When the Avalon Pop Warner Cheer and Football programs began the 2008 season late last week it was with a great big sigh of relief. Because athletic schedules at Timber Creek High School have been changed thanks to the decision by the Orange County Public School Board in May, the youth league was forced to find a new home.

What a year it’s already been for R.J. Swindle. After failing to make it through spring training stints in two previous tries with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, the former University High School baseball player made his major league debut in July with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Brendon Dedekind realized the American Dream could be achieved at a rather early age. Now every four years he is reminded of that with each arrival of the Summer Olympics. That’s because the local leasing and business development director in Avalon Park is not too far removed from his own dreams of a gold medal.

While UCF fans remain on edge in regards to who will replace a recordbreaking running back and experienced quarterback this season for the Knights, a group of shutdown playmakers on defense have already carried over that championship attitude from a year ago.

The brand-new 2008-09 schedule for Orange County Public Schools was not even a day old on Monday when Tropical Storm Fay forced the cancellation of classes and after-school activities earlier this week.

Consistency is the name of the game for the UCF women’s soccer team as it enters the 2008 season this weekend in defense of their second Conference USA regular-season title in three years. On Friday, the Knights get things underway in Tallahassee as they take on NCAA College Cup runner-up and No. 4-ranked Florida State.

Ever since his first trip to France a year ago, Eduardo Hinojosa had been looking for an excuse to make that journey across the Atlantic Ocean once again. He found it through a renewed interest in running as he turned his entry in the Paris Marathon into a family vacation, with relatives from both East Orlando and Mexico joining him there in April.

The UCF women’s soccer team began the 2008 season with two postponements over the weekend before finally getting the chance to take the field on Monday against the fourth-ranked Florida State Seminoles. Once Tropical Storm Fay finished its assault on the state the Knights were then handed a lopsided 5-0 loss against last year’s NCAA College Cup runner-up.

Despite the unrelenting wind and rain of last week, Abbie McGuire was on her annual pilgrimage to pick up the latest in University of Central Florida gear. The last few years her shopping pursuits were limited to the stores on the UCF campus, and so were the offerings. It seemed that most of the UCF garb she found was the same old black and gold.

The University Cougars got it half right last week when they battled Jones High School to a scoreless tie in the annual preseason Kickoff Classic. Now if only their offense could catch up with their defense.