GAINSWave Therapy in Trinity, FL

We’re narrowing in on the 2023 season, and it wouldn’t be a new year without some predictions! We’ll be answering one pressing question over the course of eight days as we gear up for the first meet on January 6. Check out the previous days’ questions and predictions here.

There are so many strong all-arounders currently competing, especially with all the COVID-year returners. That means the battle for NCAA all-around champion come April will be fiercer than ever before. Will an old standby finally get her moment atop the podium? Will we see a repeat? Or will a new face emerge as champion?

College Gym News' Elizabeth Grimsley, Peri Goodman, Alyssa Van Auker, Emily Minehart, Rebecca Scally, Savanna Whitten and Allison Freeman all vote on their all-around picks below.

Winner: Trinity Thomas, Florida (3 votes)

Runners-up: Jade Carey, Oregon State (2 votes)

Also receiving votes: Sunisa Lee, Auburn (1 vote), Jordan Chiles, UCLA (1 vote)

Elizabeth Grimsley: It feels like the easy answer, but it’s Trinity Thomas’ to lose in my opinion.

Peri Goodman: Trinity Thomas has the numbers behind her, and comes in as the reigning champion. I wouldn’t be surprised if either Natalie Wojcik or Sierra Brooks make serious cases this year, being the Big Ten’s largest names.

Alyssa Van Auker: As long as she is not injured, I see Trinity Thomas walking away with this one.

Emily Minehart: I certainly think Thomas has a fair chance of defending her title, but this year I think it will go to Jade Carey. A lot will have to go right for the Beavers or for her individually qualifying, but if she’s there on the day, this could be her year.

Rebecca Scally: The top of the all-around field is unusually deep this year, so it’s hard to pick. I’m going with Sunisa Lee. I think it’ll be hard for nationals judges to avoid getting caught up in the emotion of what could be the last day of the Olympic champion’s NCAA career.

Savanna Whitten: Hear me out though…Jordan Chiles. She has the difficulty, she has the execution, and if she hits, she could easily walk away with an all-around title.

Allison Freeman: I love Trinity Thomas, but I am absolutely team-Jade Carey with this. She may have a longer, winding road to making it happen, but if there’s one thing the past few seasons of college gym has shown us, it’s expect the unexpected.

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This Week's Schedule

Girls Soccer

Jones at Cocoa, 6 p.m.; Satellite at Heritage, 7 p.m.

Boys Soccer

Astronaut at Heritage, 7 p.m.; Okeechobee at Bayside, 7 p.m.; Calvary Chapel at Orlando Christian Prep, 5:30 p.m.; Cocoa at West Shore, 7 p.m.; Melbourne Central Catholic at Cocoa Beach, 5 p.m.; Edgewood at Viera, 7 p.m.; Holy Trinity at Satellite, 7 p.m.; Sebastian River at Melbourne, 7 p.m.; Merritt Island Christian at Atlantic, 6 p.m.; Odyssey Charter at Pineapple Cove Classical Academy, 4 p.m.; Space Coast at Palm Bay, 7 p.m.; East River at Titusville, 7 p.m.

Girls Basketball

Bayside at Calvary Chapel Academy, 6 p.m.; Edgewood at Cocoa Beach, 7 p.m.; Holy Trinity at Eau Gallie, 7 p.m.; Wade Christian Academy at Florida Prep, 5:30 p.m.; Melbourne at Melbourne Central Catholic, 6 p.m.; Merritt Island Christian at Odyssey Charter, 6 p.m.; West Shore at Pineapple Cove Classical Academy, 7 p.m.

Boys Basketball

Cocoa at Astronaut, 7 p.m.; Eau Gallie at Bayside, 7:30 p.m.; Brevard HEAT at Odyssey Charter, 5 p.m.; Cocoa Beach at Titusville, 7 p.m.; Edgewood at Space Coast, 7 p.m.; Heritage at West Shore, 7:30 p.m.; University at Melbourne, 7 p.m.; Merritt Island at Rockledge, 7 p.m.; Merritt Island Christian at Odyssey Charter, 7:30 p.m.; Brevard HEAT at Odyssey Charter, 5 p.m.; Palm Bay at Satellite, 7 p.m.; Parkhurst Academy at Pineapple Cove Classical Academy, 7 p.m.

Girls Basketball

St. Edward’s at Odyssey Charter, 5 p.m.

Boys Basketball

Melbourne Central Catholic at St. Edward’s, 4:30 p.m.; Sebastian River at Merritt Island, 7 p.m.; West Shore at Pineapple Cove Classical Academy, 6 p.m.; Viera at Titusville, 7 p.m.

Girls Soccer

Cornerstone Charter Academy at Astronaut, 7 p.m.; Melbourne Central Catholic at Master’s Academy (Vero Beach), 4 p.m.

Boys Soccer

Merritt Island Christian at Calvary Chapel, 6 p.m.; Pineapple Cove Classical Academy at Melbourne Central Catholic, 6 p.m.; Satellite at Titusville, 7 p.m.

Girls Basketball

Astronaut at Satellite, 6 p.m.; Merritt Island at Bayside, 7 p.m.; Rockledge at Holy Trinity, 7 p.m.; Titusville at Melbourne, 6 p.m.; The Villages Charter at Space Coast, 6 p.m.

Boys Basketball

Odyssey Charter at Calvary Chapel, 7 p.m.; Cocoa at Timber Creek, 7:30 p.m.; Cocoa Beach at Heritage, 7 p.m.; Holy Trinity at Eau Gallie, 7 p.m.

Girls Soccer

Titusville at Bayside, 7:30 p.m.; Melbourne Central Catholic at Cocoa Beach, 7 p.m.; Holy Trinity at Melbourne, 7 p.m.; Palm Bay at Space Coast, 7 p.m.; Vero Beach at Satellite, 5 p.m.

Boys Soccer

Calvary Chapel at Master’s Academy (Vero Beach), 3:30 p.m.; Odyssey Charter at Palm Bay, 6 p.m.; Vero Beach at Satellite, 7 p.m.

Girls Basketball

Astronaut at Titusville, 5:30 p.m.; Calvary Chapel at Bell Creek Academy, 6 p.m.; Cocoa at Heritage, 7 p.m.; Edgewood at West Shore, 7 p.m.; Odyssey Charter at Melbourne Central Catholic, 5:30 p.m.; Merritt Island Christian at St. Augustine, 6 p.m.; Sebastian River at Space Coast, 5:30 p.m.; Viera at Vero Beach, 7 p.m.

Boys Basketball

Master’s Academy at Brevard HEAT, 6 p.m.; Cocoa Beach at Palm Bay, 7 p.m.; Cornerstone Charter Academy at Edgewood, 7 p.m.; Mater Brighton Lakes Academy at Florida Prep, 7 p.m.; Heritage at Celebration, 7 p.m.; Holy Trinity at John Carroll Catholic, 7 p.m.; Melbourne at Centennial, 7 p.m.; Odyssey Charter at Melbourne Central Catholic, 7 p.m.; Merritt Island at Port St. Lucie, 7 p.m.; Merritt Island Christian at St. Edward’s, 6 p.m.; Viera at Rockledge, 7:30 p.m.; Titusville at East River, 7:30 p.m.

Girls Soccer

Viera at Vero Beach, 1 p.m.

Boys Soccer

Heritage at Holy Trinity, 5 p.m.

Girls Basketball

IMG Academy White at Holy Trinity, 4 p.m.

Boys Basketball

Astronaut vs. Wesley Chapel (Nichols Classic, Tournament), 1:30 p.m.; West Shore at Melbourne Central Catholic, 4 p.m.

[Diocese of Central Florida] The Rev. Justin S. Holcomb, canon for vocations in the Diocese of Central Florida, was elected on Jan. 14 as the fifth bishop of the diocese, pending the required consents from a majority of bishops with jurisdiction and the standing committees of The Episcopal Church.

Holcomb was elected on the first ballot out of a slate of three nominees. He received 143 votes of 225 cast in the lay order and 107 of 176 cast in the clerical order. An election on that ballot required 115 in the lay order and 90 in the clerical order.

According to the Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley, the bishop who oversees elections in The Episcopal Church, “Both an election of the first ballot and majorities of 63% and 60%, respectively, provide a sense of significant diocesan concurrence with the outcome and indicate significant support for the bishop-elect.”

Additional nominees were: • The Very Rev. Charles “Roy” Allison II, rector, St. James Episcopal Church, Ormond Beach, Florida. • The Rev. Dr. Stacey “Stace” Timothy Tafoya, rector, Church of the Epiphany, Denver, Colorado.

The in-person election was held during the diocese’s Special Electing Convention at Trinity Preparatory School, Winter Park, Florida. Pending a successful consent process, Holcomb will succeed The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer, who has served as diocesan bishop since 2011 and announced his mandatory retirement last year.

Under the canons of The Episcopal Church, a majority of bishops exercising jurisdiction and diocesan standing committees must consent to the bishop-elect’s ordination as bishop within 120 days of receiving notice of the election.

Holcomb briefly addressed the convention after his election was announced, thanking his fellow candidates and the many others who led and supported the election process. “I am excited about the opportunities for our diocese,” he said. “It is my great privilege and joy to be chosen to serve in this role and to serve with such a gifted group of lay leaders and clergy. I am looking forward to getting together with you and supporting you – both lay and ordained – in the ministries to which the Lord has called each of you.”

Holcomb has served the Diocese of Central Florida as canon for vocations since 2013 and has also written or edited 20 books. Ordained as a priest on May 28, 2006, he has also taught theology and apologetics at numerous seminaries for 22 years. Prior to his current position, he served as a priest at a parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, was an executive director of an interdenominational ministry and held various other ministry positions. He earned his Ph.D. in theological studies from Emory University and also has both a Master of Arts in theological studies and a Master of Arts in Christian thought from Reformed Theological Seminary as well as a bachelor’s in biblical studies from Southeastern University. He is married to Lindsey Holcomb, and the couple has two daughters, Sophia and Zoe.

Pending completion of the consent process, Holcomb’s Consecration is scheduled to take place June 10, 2023, at Calvary Orlando in Winter Park, Florida.

TRINITY — A comprehensive screening program at HCA Florida Trinity Hospital may be paving the way for earlier detection of lung cancer and better outcomes for patients.

Currently, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the nation, accounting for 25%, according to the American Cancer Society. One reason is that it is rarely diagnosed until it’s at a stage where treatment is far less likely to be effective. By the time symptoms appear, lung tumors are already at an advanced stage. Typically, a primary care physician will send a symptomatic patient to a pulmonologist, there may be a wait of up to a month for a PET scan or an invasive needle biopsy, and then it could be weeks more before the patient sees a surgeon. All the while the cancer is progressing — and many lung cancers are fast-growing tumors.

But by using new technology, doctors at Trinity Hospital are able to detect and remove lung nodules in very early stages — and when lung cancer is diagnosed early, the survival rate jumps to 88%.

Patients deemed at high risk for lung cancer (50- to 80-year-olds who’ve smoked the equivalent of a pack a day for 20 years) are screened with low-dose CT scans, and artificial intelligence (AI) can read the scans and detect nodules at very early stages. If lung cancer is detected, doctors perform a “liquid biopsy” that will help determine the best treatment, before the person even goes into surgery.

“We’re looking for cancer cells in the peripheral blood,” Dr. Mathew Ninan, thoracic surgeon and director of the Thoracic Surgery and Lung Nodule Program at HCA Florida Trinity Hospital, told the Suncoast News. “We take the tumor’s DNA from the blood and use it to tailor treatment. Because every person has unique DNA and RNA, so do their tumors. Some, for example, might respond better to certain medications over others.” Every patient who goes into surgery has this done beforehand, he said, so that targeted treatment can begin immediately.

Technology also allows patients to undergo a “single anesthesia event” that not only speeds up treatment but is also far less onerous and traumatic than traditional lung cancer therapies. Surgeons use robots to perform an “ion bronchoscopy,” which basically means examining and removing tissue through a tube in the patient’s mouth. A pathologist examines the collected tissue on the spot, and if the person needs surgery, it’s performed then and there, and because of the liquid biopsy, the patient’s oncologist can begin targeted treatment right away. This means a much shorter hospital stay, a less grueling treatment regimen and, most important, significantly improved odds for recovery.

Because lung cancers usually occur in older people, who may forego diagnosis because they fear their remaining years would be miserable due to surgeries and chemotherapy, it’s important they learn about early screening, Ninan said.

“The hopelessness comes from having found out late,” he said, saying the picture changes dramatically with early lung nodule screening.

“Screening is going to make a difference,” he said. “Imagine the impact on cancer deaths in society. But somebody has to lead the way.”

He sees regional medical centers like HCA Florida Trinity Hospital as key to that reduction.

“The large cancer centers don’t have a community presence, “he said. “Our hospitals are here in the community. If we can make a difference here, we can make a difference in the nation.”

Key to that, he said, is getting the word out, to primary care physicians as well as the general public, that this technology is here, it is effective and, not so incidentally, it’s covered by most insurance plans.

“Lung cancer screening should be as routine for at-risk patients as breast and colon cancer screenings,” Ninan said. “We need to get scanning rates up to 40% to 50%.”

For more information, contact the hospital’s lung nodule coordinator at 727-834-4200.

BROOKSVILLE — Residents filled the City Council chambers on Jan. 9 and many expressed anger at a plan to change a contract for the use of ballfields at the city’s parks.

David Howard, the Parks and Recreation director, presented an agenda item recommending discontinuing the current contract with the Hernando Youth League at the end of the spring and renegotiating the contract.

The city signed a three-year contract with the league in 2021. “This contract has become a financial loss for the city and a growing problem,” the agenda documents say.

In the agenda documents, Howard presented invoices showing the city losing $23,000 from Sept. 1, 2020, to June 1, 2023, because the league’s contract with the city lets it pay just $1.58 per hour for use of the fields, while the city’s regular rate is $20 per hour. The youth league only paid $2,000 and the standard rate would be $25,300.

The overall impact of signing the contract would be a loss of about $72,000, Howard wrote, and now there are five other organizations in the city requesting a similar contract.

The city’s expenses include mowing, striping and other maintenance of the fields.

Stacie Laviano said she learned on Friday about the contract and renegotiation, and expressed concerns because of the lack of space on the fields, and it created “chaos.”

As volunteers, she said, it’s a “headache” to have to advocate for needed field space.

Three weeks from the start of the season, and there’s still no resolution, she said. The volunteer efforts from just one division of the HYL create a net profit for the city, she added.

“We can’t put a dollar figure on keeping things positive for our children,” Laviano said.

Youth sports has a positive effect on young people’s mental and physical health, she said, and has a long-term positive economic impact, especially on young women, but also on the larger community.

Matt Peterson, another volunteer for the HYL, said it shouldn’t be about the money.

The girls and the community benefit from the program, he said.

Jack Goodwin, a coach, said it’s about the “intangibles.” This league represents the state of Florida, and has done well.

Mike Berman said canceling a contract like this might make a bad impression on others looking to contract with the city. “You can’t have a contractual agreement, and then halfway through just decide you want to change things,” he said. “It’s not HYL that’s going to suffer. You know who’s going to suffer? The parents and the kids.”

City Manager Ron Snowberger said one problem is that there is much demand to use the fields. “There are times when they don’t have enough field space according to the contract,” he said. They would revert to the stadium, he said, but the stadium is unsafe and cannot be used.

It’s a tough decision for the council, Snowberger said. Recreational amenities can be funded through millage or user fees.

People want to expand recreation, but it will cost more money.

The city isn’t making money off its fields, despite claims to the contrary, Snowberger said.

“I want HYL, I want youth programs as much as the next person. But in order to do that, we must look deep at what we’re doing,” he said.

He and the city staff brought the issue before the council.

“The city is not up here trying to strip programs,” Snowberger said. “But there are things on those fields — the lighting, $368,000 two years ago, budgeted $650,000 this year to replace the stadium. Those are things the city is responsible for, and we’ve got to figure out where the money’s coming from.”

Howard said the city services five different organizations that offer softball. “Some of them are for-profit; some of them are nonprofit. It’s not something I would negate.”

The fee schedule doesn’t differentiate between fees for for-profits and nonprofits.

Other organizations can come in and demand the same rate others are paying. The city could potentially lose even more money.

The county has stipulations about who will be charged fees, and that nonprofits will get a 50% discount.

He recommends adopting a standard rate of operation for nonprofits and for-profit organizations, and restructure current contracts to include the new nonprofit rate.

Even at 50%, Howard said, the city would bring in about $12,000, which is a lot better than $2,000.

Mayor Blake Bell said the reason for the city’s lower rate for HYL baseball and softball is that that entity is the reason those fields exist.

He supports HYL having an HYL rate because of what it’s done for the city.

Bell asked whether other leagues would leave.

Howard said he needs to be able to tell the other leagues that HYL will get a special rate and if there’s a rate for for-profit leagues.

Council member Christa Tanner said she didn’t want to break a current contract, and wanted more information.

“I don’t feel comfortable making that decision tonight,” she said.

Bell finally concluded that they will keep the current contract and monitor it.

In other action

• The city recognized the volunteer work of Kathleen Hudak on the Cemetery Advisory Committee.

• The city approved the removal of a Brooksville Housing Authority member who has not attended any meetings, and named an alternate board member as a full member, also decreasing the number of alternates on the board from two to one.

• The city approved a request to rezone an approximately 41.11-acre tract from Hernando County AG (Agricultural) and City of Brooksville PDP-R (Planned Development Project-Residential) to City of Brooksville PDP-R. It’s located on the south side of Cortez Boulevard and immediately west of Mobley Road. The plan is to develop 171 single-family homes and maintain two previously approved and developed condominium buildings with 32 buildings. It passed the first reading 4-0 on a roll call vote. The second and final reading is set for Feb. 6.

• Council member Thomas Bronson was absent due to illness.

Photo by VINCENT F. SAFUTO

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