Hit or Miss: Jen Blanco

It's no longer just a dream for 2016 Lakewood Ranch High graduate Danny Erlenmeyer, who is waking up these days at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at the Century Link Center in Omaha, Neb.

Since qualifying for the Trials during the Junior National Championships in 2015, Erlenmeyer, who also is a Sarasota Sharks swimmer, has kept the same approach to swimming that earned him a spot on the North Carolina State University team in the fall.

He has remained confident in his abilities, relying on the belief he deserves to compete alongside the top names in USA Swimming. 

Although he finished 52nd out of 107 swimmers in the 400-meter freestyle with a time of 3 minutes, 58.83 seconds on June 26, he is excited about the opportunities that are still ahead of him, including the 1,500 freestyle at the Trials on July 2. 

“It’s just been a dream (to swim in the Olympic Trials) ever since I was a kid,” said Erlenmeyer, who won a state title in the 500-yard freestyle as a junior at Lakewood Ranch. “I can’t really describe it. You never think you’re going to get to this level, and then you finally get there.” 

Erlenmeyer was one of nine current and former Sharks swimmers to compete in this year’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Danielle Valley, a 2013 graduate of Lakewood Ranch and nine-time YMCA national champion, two-time USA Swimming Junior national champion and high school state champion in the 500-yard freestyle, made her second U.S. Olympic Team Trials appearance. 

In 2012, Valley advanced to the finals of the women’s 800 freestyle. This year, Valley competed in the 400 freestyle June 27, finishing 41st out of 101 swimmers with a time of 4:16.52, and will compere in the 800 freestyle July 1. 

“We develop champions,” Erlenmeyer said of the Sharks. “It says it on the back of our shirts, and that’s what we are about.” 

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Florida District 26 Little League crowned its first set of champions during the Little League All-Star Tournament June 24, at G.T. Bray Park. 

Lakewood Ranch Little League captured the 10/11 division, defeating Buffalo Creek 15-1. The team went 3-0 in the tournament, outscoring its opponents 45-16. 

Congratulations to this year’s champions: Ryan Hanson, Dylan Martin, Luke Nelson, Cory (Judd) Hildreth, Jack MacKinnon, Connor McManus, Ben Kostas, Aiden Smith, Conner Snyder, Reese Jones, Cole Dement, Max Murphy and Logan Reynolds. 

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David Koepfinger wants to help children from the seat of his bike. 

The East County resident and BJ’s Wholesale Club employee is in the process of finishing the Great Cycle Challenge USA, a month-long cycling fundraiser benefitting Children’s Cancer Research Fund. 

During the month of June, the 60-year-old Koepfinger set out to ride 1,000 miles while raising $2,000 for the cause. 

As of June 26, Koepfinger had ridden 760 miles, nearly 102 of which came during a challenge ride June 25. It was the first time Koepfinger had ridden 100 miles in a single ride, having previously maxed out at 85 miles. 

Koepfinger logged his miles riding roughly 12 miles back and forth between his home and his job located in the Shoppes at University Center. Additionally, he also went on longer rides around Lakewood Ranch, Parrish, Siesta Key, Anna Maria Island and Myakka City, among other spots.

This is the second-consecutive year Koepfinger has participated in the fundraiser, which was scheduled to end June 30, but has since been extended through July due to inclement weather across the country. Last year, Koepfinger, who was relatively new to distance riding, rode 650 miles and raised $1500. 

“Whenever I felt like I couldn’t keep riding, I would start to think about the children,” Koepfinger said. 

Koepfinger participated in the Great Cycle Challenge USA for the first time last year as a way to challenge himself. 

“I started to see where I could be a voice,” Koepfinger said. “That became the drive. They are children with a small voice, and it’s our obligation to make it larger.

“They fight. They are inspirational,” Koepfinger said. “They continue to keep on going no matter what and they do it with a smile. I feel like I should add to that and make their smiles bigger.”