By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach’s Sydney Blackburn keeps her goals close.

The talented Highlands Christian Academy sophomore track star recently accomplished one of those goals as she threw 151.02 ft. in the discus and won the District 13-1A title.

Her throw is the second best in the state behind Hallandale High School senior Amani Heaven’s 161.50 ft. throw at the Pepsi Florida Relays. Blackburn’s throw is also the 18th best in the country.

“That felt really good because there were a lot of people from school there,” said Blackburn, who also won the shot put event that day with a throw of 37.10 ft.“The athletic director was there; the headmaster was there and so was my teammates.”

Blackburn said she sometimes feels pressure because she shoulders the load for her team.

“I just know that I am one of the captains, so if I am having a bad day, it will affect the others on my team,” she said. “It helps me know that my team is depending on me, so it helps me calm down. The competition I have now is not as good as my summer track.”

She finished fourth at the state meet last year in the shotput with a throw of 36.1 ft. but scratched on all three attempts in the discus.

“My throw would have been the winning throw at states,” said Blackburn, who was 9th in the state in the shotput in her 8th-grade year and was 14th in the state in the discus event that year. “They said I walked out of the circle wrong and didn’t count my throws. It was disappointing, but it really motivated me this year.

“I want to get 155 ft. in regionals and hopefully 160 at state,” said Blackburn, who placed 4th in the National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas with a throw of 144.75 ft. last July. It was her previous best throw until the district competition last week. Blackburn competes for Broward Elite Track Club out of Pine Crest in Ft. Lauderdale during the summer.

The regional competition is Wednesday at Calvary Christian in Ft. Lauderdale.

Blackburn, 16, is a sophomore and has spent 10 years at the school.

“It is a small school, but I enjoy going there,” Blackburn said. “With public schools, you get to experience more, but in my district there is very good competition.”

“I like to keep my goals close,” Blackburn said. “My goal is to get into the high 170s by the time I finish high school. My highest last year was in the 130s, so I am improving each year.”

Blackburn is highly thought of by Highlands track coach Brenda King.

“Sydney is our most valuable track member not just because of her points but she is our heart beat,” King said. “She is a fun loving young lady who does not mind working hard at athletics or academics.

Most importantly, Sydney, her family and me are all humbled to enjoy this great ride of her success through hard work.

“Sydney has always desired to go to college and participate in a sport,” added King, who said that Blackburn has drawn interest from the University of Miami and University of Virginia as well as Butler. “Now, track has made it more real for her. Sydney has special God given talents and she must be treated in that manner. She reminds daily of why I love to coach.”

By Rachel Galvin

Figuring out where local artist Laurence Gartel is right now is a little like “Where’s Waldo?” After all, he is not one to sit around Boca Raton; he is more likely jet setting half a world away. Recently, this “Father of Digital Art” was in Italy for an extended stint for his Hyp Pop show showcasing his work next to Andy Warhol’s. But he came back to SoFla with a vengeance.

Gartel explained, “Since my traveling exhibition in Europe, “Warhol vs. Gartel Hyp Pop,” which has gone to several Italian cities, as well as exclusive book signings in Switzerland, I have been working on a new book and preparing for this upcoming exhibition in Pompano. Additionally, I created three new ART CARS for Art Basel and will be displaying them at various venues throughout the New Year, like at Art Ft. Lauderdale (Jan. 24-28). SuperCar Week in West Palm (Jan. 6 –14), Foto Fusion (Jan. 23-27) and other locations. People will get to see one at the Pompano showcase.”

Yes, touring all around Art Basel showing off dynamic art cars and being on the scene wherever he could, Gartel garnered quite a lot of attention. Next, he will be speaking at Art Ft. Lauderdale. And, after that, he is bringing his artistic creations right back here to Pompano Beach for a special exhibition that is going to bring not only a lot of attention to the area and his art, but also will bring in dignitaries from all around. The show is slated to run Feb. 22 – March 8, 2018 (pending approval) at the new Pompano Beach Cultural Center, but the date has already changed once, so it could be shifted again (More details soon).

After visiting all these grand locales around the world, “Why Pompano?” I asked, to which he responded, “Pompano has committed itself to be a new arts region. There will be artist housing, artist studios, the cultural amphitheatre and the new cultural center. There will be an exhibition space, a lecture/multiple use environment (hopefully, having diverse programming and cross cultural events). Included there is going to be a Digital Media Center. This is, of course, my area of interest and I hope to have great input into the direction this area goes in. As a visionary and pioneer of this field, I have clear concepts which I hope to implement. The goal is to further enrich lives through the development of art and technology.”

He added, “When I started, Digital Media did not exist, so the world has come a very long way in 40 years. It has literally taken a lifetime but it is worth the effort to change the shape of our civilization.”

Back in the day, it was Gartel who introduced Andy Warhol to digital art, after meeting him at Studio 54. His work was the official artwork for the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, part of an Absolut Vodka campaign…He has created work for the likes of Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears… The list goes on and on of what he has accomplished through the years.

His upcoming Pompano exhibition, he said will “include a variety of images, as well as processes that have been explored over time. From electronic images that have been photographed off the video monitor screens with a still camera mounted on a tripod, to black and white orthographic prints, Iris prints, thermal graphic prints, large scale ink-jet prints, as well as 3D ‘sculptural’ works. There will also be works created with a 3D drawing pen, so there will be a variety of images. The other ‘surprise’ will be a wall of media created from the history of my career…This is most unique.”

The title of his exhibit is a name he used 30 years ago as the title of his first book, which was published in 1989: ‘Laurence Gartel: A Cybernetic Romance.’

“The ‘romance,’” he explained, “is between ‘Artist and Machine,” adding, “Early on, it was questionable how a creative person could use a computer to release aesthetic ideas and concepts, as Rembrandt, Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet and every other artist through the centuries did. This was a revolution to be sure which the entire world now embraces. It is mind blowing when you think of it — to change an entire culture through an artist’s vision.”

After this, what could be next for this artist who is always on-the-go?

“What’s next,” he said, “is to work on several concepts of books. I have so much work. Meeting new people around the world helps stimulate the artistic mind. I have been most fortunate to travel to Australia, India, Spain, Russia, Austria, Japan, Switzerland and Norway, to name a few. Travel is definitely in my future and so are the ART CARS that I love so much.”

For more on the Laurence Gartel, visit https://gartelmuseum.weebly.com/commissions.html.

By Gary Curreri

Adam Ratkevich couldn’t have picked a better spot to coach Western High School to the first win in school history.

Ratkevich exacted a little bit of revenge against his former school as the Wildcats football coach piloted his team to a stunning, 20-17 victory over host Deerfield Beach in the regional quarterfinals last week.

“We ended our season on this field last year and we had t-shirts printed up with ‘Unfinished Business’ and that was about the playoffs,” said Coach Ratkevich, whose team lost 27-13 to the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs in 2016.

“I told our seniors last year they built this thing and we are gonna stand on their shoulders and I promised the juniors if we saw these guys again we’d do it.”

Ratkevich, who coached the Bucks in 2009 and 2010, left the program after making the playoffs despite finishing with a 2-9 record. It was the first losing season since finishing 4-6 in 1989 and only the sixth losing season in the 40 years of varsity football at the school. Ratkevich finished with a 9-13 record at the school.

Western’s Harrison story tossed two touchdowns to Jordan Smith, including a 7-yard score with 3:19 to go to clinch the team’s victory over the state’s top-ranked Class 8A team by the Associated Press.

The Wildcats (9-2) defense recovered four fumbles of the night to keep Deerfield Beach (8-3) at bay.

Deerfield Beach running back Jaylan Knighton led all rushers with 126 yards on 21 carries, including a 34-yard touchdown that gave the Bucks the early, 7-0 lead. Story tied the game at 7-7 with a 2-yard run before Linden Rivera gave the Bucks a 10-7 halftime lead with a 30-yard field goal.

Deerfield Beach Coach Jevon Glenn said his team just couldn’t overcome turnovers and penalties. The Bucks were whistled 16 times for 120 yards.

Story gave Western a 13-10 lead on a 3-yard touchdown pass to Smith with 8:54 left in the third quarter; however, the Bucks wouldn’t go down without a fight as Kyle Kaplan hit Donte Banton for a 34-yard touchdown with 2:50 left to play.

The Bucks, making their 16th playoff appearance since 2000 and 26th overall since 1977, could get no closer.

Pompano’s Christensen finishes 11th

Pompano Beach High junior Thomas Christensen tied for 11th with a 155 (80-75) at the Class 2A state tournament at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills last week.

He was medalist at the

regional tournament and helped the Golden Tornadoes to a third place team finish. Pompano Beach also finished an impressive 10-1 this season.

By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach High School football coach Melvin Jones is hoping to cash in on his first coaching job.

The Tornados, coming off a 2-8 season last year, move back into District 15-5A play this season after being an independent for the past couple of years. Pompano Beach showed it could score in a 36-32 loss last week to host St. John Paul II, but Jones is excited about the season.

“I am very excited about the opportunity,” Jones said. “It took eight years for this to happen. I have applied at many schools in the county and have had countless interviews, but nobody was willing to pull the trigger until now.

“There is a lot of pent up frustration,” he added. “I am just ready to get things going to show what I can do.”

More than half the 30-player Pompano Beach roster is made up of seniors. The team is led offensively by Jalal Jean-Charles (RB/DB, Sr.), Brian Campbell (FB/LB, Sr.), Andre Clarke (WR/FS, Sr.), Jordan Jaramillo (WR/FS, Jr.), Andrew Putney (QB/DB, Sr.).

The team also has some strong defensive players led by Shemon Jenkins (CB/WR, Jr.), Daniel Eggan (SS/WR, Sr.), Kelly Moore (DE, Jr.) and a promising newcomer in two-way player Jacoby Clarke (TE/DE, Sr.).

“Our goal this season is to build upon our team philosophy which is ‘Stay in the moment, Live as a FAMILY, Dare to be Uncommon and Hold the Rope,” Jones said. “I think our team will surprise people this year. We are a unit that is determined to be great. We are a scrappy team that will fight to the end. We are looking forward to competing for a district title.”

Jones said the team would play the season with a strong motivation.

“As an athlete, you always have a chip on your shoulder,” Jones said. “We are striving to be great. In today’s society you have to prove yourself everyday you wake up. No matter what you did yesterday, you have to do it again today so the chip is always there.”

Senior offensive lineman Steven Nirenberg believes his team can be special. The 17-year-old Coconut Creek resident has been on the team all four years and believes an undefeated season is in the cards when the games start to count.

“I believe we can go 10-0 this year,” Nirenberg said. “It is a new system and we all believe what coach Jones is bringing to the table. The schedule is very winnable and I think we just have the fire in us to go 10-0.”

By Gary Curreri

With the start of school this week in Broward County, that generally signals the end of the Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard program for the summer.

The Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguards recently closed out the year by competing in the regional competition in Delray Beach; state competition in Ft. Lauderdale and about 35 competitors and coaches that went to the 2017 USLA Nationals Championship in Daytona Beach.

“This year, we had a very strong group of competitors representing Team Pompano not only in depth, but also in attitude,” said Nemia Schulte, president of the Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard Association. “We also have quite a few of our competitors in the U-19 Division vying for a spot on the Youth Team USA to represent the United States at the 2017 Worlds Competition in New Zealand in a couple of months.”

Team Pompano also held its end-of-year team banquet on Aug. 4 at the Skolnick Center.

Pompano Beach’s Christian Quinones was one of the program’s standout competitors this summer as he won the Boys Rescue Board Race and the Beach Flags competition in the Boys B Division at the James P. “Mac” McCarthy Memorial Regional Lifesaving Championships in Delray Beach. More than 200 competitors from around the state turned out for the competition in Delray.

“I like the program because it is fun,” said Quinones, 13, of Pompano Beach, who is an 8th grader at Pompano Beach Middle. “It gets your adrenaline going. It is fun competing against your friends and at other beaches.”

“I have made a lot of friends over the years,” he added. “It is really hard to compete against them every year. As you get older, the competition gets tougher.”

Jo Wagenhals, an Ocean Rescue Captain/EMT for Pompano Beach Fire Rescue, served as master of ceremonies for the regionals. She is also the treasurer for the United States Lifesaving Association’s Southeast Region.

“This program teaches team building, obviously athleticism, about the environment, safety,” Wagenhals said. “Flagler County is one county that brings in non-swimmers, kids who have never swam before, so they just get kids comfortable in the water, which is a huge step.”

Pompano Beach’s Gwen Bencie, 16, of the Ft. Lauderdale Ocean Rescue Junior Lifeguards program, won three individual events in the Girls 19-Under Division – Distance Swim, Rescue Board Race and the Surfski.

Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard Mattheus Santos, 16, of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, took first place in the Distance Swim; Run Swim Run, and was also a member of the winning Surf Rescue Relay.

Other local female winners at regionals included: Junior Ironguard: Girls A: Isabella Taylor, Pompano. Girls C: Reese Andres, Pompano. Distance Swim: Girls A: Isabella Taylor. Girls C: Reese Andres, Pompano. Rescue Board Race: Girls A: Summer Schulte, Pompano. Girls C: Reese Andres. Beach Flags: Girls A: Victoria Scarpinito, Pompano. Girls B: 2. Jennifer Johnson, Deerfield Beach. Run Swim Run: Girls 19-Under: Summer Schulte. Girls C: Reese Andres.

Other local male winners at regionals included: Junior Ironguard: Boys Under-19: Alejandro Quiones, Pompano. Boys A: Rafael Santos, Pompano. Distance Swim: Boys A: Rafael Santos. Rescue Board Race: Boys B: Christian Quinones, Pompano. Boys C: 2. Peter Roca, Hollywood. Beach Flags: Boys B: Christian Quinones. Boys C: 2. Yuri DeFranco, Deerfield Beach. Surf Rescue Relay Race: Boys 19-Under: Ronald Haehe, Mattheus Santos, Pompano; Boys A: Alex Marquez, Rafael Santos, Pompano. Run Swim Run: Boys 19-Under: Mattheus Santos. Boys A: Rafael Santos.

By Gary Curreri

The Pompano Beach lifeguard community lost one of its most decorated competitors in a tragic car accident on Sunday morning.

According to reports, it appeared Konnor Katzmark, 22, was bait fishing on the bridge near Atlantic Blvd and US-1, and was struck and killed by a driver as he attempted to cross the road. There is a blind spot near the top of the bridge located near St. Coleman Church.

Katzmark started with the Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard Program when he was 9 years old, and in the nine years he was in the Juniors Program, he won numerous National Titles in both the paddleboard race and the distance run.

“Oftentimes while watching him compete in the paddleboard races, I would think to myself that he was truly “one with the ocean,” said Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard Association President Nemia Schulte. “His style and speed on the paddleboard were truly a beautiful sight to watch.”

Katzmark was also one of the “founding competitors” for Youth Team USA in the U18 Worlds Competition in Australia in 2012. He, along with Schulte’s daughter, Julia, and Coach Chris Nowviskie, were the first representatives of Team Pompano to represent the United States in the coveted international competition simply known as “Worlds.”

Afterwards, they were all honored with a proclamation from the City of Pompano Beach, along with being chosen as the Grand Marshals for the Yuletide Parade, due to their international representations of Team Pompano.

“To many of us who had the privilege and honor of knowing him, Konnor was more than just a great waterman and competitor,” Schulte said. “Yes, he was a phenomenal surfer as well and he often embodied that typical “surfer dude” stance.”

Katzmark served as a professional lifeguard for both Deerfield Beach and Hollywood and was a multiple-time regional and national champion in the Rescue Board Race, 2K Beach Run, and Ironguard events.

“But to those who really knew him,” she continued, “Konnor was a great friend, sibling, brother and son. He was one of the most generous persons with his time and help for others. He had an infectious ready-made smile on his face, and his charismatic prose often led many of us in fits of giggles.”

Schulte called Katzmark an “overall good guy” and even though he graduated from the Juniors Program three years ago, Katzmark still touched many of the younger Juniors’ lives, oftentimes going surfing, fishing or learning to skateboard with him.

“In honor of Konnor, we request that everyone wear beach attire to both Friday and Saturday’s services,” said Schulte, who added there would be a Paddleboard Swim Out for Katzmark in the upcoming weeks as a tribute. “Beach attire would be considered board shorts and T-Shirts for the men and sundresses for the women.”

There will be a funeral visitation at Kraeer Funeral Home, 200 N. Federal Hwy., in Pompano Beach on Friday, June 30 from 4 to 8 p.m. Services will be held on Saturday, July 1 at 10 a.m. at St. Coleman Catholic Church, 1200 S. Federal Hwy., in Pompano Beach.

By Gary Curreri

The Pompano Beach Middle School boys and girls track teams closed out the school year with some outstanding performances in the season-ending county championships at Coral Springs High School.

Ja’leah Williams had one goal at the Broward County Middle School track and field championship meet, and that was to defeat someone from Lauderdale Lakes. So, in her final middle school meet, she did just that and more in defeating everyone from the county to win the 800-meter run with a time of 2:23.21, she successfully defended her title.

“This is very big because it was my last year and I finally beat someone from Lauderdale Lakes in an individual event,” said Williams, 14, of Pompano Beach. “That was my goal.”

This is her third year in the sport and she took also third in the 400-meter dash last year.

“I was very tired and I didn’t have any water, Gatorade or anything,” Williams added. “I just had to breathe in and breathe out. My friends want me to play flag football at Blanche Ely, so I might not do track next year.”

Williams was also a member of the 4×100 and the 4×400 relay teams. The 4×100 relay was third (51.89); the 4×200 relay was fourth (1:51.28), while the 4×400 team won the county title with a clocking of 4:08.34.

“We came in second in the 4×100,” Williams said, “so I really wanted to win the 4×400 and we did.”

Pompano Beach’s De’Wante Deas clocked a 14.64 to finish second in the 100-meter hurdles. The 15-year-old Pompano Beach Middle School eighth grader also was third in the 400-meter dash (52.32).

“I didn’t run the hurdles last year, just the 400,” said Deas, who was fourth in the 400 a year ago. It was his first year on a track team. “I ran them this year because my school needed it. I like to run. I am pretty fast and I like the competition.”

Two other Pompano Bengals competed in the finals. Kaleese Smith was fourth in the girls long jump with a 14-04.00, while Elijah Mohorne threw 35-05.00 to place seven in the boys shot put.

Deerfield Beach Middle School also had a couple of strong performances from Nate Metellus, who clocked a time of 11.99 to finish fourth in the 100-meter dash. The boys 4×400 relay finished fifth with a time of 4:00.51.

The Pompano girls team finished fourth with 36 points. Lauderdale Lakes was the runaway winner with 83 points. The Pompano Middle School boys team finished 11th with 18 points, while the Deerfield boys scored 9 and finished in a tie for 17th with Pioneer Middle School.

Simply Soccer camps offered

The Simply Soccer camp has entered their 29th year of camps in nearby Coral Springs. The camp is for boys and girls, ages 5-15, of all skill levels, who are taught a variety of soccer skills from dribbling to shooting.

There are three sessions each day ranging from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; extended hours camp from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a Tiny Tot program for kids ages 5 and 6 from 9 a.m. to noon. Full day campers must bring a soccer ball, swimsuit, shin guards, water bottle and lunch. You do not have to be a city resident to attend.

The camp just concluded its second week and there are seven sessions left this summer including June 26-30; July 10-14; July 17-21; July 24-28; July 31-Aug. 4; Aug. 7-11 and Aug. 14-18.

Register daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Coral Springs Gymnasium, 2501 Coral Springs Dr., Coral Springs. For information, call 954-345-2200.

By Gary Curreri

First, came the final out on a strikeout by Pompano Beach High School junior Trevor Kniskern. Then there was the perfectly executed back flip by the 5 ft., 11 in., 170-pounder off the mound, followed by the dog pile and pure pandemonium.

Kniskern, a Pepperdine University commit, helped the Tornadoes (24-3) to their 11^th consecutive victory and its first appearance at the Class 5A state tournament in school history as he tossed a 3-hit, complete game 9-0 Region 4-5A finals win over host Monsignor Pace (24-6) on Tuesday night.

Kniskern struck out six and improved to 11-0 on the season, and avenged a regional final loss to Pace last season.

Pompano Beach coach Joe Giummule said the victory was huge for the program.

“Last year was the first time in 55 years, since the school won a district championship, and Pace dog piled on our field after they won the regional final, and today we got to return the favor,” Giummule said. “I don’t think it matters who you are or what team, the wins are all huge when you get to go to states.”

Monsignor Pace, winners of five state titles, lost in the Class 5A state championship game last season, 1-0 in nine innings to Jacksonville Bolles, Pompano’s next opponent. The Tornadoes will play play Bolles in the state semifinals on May 31 at 10 a.m. at Centurylink Sports Complex in Fort Myers.

After four scoreless innings, Pompano Beach junior Christopher Ajello doubled with one out, Kniskern followed with a single and junior Chase Costello pounced on a 0-1 pitch from Pace starter Manuel Rodriguez for a three-run home run to center to stake the Tornadoes to a 3-0 lead.

Pompano Beach extended the lead to 4-0 on a bases-loaded walk to Costello and then padded the lead to 7-0 on a three-run fielding error on senior Austin Carney’s fly ball to center-left in the sixth and junior Michael Schuler added an exclamation point, with a two-run single. Ajello led the way by going 2-for-2 with two runs, while junior Matt Stephenson was 2-for-4.

“We made the plays and they didn’t,” Giummule added. “We have relied on pitching and defense and from 1 to 20 the kids have all bought in. This may not be the most talented team I have ever coached, but it has the best chemistry.”

The win was the first in four regional games as a coach for Giummule, who lost last year as a head coach and also fell in 2002 as an assistant coach with Deerfield Beach and in 2001 as an assistant at Taravella. He reached the state tournament in 1994 with Coconut Creek, but lost to Sarasota.

“If we can continue to get pitching and defense I think we have a shot,” Giummule said, “that’s what wins championships.”

By Gary Curreri

When the Pompano Beach High School baseball team kicked off the season, coach Joe Giummule believed his team was good enough to return to the Class 3A regional championship.

The team was ousted 9-3 by Monsignor Pace last year in the Regional championship game, and Giummuli is hoping that history doesn’t repeat itself. With an 8-4 win over Cardinal Gibbons in the Region 4-5A semifinal game on Tuesday, Pompano and Pace are on a collision course set for Tuesday in Miami.

“They are really a talented team,” said Pompano Beach coach Joe Giummule, who is chasing his first regional title in four tries. This is his second attempt at Pompano. He was an assistant at Deerfield Beach (2002) and Taravella (2001) when those squads reached the regional finals.

 Starting pitcher Trevor Kniskern got the win for the Tornadoes against Cardinal Gibbons as he went six innings and gave up just one walk and two hits while fanning 10 Chiefs’ batters.

The right-handed junior also helped his own cause with a two-out double and scored on a Chase Costello single. Costello, who ended the day 2 for 3 with three RBIs, came around to score on an Austin Carney base hit.

 Pompano Beach added a pair of runs in the third, fourth and sixth. Costello, Mike Schuler and Chris Ajello had two hits each. Ajello also scored three times.

“We just wanted to put the pressure on their defense,” said head coach Joe Giummuli, in his third year at Pompano. “We wanted to get things moving.”

Now, his team sets its sights on its second straight regional final game, against host Miami Pace next Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Pompano Beach (26-3) has outscored the opposition 193-69 this season and takes on a Spartans (26-5-1) team equally as dangerous as they have outscored its opponents 314-116. Pace knocked Highlands Christian out of the regional finals last season.

Highlands Christian falls

Daniel Malay led Highlands Christian Academy with a two-run home run in the Region 4-3A final contest, while going 1-2 at the plate for the Knights in a 6-5 loss to Archbishop Carroll.

The Knights, which led 5-0 in the game, allowed six runs in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings, ended the season at 10-13. Archbishop Carroll improved to 26-2 with the won.

PBMGA seeks members

Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association welcomes new members of all playing levels to their Wednesday tournaments. Dues are $35 per year. Wednesday tournament greens fees are discounted. They alternate playing the Pines and Palms Courses.  There is a prize pool fee of $5 when you participate in the weekly tournament.  Additional information may be found on the website at http://www.pbmga.com.

By Gary Curreri

The Pompano Beach Piranhas recently took 11th overall in the Florida Gold Coast Senior Championships at the Academic Village Swimming Pool.

Pompano Beach coach Jesse Vassallo brought 19 swimmers to the three-day meet and scored 449.50 points overall. The men’s team tallied 344.50 to finish 10th in that division, while the women scored 105 points, which was good enough for 17th overall.

“We hoped to do that,” said Vassallo, who cited a Top-12 finish at the meet. The host South Florida Aquatic Club (SOFLO) won the combined team title with 2,748 points. The team also captured the men’s title.

“We are a small team compared to the rest,” Vassallo said. “It adds up to the relays, a point here and a point there. There are three seasons in a year and we came to this meet not rested. We didn’t stop training. We kept training and we came in tired, but we did better that I expected. I had a kid (Tyler Zuyus) win high point without being shaved.”

Zuyus, 16, a junior at Ft. Lauderdale High School, is expecting to be the top swimmer at his school. He is also a Ft. Lauderdale resident.

“Meets like this help me prepare for bigger meets,” said Zuyus. “This is a marking point for where I want to be and where I am at so I know how to train for it. Sometimes we go into it not shaved or tapered and this was one of those times.”

He was pleased with winning the high point award.

“It is really an accomplishment for me to do this,” Zuyus said. “I wasn’t expecting to win the high point. It shows that I am able to do well under all of the pressure. Going back-to-back with all of those races … it is a confidence booster. My high school season was great and it was the first time I place individually. Unfortunately, our relays didn’t do so well. It’s okay. We will get them next year!”

Zuyus was runner-up for the high point award at the Winter Championships. He said he is now looking forward to swimming the summer season.

“I am going to sleep,” said Zuyus, who swam nine total events individually and five relays. “I haven’t slept in a couple days. I was really happy with my 200 back because I dropped two seconds and every other race was close to my personal best time.”

The team’s performance also came off a solid effort at the Junior Olympic competition a couple of weeks earlier.

“At the JOs,” Vassallo said, “we were a very small group. We only brought eight swimmers. Rafael Santos won three events, and Lilia Blanco also swam really well. She is only nine, but she came in third three times and scored in every event she swam in the 10-Under competition.”