Dade City to host state meet

Little Everglades Ranch, a 2,500-acre property used for steeplechases, will be the site starting this fall.

By BOB PUTNAM
Published March 1, 2005

Little Everglades Ranch will soon be home to more than steeplechase races.

The 2,500-acre ranch in Dade City will be the site of next season's state cross country meet, the Florida High School Athletic Association said Monday.

The only thing to be determined is the host.

Two groups have expressed interest, Longwood Lyman and the Pasco County School Board. Both want to use the ranch.

"It's a gorgeous facility," said Denarvise Thornton, the cross country administrator for the FHSAA. "It's something that adds to the atmosphere that we're looking for."

Bidding opened after the four-year agreement between the Hillsborough County School Board and FHSAA expired.

Proposals had to be sent to the FHSAA by Jan.28. The host will be announced later this month.

Lyman coach Fred Finke said he is the only one to submit a bid for Little Everglades Ranch.

The Pasco County School Board was brought into the mix because of concerns that Lyman is too far away, county athletic director Kit Broadbelt said.

"It is my understanding that the FHSAA would prefer to have the host school come from the same county," Broadbelt said. "There is an interest on our part, but we have not submitted a bid. And I'm still waiting to discuss the details with our superintendent."

Saint Leo would serve as a co-host in either case.

Once finalized, Pasco County would host a state championship for the first time since volleyball at River Ridge in 1993 and '94.

"I would like to see the state cross country meet have a flair to it," Finke said. "Little Everglades is the perfect venue for that."

Finke, who has served as meet director for the U.S. World Championship trials and been in charge of several top high school meets, said he became enamored with Little Everglades Ranch after hearing about it from Jesuit coach Mike Boza.

Regardless of whether his school hosts, Finke said he plans to use Little Everglades for the flrunners.com meet Oct.1-2.

"I've hosted meets around the world, and this facility surpasses all of them," Finke said. "Let me put it this way. If the state meet comes here, it will never leave."

Included in the property is a 11/4-mile long, 90-foot wide track that has been used for pro steeplechases. FHSAA officials have surveyed the site, which also features a judges tower, viewing decks and an electronic scoreboard.

The NCAA Division II Southeast Regional will be held at Little Everglades next season.

In December, officials from Saint Leo and the Little Everglades Steeplechase Foundation also proposed a 200-acre, $9.6-million Olympic-scale training and competition complex to be built on the property.

The center would cater to Olympic competitors and other high-caliber athletes preparing for triathlons, biathlons, adventure races and other events.

"We want this to be the place for distance running," Saint Leo cross country coach Cyle Sage said. "We want to start from the ground up, and hopefully, that includes the state high school cross country meet."

[Last modified March 1, 2005, 01:11:12]