By Gary Curreri

Simply perfect.

The eighth graders at St. Coleman’s School capped off four years of perfection as they won 49 consecutive matches dating back to when they were fifth graders (including a 25- 16, 18-25, 15-12 victory over previously undefeated St. Bonaventure (Davie) recently in the All Broward Catholic Conference tournament).

After splitting the first two games in the final, St. Bonaventure seized a seemingly insurmountable sevenpoint lead before the Chargers battled back.

“It was going to take a lot of fight to get back into the game,” said St. Coleman’s coach Kristin Scher. “The girls never gave up though and kept pushing.”

With St. Bonaventure leading 11-4, Bailey Pearlman served eight consecutive points to pull St. Coleman’s ahead, 13-11. After a sideout, Madison Faust served at 14-12 to win the match for the Chargers and sealed the team’s 17th consecutive victory of the season.

“We knew going in it would be a tough match because St. Bonaventure had a great team,” said Scher, who noted that St. Bonaventure’s team hadn’t lost a match in a decade. “Our girls worked very hard all season though and really wanted this victory. I was so proud of them, not only for the win, but also for the way they won it. To be behind like that in a match and come back takes a lot of talent, confidence and heart – all of which this team has.”

“I am so proud of the way the whole team played together all season long,” Scher added. “They set a goal at the beginning of the season to remain undefeated and they worked hard to accomplish that. They are a great group of girls both on and off the court, and it has truly been a pleasure to coach each and every one of them.”

St. Coleman’s plays in the North League of the All Broward Catholic Conference (ABCC). The tournament featured the top teams in both the North and Central Leagues.

Scher cited the strong play of eighth graders Gabby Cook, Tori Tocco, Pearlman and Faust. The team advanced to the final with victories over St. Anthony, 25-19, 25-23; St. Mark’s, 25-9, 25-14, and St. David, 25-14, 25-23.

Soccer camps slated

For the first time ever, Simply Soccer will hold four summer camps in the city of Pompano. Dates are June 11-15, 25- 29; July 23-27 and Aug. 13-17.

Registration will be held at Pompano Beach Civic Center. The soccer camp is for boys and girls, ages 5-14 of all skill levels, who will be taught a variety of soccer skills from dribbling to shooting. This is the sixth year of camp offerings in Pompano Beach.

There are three sessions each day (for the Pompano camp) 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. ($100 weekly); extended hours camp is available 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. ($125 weekly); Tiny Tot program is offered for kids ages 5 and 6 from 9 a.m.-noon ($55 weekly).

Campers must bring a soccer ball, swimsuit, shin guards, water bottle and lunch. For more information, call the city of Pompano Parks and Recreation Department at 954-786- 4119 or 954-786-4111.

Marvel’s The Avengers remains the best motion picture of the year, despite the full court synergy of Men in Black III, which opened last weekend with a $70 million gross.

The new Men in Black is the second best movie of the trilogy, which is an easy thing to write considering how limp Men in Black II was.

Men in Black III opens on a prison moon base. Boris aka “the Animal” (Jemaine Clement) escapes to settle a score with MiB Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). Back in 1969, Agent K amputated Boris’ arm as Apollo 11 prepared for blast off. Agent J (Will Smith) is kept in the dark to this history, until Agent K disappears into thin air.

With the help of Agent O (Emma Thompson), Agent J time travels to 1969 to kill Boris and rescue Agent K. On the radio, Agent J drives big cars with fenders and listens to rock ‘n roll on AM radio. He meets Andy Warhol (Bill Hader), who may be a MiB Agent. The MiB3 plot meanders until the predictable climax during the Apollo 11 lift off.

After the climax, MiB3 contains a surprisingly emotional revelation that explains the relationship between Agents K & J. This one emotional scene makes up for all of the superficial action of MiB2 and MiB3 combined.

As the younger version of Agent K, Josh Brolin does a decent impression of TommyLee Jones. Will Smith takes center stage this time, but like a good ringmaster, he knows when to defer the spotlight to his supporting players.

Cinema Dave had the chance to meet many celebrities at the May-Hem horror convention in Orlando Memorial Day weekend. (Pictured) Cinema Dave and actress Linda Hamilton, who is known best for her role as Sarah Connor in Terminator, but also played in TV’s “Beauty & the Beast,” the film “King Kong Lives” and others.

By Gary Curreri

Highlands Christian Academy track and field coach Mark Veynovich has done a solid job building the school’s program during the past five years, despite not having a true facility.

Four of his athletes recently returned home from the FHSAA Class 1A state track meet at Hodges Stadium at the University of North Florida with medals.

“I came in without anything,” said Veynovich, who had 60 athletes on this year’s team. “We train on the grass at Highlands. We take the hurdles out and mark them off with a tape measure.

“Their performance at state really didn’t surprise me that much since I have been with them for three to five years and have seen them growing,” Veynovich added. “What did surprise me was how fast and quick they took to the hurdles. To hit ninth as a team in states with two juniors and a senior make me think next year could be even better.”

Knights junior Ryan Davis, who had finished seventh in the 400-meter dash at the state meet last year, won the state title in the 300-meter hurdles (37.54) and took third in the 110-meter hurdles (14.91).

Teammate and senior Randy Hage was fourth with a careerbest effort in the pole vault (13- feet), while junior Kyle Audet took eighth in 300-meter hurdles (39.54). Audet was also 10th in the 110-meter hurdles (15.60).

“Ryan went into the state meet with one goal-be a state champion,” Veynovich said. “All year long, he stepped up to any challenge on the track in the 300-meter hurdles and was victorious. To meet his goal in the 300-meter hurdles and to exceed his expectations in the 110-meter high hurdles was a huge blessing and proof that hard work does payoff!”

Grayson Mack, a senior, who just signed a track scholarship at Liberty University, was sixth in the pole vault at state after clearing 10-ft; 6-in., which was just shy of her season-best jump of 11-ft.

Mack was the district champ in long jump, triple jump and pole vault, and took second in regionals for pole vault. Mack, who home schools, started with the school in the 10th grade. The boys and girls were the District 14-1A runners-up this year and the boys’ team placed fourth in the Regionals.

“Grayson had been working very hard all year to put herself into a position to compete at states,” Veynovich said.

By Gary Curreri

S’kaydrah Woods made a triumphant return to South Florida as she capped off her middle school career with a victory in the 200-meter dash in the recent Broward County Middle School Track and Field championships at Coral Springs High School.

The Pompano Beach Middle School eighth grader moved to Central Florida last year with her father but came back in time to turn in a huge performance at the track meet.

Woods was second in the 100-meter dash (13.00) and the 400-meter dash (58.68) before winning the 200-meter dash (26.43) and her efforts helped her school finish fourth with 30 points in the girls competition.

“Track is like a job,” said the 14-year-old Woods. “I love to do it. I like track because it is hard and you have to work for it. You just can’t go out there and expect to win and I like working hard. I like to compete.”

The three-time Junior Olympic champion in 2009 plans to compete this summer in the Junior Olympics with the FINESSE Track Club.

Another Pompano Beach Middle School track athlete also picked up a first place finish with a strong effort.

Marc Maurency, 15, won the boys 800-meter run by nearly four seconds over Arthur Ashe’s Deandre Miles as he completed the race in 2:08.89. Maurency, an eighth grader, came in third last year in the same event.

“I want to do this forever,” said Maurency, who shaved six seconds off his previous best time and helped the boys’ team finish second overall. “I want to go to the Olympics. I love track.”

Maurency said the win was very satisfying.

“This is the biggest thing that ever happened to me and this shows me I can do anything I want if I just set my mind to it,” Maurency said. “A lot of people told me I couldn’t do nothing, but I just proved them wrong. When I went through the finish line, that was the best moment ever.”

Pompano’s Benjamin Victor won the high jump with a 5-8 jump, while Deerfield Beach Middle School’s Jenicka Theodor placed fourth in the long jump for its only points of the meet.

This Mothers day, Sunday, May 13th Treat Mom to our special menu and a FREE glass of Wine for Mom!

The Deerfield Beach CRA Meeting of Tuesday, May 8, 2012 has been cancelled.

It is being tentatively rescheduled for Tuesday, May 29, 6:30 to 8 p.m., City Hall.

By Gary Curreri

Greg Norman returned to his roots, sort of, and hopes to give the city of Pompano Beach a “memorable” golf course.

Norman, 57, the former World No. 1 ranked player who had 20 wins on the PGA Tour, two British Open titles and 80 wins worldwide, was on hand at the Pompano Beach Municipal Golf Course on April 26 for the groundbreaking ceremony of his redesign. This will create a signature course bearing his name.

Redesign of the Pines Course at the Pompano Beach Municipal Golf Course is Norman’s first work on a public course, which is where his career got started in his native Australia.

“My golf career started on a public golf course and I wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t have the access to public facilities,” Norman said. “With that being said, the game of golf can only be started and promoted and grown through public facilities.”

The Greg Norman Golf Course Design company was established in 1987, has opened 74 courses worldwide and has an additional 39 projects in various stages of development. The project began April 2 and the former Pines course is scheduled to reopen on Nov. 16. Norman’s group was the low bidder.

He said the course would be accessible by all walks of players.

“It will be for someone who can hit the ball 40 yards in the air or 300 yards in the air,” Norman said. “They made a big move, a courageous move and I think, from an overall economic side of things, it will be one of the cheapest moves they would have done, in the long period of time. They will see that.”

Bob Loring, head golf professional at Pompano Beach Municipal Golf Course, looked around at the gathering on-hand for the ground breaking and smiled.

“I have been in the golf business for 26 years and this is the most exciting thing that has happened to me as a golf professional,” Loring said. “To have Greg Norman and a Greg Norman Signature Golf Course is just great!”

Dr. Richard Porraro, 75, a member of the Pompano Golf Advisory Board, said because the current course has good soil, it would save on the overall cost.

“It’s an unbelievable day,” Porraro said. “I have been a resident of this city for 48 years and played this course when I was a kid. To think that we would have a signature golf course and the first in the man’s portfolio is phenomenal.”

Three records were broken during the kids’ 6-10 session.

By Caitlin Lindsey
As Shakespeare once wrote, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have…” well, some have to stick it through the rain and lightning to prove greatness.

That is exactly what the Deerfield Beach Dolphins did on Saturday, April 21.

This past weekend was not ideal for swimming, but that didn’t keep the Swim League Spring Championship from happening. The Championship was split into two segments; kids 6-10 years old in the morning, and ages 11-18 in the afternoon.

During the first session, the rain delayed the meet for an hour, but Dolphins were able to sneak in a couple of first places –one was in backstroke, at about 27 seconds. The second session, also, was delayed for about a half hour. Events were: the 200 medley relay, 50 freestyle, 50 breaststroke, 50 backstroke, 50 butterfly, 100 individual medley, and 200 freestyle relay. (A medley is backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle, not to be confused with an IM: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. Three records were broken in this season’s championships, all during the younger kids’ session.

No doubt this is just a sign of good things to come … not the rain, but the record-breaking.

Keep up with the Deerfield Beach Dolphins. Summer is just around the corner, featuring the Summer Championships and all that sunny weather!

Swimming Spring Championships (4-21-12)

Team Rankings

Female Team Scores

1. Deerfield Beach Dolphins

2. Palm Beach Gardens Makos

3. YMCA of Boca Raton Barracudas

Male Team Scores

1. YMCA of Boca Raton Barracudas

2. Deerfield Beach Dolphins

3. Palm Beach Gardens Makos

Combined Team Scores

1. Deerfield Beach Dolphins

2. YMCA of Boca Raton Barracudas

3. Palm Beach Gardens Makos

Congratulations Dolphins!

By Gary Curreri

Mitch Evron was named the new Athletic Director at Zion Lutheran on April 10, succeeding Cody Loomis.

Evron, who spent the past nine years at the David Posnack Jewish Day School in Plantation, has a Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training and Sports Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh.

Evron has more than 20 years of athletic experience, having been an award-winning coach three times in tennis and soccer. He has also coached professional athletes, includingAndyRoddick and Marty Fish, and has developed dozens of Division I college scholarship athletes.

Tigers fall in ESPNHS classic

Ely High School’s boys’ basketball team recently dropped a 67-61 decision to St. Benedict’s of New Jersey in the opening roundoftheeight-teamESPNHS National High School Invitational at Georgetown Prep in suburban Maryland.

Ely coach Melvin Randall said his team, which won the state title in the spring, showed it deserved to be among the country’s elite teams.

Clide Geffrard led the Tigers with 18 points. Blanche Ely (30-3) led, 40-32, at halftime as Geffrard had 14 points and the Tigers made 57.7 percent of its shots from the field; however, St. Benedict’s employed a manto- man defense in the third quarter and pulled away.

Flegel shines at local event

Lighthouse Point wakeboarder Noah Flegel won the Open Men’s Division at Board Up in Ft. Lauderdale with 80.55 points and helped the USA team capture the 2012 IWWF Pan Am Region Wakeboard Championships recently at Mills Pond Park in Ft. Lauderdale.

Colombia placed second with 540 points, while Ecuador was third with 510 points. Mexico (280 points), Argentina (80 points) and Guatemala (55 points) rounded out the top-six teams. Divisions included Boys, Junior Boys, Junior Men, Junior Women, Masters Women, Masters Men, Veteran Men, Open Women, Open Men, Pro Women and Pro Men.

The win may help the local teenager possibly be part of the World Cup for next year. With two different 720-degree spins and landing his first Crow 540 in competition, it was tough for the other competitors to keep pace.