By
Gary Curreri
The 10th Annual
Ranse Classic Beach Volleyball tournament was more about the
camaraderie and the community rather than the competition.
An
estimated 300 players took part in the beach volleyball tournament
north of the Deerfield Beach pier that celebrated the life of
Ranseford “Ranse” Jones. From junior players to top open
competitors, there was a sense of pride among all at the 30 sand
volleyball courts.
Tournament
Director Diogo Sousa said the event holds a special place in his
heart. He met Jones when he was younger at Deerfield Beach.
“I
was 16 and he was one of the first people to stand up for me at
Deerfield Beach when nobody would let me on the volleyball courts,”
said Sousa, now 31, who lives nearby. “He was the first person I
played with and, after we played for one day together, he went around
to everybody and told them I was allowed to play anytime I wanted in
Deerfield.”
“Since
then,” he added, “this has been my home beach to play on. It is
truly amazing to see someone’s life celebrated, year in and year
out.
There
are so many people that support the charity and the type of person
that Ranse was. Everybody loved him and they continue to show love,
not only to Ranse who passed away, but his family. His mother and
father come down for this event every year.”
“This
is way above cool,” said Jones’ mother, Sherry Marthinuss. “It
is going to take me the whole weekend to come down from this. Ranse
connected with people, obviously, and that is what he left us with.
It is his legacy. That’s why we get together every year and
celebrate that and keep building on it.
“We
call it the biggest reunion on the east coast,” she continued. “A
lot of the volleyball players he played with and knew still compete
and want to win. It is great vibes and lots of love.”
In
April 2010, Jones, a former Deerfield Beach firefighter, suffered a
brain aneurysm while playing in the semifinals of the Panama City AVP
Young Guns tournament. He died Nov. 8 that year at the young age of
34. Jones had played in 21 AVP tournaments since 2000. He also spent
time on the Extreme Volleyball Professionals tour and competed in the
Men’s Open Division of the 2009 U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball.
The
Ranse Volleyball Classic has evolved into a nationally-recognized
event to benefit Stroke Awareness, through the hard work of the local
volleyball community.
The
tournament generally raises between $20-$30,000 on an annual basis
for the Ranse Jones Stroke Awareness Fund at the Broward Health North
Stroke Center. To date, the event just exceeded $300,000.
Nikki
Esposito, 22, has been coming to the tournament for years. Her
father, John, is one of the organizers. She starred at Pompano Beach
High School before playing with the FSU Seminoles.
“I
have been playing in this tournament since I was 12,” she said.
“Because I have been playing at Florida State, I haven’t been
able to play in the tournament for the last four years, so I made the
drive down this year.
“It
has grown a lot and almost doubled in players this year,” she said.
“It is so much fun getting everyone together from all over the
state and the country. I made new friends. We just had a lot of fun.”
Flavia
Fernandes, 36, also of Deerfield Beach, said the tournament is
definitely for fun. She has also played in the tournament for about
five years. She coached Esposito when she was younger.
“This
tournament is not so much about winning, or the competition,”
Fernandes said. “You still have the competitive drive and at the
end of the day, you know it is for a good cause.
“For
me, this is the most fun tournament of the year,” Fernandes said.
“This is special for me because everyone comes from so far and I
see the hard work that the organizers put in. We all look forward to
it.”
Jonathan
Rogers, 28, of Deerfield Beach, said they had nice weather on the
first day and a little rain on the second.
“Usually,
it is pretty windy this time of year,” Rogers said. “It was
really sunny and really a nice day for volleyball. Considering the
format and that you don’t know the partner you are playing with, I
was pretty happy that we made it to the semifinals of the open
division.
“I
ended up being paired up with a guy from Brazil,” Rogers added. “He
was a really cool dude. We couldn’t communicate because he didn’t
speak English, but it was fun.”
3rd Annual
Ryan Owens Memorial Run set for Saturday
The
3rd Annual Ryan Owens Memorial Run is set for Nov. 9 on Deerfield
Beach. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. Organized by the Naked
Warrior Project, the run pays tribute to Fallen Navy SEAL, Ryan
Owens, who grew up in Ft. Lauderdale and was killed in action on Jan.
29, 2017.
The
four-mile beach run on Deerfield Beach is fashioned after the weekly
timed beach runs in Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training that
candidates must pass. Runners of all levels are welcome. Limited to
500 runners, the race will be timed and medals awarded. The entry fee
is $40.
“I
began The Naked Warrior Project in 2017 to ensure that the memory of
these brave warriors and their sacrifices are never forgotten,”
said South Florida resident John Owens, a retired Navy SEAL and
brother of Ryan Owens. The mission of the non-profit organization is
to memorialize fallen Navy SEALs, help injured Navy SEALs in their
recovery and provide support to their families through education,
connecting families and building memorials.
“This
run is our largest event of the year,” said Owens. “We run this
race to honor Ryan’s life and the money raised this year will go
toward building a memorial to Ryan here in South Florida.”
Following
the run, the organization’s annual dinner and silent auction will
be held at the Royal Palm Yacht Club in Boca Raton. Dinner tickets
are $150 per person. Dinner sponsorship opportunities are available
at different levels. The evening also includes a silent auction. The
organization holds several other annual fundraising events including
a fishing tournament and golf outings.
To
register for the run, learn more about sponsorships and donations and
for more information, visit
NakedWarriorProject.org.