SEBRING –– Walking into the weight room as a freshman, Sebring's Brannen Dorman never thought he would be on the ultimate stage and going for gold as a senior at the Class 1A state finals. But despite his success, this gentle giant has always been humbled by his accomplishments. "Weightlifting is one of the great joys in my life," Dorman said. "I put in tons of hard work to finally reach the state level and just to be there was an accomplishment. I was very humbled by the experience." The Sebring senior came in fifth at the state finals in the 199-pound division with a bench press of 305 pounds and a clean-and-jerk of 295, for a combined total of 600 pounds. For his outstanding work ethic and accomplishments, Dorman has been named the 2008 Highlands Today's Boys Weightlifter of the Year. ...more

May 26, 2008

The death of the Rex "Scooter" Ballenger Jr., East Bay High's quarterback, prompted many messages of sympathy for the teenager's family and friends at TBO.com. ...more

May 24, 2008

One physical attribute in sports that simply cannot be taught is speed. It can be refined, however, and developmental techniques and strategies can be coached, but speed in the raw is something an athlete either has, or does not. Madison McNary, as many throughout the area, state and beyond already know, has just that. ...more

May 24, 2008

FOOTBALL Shark lineman Brandon Nuby remains close to home; signs to play football with Webber International. ...more

May 23, 2008

SEBRING –– Yearning to be the best has been a trait that's woven into the fabric of who Sebring sophomore Connor Bauer is as an athlete. His training schedule as a distance runner showed his dedication to the sport and crossing the finish line on top is all that was on Bauer's mind. But that tunnel vision led him down a dark corridor that saw him push the boundaries of what is considered too much and could have cost him much more than just sweat. "I never thought I could work out too much," Bauer said. "I always thought that you could get a pulled muscle or break a bone, but not sitting in a hospital wondering if you'd done permanent damage to yourself." Bauer, who was preparing for the Class 3A-District 8 track meet, where he was one of the favorites in the mile and two-mile runs, began feeling more intense muscle pain a few days after a heavy workout. ...more

May 5, 2008

Jeff Niemann has seen plenty of the Naimoli Complex and the Rays' training staff the past few years, so perhaps it wasn't surprising that he was one of the first players to show up when organized workouts began Jan. 7. ...more

February 18, 2008

It didn't occur to Lisa Marie Gritzinger that she might be cut out to be an athlete. ...more

February 9, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Tom Manfre was 5-foot-7 and weighed 105 pounds. Within six months of reading Charles Atlas' iconic bodybuilding advertisement on the back of a comic book, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native had added 17 pounds of rippling muscle to his frame. ...more

January 12, 2008

Regarding "Official: Few At FSU Cheated" (Metro, Dec. 20): Something must be wrong with me. I can't seem to get excited about the news that some athlete-students at Florida State University cheated on an online music history course. Why an athlete needs to know anything about music history in the first place baffles me. Why not just let athletes be athletes, music students can study music history, and the other students can study subjects relevant to their major? After all, the athletes are only there to provide entertainment for the alumni, make money for the school, and allow the coaches to live the high life with their huge salaries. The athletes are not there to impress anyone with their musical knowledge. ...more

December 26, 2007

When I first heard about the idea of a baseball league forming for individuals with disabilities, I felt compelled to find out more about it. I have two brothers-in-law who could benefit greatly from this league. I purely went to see about the who, what, where and whens. After that first meeting, I decided to volunteer to coach. This was my way of helping out. A few weeks later, I was part of the board of directors. I would like to personally thank every board member of the Miracle League of Lake Placid for giving me the chance to help out. ...more

December 13, 2007