, By Thomas Morrell most difficult states to visit, were knocked Photos by Rob Foldy and C.B. Lawson off her list and her voyage began. Cooper has two older sisters, Carli and Courtney, who would alternately join on The monotony of the road disappearing in these cross-country expeditions. All of the her rearview mirror reminds her she’s Callie Cooper Cooper girls even ran in high school. moving forward. She’s that much closer. Class: Junior Between family sparsely located This is all part of her goal of reaching all 50. Hometown: throughout the U.S. and a strong tolerance Some people would like to skydive. St. Johns, Fla. Some hope to write to book. Callie Cooper for sleeping in a tent, the Cooper girls’ efficacy Sport: Cross Country for traveling is something to be admired. wants to visit all 50 states. Events: 10,000-meter Even though a cramped car, limited “It all started because my dad (Clarke) run, Steeplechase supplies and money, and extended wanted to get all 50 [states] before he Notable: Named the multiple-hour drive sessions sounds like a turned 50,” Cooper said. 2010 Track Athlete of vacation, Cooper still managed to get her Cooper, a junior cross-country runner at the Decade for St. Johns County after the University of Florida, has already visited 49. running done. In fact, she got a lot of setting high school records in the 1,600, running done. “I haven’t been to North Dakota. I took 3,200, distance medley relay, mile medley “We would plan our day around our a road trip three summers ago. We were in and 4x1,600m relay. Won first collegiate South Dakota, and we thought, ‘We could go runs,” she said. “We would wake up in the title with a first-place finish in the morning, go for a run and then if we drove to North Dakota?,’ but it was an extra six Steeplechase at the Tom Jones somewhere and it looked cool, we would hours of driving.” Cooper said. “I might do Memorial Classic in Gainesville, Fla. stop for a run. We always incorporated it this summer. I might get around to it. Quotable: “Coffee is my thing. running into the trip.” I’m traveling to Montana, so I might hit Personally, though, I really hate Cooper, who runs the 10,000-meter and mainstream coffeemakers. If I’m going to it while I’m up there.” the Steeplechase for UF, dedicated mornings Her goal was to reach all 50 states a city, I want to go find a little coffee shop and afternoons of her road trip to her craft. by her 21st birthday on Jan. 25, 2012. that nobody knows about; that has their “I might go for an hour to 75 minutes in own special drinks,” – Florida junior Callie Unfortunately she fell one state short. the morning and just 30–45 minutes in the Cooper, being a little irritated, jokingly Cooper on staying awake for long drives. afternoon or evening. Whatever mileage I said “It looks exactly like South Dakota!” could get in at the time. I would double Though disappointed by not reaching It’s endless. The ebony-path seems to go her goal, she understood it was more about four times a week and then Saturday’s were long runs that were about an hour and an on forever, curving, rising and falling as the the experiences than the actual target. miles add on. It cuts right through the trees Her whimsical journeys across the U.S. half to an hour and 45 minutes,” she said. A couple summers ago, during a trip to and fields, giving off the feeling it was laid with her sisters and friends didn’t really the western United States, Callie, her sister down just for this trip. have a destination. They had their and an exchange student from Spain named She doesn’t seem to mind, though. She’s backpack-tents, a cooler filled with the Andres, went all the way out to California taking it all in, experiencing every minute. necessities and their Volkswagen Rabbit.
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Fact: The freshman retention rate of 95 percent is among the highest in the country.
at home on the road
in the tiny Volkswagen Rabbit. In 26 days, the trio managed to visit 21 states; camping the whole way. “We would point on a map and find the closest park we could camp at. That’s usually our intention. Plus, we’re cheap and want to be able to just pitch my tent,” she said. To prove their resilience and ability to survive with as little as possible, they managed to drive for three weeks while spending less than $100 in lodging. “We went to all the national parks,” Cooper said. “We did Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Sequoia; we did all the really cool ones, but we would only stay there for two days. It would really suck because we would always want to be there for a lot longer.” Two summers ago, with her sister Courtney in the car, the two of them did a straight shot to Seattle from their hometown of St. Augustine, Fla. After dropping Courtney off in Lake Tahoe, Nev., she managed to make the 14-hour drive to Seattle, solo. “Coffee is my thing,” Cooper said. “During the first road trip, neither of us drank coffee, so I don’t know how we actually did that. I am a caffeine addict now, so looking back I wonder how.” Once in Seattle, she met up with her mother and her eldest sister, Carli. Her parents, Clarke and Charlotte Cooper, both went to University of Colorado, and he would frequently make the 19-hour drive to his home in Lexington, Ky. “My dad said he’s done the drive so many times,” she said. “Lexington to Colorado; 19 hours. He would always
Fact: Florida’s leading university traces its beginnings to a small seminary in 1853.
do it in one shot.” Extended drives just run in the Cooper family and a lot can happen on the road. A “normal” trip out to the California coast would prove to be one of the most memorable for Callie. “On the Fourth of July, we were at Big Sur, California, on the coast,” Cooper said. “It’s pretty remote and not a lot going on, but it’s really pretty.” This was the first trip for Callie and her sister. “We drove all the way out there,” she said. “We said we can’t drive all way to the ocean and not at least touch the ocean.” Big Sur, located on the central coast of California, is known for the way the Santa Lucia Mountains seem to thrust themselves from the depths of the Pacific Ocean. The audacious pair, seemingly unaffected by the rocks bordering the ocean, made their way down the archaic boulders toward the ocean. “It was cold. Even though it was the fourth of July,” Callie said. “So, I have a hoodie on and I have a video camera and car keys in my hoodie pocket. I had another nice camera wrapped around my arm. While I’m leaning [to touch the ocean] the video camera and keys slip out into the rocks and into the ocean.” “I lunged after the camera because it was in a floatable case. The keys immediately sunk out of view as the waves were crashing down. First, it was all calm when we were down there and as soon as it happened, I swear, the waves just got exponentially larger. It was this horrible situation,” she said. She lunged for the camera.
Lunging, for any reason, while on boulders, is not necessarily the safest thing, So, with a newly bruised knee, a lost set of keys, and a water logged camera, the fun continued. The additional camera, which was wrapped around her arm, also managed to finagle its way into the water. She did get to touch the ocean, though. “We didn’t get the keys and we locked the car, obviously,” Cooper said. “We ended up getting a ride from this 70-year-old guy who was out sunbathing. He gave us a ride to this lodge four miles away. It was the closest thing to get to.” The Cooper sisters, who originally planned to reach Sequoia National Park that evening, were going to be delayed. “We ended up calling AAA from there. It took two hours for them to come out. Luckily, we had another key in our car, otherwise we would have had to been towed,” she said. “They were able to pop the door open and get the key out.” Once in the car, the trip could continue, but finding a place to crash for the night was another situation entirely. “It’s the Fourth of July and were driving along the coast and there’s tons of different camping spots, but their all full. Every Californian goes to camp on the Fourth of July,” she said. So they drove, and drove, and drove. At 11 p.m., they reached the entrance of Sequoia, but by no means were they there. Just because one has reached the entrance of a national park does not mean they are near a viable camp site. The next camp site could be 30 miles or more from the entrance. So, they improvised. “Us being cheap, and not wanting to GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012 45
pay for a hotel, we ended up sleeping in our car in a hotel parking lot,” she said. “We woke up really early because we were so uncomfortable in my car.” Still water logged from the day before and sore from the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements in the “enormous and luxurious” Volkswagen Rabbit, the day began. “We ended up going to see General Sherman, [one of] the largest trees in the world,” she said. General Sherman, a giant sequoia tree located within the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park, is roughly 275 feet high, 25 feet wide and has an estimated age between 2,300 and 2,700 years. It is among the tallest, widest and longest living trees on the planet. The uncomfortable sleeping arrangements proved to be advantageous for the group, though. Being there early allowed them to experience the tree in a whole new way. “There are six parking lots and we were the only car in the parking lot. We were able to go see the biggest tree in the world, by ourselves,” Cooper said. “And then this huge black bear comes lumbering up the path right in front of us. We kept saying this is unreal. We’re the only people here and 46 GATOR COUNTRY | JUNE/2012
there’s this bear and tree and it was really cool. By the time we were leaving at 10 a.m., people were just getting up. We hit everything before any of the crowds did.” She said she would remember that trip for the rest of her life, even though it was not necessarily a positive experience. “Everything happens for a reason,” she said. Callie Cooper has had the luxury of seeing most of the U.S. in its entirety. At 21, she has experienced more of this country than most do in a lifetime. “I’ve always said I would never be happy without living in two places during the year. I love the mountains, but I don’t think I could really live in the snow. I hate Florida heat,” she said. “The Oregon coast is the prettiest place you’ll ever go and Seattle is pretty cool, too.” She said if she had to choose a place to live, even though she said it was cliché, it would be Hawaii. “The big island is not touristy at all. You get the lushness of Florida, plus you get the mountains. “If you can’t tell, I’m really into the outdoors.”
Fact: The original Florida Field’s capacity was 21,769.
Softball fans dance along to the music between inning during the Gainesville Softball Regional at Pressley Stadium. Photo by Mike Capshaw
Fact: University of Florida physicians at Shands are an official medical provider for NASA.
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