SPORTS FEATURED FUTURE: MAGGIE LAUBER

Featured Future is a summer series where the Observer will highlight local student athletes who are preparing to continue their athletic and educational careers at the college level, or those who have already begun that journey.

TAYLOR JENKINS SPORTS WRITER

After four years as a starter with Durant girls basketball, Maggie Lauber will continue her academic and athletic journey at Hillsborough Community College.

Growing up, Lauber played every sport she could — from soccer to golf to lacrosse to softball to basketball starting at four years old. By the end of eighth grade, ready to enter high school, Lauber began to narrow her focus on basketball as her other sports fell to the side as travel and high school basketball took precedence. After a month at Seffner Christian Academy, Lauber transferred to Durant as a freshman and immediately joined the girls basketball team where she was thrust into a starting role as starting senior Kayla Lissy was forced to miss time with an ankle injury. In 21 games played as a freshman, Lauber’s impact became immediately evident as she led the team in points, assists and steals — averaging 10 points per game, 2.2 assists per game and 3.9 steals per game.

“I came to Durant in September and the second I came in they were already starting basketball conditioning and I kind of jumped right into it,” Lauber said. “That season our captain Lissy injured her ankle, it was a really bad sprain and she basically missed the rest of the season, so I had to step up as a freshman and essentially be a captain. I wasn’t labeled a captain but I stepped up as a leader and as a point guard I had to take control when needed and stuff like that.”

As a sophomore, Lauber found action in just 12 games but once again her scoring was notable as she finished second on the team with 169 total points. On a per game average, Lauber finished second on the team with 14.1 points per game while set- ting team-high marks with 3.3 assists per game and 4.1 steals per game as the Cougars finished the year at 14-7, their highest single-season win total since 2016-2017.

By her third season with Durant, Lauber had transitioned into her role as a captain and full-time starter at point guard. Lauber’s numbers lept forward during that season as her scoring average increased to a team-high 17.5 points per game to go alongside 3.6 assists per game and four steals per game. Part of a stellar junior class that also featured fellow starters Miani Mejia, Ki’Ajanae Gordon and Sophia Flair, Durant finished the year with an incredible 20-5 record, one of the winningest seasons in program history as the Cougars claimed their first district title since 2016-2017 with a victory over rival Newsome in the district finals.

In her junior year Lauber’s dream of playing basketball at the collegiate level began to come into focus as she had her first opportunity to speak with colleges — however the recruitment process wasn’t easy as the COVID-19 pandemic had granted players across the country an additional year of eligibility while college athletics’ new-look transfer portal made it far easier for schools to recruit players that already possessed college experience.

Her success continued through her senior season as she averaged 13.9 points per game, 4.6 assists per game and 4.1 steals per game en route to a 19-6 record for the Cougars.

“It was honestly amazing,” Lauber said. “Freshman and sophomore year we won, but we’d also get our butts kicked by teams that we ended up beating these last two years. It felt amazing, especially doing it with Sophia, Miani and Ki’Ajanae — coming in her junior year. We all bonded so well together and I think we all just felt like we deserved it, especially winning districts our junior year.

We felt like we’d worked so hard since coming in as freshman to graduating as seniors and I know that we didn’t win districts this year but I know we’ll never forget the feeling of winning it our junior year. It really just felt like all the hard work had finally paid off.”

Outside of basketball, Lauber also found high school success on the gridiron as a part of Durant’s flag football team. As a receiver her sophomore year, Lauber led the Cougars with 51.4 receiving yards per game, 32.7 rushing yards per game and five interceptions on defense — scoring a team-high 14 total touchdowns as Durant finished the year at 10-2. In her junior year she transitioned to quarterback out of necessity and once again led the team with 55 rushing yards per game, eight passing touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns and five defensive interceptions as the Cougars slid to 4-7. But as a senior, Lauber’s lead resulted in a quick turnaround to 8-3 as her team-high rushing total jumped to 75.5 yards per game to go along with 16 passing touchdowns, 11 rushing touchdowns, four receiving touchdowns and 10 interceptions on defense. In fact, Lauber received two different offers to play flag football at the collegiate level but opted to keep her focus on basketball.

“I love flag football,” Lauber said. “Honestly, if basketball didn’t work out, I had a few offers for flag which was fun but I knew that basketball was my main sport so I stuck with that. Flag football was definitely a lot of fun, I’ll miss that.”

And after conversations with multiple schools about an opportunity to play at the next level, schools that were ultimately tight on scholarship opportunities, Lauber made the decision to sign her national letter of intent to join the girls basketball team at Hillsborough Community College alongside teammates Mejia and Gordon — an opportunity to continue developing at the college level with the hopes of ultimately finding a home at a four-year university following her time with the Hawks.

“When I looked at it, I thought maybe HCC is the best option right now and do one or two years there and try to transfer,” Lauber said. “Honestly I think it’ll be good either way, just to get a fresh start and get used to the new life of college basketball… For me, I’m just kind of trusting the process. Obviously the dream for everyone is to start off at a four-year school and that was my dream and I feel like I worked really hard to get there but I’m also accepting the fact that sometimes you have to take a different path into things that you really want. So I’ve come to acceptance with that and I’m just ready to work even harder to get where I want to be.”

Public Notice of Intent to Issue Air Permit

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION COMMISSION OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY

Draft Air Permit No. 0570417-019-AC Evergreen Packaging, LLC Hillsborough County, FL

Applicant: The applicant for this project is Evergreen Packaging, LLC. The applicant’s authorized representative and mailing address is: Glen Flores, 2104 Henderson Way, Plant City, Florida 33563.

Project: This permit authorizes the installation of one new electron beam (EB) dryer on each of the five, web offset lithography press lines. The new EB dryers will be of similar design and capacity as the existing EB dryers. The facility remains a Synthetic Minor source of emissions. Details of the project are provided in the application and the enclosed Technical Evaluation and Preliminary Determination.

Permitting Authority: Applications for air construction permits are subject to review in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 403, Florida Statutes (F.S.) and Chapters 62-4, 62-210 and 62-212 of the Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.). The proposed project is not exempt from air permitting requirements and an air permit is required to perform the proposed work. The Permitting Authority responsible for making a permit determination for this project is the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County. The Permitting Authority’s physical/mailing address is: 3629 Queen Palm Dr., Tampa, FL 33619. The Permitting Authority’s phone number is (813) 627-2600. Project File: A complete project file is available for public inspection during the normal business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (except legal holidays), at the physical address indicated above for the Permitting Authority. The complete project file includes the Draft Permit, the Technical Evaluation and Preliminary Determination, the application and information submitted by the applicant (exclusive of confidential records under Section 403.111, F.S.). Interested persons may contact the Permitting Authority’s project engineer for additional information at the address and phone number listed above. In addition, electronic copies of these documents are available on the following web site: https://fldep.dep.state.fl.us/air/emission/apds/default.asp.

Notice of Intent to Issue Air Permit: The Permitting Authority gives notice of its intent to issue an air construction permit to the applicant for the project described above. The applicant has provided reasonable assurance that operation of proposed equipment will not adversely impact air quality and that the project will comply with all appropriate provisions of Chapters 62-4, 62-204, 62-210, 62-212, 62-296 and 62-297, F.A.C. The Permitting Authority will issue a Final Permit in accordance with the conditions of the proposed Draft Permit unless a timely petition for an administrative hearing is filed under Sections 120.569 and 120.57, F.S. or unless public comment received in accordance with this notice results in a different decision or a significant change of terms or conditions.

Comments: The Permitting Authority will accept written comments concerning the proposed Draft Permit for a period of 14 days from the date of publication of the Public Notice. Written comments must be received by the Permitting Authority by close of business (5:00 p.m.) on or before the end of this 14-day period. If written comments received result in a significant change to the Draft Permit, the Permitting Authority shall revise the Draft Permit and require, if applicable, another Public Notice. All comments filed will be made available for public inspection.

Petitions: A person whose substantial interests are affected by the proposed permitting decision may petition for an administrative hearing in accordance with Sections 120.569 and 120.57, F.S. Petitions filed by any persons other than those entitled to written notice under Section 120.60(3), F.S., must be filed within 14 days of publication of the Public Notice or receipt of a written notice, whichever occurs first. Under Section 120.60(3), F.S., however, any person who asked the Permitting Authority for notice of agency action may file a petition within 14 days of receipt of that notice, regardless of the date of publication. A petitioner shall mail a copy of the petition to the applicant at the address indicated above, at the time of filing. A petition for administrative hearing must contain the information set forth below and must be filed (received) with the Legal Department of the EPC via electronic mail at legalclerk@epchc.org, Phone 813-627-2600, Fax 813-627-2602 before the deadline. The failure of any person to file a petition within the appropriate time period shall constitute a waiver of that person’s right to request an administrative determination (hearing) under Sections 120.569 and 120.57, F.S., or to intervene in this proceeding and participate as a party to it. Any subsequent intervention (in a proceeding initiated by another party) will be only at the approval of the presiding officer upon the filing of a motion in compliance with Rule 28-106.205, F.A.C.

A petition that disputes the material facts on which the Permitting Authority’s action is based must contain the following information: (a) The name and address of each agency affected and each agency’s file or identification number, if known; (b) The name, address, any email address, telephone number and any facsimile number of the petitioner; the name, address any email address, telephone number, and any facsimile number of the petitioner’s representative, if any, which shall be the address for service purposes during the course of the proceeding; and an explanation of how the petitioner’s substantial interests will be affected by the agency determination; (c) A statement of when and how each petitioner received notice of the agency action or proposed decision; (d) A statement of all disputed issues of material fact. If there are none, the petition must so state; (e) A concise statement of the ultimate facts alleged, including the specific facts the petitioner contends warrant reversal or modification of the agency’s proposed action; (f) A statement of the specific rules or statutes the petitioner contends require reversal or modification of the agency’s proposed action including an explanation of how the alleged facts relate to the specific rules or statutes; and, (g) A statement of the relief sought by the petitioner, stating precisely the action the petitioner wishes the agency to take with respect to the agency’s proposed action. A petition that does not dispute the material facts upon which the Permitting Authority’s action is based shall state that no such facts are in dispute and otherwise shall contain the same information as set forth above, as required by Rule 28-106.301, F.A.C.

Because the administrative hearing process is designed to formulate final agency action, the filing of a petition means that the Permitting Authority’s final action may be different from the position taken by it in this Public Notice of Intent to Issue Air Permit. Persons whose substantial interests will be affected by any such final decision of the Permitting Authority on the application have the right to petition to become a party to the proceeding, in accordance with the requirements set forth above.

Extension of Time: Under Rule 62-110.106(4), F.A.C., a person whose substantial interests are affected by the Department’s action may also request an extension of time to file a petition for an administrative hearing. The Department may, for good cause shown, grant the request for an extension of time. Requests for extension of time must be filed with the Legal Department of the EPC via electronic mail at legalclerk@epchc.org, Phone 813-627-2600, Fax 813-627-2602 before the deadline for filing a petition for an administrative hearing. A timely request for extension of time shall toll the running of the time period for filing a petition until the request is acted upon. Mediation: Mediation is not available in this proceeding.

Plant City Native Bob Hobkirk To Represent Usa Triathlon At 2023 World Championships

The World Triathlon Championships will take place in Hamburg, Germany from July 13-16.

Bob Hobkirk was a dual-sport athlete in his days at Plant City High School, playing quarterback for the football team and a pole vaulter on the track and field eam. On the sidelines, his future wife Donna was a cheerleader.

Now many years removed from his days on the gridiron, Bob Hobkirk is still shining in competition as he will represent the United States in Hamburg, Germany for the 2023 Triathlon World Championships in July — recently qualifying in the 75-79 year old division.

But despite the incredible feat, this is not the fist time Bob has represented his country in international competition.

While an employee at Tampa Electric Company, Bob began distance running in his 20’s as a hobby to stay healthy. Within a few years he would join a local cycling group and a short time later begin competing in his fist triathlons.

“Originally I just picked up running to try and stay healthy because I have a family history of heart disease,” Bob Hobkirk said. “My mother died when I was nine and she was 43 of a heart condition, my brother died of a heart condition so I always felt like I needed to stay in good condition with my family medical history but I really didn’t start triathloning until later. I saw IronMan on TV, that was when I really got interested in maybe trying to do one. I originally started biking with a group in Brandon, there was maybe 20 of us, and they were pretty serious bikers so we all pushed ourselves. After doing that for a few months I signed up for a triathlon and ended up placing. After that I was like, ‘holy cow, I can actually place and do these things.’ I don’t really have a running or swimming or biking background where some people were collegiate swimmers or bikers or runners and I didn’t have that background, so I was surprised that I was able to compete and place. Then I really started working on it.”

Upon the suggestion of a fellow TECO employee, Bob and Donna — along with a group of colleagues — formed a Dragon Boat racing team. Finding success, the group was able to compete all throughout the state of Florida and in competitions as far away as New York. As Bob continued to compete in various competitions that ranged from marathons to triathlons to IronMan competitions, the couple eventually relocated to Satellite Beach, Fla.

Beginning in 1994, Bob Hobkirk completed the fist 10 Walt Disney World Marathons. In 1997 he participated in his fist IronMan competition in Clermont, Fla., winning the master’s division before heading to Canada for another IronMan Competition where he qualified or the IronMan World Championship in Hawaii.

In 2018, he and a coworker completed the Great Divide Mountain Bike Ride — the longest off-pavement route in the world, crisscrossing the Continental Divide throughout southern Canada and the U.S. Totaling over 200,000 feet of elevation gain, the GDMBR is Adventure Cycling’s premier off-pavement cycling route with the entire road consisting of dirt-road and mountain pass riding. In total, Bob Hobkirk has completed six IronMan competitions, more than 20 marathons and more distance competitions than he could guess. After joining a new Dragon Boat Racing group closer to their new home, both Bob and Donna ultimately qualified o represent the United States at the World Dragon Boat Championships in Thailand in 2019 where the couple each became part of the fist men’s and women’s senior teams to ever medal for the United States — with Donna winning three gold medals and Bob winning eight.

Bob Hobkirk fist qualified or the USA Triathlon team in 2019 after competing in the Waco Ironman in Texas and the USA Triathlon National Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Championships were cancelled in 2020 and 2021. So in 2022, Bob Hobkirk made his way back to Waco where he once again qualified or the national team, giving him the opportunity to compete internationally for Team USA for the fist time next month.

“That’s something that I’ve been waiting three years to finally d, to compete on the team, because I’ve been on the team now for three years,” Bob Hobkirk said. “When I got that letter from Team USA saying that I’d made the team, I was pretty proud to see that and to get the uniform, it’s got USA on it and your name on it. It’s a great feeling, that’s for sure. To be able to go and represent your country at a World Championship like that.

THE WORLD TRIATHLONCHAMPIONSHIP SERIES WILL TAKE PLACE FROM JULY 13 THROUGH JULY 16.