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  • Seminole High volleyball player with prosthetic inspires self confidence

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    SEMINOLE, Fla. —  Seminole High School JV volleyball player Shaleigh Hirtzel is working on her dream of playing at the collegiate level. 

    She is also an inspiration not only for her moves on the court, but also for the drive and determination it took for her to get there.

    Shaleigh gets a lot of attention when playing.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Shaleigh Hirtzel, who plays with a prosthetic, made the Seminole High School JV volleyball squad

    •  Shaleigh hopes her story inspires other student athletes to overcome their obstacles

    •  Teammates and coaches say her positive attitude is great


    For one thing, she is quite vocal, pushing her teammates to do their best in every play.

    In turn, her teammates love her.

    But really, it is the way she plays and that is with a prosthetic.

    “Obviously, every time you try something new, it’s going to be hard,” Shaleigh said. “And I’ve never had a forearm before, and this is basically acting like that.”

    As Shaleigh explained, she was born with a limb difference.

    How she is similar to other young athletes is in the desire to be the best.

    Her coach at Seminole High said it is her attitude on and off the court that has resulted in great improvements in her game.

    “I love her determination to get better,” said coach Chad Mowrey. “She wants to improve every aspect of her game regardless of if it’s a difficult task or an easy task.”

    More specifically, it is her positivity.

    Shaleigh is a 10th-grader, and she has only been playing for about three years.

    “And I think that shows everybody else, if she can do it, so can others,” said coach Mowrey.

    She is serving up a lesson in confidence to kids facing adversities.

    “Kids that are like me, I want to be able to inspire them,” Shaleigh said. “And show them, even though you’re different, you can still do it.”

    She also has a message for others.

    “Then, also help the kids out who don’t have a limb difference understand it better,” she said.

    No matter the challenge, she is overcoming it and having fun while doing it.

    Shaleigh has big plans and aspirations.

    She would like to get the attention of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers.

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • Seminole High volleyball player with prosthetic inspires self confidence

    [ad_1]

    SEMINOLE, Fla. —  Seminole High School JV volleyball player Shaleigh Hirtzel is working on her dream of playing at the collegiate level. 

    She is also an inspiration not only for her moves on the court, but also for the drive and determination it took for her to get there.

    Shaleigh gets a lot of attention when playing.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Shaleigh Hirtzel, who plays with a prosthetic, made the Seminole High School JV volleyball squad

    •  Shaleigh hopes her story inspires other student athletes to overcome their obstacles

    •  Teammates and coaches say her positive attitude is great


    For one thing, she is quite vocal, pushing her teammates to do their best in every play.

    In turn, her teammates love her.

    But really, it is the way she plays and that is with a prosthetic.

    “Obviously, every time you try something new, it’s going to be hard,” Shaleigh said. “And I’ve never had a forearm before, and this is basically acting like that.”

    As Shaleigh explained, she was born with a limb difference.

    How she is similar to other young athletes is in the desire to be the best.

    Her coach at Seminole High said it is her attitude on and off the court that has resulted in great improvements in her game.

    “I love her determination to get better,” said coach Chad Mowrey. “She wants to improve every aspect of her game regardless of if it’s a difficult task or an easy task.”

    More specifically, it is her positivity.

    Shaleigh is a 10th-grader, and she has only been playing for about three years.

    “And I think that shows everybody else, if she can do it, so can others,” said coach Mowrey.

    She is serving up a lesson in confidence to kids facing adversities.

    “Kids that are like me, I want to be able to inspire them,” Shaleigh said. “And show them, even though you’re different, you can still do it.”

    She also has a message for others.

    “Then, also help the kids out who don’t have a limb difference understand it better,” she said.

    No matter the challenge, she is overcoming it and having fun while doing it.

    Shaleigh has big plans and aspirations.

    She would like to get the attention of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers.

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • multiple job fairs planned for former WS/FCS employees

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    FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. — Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is working to help staff impacted by its reduction in force plan find new jobs.

    What You Need To Know

    • According to Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Aug. 29 will mark the end of notifying more than 300 employees of their termination

    • Now the district is planning to help former employees find work in other districts by holding a reverse job fair

    • The event will be held at the WS/FCS Education building located at the Central office on Sept. 4, from 4 p.m. to 6 p .m. 



    “We are inviting other districts and community folks who have positions available to come to a fair that we will invite our staff to,” said interim Superintendent Catty Moore at the WS/FCS school board meeting Tuesday. 

    The event will be held at the WS/FCS Education building located at the central office on Sept. 4, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

    Forsyth Tech Community College is one of the many employers that plans to attend and hire former district workers. 

    “We have a mix of instructor and staff support positions. Lots of those would make great roles for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools employees. It’s a mix of part-time and full-time depending on what someone is looking for,” said Rachel Schroeder, the college’s chief human experience officer. 

    Schroeder said the move will allow students in their dual enrollment programs to reconnect with their teachers. 

    It also guarantees that those laid-off workers can keep their benefits.

    “We understand that what’s at stake for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools employees — benefits and retirement and things that they are used to. And so as community college system employees, we also have access to state benefits, and so that might make a transition a bit easier,” Schroeder said.

    Local groups are also helping out. 

    Galilee Missionary Baptist Church has already started helping former employees find jobs in the area. 

    “We had Dr. Roseboro from the Montgomery school system here, and some folks were able to get some help and get placed. So we’re excited about that,” Pastor Dr. Nathan Scovens said. 

    Scovens said the church will also host a job fair after he learned many members of his church were directly affected by the layoffs. 

    “I know this is a hard thing, but we see it as an opportunity to come together as a community and to help one another. So I’m appreciative of all of the surrounding communities. And I understand that people are angry, and they have a right to be angry, but after we finish expressing our anger, what are we going to do? And this is an opportunity for us to spread some cheer,” he said. 

    The last day for former employees is Sept. 12. 

    The job fair at Galilee Missionary Baptist Church will be held on Sept. 15.

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    Sasha Strong

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  • Horace West leads Haines City youth football programs for decades

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    HAINES CITY, Fla. — Youth league football is a big deal in the Polk County community of Haines City.

    There is one name that is synonymous with that. It is Horace West. The former mayor of Haines City has dedicated decades to making sure young athletes get a chance to play the sport they love.

    West is now affiliated with the Haines City Vipers, a youth football program he started. West got his start in local youth football by starting the Haines City Rattlers in 1991.

    Over the years, he has started about 20 other football programs in other local communities. He also started a youth football conference with dozens of teams.

    These days, West is more of an advisor rather than a coach.

    “I’m old enough to be everybody’s dad or grandfather, so I just give them advice,” said West.

    West has helped to mentor several players who ended up playing in the NFL. That includes Los Angeles Chargers’ safety Derwin James. For West, the goal of football is bigger than just athletics.

    “Because we are trying to teach young boys how to be young men. So that’s the key,” he said.

    West’s coaches put their players through tough practices and hope for success in games. But respect is more important.

    “The coaches talk to them like drill sergeants, but they understand they can’t use profanity, touch them in any harsh way or anything like that,” West said.

    West said he wants to make sure that the football program has longevity. So, he is always looking for new community members to get involved.

    “My philosophy is that you have to recreate yourself. You have to reinvent yourself every so many years,” he said. “Because if you don’t, the program dies with the people who ran it.”

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    Rick Elmhorst

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  • Sean Sweat runs Lake Hollingsworth with flags to honor veterans

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    LAKELAND, Fla. — A Lakeland man is a beloved familiar sight around Lake Hollingsworth. Sean Sweat stands out for a patriotic reason.

    What You Need To Know

    • Sean Sweat is a firefighter and Army veteran

    • He has been running around Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland with a flag for 15 years to honor veterans

    • Sweat starting running with the flag to honor his old platoon leader who was killed by an IED in Afghanistan

    • Would you like to nominate an Everyday Hero? Click here.


    For the past 15 years, Sweat has been running around the lake with a big American flag. Sometimes he also runs with the flags for the various branches of the military. He does it to honor veterans.

    Sweat said he starting his flag runs around Lake Hollingsworth to honor his old platoon leader, Capt. Josh Byers, who was killed by an (improvised explosive device) IED in Afghanistan.

    “The freedoms we have in this country, people take for granted. They don’t realize the price that is paid,” he said.

    Sweat will be making his way around Lake Hollingsworth on Memorial Day. But he will have to walk instead of run because he is recovering from hip replacement surgery.

    He is determined to keep up his tradition despite the temporary physical setback.

    “It goes back to my time in the service. Especially with my old platoon sergeant,” he said. “He would always tell us, ‘You know, if you can still feel pain, you can still move. Which means you can still finish the mission.’”

    Sweat says he mostly gets very positive responses to the flags as he runs.

    “I’ve had some people hanging out of the windows screaming. Some of the college students and I actually have some of the locals. I’ve had people hang out of their cars waving at me,” he said.

    Sometimes folks walking around the lake strike up a conversation with Sweat. That’s what Shanti Waite did. She is especially enthusiastic about honoring veterans because she has three female cousins serving in the military.

    “Anytime I see anyone willing to serve the country, show that dedication and patriotism and acknowledge. It is always something that I honor and respect,” she said.

    Sweat has also developed friendships with people who admire what he does. That includes retired Navy Cmdr. Charles Waldron, who would salute Sweat from his house across the street from the lake as Sweat ran by.

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    Rick Elmhorst

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  • South Carolina beats Texas 74-57 in Women’s Final Four

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    TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Dawn Staley has never lost a national championship game in three trips as South Carolina’s coach.

    Part of the key to winning those decisive games? Forgetting about what happened the last time she was there. And this time, that was only a year ago.

    Staley’s defending champion Gamecocks left no doubt they would return to the title game, getting 14 points from Te-Hina Paopao and overwhelming Texas 74-57 on Friday night in the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

    “Nothing that happened prior to here is going to help us on Sunday. Nothing,” Staley said. “Saying that we’re undefeated in national championships games — I wish it helped. I wish it would spot us 10 points because we’re undefeated. I’d feel really good about that.”

    The Gamecocks are a win away from becoming the first team to secure consecutive titles since UConn won four straight from 2013-16. The Huskies faced UCLA in Friday’s second semifinal.

    Freshman Joyce Edwards added 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for South Carolina (35-3), which used its experience and poise to weather an early deficit, and then took control with its depth at both ends of the floor.

    Three South Carolina players finished in double figures — Bree Hall had 11 points — and the Gamecocks dominated Texas in the post with 40 points in the paint to the Longhorns’ 22.

    Madison Booker had 11 points with three fouls for the Longhorns (35-4), who were trying to reach their first championship since 1986. They were in the Final Four for the first time since 2003 after a dominant season, which was their first in the Southeastern Conference after coming over from the Big 12.

    Texas went 15-1 against the SEC in the regular season and shared the conference title with the Gamecocks.

    South Carolina broke open the game in the third quarter with an 11-0 run started by Edwards’ driving layup, and Texas never got closer than 10 the rest of the way. Booker, Texas’ leading scorer, was held without a basket after making a jumper at the seven-minute mark of the third.

    The Longhorns could not match South Carolina’s pace as the game went on. They only scored nine points in the third, including bad mid-range misses from Booker and Harmon. Harmon, a senior who returned this season from an ACL injury last year, finished with eight points. Jordan Lee led Texas with 16 points off the bench.

    “Not our best night tonight,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said, “but it wasn’t because they weren’t out there battling and trying. We lost to the better team tonight.”

    Strength in reserve

    South Carolina went undefeated during a dominant championship run last year that featured a physical roster no opponent could match up with. This year’s journey to the final has been slightly more challenging.

    Without a star like A’ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston or 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso — who led the Gamecocks on their previous title runs — they’ve relied on a dynamic rotation to reach their third championship game in four years.

    South Carolina leads the nation in bench points and got 35 points from its reserves on Friday, including nine points from Tessa Johnson and seven from Milaysia Fulwiley. Former South Carolina greats Wilson, Boston and Allisha Gray cheered them on from the stands.

    Trouble early for Texas

    Booker went to the bench with about three minutes left in the first quarter after picking up two fouls. That allowed South Carolina to climb out of a 12-4 hole before the SEC player of the year came back late in the second, made a free throw and checked back out after picking up her third foul. The Gamecocks outscored Texas by 13 with Booker on the bench and took a 38-35 halftime lead.

    “Basketball is a game of runs,” Paopao said. “They went on their run. We went on our run. And we came out with the win, so I’m proud of our run.”

    This was the teams’ fourth meeting this season — the 17th time two women’s teams have faced each other that many times in a single season, according to Stats Perform. As first-time conference opponents, they split the regular-season series, with each team winning on its home court, before the Gamecocks blew out Texas in the SEC Tournament championship.

    AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

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    Associated Press

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