Latest news with #Enea
USA Today
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Why does Florida softball wear sunflowers in their hair? Gators honor Heather Braswell
Why does Florida softball wear sunflowers in their hair? Gators honor Heather Braswell Show Caption Hide Caption Hear Florida softball coach Tim Walton speak before Super Regionals vs. Georgia The No 3 seed Gators will begin their Super Regionals vs. Georgia at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium Friday at 11 a.m. Sometimes it is bigger than sports. Those are six simple words, but yet six powerful words when one takes a step back and deciphers them. After all, in times of adversity and hardship, sports tend to be a way to forget about those things and bring people (and a community) together. It's also the exact driving thought and mantra behind one of Florida softball's longest-lasting traditions: Sunflowers placed in the back of each player's hair. REQUIRED READING: NCAA softball tournament bracket, TV schedule for college softball 2025 super regionals Before you ask the question, yes, it is common to see softball players wear something in their hair. So, how is Florida wearing a sunflower hair tie any different from that? Here's what to know, as the Gators continue the Gainesville Super Regional against Georgia on Saturday and look to punch their ticket to the Women's College World Series for the third time in the past four years: Why does Florida softball wear sunflowers in their heads? The overall story behind the connection of sunflowers and Florida softball dates back to 2009. It began with a two-fold approach: former Florida pitcher Francesca Enea being involved within the Florida community and Florida native Heather Braswell signing up for the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation's Adopt-A-Child program. Then came a call to Enea, who is now one of the Gators' assistant coaches. "I got a random phone call and it was Friends of Jaclyn. They said they were so excited that we submitted a form because they have a girl in Orlando that they were ready to place with us," Enea said in "Sunflowers," a recent University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications documentary. "I was like, 'Oh I haven't even asked my coach yet.'" The Adopt-A-Child program through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation pairs kids who are dealing with pediatric brain tumors and/or other forms of childhood cancers with a high school or college sports team or club as an honorary team member. Heather was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2008 at the age of 11. Florida coach Tim Walton mentioned in the documentary that he was initially concerned about the prospect of being involved with the organization, but was swayed by Enea's pitch and the positive impact it has on the team itself. "I was a little concerned. And the concern was that you're going to put all this time and energy into a young person. The hardest pill to swallow is that this person is suffering and what does that do to a sports team," Florida coach Tim Walton said. The match between Heather and the Gators soon became a close-knit relationship, as Heather soon became a staple around the team, while the team supported Heather during her cancer treatments. One way the team supported Heather was "blowing up" her phone with texts while she was at treatments, on top of putting Twizzlers in their caps during games, which Heather would bring with her to the stadium. An added "win" to the whole relationship between Heather and Florida softball was that Heather converted over to a Gators fan from a Florida State fan. Unfortunately, the tumor and cancer came back in the same spot in January 2014 after a five-year remission. She died on March 24, 2014, 10 weeks after the diagnosis that her cancer had become terminal. "When she passed away, we used yellow as a symbol of her," former Florida pitcher Lauren Haeger said in the documentary on how the sunflowers began. "We started wearing yellow ribbons in our hair. It kind of just transitioned to a sunflower because sunflowers are yellow." In a time of challenge and mourning, Heather's spirit stayed with the Gators that season, as they rallied together and went on to win their first national championship at the Women's College World Series. Terri Braswell was in Oklahoma City to watch Florida defeat Alabama in the 2014 Women's College World Series, the first of back-to-back national championship titles for the Gators. "It's hard for me to imagine that it was just like two months after Heather died. But there was really nowhere else I would have wanted to be," Terri Braswell said in the documentary. Wearing a sunflower in their hair isn't the only way the Gators have kept Heather's legacy and love for Florida softball alive, though. In the Gators' locker room at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, one of the lockers is designated for Heather and has her name engraved into it along with a "Team Heather" shirt hanging in it. Florida also hosts an annual "Yellow Game" every April, which is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, to raise money for pediatric cancer. "It was a really special time and I think that truly solidified the type of program that Florida softball was going to be from there on out," Haeger said. When does Florida softball wear sunflowers in their hair? Florida softball players wear sunflowers in their hair on Saturdays during the season in honor of Heather Braswell. The team has given it the name of "Sunflower Saturday" over the years. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Polish power company Enea signs $2.4 billion loan deal for grid upgrades
GDANSK, May 21 (Reuters) - Enea has signed a 9.13 billion zloty ($2.44 billion) loan agreement with state-owned Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) under the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility, the Polish power utility said on Wednesday. The funds will be used to upgrade Enea's power distribution infrastructure in northwestern Poland, aiming to improve the quality and security of electricity supply and enhance grid capacity to integrate renewable energy sources. ($1 = 3.7420 zlotys)
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Polish utility Enea reports expected rise in Q1 core profit
GDANSK, May 21 (Reuters) - Polish power utility Enea ( opens new tab posted a 3.4% year-on-year rise in its first quarter core profit on Tuesday evening, supported by higher revenue from its distribution segment at a time when it seeks to expand its renewable energy offering. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) rose to 1.94 billion zlotys ($518.2 million), in line with Enea's preliminary estimate. Enea, Poland's third-largest power utility by market value, is under pressure from falling profitability in its coal-fired power-generation fleet as renewable energy sources capture an increasing share of the nation's energy mix. Poland is reducing its reliance on coal, which accounted for about 57% of its electricity generation in 2024, according to energy policy think tank Forum Energii. In March, Enea's unit signed an agreement to buy six wind farms and a photovoltaic project. In the coming months, it plans to acquire another portfolio of wind projects at various stages of development, with a total capacity of about 33 MW, and project companies or rights to photovoltaic farm projects with a total capacity of about 40 MW. "Changing the production mix is a priority for us, which is why we continue to search for new ... opportunities and talk to owners and developers of renewable energy projects, thanks to which we will effectively build the growth of our emission-free production sources," CEO Grzegorz Kinelski said in a statement. Enea's quarterly revenue fell 9.5% to 7.59 billion zlotys. Net profit rose 3.3% on the year to 1.05 billion zlotys. Its capital expenditures amounted to 618.3 million zlotys in the quarter. ($1 = 3.7436 zlotys)
Reuters
26-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Poland's Enea to double wind capacity in $236 million deal
WARSAW, March 26 (Reuters) - A unit of Polish state controlled utility Enea ( opens new tab signed a deal to buy six Polish wind farms and a solar farm project from Danish renewable group European Energy, the company said on Wednesday.
