Catch Central Florida » General

Enduring Warrior Dash Central Florida

Joe Cutler — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:45:18 +0000

As a young boy your mother expects you to play in the dirt, get muddy, ruin clothes and destroy shoes. Somewhere along the line you get older, take down the “no girls allowed” sign in front of the tree house, and eventually trade in the tree house for a real house in an effort to mature and move forward. No one expects that at age 25 you’d still be playing in the mud. Then again with an event like Warrior Dash, where you’re encouraged to throw on a pair of Superman briefs, a makeshift cape, crawl, swim, and jump through mud, on top of cars, under barbed wire and over fire, how could you resist?

I had the opportunity to partake in Warrior Dash Central Florida 2012. My friend and I showed up an hour before our start time so that we could grab our registration packets: a horned warrior helmet, athletic Warrior Dash t-shirt, bib and timing chip.

There were around 500 people in our 11:00 a.m. wave, and we started off with a light jog for 100 yards. The first obstacle was getting through the thickest, heaviest, black muck I’d ever encountered. It was military grade mud, if such exists. Overzealous participants had to look for help getting out after sinking knee deep. The wave had thinned. Now weighting about 20 pounds more than when I started, I jogged to the next obstacle – a barricade breakdown where we had to lift ourselves over a bar and immediately under barbed wire several times. Remember, my hands and shoes are caked with mud.

Just past the barbed wire, we got our balance and walked up and over a six inch wide ramp. After a short jog, we jumped and crawled over a 50 yard stretch of tires and junk cars. Past the last car I could see the climbing wall. Not too difficult to pull myself up with the rope, slide over and crawl down. I’m feeling good at this point.

Immediately after the wall there was a deep pool of what appeared to be clean water. I was relieved. The sign said, “Deep Water.” I’m good, I can swim. Easy part, right? Splash! The sign should have read, “Freezing Deep Water.” My body was stunned; it was pretty difficult to swim and pull myself up, and over, the floating barriers in my path. Once out of the water, we had a half mile jog through sand lined with motivational signs saying things like “Don’t worry, we didn’t train for this either,” and “Don’t let Dale from Accounting beat you.”

The next obstacle was a large manmade sand dune we had to climb up and over. Simple enough I thought, but stationed on the back side of the dune was an airboat blowing water directly into my face. A nice breeze in the middle of Warrior Dash? Not exactly. Next up was elevated cargo nets we had to crawl across. I was careful not to slip for fear I wouldn’t be able to get back upright in a timely manner.

At this point we had a mile to go. After a quarter mile run through sand, the next obstacle was a 50 yard trek through a waist deep section of mud. Done. My legs are good and tired as I approach the next obstacle of army crawling under ropes hanging less than a foot off the ground. My whole body was feeling the burn, literally, as I attempted to leap over rows of thigh high flames. Yes flames, as in real fire. I remember thinking, “This can’t be safe,” but I’d made it to the final obstacle. Or did I? After clearing the last smoky pile, I turned towards the finish line and saw a murky, muddy trench with barbed wire strung across, close to 20 yards long. Back to crawling and swallowing gritty, sandy, smelly clay water. I was ready Warrior Dash to be over. After sprinting through the finish line, I was thrilled to receive my medal and a fresh drink of water.

Repeat! Yes, I had so much fun the first time, I ran Warrior Dash again that same day.

After the race, my friend and I walked around, turned in our timing chips, watched a concert for a little while, and soon noticed that the race crowd had grown into a huge outdoor party. Surprisingly, everyone was outgoing and friendly; the post race camaraderie was like nothing I’ve been involved with before. You can expect to see me at Warrior Dash Central Florida 2013!

Polk County’s Bar-B-Que Festival Season is Underway

Jessica Roberts — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:52:18 +0000

Polk County residents – and visitors alike – are fortunate to have the 2012 barbeque festival season looming on the horizon. Celebrate mouthwatering barbeque with the return of annual sanctioned competitions such as the Lakeland PigFest, Smoke on the Water, and Ribs on the Ridge. And this year, a new entrant joins the field… the Southern Smokers BBQ Competition. All four events offer live entertainment and FREE admission. Come hungry, as many competing teams will be selling their savory fare for the public to enjoy.

The Southern Smokers BBQ Competition took place last Saturday, and the inaugural event was a success. Sanctioned by the Florida BBQ Association, over 25 teams competed in the event.

This weekend, Friday, January 27th and Saturday, January 28th, Lakeland PigFest will celebrate its 16th year at the Tiger Town Sports Complex. Lakeland PigFest is the is the area’s largest barbeque competition. It is a Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) sanctioned event and the KCBS is the largest international organization of barbeque enthusiasts. Each year PigFest welcomes close to 200 teams to compete in the Pro Division, BackYard Division and the Kid’s Q competition and proceeds benefit Lakeland-area charities.

The 8th Annual Budweiser Smoke on the Water BBQ Competition returns to Winter Haven on Saturday, February 4th as the 2012 Florida BBQ Association State Championship. Funds raised benefit the Citrus Center Boys & Girls Clubs of Winter Haven, Lake Wales and Haines City. More than 80 teams from across the country will compete for the Florida State Grand Champion title. Unique entertainment includes a Cypress Water Sports Ski Show on beautiful Lake Cannon.

The 4th Annual Ribs on the Ridge takes place at Lake Eva Park in Haines City on Friday, February 24th and Saturday, February 25th. This growing event has been the Florida BBQ Association’s largest competition for the past two years; with approximately 100 teams competing. Don’t miss performances by The Pork Chop Review featuring “Oink” the singing pig!

In October 2012, the festivals start over again with the Florida BBQ Association sanctioned Fine Swine at the Pit in Mulberry offering up more delicious barbeque to please your palette. Visit www.fineswine.org.

Polk County offers numerous barbeque restaurants so you won’t have to suffer withdrawal in the off-season. Historic eateries include Peebles Bar-B-Q, a Central Florida landmark that has been serving up barbeque for more than 55 years, and Jimbo’s Pit Bar B-Q, a Lakeland tradition since 1964. Brock’s Smoke Hut in Winter Haven was recognized in 2011 by National Barbecue News as one of the “Best of the Best Barbecue Restaurant’s in America.” Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q and Woody’s Bar-B-Q are familiar names with locations all around Polk County. This list hardly scratches the surface. For a comprehensive listing of restaurants in Polk County, go to www.VisitCentralFlorida.org.

Sports Central: January 13, 2012

Joe Cutler — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:11:48 +0000

Links:

Interviews:

Richard Murvin, Bartow High School Girls Head Basketball Coach
Jeff Meeks, Red Trail Racing
Feddy Azofeifa, Operations Manager, Lakeland Raiders
Jeremy Burnett, Defensive End, Lakeland Raiders
Ingrid Burch, Event Coordinator, Southern Smokers BBQ
Lora Donley, BBQ Chair Southern Smokers BBQ Competition

Show Packages:

Lake Wales Pioneer Days
Roar N’ Soar
Arts & Culture Update with Jessica Roberts

Show Sponsors:

The Ledger
Sunsplash Vacation Homes
Days Inn Lakeland North
Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille
Holiday Inn Winter Haven
Travelodge Lakeland North
Ramada Inn Lakeland Hotel & Conference Center
Peebles Bar-B-Q
Hampton Inn Lakeside Village

Original Air Date: January 13th, 2012

This Week in Sports

Rebecca Thompson — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:24:42 +0000

Disney Soccer Showcase
Dates: 12/27 – 1/3
Venue: Lake Myrtle Sports Park

The Boys Showcase Dates: 12/27-30/2011
Times: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM 27^th-29^th, 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM 30^thGames: 151, Unique Teams: 152
Athletes: Approximately 2,700 unique athletes
Age groups: U15-U19

The Girls Showcase Dates: 12/31/11-1/3/12
Times: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM 31^st – 2^nd, 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM 3^rd
Games: 138, Unique Teams: 96
Athletes: Approximately 1,900 unique athletes
Age groups: U15-U19
For more information, visit www.espnwwos.disney.go.com

Polk Museum of Art “Hunt Slonem Paintings” – Exhibition
Dates: 12/17-3/24
Venue: Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland
-Internationally renowned American artist Hunt Slonem will be featured in a solo exhibition at Polk Museum of Art beginning in December 2011. Slonem, 60, has had more than 250 exhibitions at prestigious galleries and museums around the nation and world since 1977. More than 100 museums include his work in their collections, among them the metropolitan Museum of Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City and Polk Museum of Art. He has been commissioned to paint large-scale murals, including at the former World Trade Center in New York. Slonem received the prestigious “Stars of Design” award in art October 2009 in New York City, the Greenshields Foundation award in 1976, the national Endowment for the Arts Grant in 1991, and numerous others. This year, Vendome Publishers will publish a monograph on Slonem that includes a 20-year survey of his work. Slonem divides his time between Louisiana and New York. www.polkmuseumofart.org or www.visitcentralflorida.org

Sports Central: December 16, 2011

Joe Cutler — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:08:56 +0000

Sports Central: December 16, 2011

Links:

Video Packages:

Prospectwire Showcase
Arts & Culture Update with Jessica Robers

Show Sponsors:

Abuelos
Holiday Inn Winter Haven
Best Western Park View
The Avenue Hotel
Hollywood Window Tinting & Signs
The Terrace Hotel
Days Inn Lakeland North
The Ledger

Original Air Date: December 2, 2011

Sports Central: December 2, 2011

Joe Cutler — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:21:24 +0000

Sports Central #163 on PGTV

Guests:

Paul Bellingham, President of Spring Break Sports
Kera Reber, Head Womens Lacrosse Coach, Florida Southern University
Stephen Rodriguez, Vice President, Florida Sports Foundation
Nick Gandy, Director Communications, Florida Sports Foudantion
Stella Heath, Execitve Director, The Ritz Theatre Winter Haven

Links:

Video Packages:

Southeastern University Fire Soccer
Triple Canopy Ranch Roots N’ Boots
Arts & Culture Update with Jessica Robers

Original Air Date: December 2, 2011

November/ December Fishing Forecast

Rebecca Thompson — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:23:56 +0000

Winter Haven

The weather may be cooling off but the bite is red hot. The water level is still a little low but better than its been in a long time. On full day shiner trips we have averaged 30-40 fish with most being around 2-3 lbs. Bigger fish up to 9 lbs are starting to show up more frequently as well. Full day artificial bait trips have been producing 15-30 fish on average. Jerkbaits, rattlebaits, spinnerbaits, and deep diving crankbaits have all been productive.
Submerged eelgrass or hydrilla beds are holding the highest concentrations of fish but some of the bigger bass are still relating to offshore structure such as ledges or shell beds. In green water lakes try slow rolling white or chartreuse spinnerbaits over and through the grassbeds from 4-8 ft. Ripping a rattlebait through the grass can be deadly also. Deeper cattails, reeds, and kissimmee grass are worth a shot as well with a flippin stick.
In the clear lakes fish a little deeper. Grassbeds growing from 7-12 ft have been holding good numbers of fish. Work these areas with shad colored jerkbaits or deep diving crankbaits. Also keep an eye out and a rod ready for schooling bass. Junebug, redbug, and watermelon colored soft plastics on Texas/Carolina rigs will produce in these areas too.

Kissimmee Chain

The running water bite has, for the most part, came to a end. There’s still a trickle of current in some of the creeks which has a few bass hanging around the mouths and current breaks. Water has dropped a couple of feet but is still above normal pool. Surface temperature is varying from mid 60’s to low 70’s depending on weather conditions. Overall water clarity is better than it’s been in years throughout the chain due to last month’s heavy rainfall and the vast amount of water filtering hydrilla that is growing in all the lakes. The fishing remains phenomenal.
With the abundance of water and cover available, bass can be found from shoreline areas all the way out to mid lake areas. They aren’t everywhere but once located you can really load the boat in a hurry. The fish seem to be grouped or schooled up according to size. Where ever you catch one big fish it is likely others are there as well. Full day shiner and artificial trips have been producing 20-40 fish on average up to 8 lbs. Average size has been 2-4 lbs.
Topwaters, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, and jerkbaits have all been producing especially early in the morning in boat trails and along cover edges. Shad or shiner resembling baits have been best. During midday hours try Texas/Carolina rigged soft plastics around deeper or thicker cover. Junebug, watermelon, and black/blue colors are always good color choices. For bigger fish flip thick matted cover such as hyacinth, water lettuce, mud tussocks, and topped out hydrilla with 1-1 1/2 oz weighted Texas rigged craws or creature baits.

Central Florida is where you’ll find beautiful lakes, great bass fishing and Monte Goodman. Monte has made a career of doing what he enjoys and does best as a professional bass guide and successful tournament angler. Guiding and fishing competitively for the past 15 years has given him the experience, skill and knowledge it takes to be a great fisherman. Monte is also a vocal advocate of Florida’s habitat and conservation efforts, supports and practices “catch and release” himself and encourages others to do the same. A member of tournament trails such as FLW, FOMNTT, BFL, and B.A.S.S just to name a few. Credited with well over a hundred local tournament wins, was back to back Angler of the Year in the largest B.A.S.S. affiliated club in the world, and has won numerous Big Bass honors. Monte’s ability to adapt, his versatility and lengthy resume has earned him a reputation anyone would be proud of.

This Week in Sports

Rebecca Thompson — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:51:21 +0000

PDEKK, LLC – Roots ‘N Boots Mud Bog & Music Festival 2011
Dates: October 21^st – 23^rd 2011
Venue: Triple Canopy Ranch
-This event will consist of open mud bogging, ATV trail riding and a music festival. There will be truck, buggy, and ATV races for a $3,000 purse Saturday afternoon. The event ends with live music on stage Saturday night to go along with the awarding of the race awards.
-For more information, please visit www.triplecanopyranch.com or www.centralfloridasports.com

Florida ISA – Halloween Scream
Dates: 10/22 – 10/23
Venue: Bartow “555” Complex & Loyce Harpe Park-Lakeland
-This will be an ISA qualifying tournament and is expected to bring in 105 participants & 170 spectators.
-For more information, please visit www.isasoftball.com or www.centralfloidasports.com

Florida Youth Soccer Association – Region 3 Premiere League
Dates: 10/22 – 10/23
Venue: Lake Myrtle Sports Park
-This event will bring in 8 elite boys soccer teams to Polk County from around the Eastern United States. Age ranges from U15 – U16.
-More than 160 participants and 100 spectators are expected to attend.
-For more information, visit www.fysa.com

Lakeland Table Tennis Association – Florida Orange Blossom Series – Fall Classic
Dates: 10/21 – 10/23
Venue: Simpson Park Community Center – Lakeland, Fl
-This Table Tennis Event will be bringing in 100 out of county players to Lakeland.
-For more information, please visit www.floridatt.com/lakelandtt or www.centralfloridasports.com

Paintball Sports Promotions – PSP 2011 World Cup
Dates: 10/20 – 10/23
Venue: Fantasy of Flight
-This paintball event will bring in about 275 teams into Polk County for the weekend
-For more information, please visit www.pspevents.com or www.centralfloridasports.com

This Week In Sports

Rebecca Thompson — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:28:47 +0000

United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) – Fall National Championships
Dates: 9/30 – 10/2
Venue: Lake Myrtle Sports Park – Auburndale
-This 18U wood bat baseball event is expected to bring in over 1000 participants and over 500 spectators to the Lake Myrtle Baseball Park.
-For more information, please visit www.usssa.com or www.centralfloridasports.com

USSSA – Christina Flames – October fest
Dates: 10/1 – 10/2
Venue: Christina Park-Lakeland
-This softball event is expected to bring in a minimum of 25 teams with ages raging from 8 to 18 years of age. There will be about 300 participants and about 500 spectators from out of county.
-For more information, please visit www.christinaflames.com or www.centralfloridasports.com

Tuff Luck Ranch – Cornfusion 5K Ranch Run
Dates: 10/1
Venue: Tuff Luck Ranch – Lakeland
-This is a 3.1 mile off-road coarse consisting of traditional Florida ranch scenery and the not-so-taditional scenery of a sunflower field, pumpkin patch, and corn maze, all which you will enjoy free entry to with your race bib. Proceeds of this race will benefit The Dre Aloia Miracle Recovery Fund. Race time starts at 8:00 a.m. Awards will be given to the overall male and female finishers, as well as the top 3 runners in male and female age categories. Kids run free at 9:00 a.m.
-For more information please visit www.cornfusion5k.weebly.com/ or www.centralfloridasports.com

Miaze Inc. – Cornfusion Corn Maze
Dates: 10/1 – 10/30
Venue: Tuff Luck Ranch – Lakeland
-The Cornfusion Corn Maze is something fun for everyone! This month-long celebration consists of a real corn field maze, mini mazes, farm animals, a corn box, a corn cannon, a cow train, a hayride, a pumpkin patch and more!! The Cornfusion Corn Maze will be held in Lakeland. It is open on weekends only. Admission includes all attractions.

            Adults $10                                                  Friday 2 p.m – 8 p.m
            Children (5-10) $8                                      Saturday 9 p.m – 8 p.m
            4 & under FREE                                        Sunday 12 p.m – 8 p.m

-For more information, please visit www.themaize.com or www.centralfloridasports.com

Florida Southern College “Eastern Collegiate Regionals” – Water Ski
Dates: 10/1 – 10/2
Venue: Lake Grew, Polk City
-A one round, three event tournament that will determine top teams for regional standings and national placement at Bennetts Ski School in Louisiana on Oct. 13-15. The tourney also determines the D1 and D2 teams for Nationals as well.
-For more information please visit http://www.flsouthern.edu or www.centralfloridasports.com

October Fishing Forecast

Rebecca Thompson — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:01:53 +0000

Winter Haven

Recent rains have the water level a little closer to where it needs to be on both the North and South Chains. Still down about two feet though. Most canals can be safely navigated. Only a few remain impassible. Also, due to the rain and slightly cooler nights, the water temperature has fallen a few degrees which has the bass more active. Look for schooling bass to become more frequent as the water temp slowly continues to drop. Keep a rod ready with a shad imitating lure such as a topwater or rattlebait that can be cast quickly and at long distances to take advantage of actively feeding schoolers that can pop up anytime, anywhere.
Crankbaits and Carolina/Texas rigged soft plastics remain to be the most consistent producers, especially for bigger bass. Shad or chartreuse colored crankbaits are usually best. As for plastics, junebug, redbug, and blueberry colors are always good. Most of the bass are suspended, and therefore hard to catch, holding around deeper offshore structure areas such as shell beds, ledges, humps, and dredge holes chasing schools of shad. They are relating to the shad schools more than to cover. As always, find the bait, find the bass.
Should soon start to see more and more fish moving onto shallower eelgrass and hydrilla flats where spinnerbaits, rattlebaits, and jerkbaits are at their best. Try slow rolling white or chartreuse spinnerbaits through the grass or rip out of it with shad colored rattlebaits and jerkbaits. Soft swimbaits can be productive as well in these areas. In the green water lakes look for deep shoreline areas to produce a few bites via the flippin’ stick. Texas rigged soft plastics and Jigs weighing 3/8-1/2 oz are best. Black/blue combinations, green pumpkin, and watermelon are all good color choices.

Kissimmee Chain

Due to high water and an explosion of vegetative growth, the bass in the lakes have become much harder to locate. Hydrilla and eelgrass beds can be found throughout all the lakes, from shoreline areas all the way out to the outside grasslines in Kissimmee and out to mid lake areas in Toho, Cypress, and Hatchineah. The rivers and creeks have been flowing with all of the rainfall, and has the water throughout the chain looking much better. The vast amount of submerged vegetation is helping to filter out the water and make it cleaner as well. Creek mouths, canals, and rivers are holding lots of fish with the moving water. Any current break or eddy will hold fish when the current is flowing. Most of the fish caught in these areas are 1-3 lbs, however there are some big fish mixed in as well. Fish these areas with Texas/Carolina rigged soft plastics and shad colored deep diving crankbaits.
Most of the bigger bass are still being caught by way of the flippin’ stick along outside grasslines or by slow dragging Texas/Carolina rigged worms around offshore structure and cover. 1/2 – 1 oz weighted soft plastic craws and creature baits flipped along grasslines along with jigs of the same weight are producing larger than average bass for those willing to bypass numbers of smaller fish. Black/blue combinations, junebug, and watermelon colors are always good here. Try casting 7 – 10 inch junebug, black/blue fleck, and watermelon ribbontail worms around hydrilla edges 4 – 8 ft deep. Spinnerbaits, rattlebaits, and bladed jigs can be good as well. Stick with shad or shiner imitating colors.
Cooler nights should continue to drop the water temperature and improve the topwater bite. Chuggers, stickbaits, propbaits, and all types of frogs can be good. Shiner, shad, and bream colored plugs will all work. Black, green, and brown for frogs. Boat trails can be great early in the morning along with any type of vegetation edge. Keep a soft jerkbait or stickbait handy to follow up on missed topwater strikes.

Capt. Monte Goodman
Central Florida Bucketmouths
www.cfbucketmouths.com
863-661-7226