Tag Archive | "Lucas Altieri"

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Bucks win Kreul title

Posted on 28 December 2017 by LeslieM

By Gary Curreri

Bracket MVP Victor Robinson scored 10 points to help lead Deerfield Beach to a 57-45 victory over McArthur for the BCAA Challenge championship in the 28th annual Kreul Classic basketball tournament at the Coral Springs Gymnasium.

Robinson, a junior, was helped by junior Faizon Francis, who also scored 10 points in the win for the Bucks (7-3) in the championship contest.

We’ve been getting better,” said Deerfield coach Kenny Brown, who has won four straight. “The strength of the team is our numbers.”

The Bucks are off to a 7-3 start and were slated to play Naples in a tournament game last night, which was unavailable as of press time.

Senior captain Lutelson Jerome is averaging 10.3 points per game and 6.3 rebounds a game, while Robinson is knocking down an average of 10.1 points per game and 8.0 rebounds a game.

Even though the Bucks have lost three games, they have all been within single digits – losing to Palm Beach Lakes, 60-55, and then Coral Springs twice, 61-55, in overtime and 60-54 just four days later. Coral Springs leads the District 11-9A race with a 6-0 record, while the Bucks are 4-2 and tied with Taravella.

Altieri competing at Nationals

Deerfield Beach’s Lucas Altieri is competing among the top skaters in the country this week at the 2018 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, Calif. from Dec. 29 – January 7, 2018.

Altieri, 16, a sophomore at North Broward Prep School, is looking to win the Novice Men’s Division. He is a member of the Coral Springs-based Panthers Figure Skating Club.

Three other members of the club will join him at Nationals, including Coral Springs’ Sophia Chouinard (Novice Ladies) and Senior Division skaters — Coral Springs’ Andrew Torgashev and Franchesca Chiera, who are also hoping for spots on the U.S. Olympic Team.

Nationals, it’s the biggest event, so I really want to skate great there,” said Altieri, who finished fifth in the same division last year. “Nationals is pretty big for me. It is not like it is the only thing in my life, but it is definitely a huge part of it. I spend a lot of time skating and thinking about it.”

Altieri punched his ticket by finishing in the top four at U.S. Figure Skating’s Eastern Sectionals in Boxborough, Massachusetts in November. Only 12 skaters from all over the U.S. qualify for Nationals in each discipline.

Altieri, who finished third in the Novice Men’s Division at the Sectional event, has skated for almost six years and said he is looking for his best performance of the season.

He certainly puts in the time, skating from 5 to 6:30 a.m. every day.

This season has been okay,” he said. “I haven’t broken out yet. I haven’t skated great yet. I am hoping to skate my best programs possible at Nationals. I want to finish first.”

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Local skaters compete in South Atlantic Regionals

Posted on 19 October 2016 by LeslieM

sports102016By Gary Curreri

Lighthouse Point’s Arianna Varvoutis and Deerfield Beach’s Lucas Altieri recently returned home after competing in the South Atlantic Regional Figure Skating Championships at the Ashburn Ice House in Ashburn, VA.

Varvoutis, 13, a 7th grader at Pine Crest in Fort Lauderdale, has skated since she was 7. Her friend had a birthday party and Varvoutis was hooked. She was one of 30 members of the Panthers Figure Skating Club based at the Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs that competed in the event.

I immediately fell in love with (figure skating),” she said. “It was so much fun. I kept going to practices and group classes and started competing.

It is really fun now,” added Varvoutis, who finished 11th in the Juvenile Girls Group E Division at the competition with a 41.97 score. “I am competitive, so when I go to compete I get nervous, but once I get on the ice I think in my head, ‘put on a show and the judges will give you as many points as they can.’”

Skating is a special place for Varvoutis.

It is a feeling of happiness,” she said. “You get away from school, your parents telling you to do your homework and other family members (a younger brother, two turtles and a cat). I am the one that has to take care of them (pets).”

It is the greatest thing,” Varvoutis continued. “It is my calm zone where I can get away and be happy.”

This was her second trip to regionals. Her goal was to get above 43 and make it to the final round. This is her second straight trip to compete in the Juvenile Division.

Last year, I wasn’t the best,” but this year I have accomplished so much more,” she said. “My double Lutz, my double flip, and my double-double. I think I am going to do great.”

Altieri and fellow Panthers Figure Skating Club member Sophia Chouinard recently returned from the 2016 Novice and Junior Challenge Skate, which took place in Salt Lake City, Utah. The invitation-only competition was based on the International scoring system.

It was huge for them to get the exposure and go,” said Nancy Mariani, the Director of Skating Development at the IceDen. Altieri skated to a fourth place finish with a 39.87 short program and 77.06 long that resulted in a 117.69 total. Chouinard was 11th overall with a 33.13 short; 63.46 long, and 96.59 total.

Altieri, 15, a freshman at North Broward Prep, is in his fifth year skating. He said the trip to Utah wasn’t really different from most competitions.

The altitude made it harder to skate,” he said. “I got to experience that. I did okay at that competition by finishing fourth with my new program.”

It was a good year for Altieri last year and he is hoping for bigger and better things this year.

It was pretty good, but what I get nervous about is that I won’t improve as much as last year,” he said. “Last year, I got like two or three new jumps and this year I have one or two, but I am trying a triple-triple, which is a really hard combination.

After a previous best finish of fifth at regionals, Altieri won a Pewter medal at the nationals in the Intermediate Division. This year he is competing in the Novice Division. Not only has he grown on the ice, he also experienced a growth spurt adding five inches to his now, 5-foot, 8-inch frame.

Not much has changed for him as his goal is to return to nationals this year. He placed second at the regional event in the Novice Men with a 94.03 score.

I want to try and do the same as last year and win a medal at nationals,” Altieri said. “I would rather do well at nationals than at a smaller competition. The difference this year is there are new competitors and the judging is a little bit different in Novice. I have to focus more on my edges and my footwork. I want to compete in the Olympics, but that is far away.

Lucas is one of those skaters that just appears to be even,” Mariani said. “Some kids might be doing things that might be harder, but when you put all of his stuff together, it equals magic and that is why he does so well.”

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Altieri finishes 4th in the country

Posted on 04 February 2016 by LeslieM

sports020416By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach’s Lucas Altieri had hoped for a top-5 finish at the recent U.S. Figure Skating National Championships at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN.

Mission accomplished. The 14-year-old Altieri, who skates for the Florida Panthers Figure Skating Club, won a pewter medal (fourth place) in the Intermediate Mens Division. It was quite a rise for the North Broward eighth-grader who failed to get past the sectional competition when he placed fifth, one spot out of qualifying.

Last year, I wanted to make it to sectionals, but I messed up something easy (a spin) and I didn’t make it,” Altieri said. “This year, I was hoping to make it to nationals and just do well.”

Other locals from the Panthers Figure Skating Club who competed at nationals included Coral Springs’ Sophia Chouinard, who captured the silver medal in the Intermediate Ladies Division, Weston’s Alexa Binder (9th in the Juvenile Girls Division), Bonita Springs’ Paxton James (11th in the Intermediate Ladies Division) and the Intermediate Pairs duo of Zoe Larson and Jim Garbutt, both of Coral Springs, who narrowly missed a medal by placing 5th in the Intermediate Pair Division.

Competing in the highest division in the country (Senior Ladies), Coral Springs’ Franchesca Chiera finished 12th in the country. She finished 17th and 16th the previous two years at nationals.

Highlands to host hoops class

Highlands Christian Academy will host the South Florida Basketball Coaches Social on Saturday, March 5.

The speakers include the following:

Reg Cook — (’74 Bryan University) the former Boys Varsity Basketball Coach at Highlands Christian for 28 years (Overall Record: 518-265) will have a session topic on Relationships.

Mike Blanc — (’10 Auburn University), who played on Auburn’s National Championship Team; played in NFL (Chargers & Steelers) and is the Broward Director for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, will cover Personal Testimony/Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

John Zeller — (’75 Tennessee Temple University; ’95 United States Sports Academy, M.A.) the Executive Director of Score International will cover Score International.

Chad Keller — (’97 Flagler College; ’06 United States Sports Academy, M.A.), the former Boys Varsity Basketball Coach at Leesburg High School for 7 years (Overall Record: 155-47) and in his 12th season as Assistant Coach at Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, will cover ERAU Philosophy/Team Camp.

Mike Jarvis — (‘68 Northeastern University) compiled a career record of 364-201 as a Men’s Basketball Coach at Boston University (‘85-’90), George Washington (’90-’98), St. John’s (’98-’03) and FAU (’08-’14). He will discuss Everyone Needs a Head Coach.

The cost is $35 for each coach prior to March 1, $45 after. Coaches can register early and receive a discount and, if three coaches from a school register, the fourth coach is free. To register, visit www.highlandsknights.org. For more information, call Jim Good at 954-421-1747, ext. 1301 or e-mail jim.good@highlandschristian.org.

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