By Gary Curreri

The Crockett Foundation recently partnered with the First Tee of Broward for a nine-week session at the Pompano Beach Golf Course.

“Out of all the value-added programs we offer,” said Courtney Kambobe, director of programming from The Crockett Foundation, “the First Tee class is the No.1 program that the students love the most.

There were 14 middle schoolers that participated and learned the nine core values offered through First Tee. The coaches were T.J. Ziol and Karen Michaels, while the volunteers included Jillian Bourdage and Ted Drake.

“Jillian is the most humble kid,” said Michaels, 65, of the teen who has won four straight Carol Mann championships and helped American Heritage-Plantation School to the Class 2A Girls state championship this past year. “She does so many clinics and things to help the game of golf that it just rolls off her shoulders.

Michaels shot an 87-97-186 total to finish 8th in the Championship Flight of the Broward Women’s Am., the recent Broward County Women’s Amateur Golf Tournament at Ft. Lauderdale Country Club in Plantation, which was a decent finish considering she was coming back from a hand injury and hadn’t spent much time on her game.

“This was the first year that I played in the Broward Amateur and I challenged myself to get to know women who could play golf,” said Michaels, who has been a coach with the First Tee for 5 years. She is a Level 1 certified coach.

“This tournament was great because there were women who were 80 years old and at least 65 percent of the women in the field were seniors.

The Crockett Foundation has positively impacted the lives of thousands of children since its inception in 2002. The after-school programs focus on math, reading, health and technology for middle-school students.

“The middle-school kids are bused to Pompano Municipal and it is a great group,” Michaels said. “They listen. They learn, and we can make a big difference in their lives.”

“The Foundation (spearheaded by former Pompano Beach residents and NFL football players Zack and Henri Crockett), has helped more than 1,000 students in our local community graduate from high school with better grades and a more positive outlook on life,” Kambobe added.

By Gary Curreri

Terry Denoma made the most of his recent “snowbird” visit to Pompano Beach.

Denoma recently won the Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association Club Championship. The part-time Pompano, part-time Illinois resident is gaining ground on his wife Mimi, who won the Pompano Beach Women’s Golf Association Club Championship two years ago and finished second this year to Marianne Weber.

“I retired last year, so I usually spend about four months a year in Florida,” said the 69-year-old Denoma. “I got to meet so many nice guys. This was the first year I was in the league. My wife won it two years ago, so I had to do something. She’s the real golfer. I’m a hack. I just got in the right division.”

Denoma said winning the club championship was unexpected.

“I have always enjoyed match play versus stroke play,” Denoma said, “because I have too many bad holes and you just have to have the right holes in match play.”

Denoma started out the tournament in the C Class and shot 86-83 to win his division to advance to the championship round against the winners of the other classes (A, B, and D) and played in a one-day tournament where Denoma, and his 22-handicap, prevailed when he shot an 86.

“It was just a lot of fun,” Denoma said. “It was my first year, so I didn’t know what to expect. The starter Dennis told me I got a parking spot now. Do I really get a parking spot? I will have to look at that when I come back down.”

Denoma said he has played ever since he got out of college and believes after this season in the Pompano Men’s Golf Association that his handicap will drop to about a 17.

“The thing I will remember most is when you are on 18 and there is water on the left and the other guy is right down the middle,” he said. “You hit and hope that you stay in the fairway and that you can bogey the last hole and try to win it.”

Denoma parred the final hole and wound up winning by three strokes.

“I’m a competitor and I always played sports,” Denoma continued. “I think that is why we all play golf because we can still compete at it, even at an advanced age. I am going to try and get better. That is the one thing about golf, you always look for the next shot or the next day. My goal is to beat my wife sometime.

“I don’t think it is going to happen,” he continued. “She is like a 10 handicap and my son is a four, so I stay away from him. I also have to thank Deborah Brown for all of the time she puts into organizing this and stroking all of our egos. She puts a lot of hours in.”

What’s next up for Denoma, who admittedly said he isn’t as good of a golfer as his wife?

“I have one hole-in-one, and my wife has three,” he said. “I guess I am going to be chasing her there too.”

By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach’s Shannon Snell is doing quite well down underafter competing in the 2018 Queensland Surf Life Saving Senior State Championships in Maroochydore, Australia.

The 20-year-old Snell, a 2016 graduate of Cardinal Gibbons High School, recently placed fifth in the Open Women Beach Flags Final and seventh in the Open Women Beach Sprint despite a tight quad muscle. She was representing the Kurrawa Surf Life Saving Club.

Snell, who represented the U.S.A. Open Team in the DHL International Surf Rescue Challenge in New Zealand that was held from Nov. 30-Dec. 4, extended her stay in Australia to become even more proficient in her lifesaving skills.

“I’m currently in Australia training in the surf-lifesaving sport,” said Snell, who placed second in the sprint and fourth in the surf ski events during the DHL in Mount Monguani, New Zealand.

“Since they are 50 years ahead of the U.S.A., there are actually clubs to train with that you can get the proper technique and training sessions to excel when racing internationally and for the U.S.A. (United States Lifesaving Association) Nationals. I was beyond thrilled to be selected for the U.S.A. team.”

The DHL challenge has been held since 1999 and attracted seven countries from around the world to compete head-to-head in New Zealand for the title of International Surf Rescue Champions. Snell helped the United States finish third in the competition.

Snell has been pleased with her progress so far. In January, she also took second in the Open Beach Sprint Final at Ocean 6 Series and ninth place in Open Women Beach Flags Final in North Cronulla Beach.

“To be able to race with the top athletes in the U.S.A. is always a very humbling feeling and knowing that the work you put in doesn’t go without being noticed,” she said. “I was very pleased too to place as well as I did with coming out of our winter training into everyone’s else’s summer since the seasons are different.

“The goal for Australia is to learn as much knowledge as I can in this sport and take that home with me and become a better athlete,” Snell continued, “and to help the next generation in the states and in Florida to be able to see the sport continue to grow.”

Snell has been an Ocean lifeguard since 2016 on both the east and west coast of the United States, and, prior to that, was a Pompano Beach Junior lifeguard since the age of 9. During that time, she was selected to represent the United States Youth National Team in France in 2014. She also travelled to Japan and Australia the following two years.

Snell earned her fourth invitation to represent her country based on her performance at the United States Lifesaving Association Nationals in Daytona Beach this past summer.

By Gary Curreri

Ben Koos couldn’t have been happier with the recent charity beach volleyball Pro/Am Tournament on Deerfield Beach.

The Embrace Life Children’s Foundation teamed up with Dig the Beach Volleyball and raised more than $5,000 to go towards helping children in the community and those proceeds went directly to helping the Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital at Broward Health.

“The event was a good start to hopefully an annual event,” said Koos, the tournament organizer. “We had over 100 players come out between Saturday and Sunday, which made for great viewing for the fans and a great time for the players.”

The inaugural event featured two days of competition, including Men’s/Women’s Doubles for both professional and amateur players, while Sunday included Junior Boys/Girls 12-18 and Co-Ed Doubles.

Several community sponsors joined in, including Jersey Mike’s Subs and Harmless Harvest Coconut Water, who fed and hydrated the players. Other local businesses supporting the event included Rox Volleyball as a Title Sponsor, Pediatrix, Island Water Sports, Hypower Electric and International Union of Police Associations.

Koos’ wife, Carolyne, who helps run the charity, also deemed the event a success.

“We ended up with 100 players, which wasn’t bad for the first time,” she said. “With the funding we received, we have been able to outfit the NICU and Pediatric Unit with some much-needed items on their wish list and also pay for transportation for the sickle cell pediatric patients to Camp Boggy Creek, so those patients can forget their medical issues and just have fun for a bit.

“We just had a Spring Fling visit filled with bunnies, chicks, and spring goodie bags and toys for all of the pediatric patients from oncology, peds floor, to PICU and NICU,” she continued. “It is a joy and a blessing to help these families with whatever they need from help with medical bills to fun group outings with patients to shows, or tickets to events, funding for medical research, or day-to-day needs, like clothes, or computers.”

Carolyne Koos said the organization does what they can to try and improve the lifestyle. She and her husband started the non-profit charity organization after their 2-year old son, Christian, passed away recently after a long battle with a rare neurological disease. His genetic disease, known as Leukodystrophy, can affect anyone from a newborn baby to an elderly person.

“Whatever makes their life a little easier while they work on getting better, we are happy to do,” said Carolyne, who would bring gifts to the Broward General Medical Center and Miami Children’s Hospital during her son’s stays “just to see a smile on a child’s face.”

Carolyne speaks with the child life advocates at each hospital to find out the needs of the children and to find out how they can help.

“As always,” she continued, “being 100 percent volunteer driven with no administration costs or salaries, you can tell our heart is in what we do. It truly is a beautiful gift to be able to work with and help these families…I have to say from my point of view all the players, organizers, promoters and supporters were nothing short of a huge blessing to me and the families.”

For more information, visit www.embracelifechildrensfoundation.com.

The HCA Junior Varsity boys’ basketball team won the SACC Tournament recently with a 63-61 victory over Westminster Academy. (L to R) top row: James Nichols, Sean Julien, Bryce Everette, Brady Tiedemann, Darryl Carney, Pasha Szklany, Coach Luke Still; (bottom row): Nick Vaccaro, Mike Giourgas, Jimmy Good, Kolton Wik, Lor Louis, Josh Gray. Submitted photo

By Gary Curreri

The Highlands Christian Academy junior varsity boys basketball team got a little revenge as it captured the South Atlantic Coast Conference (SACC) championship with a 63-61 victory over Westminster Academy.

The Knights finished 15-8 this season and avenged its overtime loss to Westminster last year. Highlands Christian finished 15-3 last year.

“I could not be prouder of our guys,” said Coach Luke Still, whose team also won the Sheridan Hills JV Invitational a week ago by defeating Boca Christian and then Sheridan Hills. “Going into this season we knew we had lost some talented guys from the previous year; however, this team was full of guys who were determined and not afraid to put in hard work.”

The top-seeded Westminster Academy squad advanced to the championship game with a 59-57 win over fourth-seeded Berean Christian, while second seeded Highlands edged third-seeded Jupiter Christian, 47-46, to move on. That win also avenged a two-point defeat to Jupiter Christian earlier this year.

In the opening game against Jupiter Christian, James Nichols led the Knights with 13 points, while Jimmy Good added 12 including 3 three-pointers.

In the championship game against the Lions, Nichols led the team again with 16 points, while Kolton Wik added 15 and Good had 13. The Knights had seven baskets from long distance that game with Wik and Good both hitting 3 each.

“As a first-year student and player at Highlands, I knew this would be the right fit for me,” said Nichols, 14, of Deerfield Beach. “I enjoyed how Coach Luke prepared us in practices for the games. We worked really hard as a team and were able to accomplish our goal of winning the SACC Championship.”

The Knights were tied at 61 when Lor Louis got fouled with one second left on the clock. He hit both free throws to seal the Championship.  He finished the game with 5 points and had 8 points in the semis against Jupiter.

“Just getting into the championship game was success for me, but our team was determined,” Still added. “After posting our best half the entire season, we let the lead slip in the fourth quarter. Westminster always plays hard, and had tied the game, with one second left on the clock, Lor Louis was fouled and knocked down both free throws. What a moment, for our team, for Lor who has worked incredibly hard to improve his game, and for our school.

“To win the SACC on our home floor and the first win in over eight years,” he added. “As a coach, you desire to see young men improve on the court, but, more importantly, to see them grow in character and integrity as young men. It was such an honor to coach this incredible group of guys this season.”

By Gary Curreri

Blanche Ely senior cheerleader Makya Harvard couldn’t have been happier with her team’s performance this season as they reached the FHSAA Class 2A state semifinals.

Harvard, 17, of Pompano Beach, finished her fourth year on varsity and third year on the competition team. Even though the team doesn’t have captains, Harvard is one of the leaders on the squad.

“I have to make sure everyone is okay physically and emotionally,” said Harvard, who has been a cheerleader since age 4. “I also make sure everyone is on time and able to do what they are supposed to do. The best part for me? When I hit the mat and do what I do.”

More than 50 teams and 800 athletes from Broward, Palm and Miami-Dade counties competed in the Region 4 competition at Coral Springs High School. The top two teams in each division with a raw score of 70 or better earned an automatic entry into the state finals. A qualifying score of 60 or better earned the team a spot in the state semifinals at the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on the campus of the University of Florida.

The Tigers finished ninth in the Large Non-Tumbling division and qualified for the state semifinals. They finished fourth at the state competition during those semifinals and failed to reach the finals at state.

“There is an excitement knowing what I am doing, that people want to participate and I am making others happy…” Harvard said. “That’s what cheerleading is about, cheering people up.”

She said the hardest part about the sport is getting fans excited when a team is losing. She said the football season was very difficult.

“That happened a lot this year; but, being a leader, you can’t let your emotions get the best of you,” she said. “I have to show my teammates and cheer everyone else up.”

How will that help down the road?

“I think knowing that I can put my emotions aside in things that are important to me, and being a leader and taking charge, will help me when I get out in the real world and [with] a real job,” she said. “When I first came in my freshman year, we weren’t too good, and each and every year, we have progressed … We have unity and we go out together now. We have become one big family.”

Harvard said she was relieved that the team qualified for state this season.

“It just shows that all of those long nights paid off,” she said. “Even though there were times when our fliers had injuries, we just pushed through.”

Deerfield Beach placed 10th at the regional competition in the Small Non-Tumbling Division and Pompano Beach finished ninth in the Medium Non-Tumbling Division as both squads failed to advance to state.

By Gary Curreri

Marianne Weber fired a three-day total of 249 to win the Pompano Beach Women’s Golf Association Club Championship. Weber won the 3-day Low Gross tournament that was played Jan. 23, 25 and 26 defeating last year’s club champion, Mimi Denoma, by 13 strokes.

Nancy Rack won the B Flight with a 264 total, while Janet Tomchik shot 270 to finish as runner-up. In the C Flight, Vonnie O’Keefe (279) edged runner-up Kathy Dunn (289) for top honors. Alberta Bove carded a 316 to win the D Flight over Roseanna Nixon, who finished with a 321.

Charity beach volleyball event set

The Embrace Life Children’s Foundation has teamed up with Dig the Beach Volleyball to host a charity beach volleyball Pro/Am Tournament slated for next weekend on Deerfield Beach. Proceeds are going to the Salah Children’s Hospital at Broward Health.

The event, to be held on Feb. 10-11, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. will feature two days of competition. Saturday will include Men’s/Women’s Doubles for both professional and amateur players, while Sunday will include Junior Boys/Girls 12-18 and Co-Ed Doubles. The event will be held at 310 N. Ocean Blvd.

Several community sponsors have already joined, including Jersey Mike’s Subs and Harmless Harvest Coconut Water, who will feed and hydrate the players on Saturday. Other local businesses supporting the event are Rox Volleyball as a Title Sponsor, Pediatrix, Island Water Sports, Hypower Electric and International Union of Police Associations. Registration deadline is Feb. 9.

For player and sponsor information, visit www.embracelifechildrensfoundation.com or call Ben Koos at 954-608-2779.

Dillard tops Ely in 4-0 thriller

Dillard’s Bryce Oliver scored a game-high 25 points, including a key free throw down the stretch to help the Panthers escape with a 78-72 victory in four overtimes over visiting Blanche Ely.

Oliver scored all of his points in the second half and overtime as the Panthers improved to 9-7.

Deshawn Bartley had two free throws with 2:39 remaining in the final overtime to give the Panthers a 73-70 lead that it never relinquished. Bartley, who had seven points in the four overtimes, finished with 22 points, while teammate Seth Coddington chipped in with 11 points.

Blanche Ely guard Michael Forrest buried a 3-pointer at buzzer for a 39-36 lead heading into what was expected in the fourth and final quarter of the game. He scored 16 of his team’s final 18 points in regulation and finished with 22 points after going scoreless in the first half.

The Tigers (15-7) also got strong performances from Joshua Scott (20 points) and Calvin McCutcheon had 19 points.

By Gary Curreri

The first thing on Pompano Beach High School boys’ basketball coach James Stone’s bucket list was to win a game.

Check!

The Tornadoes were coming off an 0-21 (2016-17) season and lost the final game in the 2015-16 season when they finished 5-16. Pompano Beach dropped their first eight games of the 2017-18 campaign before a 72-65 victory against host Plantation on Dec. 14 snapped a 30-game losing streak. The team was 5-16 and 4-16 the two years prior to that.

“My biggest priority was to get a win after they went 0-21 last year,” said Stone, who moved up from the junior varsity team after a year with the Tornadoes and a year at Coral Springs Charter School. It is his first varsity head coaching job.

“I told them to act like we won before (after beating Plantation) so we got on the bus and we had one guy, Conrad (Bennett), he’s a sophomore so he was about to cry,” Stone said. “He was on the team last year and he said, ‘coach that was my first win as a Pompano basketball player.’ It was a big moment for me to get him his first win.”

Pompano Beach (4-9) defeated a team from Australia in the Deerfield Beach Holiday Tournament in an exhibition game and that has sparked the team to back-to-back wins over Cardinal Gibbons (60-56) and Coconut Creek (57-55). Pompano Beach travels to play at Hallandale on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

“That was a big tournament for us because last year they didn’t win a game,” Stone said. “This was a good confidence builder for them this year. It was a great experience for us to play against a team from Australia.”

Stone said he has a junior oriented team, with eight juniors and three seniors. Senior Andre Francis leads the team with 16 points and 10 rebounds a game and Stone also said he’s received solid play from the following juniors — Cedric Camper, Braxton McMillon, Takobe Clark, Brandon Peets and Tristen Anderson.

Stone said the team is buying into his philosophy.

“They keep their composure,” Stone said. “They are a very composed group of guys. They don’t get rattled when they go down.”

There has been little adjustment in becoming head coach.

“There really hasn’t been too much of an adjustment since most of these guys came up with me from the JV,” Stone said. “The transitions are easy since they already knew the system. The ones who played on the varsity last year, those are the ones that had to buy into the system.”

Knowing that all but three players will return next year has Stone excited.

“Having the core coming back is great,” Stone said. “I wanted this to be a building year and next year I would have had my guys together for three years, so next year I am looking to turn it around. I want to go far in the district and make the (BCAA) Big 8 tournament.

“They can be a great team,” Stone continued. “Sometimes they get into the ‘I’ basketball and they want to be the guy to carry the team and I tell them it is a team sport. If I can get them to focus on team and play hard and fight for all 32 minutes, we’ll be alright.”

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.”

By Gary Curreri

At 86 years of age, Pompano Beach’s Carlo Spirito is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, like a fine wine, he seems to be getting better with age.

Earlier this year, Spirito was the 2017 Club Masters Champion for the Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association and he followed that up by picking up his fourth career hole-in-one recently on the third hole of the Greg Norman Signature Pines Course at the Pompano Beach Municipal Golf Course.

“It ran about 145-yards,” said Spirito, who captured the C Flight championship that day in the individual class play, odd holes minus ½ handicap, with a 24.5 total. “It is a tricky little hole with water on the left and the pin was in the back. I hit a 6-iron with a nice draw on the ball and it was coming in towards the hole. I saw it hit the green and roll up towards the pin, but I never saw it go in.”

“The guys I was playing with said, ‘it’s in, it’s in the hole,” he continued. “I couldn’t believe it. It is always exciting when you get a hole-in-one.”

The first hole-in-one for Spirito came in 1985 at the Cape Cod Country Club in Massachusetts where he aced the Par-3, 150-yard fifth hole. The second one came in 1988 at the White Mountain Country Club in New Hampshire where he negotiated the Par-3, 5th-hole, 175-yard distance with a 5-wood. His third ace was in 2002 where he needed just one shot on the 125-yard, third hole at the Oriole Golf and Tennis Club in Margate.

Spirito was proud of winning the Master’s title at the club.

“I was really excited to win the men’s championship,” Spirito said. “You play and you play, and you play, and you never expect it to happen. I just happened to have a couple of good weeks. The putts were falling and you wind up with a low score, and you end up winning. I was surprised. I never expected to do it. There are a lot of good golfers.”

Spirito said he has won tournaments throughout his career, but it was nice to win one as he approaches 90 years of age. He started playing golf at the age of 25, so six decades longer and he is still at it.

“I have never won one alone,” he continued. “It was always with a foursome or a twosome or something like that.”

Since turning 86 in October, he has shot his age or better eight times.

“It is very exciting because when I do it, I call my son (Steven) in Rhode Island and say, ‘guess what? I shot my age today,’” Spirito said with a laugh. “He will ask me what tees am I playing from and I say, what’s the difference?”

Spirito said the longevity on the course comes from being in good shape. He carries a 22-handicap from the senior tees at the course.

“Up until they put the Pines course in about three years ago, I would walk every time I played,” said Spirito, who plays three times a week. “My son will come down next month for a week or so and we will play everyday. He is a really good golfer.”

How long does he plan to keep at it?

“Until I am in the 100s or so,” Spirito said. “I like it because it is good exercise and something to do.

There is good camaraderie and it is challenging. Of course, you always have a little side bet here and there.”

“I think getting a hole-in-one is always more exciting,” Spirito said. “I’ve been playing for 60 years and I only have four of them. Winning a tournament, or something like that, I have done many times…shooting my age will be exciting. The older I get the easier it will be. When I am down in the 80s like that, I feel good about it.”