By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach High School kicked off the season with a 7-6 victory over McArthur in the Girls Flag Football Jamboree at Baptist Health Training Facility in the Miami Dolphins training facility at Nova Southeastern University.

Senior wide receiver and cornerback Kayla Bryant returned a punt 55 yards for the game-winning score in the jamboree.

“Kayla is a two-way star,” said Tornadoes coach Johnathan Firth. “She ran back the game-winning punt in the Dolphins Jamboree and had three catches for over 100 yards and a touchdown in another game and had an interception.

“Outside of football,” Firth continued, “she is even more special as one of the top ranking students in the JROTC program and committed to joining the military right after graduation.”

Coming off consecutive 1-8 campaigns the past two seasons, Firth said there is room for optimism.

“I think the one thing that describes this team is tenacity,” he said. “Flag football is new to many of these girls entering high school and mistakes are going to happen as they learn, but the one thing we preach and that can’t be taught is to give 110 percent and be aggressive on every play.

He said there are two underclassmen – sophomore Ayanna Williams and freshman Brianna Caffro – that have stood out for them and should help the team this season.

“Ayanna is playing flag football for the first time at the high school level,” Firth said. “She has already established herself as solid lockdown defender in coverage and a solid receiving target for our QB.

“Brianna is our starting varsity QB after playing in city leagues around Pompano and playing middle school flag at Crystal Lake,” Firth said. “Once she catches up to the speed at this level we could become very dangerous.”

Other returning varsity players include Melanie Chacon, Stephanie Chiquiza, Ty’anna Stevenson, Taylor Curry, Jada Howden, Paris Colbert, and Renee Innocent.

“While we are still a very young team, we have a lot of experience within that youth and have improved each year,” Firth said. “You always want to measure yourself against the best and see just how much your players have grown.

Miami Dolphins Youth Programs, in partnership with the Broward County Athletic Association (BCAA) and the Greater Miami Athletic Conference (GMAC), recently hosted the event, which featured 25 high school girls flag football teams from the South Florida area. The jamboree followed an earlier clinic on that educated the high school ladies on football skills. The event also received cooperation from nearby Broward College.

“This event continues to grow throughout the years,” said Miami Dolphins Senior Director of Youth Programs Twan Russell, “and we’re proud to teach these young ladies the proper skills they need both on and off the field to advance the game and their journeys.”

The goal of the event is to promote high school football. The Miami Dolphins Youth Programs’ mission is to emphasize the importance of education, physical fitness and positive choices for kids in a safe and fun environment. The Miami Dolphins Youth Programs’ vision is to prepare the next generation of leaders in staying physically active through our Junior Training Camps (JTC), Youth Football Clinics and Youth Football Camps in the South Florida Community.

Deerfield Beach also played in the event; however the Bucks came up short falling to Miami Southridge, 9-0.

By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach’s Mimi Denoma recently won the Pompano Beach Women’s Golf Association’s Club Championship for 2017.

Denoma carded a 3-day total of 243 to edge out three-time club champion, Marianne Webber, who carded a 3-day total of 254. Denoma’s effort was even surprising to her.

“It was absolutely remarkable,” said Denoma, who carded three 81s in her tournament debut. “It was definitely a surprise. That’s the best I have played and my scoring was lower than it normally is.

“My putting was consistently good and I was also consistent off the tee,” said Denoma, who carries a 12-handicap. “I finished well on the green. I had a lot of good recovery shots. I was very steady.”

Denoma said she was pleased with the tournament officials and the club in making it a memorable event. She received roses, champagne glasses and will receive her trophy on Tuesday at the course.

“Everyone was very supportive,” said Denoma, who was paired with Webber on the final round at the Palms Course. The women split the first two days between the Palms and Pines courses. “It was wonderful. We all cheer for each other. It was a phenomenal group and a remarkable experience.”

Tiebreakers decided the winners in the Second and Third Flights as Georgie Wright won the Second Flight over Debi Ladig after posting a three-day total of 269, while Kathy Dunn captured the Third Flight with a 303 over Patti Van Zandt.

Roseanna Nixon fired a 309 to top Patty Davis, who carded a three-day total of 321 in winning the Fourth Flight.

Junior lifeguard registration starts Monday

Registration for Juniors and Grommets will be open starting Monday, March 20 at the Pompano Aquatic Center.

There will be four, two-week Sessions for Juniors (ages 9 to 17): The first session will be June 12 to June 23, while the second session will be from June 26 to July 7. There will be no camp on July 5, however camp will be held on July 4.

“Session II is the ‘Competition Camp’ that is open to all Juniors,” said Nemia Schulte, President of the Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard Association.

“It will be more hard core than the other camps as this is designed to train those who plan to compete at the United States Lifeguard Association (USLA) competitions.”

The other two sessions will run from July 10-21 (Session III) and July 24-Aug. 4 (Session IV).

There will be four, one-week Sessions for Grommets (ages 7 to 8): Session I is June 19 to June 23; Session II is June 26 to June 30; Session III is from July 17 to July 21 and Session IV is July 31 to August 4.

The registration and camp session fees will remain the same as last year at $150 for residents, and $200 for non-residents (for Junior Lifeguard) and $75 for residents and $100 for non-residents (for Grommets Program).

Schulte said all 2016 Juniors would not need to re-take the swim tests unless they are going from the Grommet program to the Junior Lifeguard Program. All Grommets will need to take the swim tests and swim tests will also begin on March 20 at the Pompano Aquatic Complex during pool hours.

For more information contact Schulte at nemia2000@aol.com.

By Gary Curreri

When Pompano Cowboys Mitey Mites coach Ronnie McDougle began their inaugural season in the Gold Coast Pop Warner Conference, he had a vision. McDougle said the season started off with many new players, and the coaches put together a staff that helped players that needed guidance and new goal setting.

“The goal was to teach the kids to play for more than just themselves,” said McDougle, a Recreation Supervisor with the city of Pompano Beach. “We played for Collier City, our neighborhood. When the Super Bowl game arrived, the kids already had a full season of lesson, and domination was the only thing they had on their mind.”

“‘We’ve come too far to let up now,’ was the chant the entire week of practice,” said McDougle, whose team rolled to a 42-14 win over the Pompano Eagles in the Pop Warner Super Bowl game.

Ja’cari Barnes and Antonio Nuwry combined for five scores, while Terrell Loray added the final TD. “So for the biggest game of the year, the kids put on the biggest show for the fans.”

McDougle led his team to a perfect 11-0 season, which also included a win in the Miami Dolphins Championship Series (DCS). The Pompano Cowboys Mitey Mites 9U team recorded a 6-0 championship win in overtime over the Northwest Boys & Girls Club Falcons at the Miramar Asin Center. Barnes scored on a fourth down, 10-yard run for the win.

Gary Hadley scored as the Pompano Eagles 8U team also topped the Northwest Boys & Girls Club Falcons, 6-0.

The Miami Dolphins Youth Programs featured the league champions of six South Florida youth football organizations as part of the Dolphins Championship Series (DCS). Kids ages 5-15 years old from the American Youth Football League, Gold Coast Pop Warner, Greater Miami Pop Warner, Miami Xtreme, National Youth Football League and Youth Academic Sports League participated in the competition.

“The Dolphins Champion game was just one for the old bragging rights book,” McDougle said. “Anytime a Broward team plays against a Dade team is always guaranteed to be a good one.

“Northwest Boys Club is a very well-respected program,” he continued. “Both teams were missing players and played in the worst weather condition of that day. Our coaches watched and made great adjustments as the game went on and our kids, like they did all year, responded well to the match-up that we put them in to get the win in overtime.”

“It’s an honor for the Miami Dolphins to celebrate youth football in South Florida by hosting the Dolphins Championship Series,” said Miami Dolphins Senior Director of Youth Programs Twan Russell. “The DCS games provide another opportunity for student-athletes to compete and showcase their skills after another remarkable season of play.”

Two Pompano Chiefs’ squads also went far in the Pop Warner postseason playoffs as the JV team lost in the regionals to the Riviera Beach Chargers, 26-20, in double overtime, and the Varsity made it all the way to Nationals where they fell, 33-8, to the Harvey Colts (Chicago, IL.)

Jerold Smith, president of Football Operations for the City of Pompano, said he was proud of what his teams were able to accomplish this season. The Pompano squads broke away from the Miami Chapter of Pop Warner and joined with other teams from Broward County to form their own Pop Warner Chapter called Gold Coast Pop Warner.

The Pompano Eagles had two teams – 75-lb. and 85-lb. teams – that won the Superbowl in their division; Pompano Cowboys (100-lb. championship); Pompano Chiefs (155-lb. and 180-lb.) Superbowl championships.

“We had five teams from Pompano Beach win the Gold Coast Pop Warner Superbowl this year,” Smith said. “That was a great feat to do in our first year in Gold Coast as a founding member.

“The season went off without any problems and in our first year we had a team make it to the National Championship in Disney World, Wide World of Sports,” Smith added. “Our kids got to play two games on ESPN on National TV. It was a great experience for our kids and coaches as well.”

By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach Piranhas swim coach Jesse Vassallo is looking forward to the future of his program.

Vassallo, a member of the 1980 and 1984 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team, is a former World Record holder in the 200 and 400 meter individual medleys. He points to the success of Raphael Santos and Tyler Zuyus at the 26th annual Florida Gold Coast Speedo Winter Championships recently at Plantation Aquatic Complex.

Santos, 14, was third in the high point standings in the boys 13-14 division, while teammate Tyler Zuyus, 16, was second in the high point standings in the 15-16 boys division.

Santos won the Boys 13-14 100-free; the 100-IM; the 400-IM, the 200-free; and placed third in the 500-free; the 200-IM; the 1,650-free and fourth in the 50-free.

Zuyus captured the Boys 15-16 50-free; the 50-fly; 50-back; the 100-free; the 100-fly; and was second in the 100-back and third in the 500-free.

“Tyler and Raphael swam really well,” Vassallo said. “We brought 21 swimmers to the Winter Champs. Our team is a little bit smaller. We have some younger kids coming up.”

“We are doing well,” added Vassallo, who has nearly 180 swimmers in the program. “I am very proud of them. They sacrifice a lot and the commitment is huge. I would still like more (swimmers to come out).

Azura Florida Aquatics successfully defended its Winter Champs team titles in combined (1,390 points) and men’s (908.5 points), while Pine Crest defended its girls’ title (701.5 points). The Pompano Beach Piranhas placed 11th overall with 306 points and eighth in the men’s competition with 237 points.

Other top performers for Pompano included Lilia Blanco (6th in the Girls 10-Under 200-free; 5th in the 200-IM; 6th in the 100-free) and Marcus Sazbo (10th in the 10-Under 50-free; 8th in the 200-IM; 9th in the 50-fly; 9th in the 100-free).

Emilio Barrantes, 13, was ninth in the Boys 13-14 500-free; 7th in the 1,650-free; sixth in the 13-14 100-fly; ninth in the 200-free; Alex Marquez, 14, was 10th in the Boys 13-14 500-free; 10th in the 1,650-free; fifth in the 200-back; eighth in the 100-back; Jake Schulte, 12, was fifth in the Boys 11-12 500-free; sixth in the 200-IM; third in the 200-fly; third in the 400-IM; Shane Schulte, 15, was 10th in the Boys 15-16 100-breast; Summer Schulte, 13, was seventh in the Girls 13-14 50-free, 10th in the 50-back; 10th in the 100-back; Kelly Gest, 17, was 10th in the Women’s 50-breast; was sixth in the 200-free; and Alicja Zielinski, 16, was sixth in the Girls 15-16 50-breast.

Pompano Beach had several teams in the top 10 in the relays, including the Women’s 200-free relay (Summer Schulte, Adriana Rodriguez, Alicja Zielinski, Kelly Gest), which placed seventh; the same group made up the 200-medley relay that placed sixth; the Women’s 400-free relay (composed of Alicja Zielinski, Summer Schulte, Brooke Gest, Kelly Gest) was seventh; the Women’s 400-medley relay (composed of Summer Schulte, Mia Marquez, Alicja Zielinski, Kelly Gest) placed sixth.

The Boys 13-14 200-free relay (Emilio Barrantes, Paul Spada, Alex Marquez, Raphael Santos) placed fifth; and the same group made up the eighth place team in the 13-14 200-medley relay.

The men’s 200-medley relay composed of Tyler Zuyus, Alejandro Quinones, Kelly Schulte and Taylor Barton took ninth; the Men’s 400-free relay composed of Kelly Schulte, Shane Schulte, Taylor Barton and Tyler Zuyus took seventh; and the men’s 400-medley team (Tyler Zuyus, Raphael Santos, Kelly Schulte, Taylor Barton took ninth.

Meet Director Jimmy Parmenter, who is also the head coach of the host Plantation Swim team, said there were a little more than 1,100 competitors in the meet.

“This has probably been the best one yet,” Parmenter said. “We are trying to put on a good show for the kids. That’s what it is all about.”

By Gary Curreri

When it comes to the Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguards, summer and surf equals success.

Team Pompano turned in stellar performances this year at the three Junior Lifeguard competitions – Regional meet in Hollywood, State meet in Fort Lauderdale and then the 2016 USLA National Junior Lifeguard Competition at Hermosa Beach, California.

Summer Schulte, 13, an eighth-grader at Pompano Beach Middle School, turned in a career-best performance at the recent National Junior Lifeguard competition. Schulte won four events in the B Group Division (12 and 13-year-olds) and placed second in her other event to pace Pompano.

Schulte won the Surf Swim (Distance Swim), Paddleboard, Rescue Relay and Ironguard and was just edged out at the line in placing second in the Run-Swim-Run. She said winning her first event – the surf swim – gave her a lot of confidence for the rest of the competition because she had never won that event before.

“It felt really cool,” said Schulte, who was doing exhibition races with the junior lifeguards at age 8. Competitors need to be 9 to officially compete. “I didn’t think I was going to win that many (events at Nationals)…I learned a lot at this year’s camp and practiced in the California waters before the race so when I got to the actual race I knew which spots would work better. There were a lot of holes and the other girls were falling because they didn’t know where to go.”

The competition in California was difficult with approximately 4,500 Junior Lifeguards in Los Angeles County alone. Competitors from this county had to compete in a “prelims” event so that only the top competitors were able to compete at Nationals.

Notwithstanding, Team Pompano prevailed as National Champions in five events and Team Pompano won 25 medals at nationals (the top five finishers in each event earn medals). Team Pompano was the most medaled Florida team.

In the Girls B Division, Bella Taylor took first in the Rescue Relay; second in Ironguard, third in Run-Swim-Run and fifth in both the paddleboard and Surf Swim (Distance Swim). In the Boys C, Jake Schulte won the Ironguard was second in the Run-Swim-Run and was third in the Surf Swim (Distance Swim). Juliana Freire was fifth in the Distance Run and Alejandro Quinones took fifth in Surf Ski.

The “A” Division Swim Relay (Ronald Hache, Shane Schulte, Mia Marquez, Alex Marquez and Aaron Blanco) placed fourth, while the U-19 Swim Relay (Taylor Barton, Kelly Schulte, Alejandro Quinones, Ala Zielinski and Victoria Zielinski) was third.

“We were up against the best of the best on their home turf and we did really well,” said Nemia Schulte, president of the Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard Association. She has been president for the past four years of the group and has five children in the program, including Julia Schulte, 20, who represented the United States in Australia (2012) and in France (2014).

Team Pompano, with 208 total junior lifeguards in the program, won the state competition by more than 100 points over runner-up Fort Lauderdale.

At the state competition, winners included Grace Parnas (paddleboard, beach flags and surf-swim) in the C Division; Jake Schulte in the C boys division with wins in the distance swim, paddleboard, run-swim-run; Bella Taylor (distance swim, paddleboard, run-swim-run) in the Girls B Division; Victoria Scarpinito won beach flags for Girls A group and third in ironguard girls; the Under-19 ironguard swim relay also won. The team was composed of Mattheus Santos, Kelly Schulte, Tyler Zuyus and Victoria Scarpinito.

Another strong performance at state came from the C Division Ironguard: Yvonne Lane, Jake Schulte, Reese Andres, and Grace Parnas, who finished third. Two brothers also did well at the state competition as Alejandro Quinones finished third in Paddleboard in the U-19 Division, while his younger brother, Christian Quinones (B Division) also came in third in both the beach flags and paddleboard.

Fort Lauderdale’s Jackie Nava, 13, won the B Girls Beach Flag event at both the Regional and state competitions. It is only her second year competing.

“There is a lot of competition, but you just have to be more competitive,” said Nava, an eighth-grader at Westminster Academy. “This (program) teaches you that you have to be a good teammate and they support you. It is also good to win.”

Other top performances at regionals included: Shane Schulte (Pompano, Boys A), Alejandro Quinones (Pompano, Boys Under-19), Summer Schulte (Pompano, Girls B), Nicolas Calice (Boys B), Grace Parnas (Girls C), Reese Andres (Girls C) and Bella Taylor (Pompano, Girls B).

By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach High School’s Jalal Jean-Charles exchanged his sneakers for football cleats.

“I used to play basketball and this is more physical,” said Charles, 15, who will be a junior at Pompano this fall. This is his first year playing football. “The biggest adjustment I had was getting into a big team. In basketball, there are only 15 players and in football there could be anywhere from 30 to 50 players playing with you and it is more of a brotherhood.”

The Tornadoes were among 50 teams from the tri-county area (Broward, Palm and Miami-Dade) that played in the 9th annual Dolphins Academy Youth and High School 7-on-7 tournament at Plantation Central Park.

“I like playing with pads,” he said. “I like to be physical. We had a lot of good competition, but we were hoping to win. Tournaments like this helps us get better as a team. We run routes and it lets the quarterback adjust to our play style and we adjust to the quarterback’s play style.”

The high school football tournament consisted of round robin play and then moved into a single elimination format. The high school teams competed in the championship round with Carol City defending its title with a 35-31 victory over Miami Northwestern. Pompano lost both of its games in the tournament (Miami Northwestern, 35-17, and Spanish River, 24-10, but it was good competition for coach Rick Nagy, who was missing several of his top players, including John Padgett Jr. who was on vacation.

Pompano Beach capped the 2015 season with a 28-12 victory over St. Andrew’s School in the Southeastern Football Conference and will move to the Gold Coast Football Conference this upcoming season.

“It’s a grind,” said Nagy, who is in his fourth year as coach. “We coach from February through November so there is not much down time. This is an important part of football because it gives those young kids an opportunity to show their skills. We are a small school and we don’t have those tremendous athletes. We are missing like three or four starters today. It’s the summer and they are out and away on vacation.”

Pompano plays in five 7-on-7s this summer. They finished fourth out of 20 teams in a BCAA event, and said the Dolphins event helps them with their skill positions and he liked what he saw.

“I think we will be okay this year,” Nagy said. “The top four teams make the playoffs and I think we will make the playoffs. I am not much into predicting. I am a coach who doesn’t even go week by week. I like to go play by play. I don’t try to think too far ahead. I think we will be okay in the new conference.”

Pompano Beach senior quarterback Logan Good said his team benefitted from the competition. The 17-year-old said it helped him work on his timing with his receivers.

“You learn that not every play matters,” Good said. “It’s pretty cool to have the Dolphins do something like this. We are running the same offense as last year so we came into this hoping to get better. I am kind of trying to find the open man and get it to him.”

Tornadoes’ 6-foot, 4-inch junior receiver Andre Francis also enjoyed the experience.

“This was pretty fun and it is good competition,” Francis said. “We learned a lot about each other in this. This is the most organized 7-on-7 I have been a part of.”

“Our mission is to be the stewards of the game of football in South Florida and we were excited to host athletes and coaches at our symposium and tournament,” Miami Dolphins Senior Director of Community Affairs Twan Russell said. “We were able to engage students not only on the field, but had the opportunity to develop their character beyond sports, which is equally important.”

By Gary Curreri

In a little more than six months, Pompano Beach’s Samantha Finazzo has found a sport she loves.

Finazzo, 15, who will enter her sophomore year at Pompano Beach High School next month, joined the newly-formed Pompano Beach Piranhas water polo program and it has been an enjoyable experience.

“This was a lot of fun,” said Finazzo, who plays goalie for the Girls 18-Under team. “It was a good experience to meet new people and get a variety of players and teams we were playing against.

“I expected it to be a lot harder, but I improved my skills over the past couple of months and it came a lot easier than I thought it would be,” she said. “I just wanted to become a better overall athlete. It wasn’t anything that I expected. It was really fun and I loved it.”

The Pompano Beach Piranhas made their club water polo debut in the Sunshine State Games recently at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

Both teams played in the 18-Under Division. The boys went 1-3, while the girls were winless in four games.

Teammate Christine Bergamini, 17, of Lighthouse Point, is normally a swimmer, but has found water polo to be more enjoyable.

“I like water polo because it is a team sport,” said Bergamini, who will be a senior at Cardinal Gibbons. “The difference is you have to think more about how you are going to swim or who you are going to pass to. It’s been a lot of fun. Even though we lost, I learned a lot. I think we definitely improved each game.”

Pompano Beach coach Scott Moore used to coach in the 1990s and early 2000s, but took some time off. He returned to the pool deck when his son started playing water polo in high school and was looking for a team to play on.

“They have been playing a month together and we had a great time,” Moore said. “We have a set of twins, Victoria and Alicja Zielinski, and triplets — Megan, Brooke and Kelly Gest — on the girls team, so that makes it interesting. The Zielinski’s attend Northeast High School, while the Guess girls attend Cardinal Gibbons.

“This is new to me,” said Victoria Zielinski, 16, of Oakland Park. “I have never played club before. I have only played high school, so it is good to experience other high school people on a team together. Hopefully, we can do great things together. I knew some of the other water polo players, so I knew that if we all worked together that we would click. It was good getting new water polo players too.”

Zielinski, who will be a junior at Northeast next month, said water polo is a lot different than swimming. She’s played the sport for two years.

“It is totally different than an individual sport like swimming,” she said. “There is a lot of adrenaline getting into you. It is a lot of fun. There are girls trying to attack you and you are trying to get away and shoot.”

Zielinski said playing in the Sunshine State Games was a lot of pressure.

“I have never played two games in one day or four games in a weekend,” Zielinski said. “We only play once or twice a week in high school. I have only played with this team for two weeks, so there was a lot of pressure going in from not playing water polo in a month or so (since high school season ended).”

Her sister, Alicja, agreed: “The girls here are more intense than high school. I pretty much know most of the girls from high school. They are pretty friendly and it is a good team environment.”

Alicja is more of the swimmer and Victoria is the water polo player. Alicja competed in the 100-yard breaststroke at the state meet and finished 24th.

“It is fun to play with her,” Alicja said. “We just have to find each other and yell, ‘twin.’ I would like to play water polo in high school and then maybe college.”

By Rachel Galvin

Imagine playing craps with an octopus, putting on a poker face for card sharks under the sea and being served drinks by a mermaid… This fantastical concept will soon be a reality right off Pompano Beach. You will be able to stop for a selfie beneath the sea as you dive down to visit the Lady Luck, a 324 ft. historic tanker scheduled to be sunk on July 23 just 1 ½ miles off the shoreline.

The ship will be the centerpiece of what will become known as Shipwreck Park, surrounded by 16 other existing wrecks. This will be a unique underwater cultural arts park with rotating underwater art exhibits.

The Lady Luck has starfish and sand dollars on the highest level, closest to the surface where coral may grow. Down below, there are poker tables, crap tables and slot machines to explore, along with creative characters.

On July 8, many gathered inside the Pompano Marriott to celebrate the sinking of this vessel. It also served as a fundraiser toward that effort and for other events to come.

The road to creating this event was not a simple one. After attempting to purchase several boats and having the deals fall apart, they finally found a gem in New York, a tanker called Newtown Creek that had been decommissioned and was up for auction. Utilized to transport sludge in New York City since 1967, this vessel is getting a new lease on life as a tourist attraction thanks, in part, to Assistant City Manager for Pompano Beach Greg Harrison, who negotiated the deal from the original asking price of $235,000 down to $100,000.

Harrison said he was brought into the project in 2014.

“They assigned me to work with the chair of the economic development committee, Tommy DiGiorgio, Jr., and the chair of the tourism committee, Rob Wyre, to figure out how to make it a reality. It was a big challenge,” said Harrison.

Next, they needed an artist and that is when Dennis MacDonald came into play. Known locally for such projects as the Rapa Nui sculptures that were sunk off Deerfield’s pier June 7, 2015, MacDonald has worked with companies like Universal Studios and Disney in the past. When given the idea from the committees to do a casino theme, he wasn’t sure what to do, but it came to him eventually.

“When they gave me the concept, I was stumped at first, but then I thought, ‘Let’s have fun with this, make it whimsical.’ I started 2 ½ months ago. We used small models to create the sculptures. I had some art friends help me. Paul Costanza helped create the musculature on the sharks and helped with all the [characters’ attitudes]. I looked at the project as seven different environments, photo opportunities,” said MacDonald as he showed off a picture of his favorite slot machine, commenting, “I built it using pieces of the boat. It has a steampunk feel.”

Of course, getting sponsors was essential. Wyre is also the Regional Vice President of Operations and General Manager of the Isle of Capri Casino, so they partnered with the city on this venture, donating $312,500, which the city matched. The money goes toward cleaning up the boat to make it ready for the sinking, including removing any pollutants that may be harmful.

Wyre said, “This was the budget we thought we needed to just get it done, but we were a bit short. [This is why we are raising funds.]”

DiGiorgio understands the importance of this wreck on the community and the draw it will have from people all over the world.

“I was just in Spazio, Italy. There was a guy waiting for me and he didn’t speak English, but we were next to a dive shop and the guy there came out to [translate] for us.

He asked where I was from. I said ‘Ft. Lauderdale’ and then ‘actually Pompano.’ He said, ‘Pompano? Is that where they are sinking the casino boat?’ The guy takes people out on dives. He said next year, he is scheduled to go to Mexico, but, the year after, he is coming to Broward County,” he said.

He knows the economic engine this will be and talked about the large amount of hotel rooms that will be filled, and more to be added, just to accommodate the influx of tourists.

“The Vandenberg cost $9.5 million I think [sunk off the Keys in 2009]. The economic payback was less than six months. Spiegel Grove [also sunk there in 2002] cost $5 1/2 million and got a payback in less than three months.,” he said, adding, “It will take less than 20 minutes to get to [the site of the sunken Lady Luck], not a full day. In a couple of hours, people can have a great experience.”

At the July 8 event, there was a silent auction filled with nautical items, as well as a live auction with Pompano Mayor Lamar Fisher as auctioneer. Hors d’oeuvres and beverages were served. Joe West sang some oldies and speed artist Dale Henry a.k.a. “Paintman” quickly painted four pieces, which were auctioned.

DiGiorgio added that County Commissioner Chip LaMarca, who was at the event, was instrumental in getting free dockage at Port Everglades where the ship will be brought into, from its current position on the Miami River, before it sinks at 2 p.m. on July 23 off the Pompano Pier.

For more information, visit www.shipwreckparkpompano.org.

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach’s Jackson McKenna got a head start on this summer’s Olympics.

McKenna, 15, who will be a sophomore at Pompano Beach High School in the fall, cleaned up at the recent Transplant Games in Cleveland, Ohio by winning 10 medals for Team Florida.

He also earned the Youth Athlete of the Year award for the entire country for participants ages 3 to 17. Australia and Puerto Rico also had representation at the competition in addition to athletes from around the country.

“I didn’t expect it whatsoever,” said McKenna, who as an infant needed a life-saving liver transplant. “It was very surprising to say the least. I was shocked at first. I thought it was a joke. It was really a lot of work and I was grateful they selected me.”

McKenna captured gold medals in four events – 100-meter dash, long jump, high jump and darts (cricket) and five silver medals in softball throw, discus, 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash and darts (501). He picked up a bronze medal in the shot put – all in the 14 to 17 age group.

The efforts in shot and discus were surprising given the fact that he had never competed in either event and watched YouTube videos to learn the technique. He had also never competed in darts.

At 5 months old, he was diagnosed with biliary (tract) ectasia and needed a life-saving liver transplant. McKenna received his liver on Feb. 17, 2001, has been healthy ever since, and, every two years, he competes in the Transplant Games of America.

The Transplant Games of America include track and field events, swimming, table tennis, cycling, long jump, table tennis and the softball throw.

The 10 medals this year easily surpassed his previous record high of six that he earned in Michigan four years ago and the five he won in Texas two years ago. Yet, McKenna said winning is not the driving force.

“I just tried my best to see what I could do,” said Jackson, who has turned from sports to a new interest – playing the guitar. “I just wanted to win one medal. I had no idea I would do this well. The last few years have been pretty great. It is really fun. It is great to see the old friends you met from all around the world and then to meet new people.”

He took up the guitar two years ago and is in a music program in Boca Raton. He hopes to be a marine biologist or a guitar player when he gets older.

“When you are competing, you are trying to prove whatever it is,” McKenna said. “Through guitar you can let out your emotions. How you feel is how you are going to play.”

The Transplant Games showcase the success of transplantation and calls attention to the life saving importance of organ donation, and honors organ donors and their families.

“Health-wise he’s been doing great the past couple of years,” said his mother Jina McKenna. “We weren’t sure how he would do this year because he didn’t really put in as much time training for this as he had done in the past, but he really brought it when it came time for the Games. Winning the Youth Athlete of the Year was really special. It was really cool. We were shocked and surprised. We were happy and really honored.”

“He won it because of the medals, but also his participation with Team Florida and his fundraising,” she added. “It also went to his helping create awareness and his longevity in the Games since he has been competing since before he was 2.”

McKenna was the youngest participant in his first Transplant Games in Orlando in 2002 at 18 months as he competed in the softball throw.

“This experience has just shown me that you also go as hard as you can and you always try,” McKenna said. “Even if you think you can’t do something, you always try.”

By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach’s Jevon Williams was in familiar territory recently as he successfully defended his 100-meter boys hurdles championship at the Broward County Middle School track and field championships at Coral Springs High School.

“I didn’t expect it,” said Williams, who recently graduated from Pompano Beach Middle School. “It is kind of like winning a super bowl, but it is better because it was for my school.”

The 14-year-old Williams would know about winning Super Bowls as he won a youth football championship with the Pompano Eagles 13-Under team.

In addition to defending his hurdles title in 14.24, he also won the high jump with a personal best leap of 5-10. His previous best was 5-8. He barely clipped the bar as he attempted to top 6-0.

Williams put in a dominating performance in the boys hurdles as he won by nearly a second over Seminole Middle School’s Cody Brown (15.22). The Bengals finished second in the meet with 62 points, just nine points behind four-time defending county champion Lauderdale Lakes Middle School.

“I did good,” said Williams, who has been running track for three years. “It was pretty hard to repeat in the hurdles, but I had the experience.”

Other top local finishes with Pompano Beach Middle School athletes in the championships included Robert Floyd, who finished eighth in high jump (5-4); Darnell Deas, who placed third in the boys 100-meter dash (11.84), and Jeremiah Mathieu, who placed third in the boys 800 (2:12.18).

Pompano Beach kept the meet interesting as it went 2-3 in the 200-meter dash as Shamari Lawrence was second (23.25), while Williams was third (23.74). Pompano Beach also had two standout relay performances as their 4×100 relay took first (44.44), while the 4×400 relay was fourth.

Not to be outdone, the girls also turned in some solid efforts as they tied for ninth in the county with Sawgrass Middle School with 18 points. Lauderdale Lakes’ girls won the championship with 94 points.

Jaleah Williams was one of three girls to break the 1-minute barrier as she was third in the girls 400-meter dash (59.73). K’Nyah Isaac of Pembroke Pines Charter won the girls 400 (56.43). Williams also took third in the 200-meter dash (26.41).

The Bengals girls relays teams also earned points as the 4×400 relay team was fourth in 4:42.17, while the 4×100 relay clocked 55.37 to place eighth.

Simply Soccer Camp offered

Area residents are headed to the Simply Soccer camp that is in its 28th year in nearby Coral Springs. The soccer camp is for boys and girls, ages 5-15, of all skill levels, who will be 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 remaining dates are June 27-July 1, July 11-15, July 18-22, July 25-29, Aug. 1-5, Aug. 8-12 and Aug. 15-19.

You can register daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Coral Springs Gymnasium, 2501 Coral Springs Dr., in Coral Springs. For information on the Coral Springs camp, call 954-345-2200.