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Soccer Team Gets A Kick Out of Regional Championship

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By BARBARA ROUTEN

Tribune correspondent

Published: May 3, 2008

TAMPA - The RSL Florida Division 1 Under-15 boys soccer team, with players from Brandon and Valrico, won first place in the Region Cup Finals held March 15 and 16 at Ed Radice Park in northwest Hillsborough County.

The team, based in South Tampa, earned the championship for the Florida Youth Soccer Association's Region C by defeating the Gulf Coast United Soccer Club team 4-0.

Team members Zak Bowles, Garrett Cohen, Zander Rados, Ivan Zigarevich, Dilyn Phandara, Max Jones, Pibe Glaser, Scott Nelson, Jacob Nigh, Blake Myregaard, Zac Scott, Shea Smith, Jerry Grimes, Austin Jurado, Scott Campbell and Michael Hill live in Brandon, Valrico and Tampa, and practice at the RSL Florida fields at Monroe Middle School, 4716 Montgomery Ave. W., in South Tampa.

"The distance to travel is something we do not mind," said Cheryl Cohen, team spokeswoman and previous team manager, because "at RSL the trainers and coaches are truly phenomenal." Many coaches come from other countries and offer different perspectives and styles of playing, Cohen said.

What makes the coaches - former professional soccer players Keith Rados and Eddie Oyakhilome - phenomenal?

"Their style, their unique style; the way they care about the kids; the dedication they have for the kids," Cohen said.

RSL Florida originated as the Tampa Knights Futbol Club in 1997. In December 2006, Real Salt Lake, a Major League Soccer team in Salt Lake City, chose the Tampa Knights to be its official youth development program for five years. The local staff is made up of professional footballers and coaches who bring decades of experience to the teams.

For information, go to www.RSLFlorida.com.

Women's Group Plans Hawaiian Luau
BRANDON - Aloha! The Brandon Christian Women's Connection, a nondenominational organization, invites area women of all ages to a Hawaiian Luau brunch from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. May 12 in the Special Events Center at Bell Shoals Baptist Church, 2102 Bell Shoals Road.

Attendees "are encouraged to wear Hawaiian attire for this event," said Teresa Richmond, the group's chairwoman.

Singer-songwriter Amy Crain of Brandon will perform a song her mother helped write.

"My mother passed away about a week and a half after sharing the first sentence of the song with me, back in 2003," Crain said. "That is all she could ever come up with.

"I woke up in the middle of the night, the night after she died, unable to sleep, and was inspired by the Lord to complete the song. I was then able to sing it at her funeral a day or two later."

The speaker will be Naples resident Joyce Schneider, author of "Life Is ... Not About Perfect: A Daily Dose of Encouragement," "Life Is More Than $100 Bills," "Chili and Chocolate Cake: My Recipe for Staying Anchored in the Storms of Life" and her newest release, "Grass Stains and Giggles: Experiencing God in the Midst of Motherhood."

Schneider's Web site, www.alifedecision.org, gives a synopsis of her story and message.

"I experienced an abortion in 1985," it reads. "At the time, I was unmarried, alone and ashamed to tell my family. I was involved with sex, drugs and alcohol, and ended up pregnant and confused. ... God has taken the pain of my past and turned it around for His purpose. ... And He is ready, willing and waiting to do the same for you!"

In an e-mail interview, Schneider said, "I have written four books, sharing my life, so I am not about the privacy, but rather the outcome of what my story can do for another."

The luau price is $12, which will include the meal, prepared by chef Bruce Goren of Brandon; Schneider's program; complimentary babysitting (by prearrangement) by licensed professionals for children through age 5; door prizes; humorous skits; and themed decorations.

Books, including some by Schneider, will be available for purchase. A percentage of the book proceeds will be donated to the Brandon Christian Women's Connection.

The organization makes financial contributions to missionary families and Bible translators, and provides Bible study materials to those who cannot afford them.

For reservations for the brunch and child care, contact Bobbi Gardner at (813) 657-8632 or Pat Thibodeaux at patsells@tampabay.rr.com by Tuesday.

"When making child care reservations, please give age of child or children and their first name," Richmond said. "This information helps our child are workers to plan ahead of time and prepare name tags, activities and craft projects."

For information, go to www.BrandonCWC.org.

Send news and photos of community interest to Barbara Routen at The Tampa Tribune, 505 W. Robertson St., Brandon FL 33511, e-mail neighbors@tampabay.rr.com or call (813) 657-4531.

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