Alicia Weber winning her first her gold medal in the 500m in the morning of February 13th. Then, she won her second gold gold medal in the the evening in the 2,000 meter.Nearly 1,600 indoor rowers competed on the Concept 2 rowing machines at the 2016 33rd Annual Southern Sprints Indoor Rowing Championships/World Qualifier in Melbourne, Florida, on February 13. A rare breed of athletes are drawn to the sport for the thrills of intense speed and power.
There are two different weight classes, lightweight and heavyweight. The maximum weight for a lightweight male is 165 pounds. The max weight for lightweight females is 135 pounds.
I am a lightweight indoor rower. Heavyweight indoor rower from Central Florida, Jennifer Gillette, and I both won the college/open women 500 meter and 2,000 meter events for our weight class. We both performed the rare feat of becoming double gold medalists at these championships.
In the past five years, we have been the only two women in the world that have both been world ranked top 10 three times for our 500 meter race times.
At this championship, Gillette set the American record for the 19-29 age category for heavyweight women with her 500 meter time of 1:30.7. Both of us continue to get faster as we get older. I have competed in this championship for five years, and it has been my goal to win gold. I won many silver and bronze medals, but I was working toward the elusive gold. Alicia Weber is a sponsored athlete and professional coach in many sports for all ages and ability levels.
It is a dream come true to become a double gold medalist with new personal best times of 1:45.8 for 500 meters and 8:09.4 for 2,000 meters. I became an indoor rower to continue to increase my VO2max, as rowing is considered to be one of the best exercises to increase aerobic capacity.
Gillette is in fighter pilot school at Sheppard AFB, Texas. Only two percent of Air Force fighter pilots are women. Rowing has been excellent conditioning for her to prepare for the G-Forces of flying F 16s.
Dedicated ninth grade rower Robert Delgado-Mendez competed in the 500m to get in shape for rowing on the water. He has competed in Clermont’s Regattas and loves them.
“Rowing is fun with a completely different crowd of people. In individual sports and team sports like soccer and football, you can mess up and still be successful. However, rowing on the water in an 8 boat has to have everyone perfectly in sync or it all goes bad. My coach says you are only as fast as your slowest rower,” explained Delgado-Mendez.
Watch Alicia “World Record Weber” Win Double Gold
In the water, rowers with height and strength have an advantage. A lightweight rowing team might beat a heavyweight rowing team. A heavyweight team creates more drag in the water, which can slow them down. Strength will be necessary to overpower the drag and beat lightweights.
Indoor rowing on Concept 2 machines provides other challenges. A heavyweight rower will create more power from their weight and go faster. A short lightweight will need to produce power through their legs and arms to be able to beat a strong, tall lightweight who will have greater power through their long legs. In any event, indoor rowing provides excellent fitness benefits and strategic competitions.
Alicia can be reached for fitness training or coaching at Awinningway@gmail.com
Archer Athletes at the start of the Bow-A-Thon.WINTER GARDEN, FL— On the sunny, cool morning of Saturday, January 30th the determined and dedicated youth archer athletes gathered at the starting line for Florida’s Inaugural Bow-A-Thon in a large park. Five pioneers in this challenging event gave their best efforts in a tough 1 mile cross country run. After minimal recovery, they then shot 10 arrows in less than 4 minutes. They all used the same bows without any sighting devices. The Bow-A-Thon was a skills test as well as a physical test and they all performed well above the expectations the event director and coach, Alicia Weber, had in mind.
“I’m very excited and happy about all their performances and I feel this competition will boost their confidence for future championships,” exclaimed Weber.
The boys and girls cross country had back and forth action with surprise sprint finishes by Indaya and Yeriel who won the running part. They each earned 10 points.
“I felt I could relax on my archery, if needed to because of my run victory. However, I tried my hardest in archery anyways,” commented Yeriel.
“The competition was fun, challenging, and different and something we would try again,” agreed Yeriel and second place runner, Drew. Both boys called this their first ever archery competition.
With minimal rest, the top three finishers in the run (Yeriel, Drew, and Bryce) went to compete in the archery.
Bryce won the archery and the competition with his score of 87 points. This was his second archery fitness victory.
“It was difficult to adjust to archery after the run, but I enjoyed the challenge,” said Bryce with a big smile as he was handed the winner’s mug.
Recovery time was increased before the girls did their archery. Indaya enjoyed her surroundings at this new location with the many big trees and open fields. All competitors were given awards and the top male and female won a champion’s mug.
Indaya won the competition with a total of 92 points out of a possible 110 points. This was her third archery fitness victory. She has been training and competing the longest out of all these competitors. She holds the Girls Youth Record for the Archery Fitness League. Aisha was the second woman and the youngest competitor with her 61 points.
“The competition was pretty fun. The mile was challenging because of the change in terrain and the zig zagging course,” agreed Indaya and Aisha.
New archer athletes, Yeriel and Drew, took 2nd and 3rd place males with 70 and 63 points respectively.
This taxing competition was by Invitation Only as certain skill levels need to be met. The competitors proved to be great champions. Bring Out The Champion In You and enroll in innovative athletic programming with Alicia @ Awinningway@gmail.com
As an elite athlete and fitness professional, I achieved my greatest successes to date in 2015 and I look forward to 2016 and helping others exceed their goals!
Professionally, my career highlight came when I worked with Olympic and World Champion sprinters on their quest to make the 2015 World Championships, Pan Am Games, and World Relays Track and Field Teams. The athletes I worked with on P360 Pro Track Team earned many medals at these championships. I was the team licensed massage therapist and stretching coach.
As a world record holder, I set the most strength and endurance world records ever in one year – 220!! My previous best was 205 records in 2012. I am the world’s most prolific physical fitness world record holder. I realized in December that I had the chance to exceed 205 records and I aimed for 210.
I opened the new category – 30 Minute consecutive Spiderman Pushups at Recordsetter where I completed 511 reps on December 29.
On Christmas, I broke two challenging one arm pushup records (one of which took 5 attempts before re-setting it).
On the last day of the year, I attempted to reclaim my 3 minute arms held out deep squat record (which an ultra athlete Frenchman currently holds), but I fell short. However, I kept going to open some new categories. At the strike of midnight, I was overjoyed when I saw the realization that I exceeded my goal and set 220 records in one year!!
As an athlete, I finally won my first SUP race of my career in my 7th race! I took over 20 minutes off my 3 mile time and finished in 35 minutes in the intracoastal waterways of Englewood, Florida. I won my 3rd Beach Running Championship title in May and I became the only male or female to win the championship three times. I competed in three sports in 2015 (beach running (off terrain running), SUP racing, and fitness challenge events).
Welcoming 2016, I look forward to the kids, adults, and seniors joining my archery fitness league, athletic camps, and clinics. I look forward to working with my new students in learning to stand up paddle board. I am looking forward to covering a lot of unique stories on this website in 2016 and offering innovative advertising and marketing services to those interested.
Meredith Yaun is a PGA professional golf coach who has been coaching kids and adults in Clermont for 23 years. She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the city of Clermont and she provides her students unique opportunities. She can be reached for lessons at 407-341-1793.
Meet Meredith Yaun, Clermont, Florida’s Premiere PGA Pro Golf Coach
She offers group lessons to all levels of golfers on Saturdays and she offers private lessons. She guides high school golfers to scholarships and she provides golf/fishing summer camps for kids. Her lessons are one hour and they are packed with education and motivation. She explains and demonstrates golf techniques. She creates games for students, but she also steps in and challenges students in golf skill development games.
“Good aim and good speed are key in golf,†said Yaun.
Marianne Jones, 8, has been training in golf for a year under Yaun. Currently, she is working on her putting. She hopes to one day compete. She practiced putting on an upgrade and downgrade to decide how best to aim and how to swing to create the best speed to get the ball in the hole.
“You have to think in golf. In soccer and other sports you just run around,†said Jones who has been playing soccer five years and plays for Florida Rush on the Lady Lions team.
Yaun encourages students of different sport backgrounds to take up golf. She is a strong advocate of well-rounded fitness and she prepares golfers for all conditions.
“In golf there is a lot of skill to master. You have to learn to aim. You have to think about hills, wind, rain, and how you will swing and hit the ball for the different conditions,†mentioned Jones who thinks highly of Yaun and is confident of Yaun’s teaching methods as Yaun is a very successful Lady Pro Golfer.
The local youth age 6-14 can train and then compete in the US kids Disney Tournament and try to make it to the World Championships in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Yaun trains young students, adults, and seniors alike at the Clerbrook Golf Club and other golf clubs in Clermont, Florida.
Yaun’s son, Jonathan, finished 32nd at the World Championship when he was thirteen and he took 12th place in the 2015 Florida 3A Golf State Championships as he aspires to one day be on the PGA Tour. Meredith Yaun was a Lady Pro golfer who competed for 10 years on the European Tour from 1983-1993. She was based in England 6-10 months out of the year. Her most memorable competition was when she played on a team with three amateurs in a Corporate Golf Day Tournament (3 amateurs and one lady pro comprised the teams).
Her teammates were the CEO of British Rail (a golfer who had one arm and golfed with it), CEO of Themes TV, and the CEO of London Evening Standard newspaper. They played 18 holes and her team won. She was inspired to see how well the man played with only one arm. This motivated her to be prepared for anything and be ready to train anyone including disabled golfers. Meredith Yaun went on to invent different golf strokes like the “one arm bandit” to help disabled golfers excell and give all golfers a challenge!
Senior golfers under Yaun’s tutelage have a second wind as they have all become highly motivated and competitive.
“I am amazed at how quickly Meredith can get me back to where I was before my hand surgery,” exclaimed Freddie at his second session with Meredith after a three month sabbatical from golf after his surgery.
“I play 2-5 times a week on golf courses in Clermont and Orlando and Clerbrook is the most challenging and exciting course. Come to Clerbrook to become a great golfer. I have had several golf lessons with other instructors and Meredith is by far the most understanding and best instructor I have ever had. The flexibility gains and health benefits from golf combined with the improvements made from Meredith’s help are very self-motivating and make me more competitive,” mentioned Steve, a dedicated and very competitive senior golfer.
Clerbrook offers group and private lessons with Meredith Yaun. The club is also open to the public and they offer a men’s league and women’s league for those who want to compete and make friends.
“I highly recommend anyone, male or female, to take golf from Meredith. She takes what you have naturally and enhances it and she is always positive. Your scores will improve,” agreed Clo Ann (who went from a 36 handicap to 26 handicap) and Shiela (who went from a 32 handicap down to a 20).
ATTENTION Clermont runners, triathletes, and endurance athletes – Golf is a great sport to learn to enhance flexibility and stretch tight muscles.
“I took my first-ever swings at golf under Meredith Yaun’s instruction and I saw success immediately. I could feel the increase in my flexibility and the mental components of golf. Research has shown that golf improves flexibility in endurance athletes and it is a suggested sports specific training activity for endurance athletes to keep them limber and agile as they get older,” said Alicia Weber who was very impressed with Meredith’s coaching methods. Weber could see where training under Meredith and achieving success could become addictive and create a lot of golfers in Clermont.
Strength and Endurance Athlete and World Record Holder, Alicia Weber, Takes Her First Swings at Golf Under Meredith Yaun!
Meredith Yaun is ready to take all ability levels to the next level in golf. If you are looking for a positive, successful, experienced, and caring golf coach – Meredith Yaun is the one. Call 407-341-1793 today!
The enthusiasm of the X-Shots drive to run and shoot archery combined with the idea their Coach, Alicia Weber, dreamed up became a reality in December for their last day of the fall archery fitness program. Weber competed in a 5k Beach Running race where she was chased by Zombies six times. She sprinted to keep them from tagging her and she was successful in escaping from them and winning the race (first place female) and the victory was her 106th overall career victory and the inspiration for her new game “Tag Team Archery.”
Inaugural Tag Team Archery
CLERMONT, FL—Sundance Archery Range was packed with spectators and two teams Tall and Short (which included a tall male athlete, Yeriel, and two short females from the X-Shots) and Lego Arrows (2 males with one being Bryce the 2015 male varsity Ready Aim Go Archery Champion).
The teams competed on a rolling surface. They had 4 minutes to earn as many points as possible by running 100yds successfully without getting tagged by the other team and then racking up additional points by shooting 3 arrows at 25 yards for score. The competition proved to be adrenaline pumping, action-packed, intense, and challenging.
It gave the uber athletic and competitive X-shots the excitement and running they were craving. It also attracted two new archers to join their team. In fact, one new archer, Yeriel, made the final winning shots to help his team, Tall and Short, take the victory in the inaugural tag team archery. Yeriel and another new student, Jack, were given only one quick instruction on archery and they are already excelling in their new sport with flying colors.
Play-By-Play of the Inaugural Tag Team Archery Game
Round One After both teams played their first 4 minute rounds the Lego Arrows led with a score of 30-11. Bryce of the Lego Arrows had a great round of archery to extend the lead.
Round Two The determined new archer, Yeriel, from team Tall and Short was not going to focus on how far ahead the Lego Arrows were, but instead he focused on gaining ground with each arrow. He increased his team’s score to 32 points. Tall and Short now led 32-30.
Round Three The third and final round was reduced to 2 minutes. Each team had all their teammates run at the same time, while trying to escape from the opposite team closing in to tag like a huge octopus. The Lego Arrows came back and took the lead 35-32. However, team Tall and Short still had their final 2 minutes of game time, where all the final action took place. All three made it thru their run successfully, which put the score to a tie of 35-35. Since, Yeriel was first to complete the run, he was first to complete his final 3 shots of archery. The time showed 1 minute and 15 seconds remaining. Yeriel, with his adrenaline pumping as he felt the pressure, hit all three arrows on target and took home the win for his team with a final score of 54-35 just in the nick of time.
“We are thrilled. We want to do this again!” exclaimed all 5 competitors as they leaped in the air. Today was just a scrimmage, but an official match is in store for the future.
The Clan visited Oahu, HI, at the end of November and early December 2015 as they were greeted by several beautiful rainbows that residents see on a regular basis. The weather was in the 80s with sun and light occasional mists throughout all the days. World Record Weber was in heaven with all the athletics she pursued on the island as she had a wonderful time cackling with clan members Moose Turbo, Audrey Athletica, Dr. K, and others.
Here are Hilarious Highlights of The Clan’s Action-Packed Visit to Oahu, HI
On the last day, the Clan ended their memorable trip with a visit to Pearl Harbor and met one of the few remaining Pearl Harbor Survivors, Delton E. Walling, CSM, USN, USS Pennsylvania.
Weber Remembers Pearl Harbor Day on December 7, 2015
Seventy-four years ago US President Franklin Roosevelt declared that December 7, 1941, is a date that “will live in infamy.â€
One of the few remaining Pearl Harbor survivors, Delton E. Walling, certainly agreed as every time he comes to the site of Pearl Harbor the same emotions overtake him. The 94 and a half year old Walling is on the few survivors as all of them are well into their 90s or older now. He attended the 74th Anniversary in Pearl Harbor.
These days Walling is a celebrity in Oahu, HI, where he is paraded around, visited daily by tourists, and celebrated at local schools as he tells the Pearl Harbor story and teaches perseverance in his remaining days, which are numbered.
“I have a one way ticket to Pearl Harbor. I’m dying of bone cancer and I will be buried with my crew at the USS Arizona,†stated the emotional and patriotic Walling.
Walling and remaining survivors feel strongly that the heavy losses of the attack 74 years ago must be instilled in the American’s consciousness that the world is a dangerous place where we need to be ready 24/7/365.
George Washington always said, “To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.”
December 7, 1941, the US was attacked by the Japanese for 110 minutes. Twenty one vessels including 8 frontline battleships sunk or were damaged, 170 planes were destroyed, over 2,400 soldiers died, and 1,200 were wounded. There were 60,000 survivors. There is uncertainty as to the exact number of survivors still alive today.
Walling had a calling to be in the Navy. At 19 years of age he hitchhiked 190 miles to Detroit to join the Navy. He had a stiff middle finger from boxing and he was declared 4F (not fit for service). So he cut his finger off, so he could be qualified to join the Navy.
He was in the communication force on the day of the attack at 180 feet in the air on a signal tower. He was in an observation deck surrounded by a steel rail and a six foot cabin in the middle as he recalled seeing the entire raid.
“I thought we were ready for anything, but we were not ready,†recalled Walling as he remembered seeing 182 planes fly overhead with the “rising sun†at 7:56am as bombs began dropping left and right.
A Japanese torpedo bomber sank USS Arizona early in the attack taking 1,177 lives out the 1,400 members of crew. This day pushed the US into four years of war. Walling served the entire war aboard a troop transport called USS Fayette APA43 as one of the youngest chiefs in the Navy.
Now, Walling gives speeches every day to kids in schools on Pearl Harbor. Walling hopes he did his part in helping to preserve freedom for the people of the United States.
The Pearl Harbor story is the same story year after year and serves as a reminder of the dedication, sacrifice, service, determination, and most importantly the perseverance of the US Military. It is their “never give up†attitude and iron will that won the war and gave us our freedoms we enjoy today.
“Time waits for no one. Make the most of each day. Fight for what you believe in,†said the dedicated survivor, Walling, who inspires many who visit Pearl Harbor.
Six varsity archery fitness teams throughout Central Florida in Alicia Weber’s Archery Fitness League converged for a one of kind competition testing physical and mental skills as well as self-motivation, team cohesion, creativity, and originality. The competitors had to qualify to compete in this advanced competition known as the “Ready Aim Go Championship.†Sixty three percent of the competitors called this their first-ever athletic competition and it was also the first time most made a varsity team.
“I have never been to anything like this before and it’s very exciting,†said Janet Kelley one of the nearly one hundred spectators that watched the championship.
The first competition was the Ready Aim Go Championship for ages 7-9 and it was a scaled down version of a longer competition for older students (10-14), which took place immediately after the youth event. In all cases, all the competitors received the same training, trained and competed on the same equipment, and all put in only 7-8 hours of training this fall before competing in this highly advanced event (cross country running bean bag toss relay event followed by a timed barebow category archery event with shooting at various distances for score).
“I am very proud of all my students. They exceeded all the goals I have set for them. Learning to become focused and do these types of multi-tasking events at this age is challenging, but they succeeded with flying colors, literally,†said Event Director and Coach, Alicia Weber who trains all these students in various developmental programs. Some students traveled more than an hour away to compete on November 15th at Sundance Archery Range where archery is sponsored.
All six teams had to create their own identity and team name. Many designed their own shirts as Coach Alicia Weber encourages creativity and originality. Some students wore multicolored shirts with designs.
“We like the creativity of this competition where we design our own shirts and come up with our team name,†agreed the three young ladies on the Diamond Rainbow Husky Archery Team who wore colorfully designed shirts.
Izzy, the team captain, added, “I don’t care about winning. I just care about having fun.â€
Ready Aim Go Championship (ages 7-9) Highlights
The fitness relay event tested running ability, reaction time, throwing skills, and accuracy to toss a bean bag in a bucket under pressure. Most importantly, the fitness event was selected to build team cohesion, while the archery tested individual focus and self-motivation. The older group was also challenged with a steady NE wind, which appeared at 10:30am with 15-20mph wind gusts.
“I feel excited and really glad that we won. It took a lot of work because of the wind, but it was a very good experience for our team. The format of the competition and the training leading up to it made our team become closer friends,†said Sebastian representing “The Rubies†on the winning team in the (age 10-14) championship competition.
In the first championship (ages 7-9), the Shadow Arrows won with a 12 point lead. The male archery winner was Colin from the Shadow Arrows, while the female archery winner was Ryele from the Diamond Rainbow Husky Archers. The girls had a 21 percent lead in the fitness event, but the boys from the Shadow Arrows gained ground in the archery to win the competition where the fitness and archery carried equal weight in the scoring.
In the second championship event (ages 10-14), the coed team of The Rubies tied with the girls team known as The Secret Service. It came down to the “x†in archery to determine the winner and The Rubies got two “X†dead center points in the archery competition to take the win with a final score of 504xx.
The top male archer was Bryce from the X Shots and the top female archer was Indaya from the Secret Service.
The X-Shots had the leading fitness score with the fastest relay time of the day of 46 seconds for the 3x100yd bean bag toss cross country relay.
Ready Aim Go Championship (ages 10-14) Highlights
“I liked everything about this competition. The archery was tough, but the running was not difficult. I felt very good for our team to win the run and go into the archery with more confidence. It was my first competition and I can’t wait to compete in the next one,†exclaimed the highly-motivated Lilly of the X Shots who opted to compete in the harder competition when she is under 10 years old.
“I was so surprised to come here and see Lilly do this very advanced competition. I think it is excellent,†remarked her great grandmother.
The Fierce Fighters worked double duty in the championship (ages 10-14) as they had a two person team. Aisha ran two legs of the relay with Kevin. They both are new archers and have shown great improvements after their 8 hours of training to compete for the first time in top form. They finished in a very close 4th place team (just 8 ½ points from 3rd place team).
Some competitors liked the fitness and archery events the same, others liked archery the best, while still others like the fitness event the best. However, one thing is certain that they all are looking forward to the next competition.
“It was a fantastic event. All the kids had fun, the event was well-organized, and it was a very positive event. I am looking forward to more events,†said Kyle Caracciolo-Clayton.
In Spring 2016, there will be youth and adult developmental programs, which provide a free competition. “We thank our sponsor, Clermont’s Papa John’s Pizza, for providing the pizza for the championship,” said Weber.
For more info on the Developmental programs contact Awinningway@gmail.com
The first competition (ages 7-9) took place at 8:30am and it was a scaled down version of the competition for ages 10-14, which took place immediately after the first one. In both competitions, competitors began with a complicated bean bag toss cross country relay. Then, they followed with a barebow category archery competition where competitors used the same bows without sighting devices. The winning teams were decided upon the highest combined score achieved in archery + fitness (the highest possible score in the first team competition was 400pts and in the second competition (ages 10-14) the highest possible team score was 800pts).
Review from Championship Team (for ages 7-9):
The first championship competition (ages 7-9) was won by a group of boys from Winter Garden on the team called “Shadow Arrows.” They won with a 12 point lead with a total of 178 points out of 400 possible points. Colin, the oldest and team captain, was their leading archer.
“I love both the fitness and archery components of the championship. I expected our team to do well. It was not too much to expect us to achieve so much in just 8 hours of training,” said Colin who plans to continue in the semester-based archery fitness developmental program, which provides the free competition.
“I took this developmental program just to learn archery and it was a nice surprise to be good enough to make the varsity team and compete in this championship. Only three students in each class will be invited to make the varsity team. Those that do not make it, get to compete in a junior varsity competition,” said the enthused Hudson, Colin’s teammate.
All three on the Shadow Arrows exclaimed,”This is fun and I love archery.”
Review from Championship Team (for ages 10-14):
The Rubies traveled more than one hour away to compete in the (age 10-14) Championship where they won by achieving two “Xs” in archery. The over-achiever, Matteo, (only 8 years old) wanted to compete in the older competition to be more challenged and he was given permission. He earned a “Rising Star Archer” award for his commitment to excellence and challenging himself to harder activities against older kids. His teammates, Sebastian and Morgan, never competed in archery before and they have only begun training once a week this semester. The Rubies beat a team with much more experience than them. The Rubies won the team Championship with 504xx, while the Secret Service took second with 504 points.
The Rubies Show Triumph in Their Big Win in the Ready Aim Go Championship. They broke the tie with the Secret Service by having two “Xs” in archery. Sebastian and Matteo each hit a 10x – the highest score in archery enroute to break the tie and win the championship.
“It’s fun and good to know that I am doing better than people who have been doing archery a lot longer than me,” said Morgan.
“Archery makes kids challenge themselves. It brings out the best in them and the results will surprise parents,” said Ana, Matteo’s mom.
“The archery fitness developmental program is a lot of fun. It does not require too much physical activity and running. I would encourage others to give it a try to experience a lot of excitement and fun challenges. It’s fun to do, but it can be quite challenging to do archery in the wind,” added Morgan who was the second overall female in the windy archery competition on the 15th.
Sebastian and Matteo Draw a “V” for VICTORY after winning the Inaugural Championship for the Development Program.
Parents enjoy coming to watch their kids train in the developmental program and compete in the free competition.
“The kids can increase focus and awareness, which carries over into everything they do. They are taught safety first and foremost and they have to follow strict rules. The kids rise to the occasion and follow the rules. They are very good at taking responsibility and they enjoy the leadership roles the sport of archery gives them,” added the very observant Ana.
The developmental program provides all students an equal opportunity to build skills and then depending on how quickly they develop, they will get to compete for free in either the varsity or junior varsity competition (or they do not have to compete at all).
Review from Junior Varsity Champions (for ages 5-9):
Ten students throughout Central Florida competed in the 10 Arrow 10yd Junior Varsity contest. The top male and overall winner was Manny from Winter Garden with 54 points out of a possible 100 points. The top female and second overall was Sofia from Clermont with 46 points.
“I am happy that everyone gets an opportunity to compete in this developmental program. It is a good motivator. It makes me feel proud to win this junior varsity competition,” said Manny, the Junior Varsity Fall 2015 Champion.
“I was nervous to train under Alicia at first and do archery. I did not think I would be able to hit the target. To my surprise, Alicia was very nice and fun and I hit the target right away on my first day of practice,” said Sofia, a well-rounded athlete who now calls archery her number one favorite sport.
“I look forward to archery each week. Everything is exciting about Alicia’s developmental program. We do a lot of physical challenges mixed in with archery and each day is different,” said Sofia, the Fall 2015 Female Junior Varsity Champion.
After Manny and Sofia won their competition, their self-esteem sky rocketed. They became more eager to to do archery, they became more responsible, they became more motivated, and they became even better in practice.
“Self esteem comes from doing something and accomplishing something.” – Shari Lewis
Sofia wanted to work on the longer distances. She began hitting the target at 20 meters a week after she won at 10 yards.
Manny and Sofia take Victory in Fall 2015 Junior Varsity Competition
Sofia trains in Clermont at the largest archery range available to the Central Florida students in the developmental program. “I really like working at this very large archery range with my instructor, Alicia, as I know many students in other areas don’t get this opportunity,” reflected Sofia.
Keep your eye on Manny and Sofia as they are on pace to make a future varsity team!
Contact Awinningway@gmail.com to join a Youth or Adult Archery Developmental Program.
Harvest Fest Vendors and Participants as well as Runners Had an Extra Special Halloween in 2015
Clermont’s Harvest Festival was hugely successful for vendors and participants as Halloween was a big hit for local cross country runners.
The goal of the Harvest Fest was to bring business to the whole area and new people in from far away. Highly motivated visionaries and Downtown Clermont Board members, Erika Shanoff and Bill Carter, quickly came up with the Harvest Fest idea and made it happen.
Vendors came as far away as Marietta, Georgia. Others traveled from Micanopy and Merritt Island to be here and they plan to return.
“We want to make it an annual event,†said the smiling Shanoff who is the owner of Erika’s Tea Room and Gifts and a creator of monthly innovative events within her business.
Shanoff has monthly Bookin’ and Cookin’ Club meetings with over 70 varieties of tea from all over the world where they serve lunch every day except Monday.
During the Harvest Fest, people of all ages strolled down Montrose Street in their best costumes looking around to see what caught their eye like vendors like Kats Kreations Lucky Bamboo, Scentsy, and Homemade soaps. Halloweeners enjoyed learning of new vendors like Florida Totalcom.
“We had a lot of folks who are curious about our internet service. No one has heard of us before, so this was a great event for us,†said a rep with Florida Totalcom who traveled from Marion County.
The activities surrounding the Harvest Fest stirred a lot of spooks and interest well into late night. The Historical Village became a Haunted Village where the first teachers came back to life in Clermont’s very small, first-ever classroom.
Sommersports put on the 5k Nightmare on the Clermont Trails where runners ran at 7pm through spook stations on the trail with the race ending in the Harvest Fest. A giant spider and black cat hovered over runners as they crossed the finish line in front of a crowd of excited spectators.
Demetri Mancini, a sophomore on the South Lake Eagles cross country team, crossed the line first.
“I loved it. It was really fun and relatively easy, since it was a flat course,†exclaimed Mancini as he received his first place finisher’s medal.
Clermont’s Real Life Christian Academy cross country star, Cadi Rowe, was the second place female to cross the line.
With the cross country season coming to a close, runners took advantage of the unique races.
Alicia Weber was the only runner from South Lake to compete in the Zombie 5k Beach Run on New Smyrna Beach where she took first place female overall and survived the zombies.
Jennifer Alonso and Alicia Weber took spots in the 10K and 5k 2015 Zombie Race.The race was to be very different and difficult where runners could earn “I survived†shirts if they escaped from the 3-5 Zombies set every quarter mile along the beach. They would chase you and if tagged, then you don’t survive.
Deland high school boys cross country team dominated the top spots, but they agreed it was very tiring as some did not survive the Zombies. “The times were much slower as you are running conservatively and then sprinting fast and zig zagging off course to escape fast moving Zombies,†mentioned Dylan Beck, AJ Williams, and Tyler Rollins.
“The race was built in interval training and I loved it,†added Jennifer Alonso who ran the race for the first time and plans to do some hilly Clermont races.
“I was drafting behind Alicia and when she took on the Zombies and got off course, I got ahead of her and beat her by two seconds,†said Dan Finnane who finished 7th overall in the Beach 5k.
Between the Clermont and New Smyrna uniquely themed Halloween races in conjunction with the Harvest Fest, cross country runners were on Cloud 9 and they had extra special Halloween. At least, Alicia Weber did.
“This is definitely my most exciting Halloween ever and the first time I competed on Halloween. My race victory, new friends, and fun at Harvest Fest make it the best Halloween for me,” exclaimed Weber.
In just one year, an archer in Alicia Weber’s Coed Archery Fitness League won her first archery competition, qualified for two varsity archery teams, set a world record in a 3-D archery relay, became the only archer out of 25 to hit a bullseye the size of a nickel from 15 yds away, and she competed against competitors twice her age as she made major news as a 10 year old phenom in barebow category archery.
The 10 year old, dynamic archer has taken flight to barebow category archery (the hardest type of archery) where sighting devices and other devices to assist are not allowed to be used. She is a varsity team member in an archery fitness league, which focuses on excelling in barebow category archery and fitness.
Age is just a number here and boys and girls compete together and push each other to become better archers and better people. This is a serious program that is packed with fun, challenges, and the opportunity to build lasting friendships.
The 10 year old phenom archer’s qualities of maturity, determination, and drive send her places where few have gone. She is highly motivated, enthusiastic, and ready to inspire others to succeed too, which makes her a great team player on her varsity team.
She wants to dare you to think bigger and challenge yourself to shoot for the moon. Maybe you can become a star in the archery fitness league too!
You can watch this Phenomenal 10 Year Old Archer shoot without sighting devices at a standard target for score in 15 mph winds with 21 mph Wind Gusts in a Fastest 300 point Challenge!
Join Alicia Weber’s Coed Archery Fitness League at Awinningway@gmail.com
