Issue #489: Land O’ Lakes Celebrates Legends | Curious About Edibles? | “67” Baffles the Internet | Gonzales Leads Gators

10/30/2025

Author

Ted Grellner
30 Oct

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Dr Ted
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In this issue of NewTampa | WesleyChapel
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Local News

— Legends Return: Five Inducted into Land O’ Lakes Hall of Fame

Of Interest

— Munch Mindfully: What You Need to Know About Cannabis Edibles

— What’s 67? Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year Has Everyone Confused

Sports

— Billy Gonzales Gets His Shot: Gators Interim Coach to Debut vs. Georgia


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Legends Return: Five Inducted into Land O’ Lakes Hall of Fame

At a celebratory dinner banquet, complete with tribute videos, speeches, and appearances by friends and family, the school inducted its 11th Hall of Fame class—a tradition that began in 2013 to support athletic programs through fundraising.

This year’s inductees include:

• Justin Geisler (2000), soccer standout
• J.P. Rodrigues (2002), soccer star and pro player
• Reta Woodard (2009), decorated track and field athlete
• Rock Ridgeway, long-time coach and administrator
• Vince Antolin (1985), Lifetime Achievement honoree

These alumni join past legends such as Stacy Bishop, Logan Payne, and Coach John Benedetto in shaping the school’s 50-year athletic legacy. The Hall of Fame continues to spotlight those who have left a lasting impact on Gator sports, both on and off the field.

Munch Mindfully: What You Need to Know About Cannabis Edibles

Cannabis culture has evolved far beyond the days of homemade brownies—welcome to the multi-billion-dollar world of THC edibles, where infused gummies, sodas, and tinctures are now high-end staples in legal states. But for beginners, walking into a dispensary can be overwhelming.

Experts Dr. Riley Kirk and Dr. Miyabe Shields offer essential tips:

• THC is the psychoactive compound that causes a high, while CBD is non-intoxicating and often paired to balance THC’s effects.
• Strains like sativa, indica, and hybrid describe the plant’s genetics—not necessarily the high.
• Start low: 1 mg is a microdose, 5 mg a standard dose. Some may feel nothing until 10 mg or more.
• Beverages act faster (20–60 mins) than gummies, thanks to sublingual absorption.
• Watch for “rapid onset” on labels—these use nanoemulsion tech for quicker effects.
• Tinctures offer control and versatility.
• Read dispensary labels carefully for terms like “full plant extract,” “live rosin,” or “Delta-8.”

Use THC edibles only where legal, and always know your source and dosage.

What’s 67? Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year Has Everyone Confused

Dictionary.com has crowned “67” as its 2025 Word of the Year—though it’s not actually a word. Instead, it’s a meme, a vibe, a cultural in-joke with no clear definition and endless meanings.

Originating from rapper Skrilla’s song “Doot Doot (6 7),” the term and associated gesture—alternating empty, upturned palms—have gone viral across social media, classrooms, and sports culture. NBA and NFL players have referenced it, and TikTok users have turned it into a staple of “brainrot” content: chaotic, meaningless internet humor.

Dictionary.com describes it as an example of “brainrot,” a term for absurd online trends that are both nonsensical and strangely contagious.

Despite its ambiguity, 67 has become a symbol of how internet language evolves—fast, fluid, and deeply embedded in youth culture.

“Sometimes, the word isn’t technically a word at all,” Dictionary.com notes, highlighting how language reflects shifting identities and cultural moods.

Here’s an astonishing and little-known fact about the Word of the Year tradition:

The first-ever Word of the Year wasn't chosen by a dictionary— it was actually created as a marketing stunt.

In 1971, the American Dialect Society began informally discussing trends in language, but it wasn’t until 1990 that they formally selected their first "Word of the Year." However, Oxford University Press beat them to public fame in the late '90s when they began promoting their own picks, and other dictionaries followed suit—largely as a PR move to drive engagement and brand relevance, especially as interest in linguistics surged online.

Even more surprising? In 2006, Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year was “truthiness,” a word coined by comedian Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report. It wasn’t in the dictionary at the time, and yet it topped public votes—proving how fictional words from satire can influence real language records.

So yes, sometimes the Word of the Year isn’t even… a real word.

Billy Gonzales Gets His Shot: Gators Interim Coach to Debut vs. Georgia

After three decades in coaching, Billy Gonzales finally steps into the spotlight as Florida’s interim head coach — and it begins with a major test: Saturday’s rivalry game against No. 5 Georgia.

Gonzales, 54, is in his third stint with the Gators, having coached under Urban Meyer, Dan Mullen, and Billy Napier. Now, following Napier’s firing on Oct. 19, Gonzales will lead the Gators (3–4, 2–2 SEC) for the season’s final five games.

A receivers coach by trade, he made minimal staff changes, but handed play-calling duties to QBs coach Ryan O’Hara, signaling a more aggressive, spread-style offense.

While Georgia has dominated this rivalry lately, Gonzales' deep connection to the program and player-first mentality may help steady the Gators during a turbulent stretch.

“I love Florida. This is a special place to me,” Gonzales said. “My first goal is to make sure we put a fantastic group of players on that football field that are going to compete.”

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