Dance Marathon Program Grows Into A Student Fundraising Tradition At WHS

Over the course of the last five years, the students at Wellington High School have raised $164,829 to help the Children’s Miracle Network through the Dance Marathon program.

They started out slowly, raising $11,710.39 in 2013, the first year WHS participated in the program. They raised a bit more in 2014, bringing in $11,802.67, and raised the stakes further in 2015, bringing in an impressive $14,648.25.

In 2016, the goal was set at $25,000. The school surged through that goal, raising a record $42,223.52 and earning the recognition of raising the most money of any Florida high school, noted Student Government Association sponsor Melissa Varvarigos.

In 2017, following the previous years’ expectation, the students not only achieved their goal of raising $50,000, they soared past it, raising an astounding $82,444.17, including $3,450.40 contributed by students at Wellington Landings Middle School.

Dance Marathon started out as a college fundraiser through the University of Florida. They call the high school Dance Marathon events “mini marathons.” WHS now ranks as the No. 1 school in Florida, the No. 1 school in the southern United States, and the No. 5 school in the entire nation, Varvarigos said.

And it wouldn’t be possible without the passion and drive that her students have displayed, with two students in particular, Sam Weingart and Jake Anders, rallying the students and acting as the driving force behind the growth of the Dance Marathon program at WHS.

For the first three years, approximately 100 students attended the seven-hour event. Last year, the number doubled to 200, thanks to the efforts of Weingart. In 2017, there were 300 attendees, Varvarigos said.

Weingart ran the event in 2016, and Anders took over in 2017. He will once again be running it in 2018, during his senior year. “This is an organization that I love,” said Weingart, now a student at UF.

Dance Marathon, he added, was the deciding factor for him choosing UF over other schools he considered, such as Emory University. “I couldn’t give up Dance Marathon,” Weingart explained. “At the end of the day, it all came back to Dance Marathon.”

He hopes to become a captain, working marathon relations for high schools. “It all started freshman year when I was in the auditorium,” Weingart recalled.

He saw a video about Dance Marathon and the children impacted by the money raised. “It really sunk in to me, and when they turned on the lights, I was in tears,” Weingart said.

Weingart is confident that if everyone works together, following their passion, it is entirely possible for the school to raise $100,000 in 2018.

“You just need one person to ignite the flame — one person who is really passionate about something,” he said.

And that person is his successor, Anders, joined by the rest of the SGA team.

Anders is already setting up a busy calendar of events for Dance Marathon 2018.

Last year, the students held car washes, restaurant food nights, a carnival and the move-a-thon at Wellington Landings. This year, they’re looking at adding other events, perhaps even a golf tournament, he said.

“It’s a huge group effort, and it’s run through our Wellington High School student government,” Anders said. “We not only work with our student government and within our school, but we also work with the Wellington Chamber.”

Dance Marathon had a booth at the chamber’s Winterfest.

“There are a lot of people who come together to put on Dance Marathon, even if it’s not for the actual event on that exact day,” Anders said.

The day of Dance Marathon is special. “Miracle Children,” those who the fundraising is really for, come and take part. In 2017, three Miracle Children attended.

“One of the best parts for me is that everyone who walks in the room leaves saying it was the best night of their life,” Anders said.

It’s personal for Anders, as well. He has gone to the Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville, the nearest Children’s Miracle Network hospital, walked the halls and met with sick children. He has seen personally what they, and their families, go through, and how money from Dance Marathon helps.

“Being able to be someone who can advocate, and not only raise money, but raise awareness and support and comfort to these families, is a feeling that is like no other,” Anders said. “It has honestly changed the way I’ve thought about life, and changed the way I want to live my life. It has definitely given me what I want to do when I’m older — become a pediatric cardiologist and hopefully work at Shands.”

In the background, always supporting the SGA students, is Varvarigos.

“Mrs. Varvarigos is honestly amazing. She is a mother to two kids, a wife and our SGA sponsor, and basically a mother to all 28 kids in that room. She is incredible. She is there from the start of everything to the end of everything,” Anders said. “We couldn’t have done it without her.”

Varvarigos is proud of her students and their ability to engage others with their passion. This year, more than 25 students raised more than $1,000, earning them a spot in the “Comma Club.”

Their accomplishments, their passion and their drive, leave her proud of her students, current and former.

“There are so many things that the SGA does, whether it’s the $82,000 or bikes for Rosenwald [Elementary School] or the homecoming events, they put their all into it. You look at that, and you’re really proud,” she said. “They’re just awesome kids.”

The students display a special sense of selflessness working on SGA projects.

“The kids often say we’re like a little family, and it’s true,” she said. “We have different facets of personality, some crazy, some funny, some quiet. We have kids who run the gamut, but at the end of the day, they’re right. We are a family.”

To learn more about the children impacted by Dance Marathon, visit www.floridadm.org/meet-the-kids.

Wellington’s Ahmmon Richards Making Waves At The University Of Miami

Wellington High School graduate Ahmmon Richards wanted to make an impact as a freshman at the University of Miami. Mission accomplished.

Richards, the former superstar wide receiver for the Wolverines, produced an ascendant first season for the resurgent University of Miami football team. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder set a freshman record for receiving yards with 934, breaking Hall of Famer Michael Irvin’s mark that had stood for 31 years.

Richards started 11 of 13 games and caught 49 passes, averaging 19.1 yards per catch for the Hurricanes. His 934 receiving yards led all freshmen nationally and were the sixth most in a single season in UM history. His outstanding efforts earned Richards freshman All-American honors from numerous national organizations, including ESPN and the Football Writers Association of America.

Richards, who was heavily recruited and had more than 20 Division I offers before choosing Miami, has already put his record-setting freshman season behind him and looks to the future.

Along with his amazing athletic ability, Richards has received unwavering support from his parents.

“My dad always pushes me. Both my parents, actually, and they always pushed me to never settle,” said Richards, who turned 19 on May 20. “And that’s a big thing for me. I never settle. What happened last year, that’s last year.”

Richards enters the 2017 season as the Hurricanes primary receiver and expects more attention from defenses, similar to what he experienced during his standout career with the Wolverines. He has improved in numerous areas since arriving on the Coral Gables campus. His speed and catching ability give Miami a deep threat — a game-breaker that will help its inexperienced quarterback.

If Miami can balance Richards with elite running back Mark Walton, the Wellington native has a chance to overcome the inevitable double-teams and flourish. The Hurricanes open up their second season under head coach Mark Richt on Sept. 2 against Bethune-Cookman University, followed by road games at Arkansas State on Sept. 9 and rival Florida State on Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. in a nationally televised contest.

Richards is ready for the bright lights and top competition.

“When I got here, I was probably running around 4.4, and since I got here, I am running like 4.31,” said Richards, who also added about 20 pounds. “So, the strength staff has definitely gotten me faster and stronger.”

Richards has also adjusted to the transition between high school and the university setting, with the biggest difference being the speed of everything.

“College is just a different speed, different workouts, time with classes,” Richards said. “I have class right after this [interview]. It’s different from high school.”

Wellington head football coach Tom Abel strongly believes in Richards.

“He was probably the most dominant high school player I have ever coached,” Abel said. “He was the hardest-working player I have ever been around… When he got the ball, magic happened.”

Richards led the Wolverines in most offensive categories and finished his senior year with 73 catches for 1,278 yards and 14 touchdowns. He received the prestigious 2015 Palm Beach County High School Player of the Year award presented by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. He was also named the Palm Beach Post All-Area Football Large Schools Offensive Player of the Year.

“My favorite memory of him is when he received a hit in a game, and I wanted to take him out because I thought he was injured,” Abel said. “After talking to him, he told me he was OK. We were on offense. I called his number right after his non-injury, and he caught a slant and took it to the house about 70 yards full speed, and then came off the sideline and asked if he could get the ball again to help his team out.”

Abel said Richards would do everything he could to contribute to the team and support his teammates.

“That mental attitude has carried with him to this day,” Abel said. “He is special, and we love him. He always stayed after practice every day to help the quarterbacks get timing. It worked out great for all of us.”

Richards said he enjoyed his time with the Wolverines, which included an 11-2 record and a trip to the Class 8A regional finals as a junior, the most successful season in school history.

“It’s a brotherhood,” said Richards, whose team lost in the first round of the playoffs in his senior season. “Most kids transfer to other schools, but I am from Wellington, and I just wanted to play with my brothers. And that is something that lasts a lifetime.”

Richards, who has a younger sister, as well as an older and younger brother, grew up playing in the Western Communities Football League, where players are on a different team each year. He started out as a running back, but a coach switched him to wide receiver several years before his final season. His brother, Mark-Anthony, is currently one of the top high school receivers in the county.

Abel said the elder Richards, as a person, is very humble, spiritual and thankful for everything.

“He is always willing to do the right thing for everyone,” Abel said. “He is a pleasure to be around. He always stays hungry and focused.”

Richards said that playing at UM has been everything he thought it would be.

“With the coaches and everything, I believed in them through recruiting, and everything they said is coming to life,” he said.

And, hopefully, that will continue as his sophomore season gets underway.

Cheerleading Dream Team Brings State Championship To Wellington High School

The Wellington High School cheerleading team’s journey to win the 2017 state championship was both magical and challenging.

The squad didn’t have a coach until former Wolverines cheerleader Dan Tyrie took over a few weeks before the start of the fall season. He stepped in to lead a team still reeling from the sudden passing of beloved cheerleading coach Matt Mounts in February 2016.

“At the beginning of the season, we were nervous and hesitant, but we were excited to meet our new coach,” recalled rising senior Jessica Pass, who has been on the team for two seasons. “Without coach Tyrie, we wouldn’t have a team. We were so thankful that he stepped up for us. We were already a difficult group to deal with and gave him a hard time. Coach Tyrie deserves a lot of credit.”

Tyrie was a member of Wellington’s 1995 co-ed state championship team before the sport was officially recognized and sanctioned by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). However, he had never coached before and didn’t intend to stay for more than one year.

“Coming in after the team had been selected and practices were already occurring was overwhelming,” recalled Tyrie, who was working two jobs before agreeing to lead the cheerleading squad. “Initially, I silently attended a few practices. I didn’t speak to the girls, but I’m sure they knew why I was there. I did not commit right away, as this was something that I had never even considered doing. It’s something that I never even could have seen myself doing. I was beyond hesitant. I was well-aware that it was a massive commitment, and once I agreed to do it, there was no turning back… The first football game was just weeks away.”

Although Tyrie knew it was a huge commitment, he didn’t realize how much time it really would take. He is very thankful for the help of the choreographers and parents.  

“I did not realize until a few weeks into the school year just how large a commitment it was,” he said. “The time commitment alone was more than double what I had anticipated.”

There are two seasons for cheerleaders — football season and competition season.

During football season, the team practices their cheers and band dances. New team members are coached by the veterans. They are also broken down into stunt groups and practice their basic stunts, which are performed after touchdowns and during timeouts.

The squad practiced as a team two afternoons each week for two hours, and some also attended private coaching sessions with Stephanie Brodbeck and Robbie Gregory of Pro Cheer International. There’s an occasional Saturday practice and some strength and conditioning workouts are included during practices.

During competition season, the same schedule is maintained, except instead of Friday night games there is a Friday afternoon practice.

“At that point, the intensity gets cranked up,” said Tyrie, referring to the road to the state championship. “Their routine is choreographed, and they begin practicing more advanced stunts, a fast-paced dance and routine transitions.”

Throughout the season, Tyrie said the girls talked about Mounts and honored him continuously.

“They loved that man, and I’ve never heard an ill word spoken about him,” said Tyrie, who had never met Mounts and didn’t raise the topic himself. “They had their own thoughts and feelings about him, and I respected it and left it alone, aside from telling them that he would have been extremely proud of them, as was I.”

Mounts’ initials were monogrammed into each of their matching team backpacks and practice T-shirts, as well as a stuffed cat that was the team’s personal mascot. His initials were also written on their white shoes in permanent marker.

In addition, the team had a special chant that they would do before each competition. It was a chant that Mounts did with them. One of the team captains, Courtney Kleino, led it. The competition music that was custom-prepared for them also centered on the late coach and referred to them as “Coach Mounts’ Dream Team.”

The love for Mounts goes beyond the cheerleaders. His famous “Rule No. 4” — “Love Each Other” — is painted high on the wall of the high school courtyard for all to see every day.

At the finals in Gainesville, the Wellington cheerleaders were excited and nervous. Tyrie told them that they were going to do great and to do their best to enjoy it. The Wolverines had finished second the year before.

“We knew it was going to be difficult [to win],” Pass said. “Hearing our name when they called first place was a relief and one of the best moments of my life as a cheerleader. I felt that all of our hard work and dedication for the team had finally paid off and that we had made coach Mounts proud.”

Jhona Navarrete was a senior and on the varsity squad for three years.  

“Coming together as a team definitely was what won it for us,” Navarrete said. “It wasn’t individuals on the floor, it was one team. Winning states meant the world to me with it being my senior year. All the work we put in throughout the season paid off, and it was a great way to end my last year with the team.”

The Wolverines scored 70.70 points and were crowned champions in Class 2A Medium Non-Tumbling Division. Ocoee High School placed second with 63.50 points. It was Wellington’s first competitive cheerleading championship sanctioned by the FHSAA, and Tyrie believes the Wolverines will win again.

“We all started screaming and crying as soon as we heard our name called,” Navarrete said. “Jessica [Pass] and I hugged immediately and didn’t stop crying. We were all hugging each other. Winning states was a major goal.”

Pass said all the work they put in was worth it.

“Competition season was stressful, but we were definitely rewarded for our hard work, and I wouldn’t trade this team for any other,” she said. “The past seasons have brought us closer as friends, and this team really does feel like a family.”

And Wellington High School’s cheerleading dream team honored Mounts in perpetuity by inscribing his initials on their state championship rings.

Wellington High School Basketball Celebrates A Stellar Season

The Wellington High School boys basketball team claimed the regional championship for the 2016-17 school year, marking the team’s second regional championship in the past three years.

Head coach Matt Colin was on the sidelines for both achievements, but this year’s championship belonged to a strong team of young men, who slotted into roles that propelled the Wolverines to yet another championship banner.

The Wellington Wolverines defeated Coral Springs High School 82-62 in the finals to win the regional title.

“It makes the game so much easier when you’re able to control the game the way we were able to control it,” Colin said. “We always had four players out there who could handle the basketball. It made it so that we were the team that dictated what was going on, not the other team. Anytime you do that, you get the momentum.”

This latest accomplishment was all about the team working together and playing within the system that Colin and his assistant coaches set up for Wellington’s program. In years past, the game might have relied on the play of individuals, but this year was about everyone getting their hands on the ball to make plays for the team.

“That was something that we stressed. We always talk about team basketball,” Colin said. “Obviously, we have some good players on this team. But good players alone don’t win you championships. I think this group was mature enough to understand that.”

Trent Frazier, Miguel Peart and Sage Chen-Young were team captains this past year, and they fit right into their roles. They led by example, and therefore were able to be strong leaders for a young team.

“The years before, we were so used to winning. This year, we lost a lot of talent, so we had to work with what we had and play smaller,” Chen-Young said.

This year was about building off last year’s weaknesses. Coral Springs kept the Wolverines from repeating in the regional championship the year prior.

Chen-Young said the team took the loss hard last year, and the rematch was a must-win for the season and for pride.

“We were already state champs, and it was the game to go back to states, to go back-to-back, and they beat us,” Chen-Young said of the 2015-16 season-ender. “They ended up winning states.”

So, facing Coral Springs at the regional final, the Wellington boys came back and emerged victorious.

“My sophomore year is when we had a lot of talent. We were a good team,” Frazier said. “That’s what made us get our run into the state tournament and get our first ring, but this year was mostly off of everyone playing their roles.”

This was a year when Wellington basketball’s system worked.

“That’s what helped us out, because we were young and little,” Frazier said. “A lot of guys, we weren’t big. We didn’t have a lot of skill, but everyone played their role, and everyone trusted each other, so that’s how we did it.”

Peart agreed that roleplay was much more important for winning games than making plays for glory.

“I just felt good knowing that I was able to get out there and do everything I could,” Peart said. “That’s what I felt like I was, just the everything guy. If you needed a rebound, needed effort, I just went out and gave it my everything.”

A younger athlete on the team this past year was junior Bryan Williams. Colin saw room for growth and contribution from him on the varsity squad. He also looks to fill a captain’s role next year, helping the team continue to match the gameplay of the previous year.

“I felt like I was a good player, but the coach saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself,” Williams said. “The chemistry that we had — I want to continue to grow and keep leading on throughout the years because I’m going to miss my seniors, and I just want all that to stay. I hope nothing changes with it.”

The players embraced their coach and all that came with being a winning team.

“I think toward the second half of the season, as a team, every player, especially the starters, we all toughened up,” Peart said. “We stopped letting little things get to us. We kind of really started to just play.”

Colin finds power in preparation, and this season was about making strengths better and eliminating weaknesses, particularly in rebounding.

“I was always looking to find new rebounding drills, whether it was going online, whether it was calling former colleagues or college coaches,” he said. “Whatever it may be, throw at me a rebounding drill that you do in practice, so I can apply it to my guys, so they don’t get stagnant with what we’ve been doing. We can still accomplish the goals with what we’re trying to do by winning the rebounding battle out there every night.”

The night before the finals, Colin said the team was ready for the highly anticipated rematch against Coral Springs.

“I think there was a lot of emotion going into that game. Trent [Frazier], actually, and he still has it saved on his phone, has got a picture of me picking him up off the floor after we lost the regional final last year, and it was in the paper. It was front page of the sports section, me picking him up and walking him into the locker room because he was so devastated by that loss,” Colin recalled.

It was in the team’s group chat that Frazier sent a message to everyone, including the coach. “The night before the game, he put that on our team chat about how that wasn’t going to happen again,” Colin said.

After a long season of play, a record of 34-3, a lot of rebound drills and dedication, the Wolverines recaptured the regional championship.

Heading into next season, Colin is ready to help turn the next Wellington High School boys varsity basketball team into champions and keep the tradition alive.

“Every season is a journey. You don’t know how it’s going to turn out, but this was, by far, one of the most pleasurable ones I’ve been on,” Colin said. “We have about four or five returning guys who played for us last year, along with the junior varsity group that’s coming up. I’m just looking forward to learning as much as I can about them and seeing what our strengths and weaknesses are.

Palm Beach Central’s Bronco Band  Brings Home The State Championship

The Palm Beach Central High School marching band triumphed over the competition to claim the state championship crown for the 2016-17 school year.

The Bronco band won the Class 3A crown at the Florida Marching Band Championships (FMBC) for the first time in school history last November at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. Palm Beach Central earned first place with a score of 87 points, pushing past Miami Coral Park High School, which took second with 85.45 points.

“I could tell early on in the summer that the group was special,” said James Yaques, director of bands at Palm Beach Central since 2005. “We were really happy with our show design, and the band was taking the product and bringing it to life.”

The Broncos bounced back from an off-year in which the band missed finishing in the top five for the first time in four years. In 2015, heavy rains moved the semifinal competition indoors and the bands performed at a standstill — which hurt the Broncos.

“Our show is most effective with the music and visual together,” Yaques said. “With half of the component taken out, we just missed the finals. Based on results from prior events in the season, if the semifinals would have not been rained out, we probably would have finished second or third. I think missing finals [last year] without the opportunity to perform their full show really hurt the kids. It may have been a motivator to be even better.”

Bronco band performances throughout the 2016-17 season were impressive, finishing first in the semifinals, in addition to winning a regional competition at Jupiter High School and placing second at a regional competition at Park Vista High School.

The championship-winning show was performed to the music of Sleeping Beauty. This upcoming year’s show will be based on the fictional character Poison Ivy, one of Batman’s many enemies. The repertoire changes every year.

Emma Pitot, a rising senior, has been a member of the marching band since her freshman year. Pitot plays the alto saxophone and will be the section leader for the second year in a row, as well as having added responsibilities as band captain.

“Our biggest challenge is keeping everybody motivated,” she said, with a current focus on leading the team to a repeat championship. “We have to do the small things to get to the big picture, which is winning states. My job is to help lead, but it’s a team effort.”

Pitot’s teammates are proud of their most recent accomplishment and have high hopes for the future.

“It’s harder to maintain than to win,” said Madison Pompos, who is entering her junior year. “We have to work twice as hard. Last year we had motivation; this year we have to fight to get that feeling again.”

Pompos, who has been in the band since she was a freshman, was one of 12 saxophonists in the 105-member state champion marching band. She has been elevated to the important role of drum major for the upcoming year.

The Broncos have spent much of the summer learning new steps and formations because they perform a different show every year, Yaques said. Each show runs approximately 10 minutes.

Motorists on Forest Hill Blvd. can often catch a glimpse of the band practicing in the Palm Beach Central parking lot on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m. during the school year.

“That’s our main practice field,” Yaques said. “We sometimes practice in the [football] stadium so the students get used to the feel of grass as opposed to asphalt.”

Yaques has brought the Broncos to statewide prominence with a culture of excellence. The Florida State University music graduate served for four years as the principal tuba player for the Second Marine Division band in the prestigious United States Marine Corps Band. He also holds a master’s degree in music conducting from Florida International University.

The band season begins in July and runs through November, with the semifinals and finals for the upcoming school year set for Nov. 18. There were several preseason practices in May and June to get the incoming ninth-graders familiar with the high school band.

The entire group learns the basic steps during the summer practices, and the band practices simultaneously for football games and band competitions. Often, they perform at football games on Friday night and head to competitions on Saturdays to hone their skills.

The well-respected Broncos have been regular contenders for the state title most of the last decade. The marching band is a two-time silver medalist (2014 and 2012) and also reached the Class 3A state finals (top five) four other years (2013, 2010, 2009 and 2008).

Yaques, who directs all the bands at Palm Beach Central, is very proud of the marching band’s accomplishments.

“Winning states is certainly the top goal for the marching band,” he said. “We didn’t do anything differently. The students were really driven and worked really hard.”

The 2016-17 championship marching band consisted of flutes (6), clarinets (8), saxophones (12), trumpets (10), mellophones (5), baritones (10), tubas (5), percussion (16), color guard (32) and one drum major.

This upcoming year’s band will have about 20 new members, Yaques said, making the summer practices an integral part of the season, similar to spring practice for football teams.

“I think it is going to be tougher to repeat,” Yaques said. “Keeping the same kind of focus we had last year will be tough. But we are reminding our students that we will have to be better this year to do it again.”

Pompos recalls with pride the band’s big triumphant moment.

“You realize how much our hard work paid off,” said Pompos, who plans to major in criminal justice while playing in the band at either the University of Cincinnati or Florida State University. “We were overjoyed by the experience. I started crying, everyone was jumping, crying, screaming and taking photos. Every single moment was worth it.”

Track Star Karimah Davis Has Her Eyes On The Olympics

Watching the Olympics is always inspirational, especially when a hometown athlete is involved. That’s why we’re keeping an eye on local track star Karimah (pronounced KaREEmah) Davis. The recent Palm Beach Central High School graduate is the state champion in the 400-meter dash (52.91 seconds), and she came in a close second for the 200-meter dash (23.28 seconds).

Over Memorial Day weekend, Davis, together with the other top 200-meter runners in the world, traveled to historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, just outside Portland, to compete in the Prefontaine Classic, courtesy of title sponsor Nike.

“Nike pays for our flights,” Davis said. “They give us clothes and backpacks and shoes. They treat us like royalty!”

The Prefontaine Classic is the premier track and field meet in the United States, and the only stop in North America on the prestigious World Athletics Tour. It was established by distance runner Steve Prefontaine, who died in 1975 at age 24 and was the subject of two major motion pictures. To be eligible to compete in this elite track and field showcase, athletes must be ranked in the top 50 in the world in their event.

Televised on NBC, the Prefontaine Classic is where many Olympic track and field stars first establish themselves in the national consciousness and, perhaps because of this, attendance has grown. The Prefontaine Classic has attracted standing-room-only crowds for the last 10 years.

While there, Davis had the opportunity to meet Olympic track and field legends, perhaps picking up some pointers. Then, it was back home for summer track, and on to Florida State University this month — on a full scholarship.

So how did all this start? For Davis, it started late. Although the majority of runners start to get serious about the sport around the age of 8, Davis began running less than four years ago as a hobby.

“It was just going to be something I could play around with,” she recalled.

But coaches quickly took notice.

“I feel that’s why a lot of people are interested in me,” Davis said. “I stepped into the field at an older age, and it’s going really good for me — better than it normally should.”

Davis was running for Emerald Cove Middle School, just about to enter high school, when seasoned coach Derek Walker came up to her at a meet.

“As I was running, he came up to me and said, ‘I can turn you into a state champion.’ Now he’s my club coach,” Davis said.

Walker is so convinced of her potential that he is willing to move to Tallahassee. “He’s trying to move in that area so he can be involved in my future career,” Davis said.

So, what started as a hobby has turned into a quest. Davis’ personal records include the 55-meter (7.08 seconds), 60-meter (7.77 seconds), 100-meter (11.49 seconds) and the long jump (5.33 meters). With the Olympics always in the back of her mind, Davis practices three to four hours a day at Palm Beach Central, taking a break only on Wednesday.

That makes it difficult to hang out with friends.

“Many of my friends have different personalities, different aspirations and are on different routes,” she explained. “It makes it hard to mesh with them.”

Davis’ true support system is at home. “My parents are very supportive,” she said. “I probably wouldn’t be as far as I am without my parents putting me there. They keep my mind in the right place. They invest the time and the money.”

After her state win, Palm Beach Central celebrated by posting her accomplishment on its Twitter page. The Palm Beach County Sports Commission went further, inducting Davis into its Hall of Fame.

As hobbies go, track and field turned out to be a good choice for Karimah Davis.

“It’s turning out really well for me,” she said simply.

Then Davis was off… and running.

Wesley Newlands Finds Her Road  To Recovery In Wellington

With any sport comes the inherent risk of injury. In equestrian sports, which adds another, often unpredictable, living being into the equation, that risk can be particularly high. Fortunately for the thousands of equestrian athletes based in Wellington, the village is home to renowned physical therapy specialists skilled in helping riders quickly rebound from an injury

Show jumping competitor Wesley Newlands found the help she needed to do just that at Athletes Advantage, located off Pierson Road in Wellington. In September 2016, the 29-year-old Canadian was riding in Belgium, simply walking to cool down her horse after a training session, when the horse tripped and fell. As the horse went down, Newlands’ leg became stuck underneath, shattering her ankle.

At a hospital in Belgium, where the staff spoke limited English, making communication difficult, they opted to put Newlands in a cast for 12 weeks rather than perform surgery.

Upon returning home to Canada three weeks later, Newlands’ doctors advised that they would have elected to do surgery at the time of her injury. However, since her leg had already been set in a cast for three weeks, they elected to continue with the recovery plan determined in Belgium.

When Newlands arrived in Wellington in late December with plans to compete at the Winter Equestrian Festival, her ankle had been non-weight-bearing for months. Despite the removal of the cast after 12 weeks, she was still experiencing several problems with her foot.

“My foot was turning purple, and I was having a lot of swelling,” Newlands explained. “I couldn’t really walk.”

That’s where Wellington-based experts Dr. Nicholas Sama and Ed Smith of Athletes Advantage came into play. Sama, an orthopedic and trauma surgeon, X-rayed Newlands’ foot and recommended that she begin working with Smith and Athletes Advantage for physical therapy.

Inside the expansive warehouse space turned state-of-the-art gym and rehab facility, Smith helped Newlands regain strength and stability, as well as the ability to walk normally again, after atrophy of the foot and leg from lack of use.

“With Wesley’s situation, she had an injury that most likely should have been operated on,” said Smith, who founded Athletes Advantage 14 years ago and places a strong clinical focus on post-operative sports medicine rehabilitation. “The result of the downtime — the non-weight-bearing, casting and bracing — was so substantial that she got extremely tight, and she also experienced circulatory deficiencies because she couldn’t use the leg normally.”

Smith, a graduate of the College of Physical Therapy at the University of Florida, said Newlands developed many problems simply from not being able to use her foot.

“She ended up with Dr. Sama, a trauma surgeon here in Wellington who knows the equestrian world very well,” Smith said. “Working with him, we were able to develop at as rapid a pace as possible, but she had been non-weight-bearing for so long that the bones had actually lost density. Early on, we were concerned that the foot was going to fracture as soon as we put weight on it.”

Starting gradually, Newlands visited Athletes Advantage two to three times a week throughout the winter, resulting in returned strength and the ability to use her foot and ankle more normally. By week four of the 12-week Winter Equestrian Festival season, Newlands was back in the competition ring. By the end of March, she was able to ride and compete with all of her mounts, including Wieminka B, Geisha van Orshof, Gin Tonic and Isibel d’O.

“I was able to get back in the saddle pretty fast,” Newlands said. “I had a lot of psychological nerves when I was coming back to competition, and I’m still dealing with the worry that I’m going to hurt my leg again. I protect it a lot, but physically, I’m so much stronger.”

Newlands credits the experts in Wellington for her renewed strength and quick return to the show ring, and she is not alone with her success story. Smith has been practicing outpatient orthopedic and sports physical therapy for more than three decades, and Athletes Advantage has helped countless athletes with similar stories.

“These athletes play a sport, and we have a defined period of time that we’ve got to get them back to performance,” Smith said. “We built this place because I’ve always felt that there was a large gap between a closed-in, medical office and the sport that the athletes are returning to. So, we tried to build a place that would facilitate that transition. When they are done working with us, they are fit to return to practicing their sport.”

In doing so, Smith developed a unique niche. “We have enough space and enough variety at our facility that we can take people from a day after surgery all the way back to being strong enough to return to their sport,” he said.

For Newlands, that has certainly proven to be the case. Thanks to the rehab she underwent, she is spending the summer competing at show jumping events throughout Europe under the tutelage of 2008 Olympic gold medalist and Wellington resident Eric Lamaze.

As she continues to regain full strength and function of her ankle, Newlands’ short-term goal is to earn a place on the Canadian show jumping team and, “to be the best rider that I can be.”