Third Annual Stand Up Paddle Boarding Invitational

By Allison Williams

Paddleboard teams from all around Central Florida gathered at Martin Luther King Park on Lake Silver in Winter Haven Saturday for a qualifying invitational. This was the third annual Polk County Stand Up Invitational and was hosted by the Polk County Lake Riders.

Opening ceremonies kicked off at 9:00 a.m. prior to the races. Competitors, friends and family gathered around for the opening ceremonies to prepare for the day’s events.

With Olympic-themed music playing in the background, participants walked around the stage area handing off the torch to their fellow competitors.

After the torch was passed around, the audience recited the Special Olympics motto:

“Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”

Let the games begin!

After the opening ceremonies, racers made their way down to Lake Silver to the staging area to prepare for the races.

Water bins were scattered around the area so that all participants and visitors could stay hydrated on this hot summer Saturday.

Volunteers helped run the flow of events. They received timers to time the races and helped with set up and break down of the event as well.

The Polk County Lake Riders team had exciting success at this year’s event. Kami Rickert, owner of Paddleboard Winter Haven and Polk County Lake Riders coach, was thrilled with the turnout of the event and with her team’s performance.

Individual ribbon awards:

• Victoria Fink: second place
• Matthew McDonald: first place
• Lizzy Collazo: first place
• Greg Ortt: first place

The Relay Team of Victoria, Ashlyn and Matthew won first place as well.

Six counties represented this year’s races: Citrus County, Hernando County, Hillsborough County, Pasco County, Pinellas County and Polk County. There were 13 races with 45-50 competitors.

“It was really exciting for all of our coaches who have been with some of these athletes for more than one season to watch their progress,” Rickert said. “To have our athletes and the success they had on Saturday was just overwhelmingly positive because they have worked so hard. You could see on their faces the excitement of doing well and reaching goals. It really could not have been a more perfect day for our team and for the event as a whole.”

 photo provided by Special Olympics Florida – Polk County Stand Up Paddleboarding

Following the standup paddleboard races, lunch was provided to athletes, volunteers and coaches. They were served sandwiches from Publix and salads were offered as an alternative meal. Tanners Lakeside Restaurant and Bar was also at the event serving refreshments and hotdogs.

“Thank you to Tanners Lakeside Restaurant for supporting our event and providing refreshments,” Rickert said. She added, “They really do a lot of local charity stuff.”

To learn more about the Polk County Lake Riders, visit their website:

https://www.paddleboardwinterhaven.com

Phone:

863-845-5307

For those who have an athlete interested in Special Olympics paddle boarding, the season starts in May. Contact Paddleboard Winter Haven for more details and be sure to keep an eye out for information on next year’s SUP event.

Two Young Champs Rise From Winter Haven Boxing Clubs

by James Coulter

Two young boxing champs recently rose to fame from the Winter Haven Boxing Club. One went to Virginia. The other to Tampa. Both came back strong.

Devine Erazo, 14, recently traveled to Virginia to compete in nationals, where he won by a unanimous decision within the 75 pound weight class, as he walked away with a belt, trophy, and medal.

He attended the Junior Olympics, where he won the regionals but lost the nationals in the first round.

Ever since he was younger, he loved to watch boxing, and would ask his father if he could join the sport as well.

Two years ago, his wish finally came true as he started training at the Winter Haven Boxing Club under his coach, Marco Fazzini.

During that time, both his father and his coach have been training him very hard, weighing him in, and tracking his progress.

Being able to rise to victory during that time, not only competing and winning the regionals, have been nothing short of honorable for him, and he owes it all to his training.

“This is super great,” he said. “This is the greatest thing I have done in my life…I am so happy to get into it right now, my life has changed,” he said.

Erazo has enjoyed every moment of his training and his amateur career. He hopes to one day rise to becoming a pro boxer and using his prize money to help his family and the poor.

Rufino Cabrera, 10, recently won the Junior Golden Gloves state championship in Fort Lauderdale over that same weekend.

He had previously won three different tournaments at least three times, and he has since won more than 30 fights since starting his training at the gym.

Like Erazo, he also had a love of boxing ever since he was two years old. He originally started boxing in Haines City at the age of eight, and has since moved to Winter Haven to train under Fazzini.

During his time since then, he has participated within 35 different fights, 30 of which he has won.

Also fighting within the 75 pound weight division, Cabrera has since won several medals, belts, and trophies, all of which he owes to his dedicated training under his coach.

His family is also a big inspiration for him. He hopes to continue his amateur career, and eventually become a pro by age 19.

“My inspiration are my family and keeping my career up,” he said. “This feels great to be winning and your family members telling you how good you are, and it keeps me open so much.”

Marco Fazzini coaches both young men, and has coached many others at the gym, many of whom have moved onto fighting in and even winning several championships.

Both of his students started from nothing, but under his leadership, have gained the prowess to gain victories within their recent endeavors.

Fazzini hopes that both of them will continue to win big in the future and represent the best within their state.

“I am really proud of them,” he said. “The reason why they have become successful so fast is because of their extremely consistent with their training, they have good parents with their program, and they are on board with their program.”

Doty Farm & Garden Supply: Providing Quality Service For Over 60 Years

by James Coulter

Very few things have lasted longer than 60 years without changing with the times. Doty Farm & Garden Supply in Winter Haven is one of the few.

For more than 60 years, while many other small mom and pop stores have since folded under the competition from big box stores like Wal-Mart, Doty Farm & Garden Supply continues to remain strong.

Their secret to their longevity has been their dedication to offering high-quality merchandise through equally high-quality customer service.

Doty’s offers fertilizers, chemicals, seeds, and other gardening equipment from a diverse array of manufacturers.

As their particular market has been one of the very few to change within recent years, their store has been able to offer the same quality products they have been selling since they first opened in 1954, explained owner Bill Doty.

“So many tools have been partially compromised over the years, to where if it is not of a quality that I deem necessary, I just don’t carry them,” he said. “We don’t need complaints. We need satisfied customers. That is what we try to create.”

Doty has remained true to the philosophy that his father bestowed upon him, which is to only sell products that he would want to buy himself.

Such dedication to customer satisfaction through quality service has allowed him to maintain customers for life, to the point where many of them drive as far as two hours just to purchase what they need from his small store.

“My father taught me never to sell anything that I wouldn’t carry home,” he said. “He taught me that I never had to apologize for anyone for what I said or what I sold them, I can keep a customer for life.”

John Doty, the original owner, started the store back in 1954 after moving down from Tennessee. Upon moving to Winter Haven, he was seeking after a vocation that he could become invested in and make a proper living out of.

During that time, he discovered that there was a great need within the area for a feed store. So he invested within stock for fertilizer, allowing him to sell it within the area.

As that particular market was one of the few industries not to have been compromised, their store has been able to sell the very same quality products that customers have come to expect ever since the store first opened more than six decades ago, Doty explained.

Doty would go onto inherit his store from his father, as well as his philosophy towards offering quality and knowledgeable service that most of the larger chain stores simply do not provide, he said.

“We provided everything,” he said. “We have knowledgeable people, people who can answer questions, people who can tell you what product to use and how to use [it], and you do not get any of that from those other places.”

His success over the years has remained in his ability to treat all his customers with respect, regardless of their background, and to pay attention to their needs as to provide quality products that can best meet those needs.

Such a dedication to customer satisfaction has allowed him to keep customers for a long time, as well has inspired many to share the quality of his service to others.

“When you help somebody, they not only appreciate it, but they keep coming back, and they tell others,” he said. “Word of mouth is the best advertising.”

Doty has been selling his products for more than 55 years, and though he hopes to someday retire, he also hopes that his store will continue to live on beyond him and continue to serve the community.

“That is what we are about,” he said. “We have been here for a good long while, and we appreciate the opportunity to help customers.”

Doty Farm & Garden Supply is located at 299 6th Street SW in Winter Haven. For more information, call 863-293-9730, or visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/dotyfarmandgarden/