The Polk Experience: Recent Episodes
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A podcast dedicated to the experiences that make Polk County, Florida a unique destination for tourism and sports.
The dean of Polk County sports journalism, Roy Fuoco, joins Mark Jackson and Jack Cormier to talk the end of the basketball and soccer seasons as well as the upcoming baseball and softball seasons.
For more Polk County sports, check out Roy's work at theledger.com.
Duane Hopkins, the president of the Polk Senior Games, joined Mark Jackson and Jack Cormier on a recent edition of Sports Central.
Bartow native Rick Wilson may have made his fame as a NASCAR driver, but he's also a second generation Polk County rancher as well as an inventor and a recent inductee into the Polk County Sports Hall of Fame.
The Ledger's Roy Fuoco joins Sports Central to talk high school football, the Olympics and more.
With more than 700 wins in his 24 years of head coaching experience, Rick O'Dette will take the reins of Florida Southern Baseball as only the eighth head coach in program history.
Rick joined Mark Jackson and Jack Cormier on a recent broadcast of Sports Central, which can be viewed on the Polk County Government page on Facebook or YouTube.
The Polk Experience visits Catapult, a business incubator in Lakeland.
Joining us are Catapult's Kitchen Director, Maggie Leach, and the owners of Pinoy Cravings, Hyun Dobrea and Josephine Colorina.
Not long ago, every theme park in Central Florida - and most in the nation - had their own water ski show complete with pyramids, jumps, stunts and more.
Today, while the theme park shows are mostly history, clubs around the world keep the sport alive.
When the best show water skiers in the world gather in Winter Haven, Florida from Oct. 19-23 to compete as both teams and individuals in the 2022 IWWF World Water Ski Show Tournament, things will be a little different.
Long time water ski broadcaster Mark Jackson and Joel Shapiro, the President of the National Show Ski Association, are here to give you the ins and outs of scoring an international competition.
For more information, go to visitcentralflorida.com or worldwaterskishow.com.
Dick Pope Sr.'s niece, Margaret Parry, joins Shauna Pasanen and Jack Cormier to talk about the birth of Cypress Gardens, growing up in the gardens - from spending time with Miss Americas to the Shah of Iran - and finally, what she thinks is the legacy of the Popes.
Today, we kick off season with a visit from Neal Duncan and Ryan Buckley.
Topics included Ken Riley and the NFL Hall of Fame, Pete Rose, and the upcoming IWWF World Water Ski Show Tournament, to be held on Lake Silver in Winter Haven Oct. 18 to 23.
For more information on the World Water Ski Show Tournament, visit worldwaterskishow.com.
For more on Central Florida’s Sweetest Spot, Polk County, visit www.visitcentralflorida.org.
Industry expert Dr. Jennifer Stoll, the executive director of the Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission, joins us to discuss not only the powerful impact of sports on a community, how the growth of travel teams is good for the tourism industry, and how to improve this segment going forward.
Polk County and Florida Southern sports legend Norm Benn recently passed.
Having spent a lot of time with Norm up to his enshrinement in the Polk County Sports Hall of Fame, we felt that re-releasing what might be his last interview was the least we could do.
Quick witted with a sharp sense of humor, Norm will be missed.
Despite what you saw on television, parks and recreation is serious business.
In Haines City, Terrell Griffin and Ryan Ritchie use a mix of attractors and activities to not only infuse their city with visitors, but to shape the future of Polk's northeast corridor.
Perhaps the greatest water ski jumper of his generation, Polk County legend Scot "The Rocketman" Ellis is calling it a career. Find out how a globe-spanning career started in Lakeland with .49 cent tacos and his plans for the future.
Alison Strange, CEO of THE Spring Games, joins Kevin Smith and Jack Cormier to discuss the upcoming event in Polk County, the long last influence of sports tourism on a community and how the past two years have changed the game for events in general.
On this roundup episode, we discuss if the Rays should come to Polk County, upcoming sports events including RussMatt and PFX, and the recent Major League Baseball Hall of Fame winners and losers.
If you like planes - especially takeoffs and landings - this is the event for you.
STOL stands for Short Takeoff and Landing, and its the hottest aviation competition category going.
Joining us is Anitra Goddard of the National Stol Series to talk about the Central Florida Classic STOL Competition going on in Lakeland Dec. 3 and 4 as part of the Sun N Fun Holiday Fly-In and Car Show.
Growing by leaps and bounds, Davenport needed a community center.
Josh Hicks has been there since the doors opened and shares the town's vision for their future.
Both artist and entrepreneur, Gillian Fazio has paved her own way to success. Her murals can be found throughout Central Florida and even on the Central Florida Visitor Information Center in Davenport. Listen in to how, just four years out of college, she's created her own career path.
With more than 30 restaurants in a two mile radius of downtown, Amada Anderson knew that Central Florida's Winter Haven was the perfect spot for a food tour.
We talk food, her YouTube channel and more on this episode of the Polk Experience.
It started as a blueberry farm.
It became an RV resort
And in just a few months, Cabana Club will finish its transformation into Camp Margaritaville RV Resort and Cabana Cabins in Auburndale. The hospitality brand, named after the Jimmy Buffett beach bum classic, is known around the world.
Less known are the Cabana Cabins. More tiny house than rustic abode, these charming overnight options allow we who don’t RV to enjoy this amenity package destination.
Giving us our tour today are Alexa Russo and Beth Wiley, their marketing department’s dynamic duo.
The Orange Cup has been one of the premier powerboat races in the Southeast for nearly 90 years. For nearly all of those years, a member of the Engle family has been at the helm. Today we talk to Orange Cup Race Director Gene Engle about the fastest sport on water, powerboats that go nearly 150 mph, and the future of the Orange Cup -- to be held this year Oct. 16-17, 2021.
Here's something a little different -- a proposed day trip to Bartow.
We visit the Cookie Jar, Rafal Natural, the LB Brown House and the Netflix-featured, Wonder House.
Box lacrosse -- a six-man sport played on a court the size of a hockey rink -- might be the fastest growing discipline in the game. The Interstate Box Lacrosse Association is brining the top 17 teams in the nation to the RP Funding Center in Lakeland from Sept. 17-19 to determine its champion.
We talk to Brandon Scharaga of the IBLA to learn more about the sport and what to expect this weekend.
Meet Alex Dry and Gerald Richardson, two new members of the Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing team.
Gerald comes to use from First Tee Lakeland, where he used golf as an outreach to area youth.
Alex Dry comes to use from IMG in Bradenton and has an extensive background in the sport and business of baseball.
We start the second season of The Polk Experience with two living Florida Southern College legends, Norm and Kathy Benn.
Mrs. Benn spent 48 years at Florida Southern as a faculty member in the school’s physical education department and was instrumental in organizing the school’s women’s athletic program. She was their first coach in women’s basketball, volleyball and tennis.
Mr. Benn was the head women’s basketball coach from 1985-97. He led the Lady Moccasins to five SSC regular season titles, six SSC Tournament titles, and the team’s only South Region Championship and Elite Eight appearance.
Wanting to test his skills against all comers, Sam Silas left Union Academy for Southern Illinois and, eventually, an eight year NFL career -- and then a career in academia.
He's a 2020 Polk County Sports Hall of Fame inductee and one of the greatest scholar athletes ever from Polk County.
With the SEU Fire Baseball hosting the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round Lakeland Bracket at the Chain of Lakes Complex in Winter Haven, we sit down with Adrian Dinkel, the head coach of the Fire, and slugging first baseman Nick Bottari. A special thank you to co-host Donnie Smith, the director of athletic communications for the Fire.
Meet Mo Triner, the softball head coach for Florida Southern College.
A legend in the sport, she is a former professional player and USF Sports Hall of Fame member. She talks to us about growing up in Gibsonton, her journey through professional sports and her return to coaching at Florida Southern.
With a career that started with Kirk Gibson and continues through Tarik Skubal, few journalists have had as storied careers in a single city as Lynn Henning has had in Detroit. He shares with us his favorite memories of covering sports in one of America's greatest sport cities and the special connection between Detroit and Lakeland.
Renaissance man Deric C. Feacher is more than just the City Manager of Haines City. A Polk County native, he’s also a musician, a forward thinker and one heck of a dancer. He joins us to talk about multiculturalism, the power of sports and tourism, the art of city management and the future of our own City of Angels.
In this episode we interview PCTSM Director Mark Jackson as well as manager's Kris Keprios, Neal Duncan, Marc Zimmerman and Justin Laferriere about the hurdles faced during this last year. We discus the economics of tourism, tourism and sports tourism during a pandemic, and how the Polk County tourism industry is already walking down the road to recovery.
USA Softball Women's National Team members Cat Osterman and Valerie Arioto join Neal and Kevin to talk about the team's recent training session at Florida Southern College, the bumps along the Road to the Tokyo Olympics thanks to COVID and life after softball.
Central Florida Wheels of Steel brings the best in custom motorcycles to the RP Funding Center for a one-of-a-kind indoor event.
We speak with Wheels of Steel Chairman Lt. Tony Allaire of the Polk County Sheriff's Office and co-chair Jason Hallman, owner of Cycle Stop USA, about the event that benefits the Early Learning Coalition of Polk County.
How does a business major from UMass Amherst wind up running Theatre Winter Haven?
Come along with us as we learn about Dan's journey from college diver to Disney whiz kid to garage inventor and, finally, taking the helm of one of nationally acclaimed Theatre Winter Haven.
We talk with Tony Camarillo, the director of Lakeland's RP Funding Center, about how the coronavirus has affected Central Florida's multipurpose entertainment complex and what we can expect in the near future.
In the span of 24 hours, the Coronavirus pandemic shut down the United States.
For Rob Sitz, the president of RussMatt Baseball, it meant pivoting during one of the nation's largest collegiate baseball tournaments.
Rob also shared his journey from being a player and, later, the pitching coach at Rollins College to being part of the multifaceted company, DS Sport Ventures.
Without a doubt, the fastest growing sport in Polk County is soccer. The man at the helm of two pro teams, as well as the Southeastern University men’s program, is Florida Southern grad Clay Roberts. We speak to him, and SEU Sports Information Director Donnie Smith, about sports in the Coronavirus era, the upcoming season and one of the best fan bases in Central Florida.
We take a detour from our usual podcasts to capture some Polk County history.
LB Brown went from slave to prominent businessman. The home he built in Bartow, Florida, stands today as a memorial to the human spirit, thanks to the contributions of Clifton Lewis.
Just minutes away in Winter Haven is the historic town of Pughsville. Russell Burney strives to keep the memory of his hometown alive for future generations. We talk Pughsville, Winter Haven, Cypress Gardens and the Boston Red Sox.
Bok Tower Gardens is the jewel of Polk County, and at its core is the tower's carillon, surely the largest instrument in the state. Today we chat with world renowned musician and composer Geert D'hollander, Bok's carillon, as well as Erica Smith, the marketing and business development director about carillons, the history and legacy of Bok, and Patricia from Scotland.
NFL and Florida A&M great Ken Riley, whose 65 interceptions is fifth on the all-time list, recently passed away at his home in Bartow.
In the first segment, we speak with his brother-in-law, Elijah Armstrong, and his lifelong friend, Bartow City Commissioner Leo Longworth, about Ken's legacy.
Longtime NFL sports writer Pat Zier joins us in the second segment to talk about Riley's NFL career, his demeanor on the field, and why he has yet to have a bust in Canton, Ohio.
First, we visit with the owners of Crazy Fish in Lake Wales and Harry's Old Place in Winter Haven, Dwayne McQuillen and Matt Brock, two of the best eateries in the area, to discuss fish, friends, asking Tom Brady to dinner and COVID-19.
After that, we chat with Joel Rodriguez, one half of the Ovations ownership team. With restaurants in Davenport, Winter Haven and Lakeland, the community-minded Rodriguez brothers have mixed their love of family with their love of upscale barbecue.
Drew Watson may have come to Southeastern University in Lakeland to be the NAIA college's head women's basketball coach, but in less than a decade has turned the school into a perennial national powerhouse. Interviewed by sports tourism innovator Kevin Smith, CSEE and journalism veteran Jack Cormier, Drew offers his insights on coaching, the future of sports and college life in the age of COVID-19, and shares his favorite moments at the helm of the SEU Fire.