7th Annual FIU Fishing Tournament Recap

FIU community makes 7th FIU Scholarship Fishing Tournament a success

Eleven scholarships were awarded at the event held in Miami Beach in June, while $13,000 was raised for scholarships to be given out in 2010.

By Martin Haro

Almost 200 alumni, faculty/staff, students, family and friends of the university, including FIU President-designate Mark Rosenberg and Raul Moncarz, former provost of Biscayne Bay Campus, supported the 7th Annual FIU Scholarship Fishing Tournament, presented by TotalBank, on June 20.

This year, a total of $10,000 was awarded in scholarships to FIU students. Golden Panthers Elizabeth Arenas, Pablo Martinez and Wen-Ju Chien each received a Legacy Scholarship, awarded to family members of FIU alumni, while Arthur “AJ” Meyer, Chantel Anido, Darcelle Skeete, Felix Gil, Kassandra Pool, Kate Stuart, Melissa Pierro and Yahurys Gomez each received a Panther Pride Scholarship, given to students who are involved in campus life.

Thirty-four boats registered for the 2009 tournament. “It was a beautiful day, but not-so-great for fishing,” said Duane Wiles, executive associate director of the Alumni Association. “Nevertheless, we awarded 11 student scholarships and had a great turnout. We certainly hope to see more alumni at next year’s event.”

As usual, attendees tried their luck in a raffle featuring prizes such as FIU Gear; fishing equipment; and two American Airlines roundtrip tickets to the continental United States, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada or Mexico.

This year’s tournament winners were:

Most Aggregate Dolphin Weight: Team Ocean Bank ($2,500 and Gary Traczyk sculpture),
Largest Dolphin: Team Ocean Bank ($1,000 and large fishing trophy),
Largest Ladies Dolphin: Team Bonita Turtles ($500 and large fishing trophy),
Largest Fun Fish: The Murray Boys ($250),
Largest Junior: Team G&R Marine ($100 gift certificate to GameWorks and trophy),
2nd Place Most Aggregate Dolphin Weight: Team T-Zer ($500),
2nd Place Largest Dolphin: Team TAM Training ($250), and
2nd Place Junior: Team Reel Hard ($50 gift certificate to GameWorks).

Team Ocean Bank donated the prize money for both their largest dolphin and most aggregate weight back to FIU, totaling $3,500. In total, the event raised enough money to award $13,000 in student scholarships in 2010.

Event Photos 

If you are interested in participating or sponsoring the 2010 FIU Scholarship Fishing Tournament, call Elena Balsinde at 305-348-0159.