Dade Christian School hosted its first annual Crusader Inshore/Offshore Family Classic Fishing Tournament on September 6-7.
Undeterred by a dash of inclement weather on Saturday morning, the tournament, sponsored by Flanigan’s Restaurants, Media Mart and Hopkin’s Carter, to name a few, was a tremendous success. The event was a benefit for the FACE Foundation (Foundation for the Advancement of Community and Education), and successfully achieved its primary goal to introduce more Junior Anglers to the sport of fishing as a way to reinforce family values and bring schools within the community together.
Over 160 anglers joined the event on personal boats, chartered vessels, and even two of the “Reward” party boats which were both full to capacity. Fish that were represented in the tournament weigh-in, hosted by renown marine artist Carey Chen, varied from such eligible species like Grouper, Snapper, Dolphin, Kingfish, Blackfin Tuna, to Hammerhead Shark, African Pompano, Sailfish, Amberjack, a Marlin, and even a Trumpet fish made an appearance.
The captain’s meeting and awards ceremony was held at Shake A Leg Miami hosted by Harry and Suzy Horgan.
All schools in Miami-Dade and Broward counties were invited to participate in hopes of winning the All School Perpetual Trophy. Winning schools were Dade Christian in the Offshore Division and Leewood K-8 Center in the Inshore category.
Winning team for the Guided Offshore Division was G.L. Reid Construction and Team Perfect Catch won the Unguided Offshore Division. The Inshore Division was won by Captain Bob Lewis and the Kids Fishing Team, and the Head Boat Division was won by Jose Diaz and Jose Diaz Jr.
Tournament directors Ali Rodriguez, Jen Martinez, Rhonda McNeal and Craig Konchak were astounded by the community’s participation and are looking forward to hosting the event next year.