Category: Sports

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Parkland Buddy Sports Golf Classic

Parkland Buddy Sports will host its seventh annual golf tournament on Sat., May 11, at Boca Lago Country Club in Boca Raton.

“Our Parkland Buddy Sports family has been providing fun, safe programming for our special needs children, their families, and our community since our inception in 2002,” Parkland Buddy Sports president Andy Zaukas said. “This tournament is our primary source of fundraising, with the hope that our fee-free sports programming will continue to grow and succeed.”

The mission of Parkland Buddy Sports, a 501 C (3) non-profit organization, is to provide quality sports programming for children and young adults with special needs in an inclusive, empowering, challenging, and caring environment where the emphasis is on having fun, making friends, and realizing their potential. The structure of a shared experience allows participants and volunteers to create a no-limits environment void physical, social, and cultural barriers.

The sports programs consist of weekly activities and/or games. Each player is paired for the entire season with their own “Buddy,” who in most instances is a student volunteer. Through the shared encouragement of all the program’s Buddies, the players with special needs and their families are able to experience the joys of their athletic endeavors.

The 1:30pm shotgun-start golf tournament will consist of up to 144 players in teams of four. The cost per player is $125, which includes golf, tournament prizes, a gift bag, and buffet dinner in Boca Lago’s VIP dining room. Specialty holes will be available, including a hole-in-one par 3, where golfers will be shooting for prizes courtesy of Infiniti of Coconut Creek. Other specialty holes will be available. Mulligan cards will be on hand for players to purchase.

Sponsorship opportunities may be obtained at several monetary levels, ranging from $500 to $5,000. T-Sign hole sponsorships are also available for $100 per hole. The Parklander is the official magazine sponsor. Other corporate sponsors include Connect Credit Union, The Eppy Group, Holman Enterprises, and Pepsi. Trophies and prizes will be awarded to the top teams. There will be a silent auction and raffle; prizes include hotel stays, signed sports memorabilia, attraction tickets, restaurant gift certificates, and more. If you are interested in assisting the charity or golf tournament committee with your time and/or donations, call Linda Brown at 954-288-7201. For more information on Parkland Buddy Sports, visit ParklandBuddySports.org or search Facebook for Parkland Buddy Sports Inc.

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If Wishes Were Horses…One Woman’s Dream of Riding

Twenty-seven years old is late for someone to become a jockey. But Patra Jean didn’t think it was too old to live her dream, which she did. Despite the late start, she finished her apprenticeship quickly and was in full gear. “You could say I was self-accomplished,” she said.

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For a couple of years beginning in 2000, the 5’1” 100 pound jockey donned her silks to compete in more than 500 races, and bring home 54 winners.

 

Most of Patra’s racing was at Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens, but she also rode at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Hialeah Park in Hialeah, and in a track event in Jamaica. She rode for different owners and trainers, sometimes getting as many as five mounts a day.

Big-time horse racing has its dangers, and Patra knew them well. She was trampled in a race when her horse’s hoof clipped the heels of the horse in front of her. She went down, and was run over by the horse that was racing behind her. Patra was rushed to the hospital where she learned, fortunately, that she had no serious injuries beyond a collection of bruises. Patra learned something from her experience that day: “If I got hurt, it wouldn’t keep from racing,” she said.

As a child in Hialeah, Patra’s first experience with horses was in preschool when a babysitter’s husband took her for pony rides at Hialeah Park. She was hooked immediately and knew horses would be part of her life, not just riding them but caring for them.

Today, Patra and her husband, Rich Fitzgerald, own and operate Millpond Stables on Vinkemulder Road in Coconut Creek. They have five horses of their own, and board a number of others. She also provides riding lessons on a regular basis.

There are several long days in a business that requires never-ending work. Some days find her mucking out stalls, filling them with hay, tending to the horses’ water, feed, and making sure they get medical care when needed. Her horses need attention all day, every day, early mornings, and late nights.

“It’s not a job,” Petra said, “You have to love it. The horses don’t have a voice. They can’t speak for themselves. You have to have an eye to know when they’re hurting, or need care. That’s why I’m here. That’s what it means to have horses in your blood.”

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