Horseshoe tournament honors a life lost and also benefits a sick child
Namesake was killed by ex-girlfriend’s new beau
The clanging of horseshoes will fill the air June 25 at Hyde Memorial State Park as family and friends of former Santa Fe High School basketball player Jerome Saiz pay tribute to the man who was brutally beaten to death by the new boyfriend of his former girlfriend.
Saiz, 37, was killed by Leonard Telles at the urging of Rebecca Gomez in November 2013 in a baseball-bat bludgeoning in Las Cruces. Telles was convicted of the murder, while Gomez confessed to her role in the death; both remain in prison.
Saiz family friend Mark Miller said he came up with the idea of the Jerome Saiz Memorial Horseshoe Tournament first as a way to raise money for the family to offset funeral expenses, as well as travel expenses incurred during the trial, and, second, as a way to remember a man who died well before his time.
“He was a very close friend of mine,” Miller said. “He was the older brother of one of my best friends and it was very tragic. Everything about it was completely tragic.”
Chucking shoes was one of Saiz’s favorite pastimes, he said, so it made sense to use that as a way to honor him.
“Following the funeral and through the holidays, the idea dawned upon me to be able to do something for the family to keep Jerome’s spirit and memory alive,” Miller said. “So I came up with the idea of a horseshoe tournament because Jerome used to love to play horseshoes.”
The idea, which the family wholeheartedly approved, quickly grew into a daylong celebration of one man’s life and his impact on others.
“It’s a very emotional day for me and my family,” said his younger brother, Simon Saiz. “We thought it would be a great way to remember the memory of my brother. His death was so sudden and so tragic. We wanted to remember him in a happy way.”
His younger sister, Molly Saiz, said seeing so many people come together for the tournament that has drawn more than 100 competitors each year and continues to grow helps with the grieving process. Family and friends participate, giving $10 to cover food and grounds rental, with additional voluntary contributions for fundraising.
“It’s an awesome tribute,” she said. “There’s never going to be a happy ending, but hearing the stories and talking to all the people he knew and touched, it becomes more clear to me each time why he was so loved by many. It brings peace. The stories and learning so much about him. Funny stories. It’s pretty amazing to see everybody show up, come together and honor him. He was just a good guy and got mixed up with the wrong person.”
This year, the money raised will go the family of Jerome Saiz’s goddaughter Ayana Jaramillo, 6, who has recently completed treatment for leukemia.
“She just had her last chemotherapy treatment,” Molly Saiz said. “She’s still getting blood work done, but she’s in full remission.”
As family and friends take their turns in the pits, and mingle among each other and share food they all bring as a part of a massive potluck, it shows the importance of such a gathering, they said.
“It really does show the support,” Simon Saiz said. “People come up to us, ‘I met your brother, here, there.’ He really struck a chord with a lot of people. It’s fun to see each year how many people his life really did touch.”
And that, Molly Saiz said, is gratifying.
“It is incredible,” she said. “When you stand under the shelter, and people come in and hang out like family, all the people that are there, it’s really cool. There’s peace. Him living on through the stories.”