By Gary Curreri

In the beginning, Julia Vulpio wasn’t a big fan of tennis.

“At first, I didn’t like it,” said Vulpio, 18, of Pompano Beach. “I wanted to play with dolls and do normal kid’s stuff.”

She got her start when her father saw a poster of Argentinian tennis pro Guillermo Vilas on the floor for his academy and they went.

“It was closed for the year and my dad said since we are here, let’s play,” said Vulpio, who was age 4 at the time. She continued to play recreationally until age 9 when she had a breakthrough.

“I saw Rafa Nadal play at the French Open, and I said, ‘wow, I really want to play now,’” Vulpio recalled. “I love the competition. I like everything. I like the fighting. It is definitely mental, a lot of it.”

She cited her strengths as a backhand crosscourt, her slice serve and a topspin forehand.

Vulpio recently scored a 6-4, 7-5 win over Boca Raton’s Nina Gulbransen in the finals of the Women’s Open Division in the Delray Cup – Prize Money Open, Age Category and NTRP Championships at ProWorld Tennis Academy in Delray Beach. Not bad considering she hadn’t played in a tournament in a couple of months and had just been training.

“I just decided to go back and play a few tournaments,” said Vulpio, a Quinnipiac University commit. She is currently homeschooling to prepare. She has also been training at ProWorld for almost two years. She was a former No. 1 in France for girls 16s and was ranked No. 900 at WTA at age 17.

“It was a good match to start back,” she said. “Winning the tournament gives you confidence for sure, especially since it is my first tournament in a while.”

The tournament also featured Men’s Open singles, Men’s Open doubles, Women’s 3.5 NTRP singles and Men’s 4.0 and 4.5 singles play. There were 81 players in the event and in addition to players from Florida, there were also competitors from CA, TX, NJ , NY, MI, and PR.

“The tournament had about 80 players – 70 in the Open and 11 in the NTRP,” Tournament Director Lew Wolfe said.

Bucks win third straight game

After opening the season with two straight losses on the road, the Deerfield Beach High School football team have regained their winning ways with a third consecutive shutout following a 42-0 win over Oak Ridge (Orlando) at home on Friday night.

Senior quarterback Michael Pratt tossed three touchdown passes, while senior running back Jaylan Knighton topped the century mark rushing and added two touchdowns for the Bucks, who have defeated Blanche Ely (42-0), Zachary (La.) 52-0 and Oakridge in the team’s home opener.

Pratt, a Tulane University commit who transferred to Deerfield Beach from nearby Boca Raton in early August, will face his former team on Friday when the Bucks take on the Bobcats at home.

Pratt connected with Aydin Henningham, Xavier Restrepo and Jaziun Patterson for TD passes and Knighton, a Florida State commit, totaled 101 yards on the ground and scored twice.

Deerfield Beach

Sept. 11: A woman reported her Honda Civic stolen from a parking lot at 4550 NW 18 Ave.

Sept. 12: It was reported that a vehicle was entered at 1771 NW 2 St. and credit cards were stolen. The credit cards were used at various locations.

Sept. 12: A woman reported her Toyota Prius stolen overnight from 466 Lock Rd.

Sept. 14: A woman reported her vehicle at 620 SE 10 St. broken into and her purse with credit cards stolen.

Sept. 14: A woman reported her car parked at 3851 NE 4 Terr. broken into and her purse, wallet, watch and driver’s license stolen.

Lighthouse Point

Aug. 28: Police responded to a delayed fraud that occurred at 4820 N. Federal Hwy. The employee said a fraudulent check was cashed by a former employee who was recently fired from the company. The employee was contacted and said she did not know how the $2,000 check was deposited into her account and would stop by the business to discuss it. She never did and her phone was turned off.

Aug. 28: Police responded to an audible alarm call in the cabana area at 2308 NE 30 Ct. A worker said he accidentally tripped the alarm while performing work there.

Aug. 28: Police responded to an alarm call of interior motion at 2331 NE 47 St. Police responded and found the home secure.

(This is a partial list. For Deerfield Beach Crime Watch in full, visit www.DFB.City and click on “Sign Me Up” to receive the city wide report.)

When it comes to being on the alert and ready at any moment to do the job, it’s hard to beat the Pony Express. This historically famous mail service between St. Joseph, MO, and California depended on constant movement and readiness. Relay stations were established every 10 to 15 miles. A rider would shout aloud as he approached a station, giving the station master very short notice that he needed to be outside waiting with a fresh mount. We have this service’s intriguing example of what it means to be ever watchful. (Today in the Word, Dec. 1997, pg. 17).

Matthew 25:1-13 details a parable of the kingdom of heaven that Jesus gave to His disciples to teach their need to be watchful and ready for His return. Two groups of virgins were distinguished by their preparedness: those having extra oil were considered wise, while those who only had what was in their lamps were considered foolish. All of them were waiting expectantly for the Bridegroom to come. Verse 5 relates: while the Bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. When he finally came, only those who were ready (who could light their lamps because they had reserve oil), were able to go with him to the wedding.

The need for preparation extends to any area of our lives and Christian walk where we anticipate opportunities for advancement and advantage or have an expectation of God to manifest His blessings upon us. Will you be ready when an opportunity knocks at your door? Are you prepared for God’s blessing? It’s not enough just to expect His favor and the fulfillment of His promises. We must be prepared for them. An opportunity loses its value if you are unable to seize it.

According to Merriam-Webster, preparation is the “activity or process of making something ready or becoming ready for something.” This may involve education such as needed for a career or information regarding an appealing opportunity. It will require discipline to remain focused on the goal while avoiding distractions or discouragement. Patience and perseverance will be a necessity to endure the length of time the process may take. In the end, however, we will find ourselves ready and positioned to maximize the opportunity when it comes.

The danger in not being prepared is that, like the foolish virgins, when the time arrives for God to move, we may miss out on His blessing, favor, or power. Harrison Ford was a struggling actor in Hollywood getting small parts and supporting his family by working side-jobs as a carpenter. He was building cabinets at the home of George Lucas when he was given a supporting role in the film American Grafitti. That led to an opportunity to audition for Star Wars where Lucas was so impressed by Ford’s ability that he offered him the role of Hans Solo, and the rest is history. The carpenter became a successful leading actor because he was prepared.

Will you be ready for your next opportunity? Are you prepared for a demonstration of God’s favor in your life and circumstance? Are you ready to meet the Bridegroom? What steps do you need to take to position yourself for what you desire or intend for your future? You must remember that expectation coupled with preparation, will bring about manifestation. We must be ready!

Bishop Patrick L. Kelly is the pastor of Cathedral Church of God, 365 S. Dixie Hwy., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. 954-427-0302.

By Rachel Galvin

Right near the newly renovated Pompano Pier, a much-anticipated restaurant has now opened. Oceanic restaurant, with its modern look and great view had its grand opening party on Thursday, Aug. 29. Some stayed downstairs to enjoy delicious passed hors d’ oeuvres or fresh seafood. Others grabbed a Dorian-tini from the luge there and went upstairs to see the view of the ocean from the balcony and see the large room that can be rented out for private parties, including weddings. (They also have a bride’s room). In the middle of the fun, a belly dancer swayed through the crowd balancing candles and later a sword on her head while juggling fire, causing quite a stir. Owner Lou Moshakos christened the restaurant by throwing plates with his grandson, showcasing his Greek roots. Opa!

Lou originally opened a restaurant 41 years ago in Deerfield Beach called Seafood Shanty with his wife Joy. They sold it in the 1980s. Today, their company, LM Restaurants, owns several restaurant concepts. Besides Oceanic here and also another one in North Carolina, they also have Vidrio, Bluewater Waterfront Grill, Hops Supply Co., Taverna Agora, Carolina Ale House and Henry’s. Their daughter Amber is now president of the company.

At this Oceanic, their culinary focus is on “fresh seafood, high quality steaks, creative bold flavors and sharing plates all at reasonable prices,” according to Joy, who also said they will have creative cocktails at their full bars.

One guest, Thetis Palamiotov couldn’t stop raving about the restaurant.

“The experience is above and beyond. They have great service,” she said.

Right next door to the restaurant, Joy said they are building another restaurant. It will be called Lucky Fish Beach Bar and will be beach casual with a Tahitian Tiki bar feel. In addition, they will be opening a Mediterranean style restaurant called Morea in the Paramount Building in Ft. Lauderdale (701 N. Ft. Lauderdale Beach Blvd.), which will be focused on sharing plates to promote conversation the way you often see in Mediterranean countries.

Katherine Goldfaden, director of Brands & Marketing, said that every restaurant opening they have, they always give 10 percent to a local nonprofit, and education is one of their biggest charity passions. In the case of opening Oceanic, they donated 10 percent of at least the first seven days of being open to Broward Education Foundation.

Oceanic restaurant is located at 250 N. Pompano Beach Blvd., in Pompano Beach. For more information, visit www.oceanicpompano.com.

Deerfield Beach

July 23: It was reported that six vehicles parked at Best Western were broken into. The vehicles’ windows were smashed. One wallet was reported stolen. The incident was reported at 1050 E. Newport Center Dr.

July 23. It was reported that wheels and tires were stolen from two vehicles at Enterprise Car Rental at 160 E. Hillsboro Blvd.

July 24: A woman reported that a chain saw and wet tile saw were stolen from her mother’s home. The incident was reported at 428 SE 11 St.

July 24: It was reported that two women stole four clothing items from Target at 1200 S. Federal Hwy.

July 24: A man reported that someone entered his car parked at 4364 NE 9 Ave. and stole $1,000 and a Florida driver’s license.

July 24: A man reported his scooter was stolen from 1501 Green Rd.

Lighthouse Point

July 18: The store manager at 4758 N. Federal Hwy. was notified by his cleaner that someone took four pool poles and two pool nets from the company truck. A review of store security systems shows a male subject removing the items from a truck and placing them in another truck and fleeing. The truck was captured by the camera reader.

July 20: Police responded to an alarm call at 2120 NE 33 St. The perimeter was found to be secure and the alarm was reset.

July 24: A wallet was found in a store at 3700 N. Federal Hwy. by an employee. It was placed in property at the police department.

(This is a partial list. For Deerfield Beach Crime Watch in full, visit www.DFB.City and click on “Sign Me Up” to receive the city wide report.)

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Cinema Dave with music teacher Chai Latte. After teaching four lessons of ukulele, Chai Latte will conduct The Space Jam Ukulele Concert with her “graduate” students Thursday, Aug. 1 at 6 p.m.

It was a decade ago this month that I committed to publish my first book, The Adventures of Cinema Dave in the Florida Motion Picture World, which featured 652 pages of interviews, pictures and movie reviews from the Observer. Despite going through an economic recession in 2009, I was optimistic about the film industry.

Deerfield Beach was centrally located between multiple film festivals, the Delray Beach Film Festival, the Palm Beach Film Festival, the Miami International Film Festival, the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival and multiple conventions and comic book film festivals.  Now, of those fests, only the Miami International Film Festival and the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival have survived. [But other festivals have popped up].

Thanks to the adaptation of small screen telephones [and the ability to stream movies on the Internet], consumer interest did change. With the exception of a film like a Star Wars and a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, seeing a movie as a communal experience has waned.  

If you do go to the movies this month, keep a keen eye out for The Peanut Butter Falcon, an independent film that features fine performances from Dakota Johnson, Bruce Dern, wrestler Mick Foley, John Hawkes and newcomer Zack Gottsagen. This entertaining movie, which features a roller coaster ride of emotions, is pure American cinema.

If you are looking to do something fun and free tonight, “The Space Jam Ukulele Concert” will be conducted at the Deerfield Beach Percy White Library starting at 6 p.m. This concert is the culmination of four weeks of ukulele lessons that library patrons have taken with music teacher Chai Latte. Honky-tonk pianist Kris Nicholson will tickle the ivories for this special evening. [He was part of the library’s “Blues School” event Feb. 2]. Join the fun this summer evening.

Cinema Dave with Kris Nicholson, the Honky Tonk piano player. After his contribution to Blues School last Feb. 2 at Deerfield Beach Percy White Library, Kris Nicholson guest stars in this evening’s (Aug. 1) free Space Jam Ukulele Concert.

Deerfield Beach

July 16: It was reported that multiple vehicles parked at 315 SW 32 Ave. had their windows smashed and items removed.

July 19: Someone smashed the passenger window of a vehicle parked at 2403 W. Hillsboro Blvd. and stole a purse with reading glasses and a Florida driver’s license.

July 19: A woman reported that someone attempted to break into her home at 1231 SE 10 St. An A/C unit was tampered with.

July 19: An elderly woman reported that a man and woman came to her apartment and said they had done some work for her in the backyard. She went to the backyard with them. Upon returning, she discovered that cash and jewelry were missing from the apartment. The incident was reported at 1977 SW 15 St.

July 19: It was reported that someone stole the engine computer to a truck at Approved Moving at 1501 NW 49 Ct.

July 19: A man reported that he believes a person who he knows entered his home at 1056 S. Military Trl. and stole two televisions, three playstations and one computer.

Lighthouse Point  

July 12: The victim believed she left her wallet in a Lyft driver’s vehicle at 3722 N. Federal Hwy. She was advised to contact the driver and was awaiting a response.

July 12: A resident called police to report she had found two dogs at 2216 NE 27 St. She later called back and said that the owner was located, and the call was cancelled.

July 14: Police responded to an alarm call at 2801 NE 46 St. The property was checked and found secure.

(This is a partial list. For Deerfield Beach Crime Watch in full, visit www.DFB.City and click on “Sign Me Up” to receive the city wide report.)

Deerfield Beach

July 9: The manager of Hobby Lobby at 4555 W. Hillsboro Blvd. was notified by Hobby Lobby loss prevention headquarters that they had discovered via video that someone stole $420 worth of crystals.

July 10: A man reported that his vehicle was broken into and $60 in cash, as well as credit cards and a pair of sunglasses, were stolen. The incident was reported at 201 E. Sample Rd.

July 10: A man reported that while he was unloading his vehicle at 312 Ocean Dr., the North Beach Pavilion, someone stole his bag containing a camera valued at $2,600, a lens valued at $800 and another lens valued at $100.

July 10: A man and a woman were observed stealing two printers from Target at 1200 S. Federal Hwy.

July 10: While a woman was pumping gas at a Chevron station at 1201 S. Military Tr., someone entered the vehicle and stole her purse, which contained $150.

Lighthouse Point

July 2: A man, who lives in the 2300 block of NE 28 Ct., went to the police department to report that his American Express card had been used for three online purchases totaling $410.74 that he did not authorize. The victim told police that he gave his son the Amex card the day before to use for two purchases, but it was returned. 

July 3: Police responded to a report of a pit bull walking on the street at 2830 NE 21Terr. The dog found its way home.

July 3: Police responded to an alarm call at 2824 NE 28 Ct. When police arrived, the subject inside said she was a friend of the family and was dog sitting for them and no pass code was given. It was deemed a false alarm.

(This is a partial list. For Deerfield Beach Crime Watch in full, visit www.DFB.City and click on “Sign Me Up” to receive the city wide report.)

By Gary Curreri

Grace Parnas had a stellar effort at the recent United States Lifeguard Association Southern Regional event at Lake Worth.

The 14-year-old Pompano Beach resident won six of the nine events she was in and placed second in another for the Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguards in the Girls A Division. Parnas, who will be a sophomore at Calvary Christian Academy in the fall, took first in the run-swim-run, paddleboard race, beach flags, rescue race, iron guard and the swim relay. She got silver in the run relay.

“I’ve been competing for four years and been doing the camp for six years,” Parnas said. “It’s so fun. Most of the people say it is so hard, but I get to see my friends and then compete with them.”

She gets lost in the adrenaline rush. 

“You honestly don’t remember a lot of the race,” Parnas said. “You have the adrenaline rush and you are going as fast as you can because you just want to win.”

“I never expected to be at nationals or regionals,” said Parnas, who has also fared well at the national event.

She won beach flags two years ago and placed third last year in the event and is the two-time defending paddleboard national champion. 

“It is incredible,” she continued. “I never thought I would win nationals. I don’t feel any (outside) pressure. It is more self-put pressure because I want to win a national championship again.”

Teammate Julia Freshour, 13, also of Pompano, turned in a solid performance as well. She won the Girls B Division surf rescue, paddleboard, run-swim-run, rescue relay, and moved up in both the Girls A swim relay and the U19 swim relay. She was second in the iron guard.

“I really love ocean swimming so it is probably that,” said Freshour, who is a Pompano Middle School eighth-grader and has competed since she was 7. “I like to race. The competitions are really important. I would skip anything that day to come to this.”

She also loves the adrenaline rush when she competes.

“I kind of tune everything out, and I get into this zone where I kind of go into autopilot and just go,” she said. “I don’t think about anything. I don’t feel anything. I can just go all out.

It is very important to win.”

Pompano Beach’s Victoria Scarpinito took second in the U19 Girls beach flags event. She’s competed for the past five years.

“I love the team spirit and team enthusiasm. I like the challenge and how you can push yourself,” said Scarpinito, 17, who will be a senior at Cardinal Gibbons in the fall. She is also a member of the school’s dance team and on the Pro-Am competition dance team.

“It is an amazing feeling once you are out there,” she said. “It is not the most important thing to win, but it is a good feeling when you do.”

Summer Schulte took first in the U19 girls Surf race (distance swim), paddleboard and iron guard, while Oliver Nagy was the top boys finisher for the Pompano program as he won three events in the Boys A Division. He won the surf swim, paddleboard and iron guard.

Rich Tammany, who heads up the host Lake Worth Junior Lifeguard program, said the event attracted about 200 junior lifeguards from as far south as Hollywood all the way north to Flagler Beach.

Among the other cities represented were Ft. Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Delray Beach and host Lake Worth.

“We were very excited,” Tammany said. “I have been doing Junior Lifeguards for 23 years and this is only the second time we have had it here. The other time we had it here was 2006. The kids are excited. The weather was good…water was good. It was a great day.”

Deerfield Beach

July 2: Someone threw a rock through the window of Intertek Dixie Plaza, a closed business at 5227 N. Dixie Hwy.

July 2: A man reported his vehicle parked at 4759 NW 9 Ave. broken into and a gun stolen.

July 2: A woman reported that her wallet was taken from her purse while she was at the Dollar Store at 3599 W. Hillsboro Blvd.

July 3: Someone stole five golf cart battery chargers from the Florida House at 475 S. Federal Hwy.

July 4: It was reported that a Toyota Corolla was stolen at 210 NW 38 Pl.

July 4: A woman reported that her vehicle at 630 Lock Rd. was broken into and two iPhone chargers stolen.

Lighthouse Point

June 30: The victim said he lost a wallet the previous day at 3860 NE 21 Way. He could not locate the wallet.

July 1: Police responded to a suspicious person at 4900 N. Federal Hwy. The subject was gone on arrival.

(This is a partial list. For Deerfield Beach Crime Watch in full, visit www.DFB.City and click on “Sign Me Up” to receive the city wide report.)