Thunder rumbles on the softball diamonds
Collegiate coach back with Lions group to provide free clinic
This past season was one to remember for the Pembroke Pines Thunder 10-Under Division fast-pitch travel softball team.
Not only did the squad win the state championship, but it also went on to recently capture the United State Specialty Sports Association Softball World Series title at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando.
The rare double feat was accomplished by a group of local girls who played together the last four years. The team played in the A Division and holds the top spot in the USSSA national rankings in their age group.
The Thunder finished 35-3 in their regular 10-Under Division and amassed a 65-9 overall record that included various tournaments throughout the season. They won four straight games to wear the state crown before going on to sweep all seven games at the World Series.
Pitcher Jessica Magee threw a no-hitter in the tournament’s opening game. On the final day of the Orlando action, Magee pitched all three games and went the distance in a 1-0 extra-inning semifinal victory. In the finale against the Tampa Predators, who beat them twice during the regular season, the Thunder bats came alive and took the title with a 4-2 victory.
For her efforts, Magee received the tournament’s Outstanding Pitcher award. Her battery mate, catcher Kirsten Caravaca, was named the Most Valuable Player.
Caravaca, of Miramar, has been with the squad for five years.
“The teams we played were very good, and we loved competing against them,” Caravaca said. “We got to play so many good teams from other states, and all the hard work we did as a team for the past five years paid off.”
Head Coach Rudy Crespo credited the girls’ parents for being a big part of the team’s success.
“You have to have great parents who create an environment of no distractions and where everybody is on the same page,” Crespo said. “If you believe you can do it, you can accomplish anything. I want the girls to learn to love the sport through hard work and determination.”
Posnack JCC athletes eye Maccabi Games success
David Posnack Jewish Community Center athletes have officially begun their quest to excel at the 2014 Maccabi Games, which opens today and runs through Aug. 15. This year marks the largest delegation of athletes (150) and coaches (18) representing the Posnack JCC at the Games.
Four delegations of Posnack JCC athletes are competing in 15 different sports. The action is taking place not only in Boca Raton, but also in Detroit and Cherry Hills, N.J.
Mason Feldman, a 15-year-old who attends Pembroke Pines Charter School, is among the baseball group that is in Cherry Hills.
“This is my first time attending the Games. I heard from my friends that it’s a great time and a lot of fun,” Feldman said. “From what I was told, the experience is a 10. I get to play the game I love, and even though I want to win, it’s the experience that’s important.”
Avi Zuri is the delegation head for the Cherry Hill group. He coached his son Michael in 1999, and now things have come full circle with Michael coaching the Posnack JCC’s 14-Under Division basketball squad.
“Seeing him coach makes me very proud and is what the Maccabi Games are all about,” Zuri said. “Many people come back and want to give back to other kids. They will make lifelong friends. I get to see the kids grow up and change in less than a
week’s time, and it’s amazing to see.”
For Bethune Cookman University Head Football Coach Brian Jenkins, it was a special homecoming. The former player in the Lauderhill Lions youth football organization returned to his roots as he recently put together a free clinic for about 100 players at the Lauderhill Sports Complex.
Jenkins joined with fellow Bethune Cookman coaches to give the studentathletes a good perspective of what it takes to be successful on and off the field.
“This (Lauderhill Lions) is the program I grew up in,” said Jenkins, who went on to play at Dillard High School. “This (clinic) is a wonderful thing. We talk about attitude, discipline, education and everything it takes to be successful. We let every child know that college is attainable and what we do is very effective.”
Fort Lauderdale’s Jacquez Harris is entering the eighth grade at William Dandy Middle School. The 13-year-old cornerback will this fall be playing on the Lions’ 145-Pound Division squad.
“I learned hard work is important, and I want to get better,” Harris said. “To be successful in any sport or anything in life, you need an education. We learned that we should go out there and improve in everything we do.”
Another 13-year-old, Alexander Battle, attends Westpine Middle School. The wide receiver and cornerback is looking forward to his first year with the Lions’ program.
“We were taught to always have good sportsmanship and improve our game,” Battle said. “People will always be watching you, so it’s important to always give 100 percent. To get to the next level, you need to work as hard as you can.”