Sports

Sports & Recreation www.oceancitytoday.com July 15, 2022 Page 68

Record payout for 35th Ocean City Tuna Tournament

By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (July 15, 2022) If everything lined up, Ocean City Tuna Tournament organizers expected the 35th annual event to be a record breaker. They did and it was.

This year’s event drew 109 boats competing for a new tournament record of $1,121,450.

“Overall, we are super thrilled with the turnout and how it came together,” said Ocean City Fishing Center Assistant Dockmaster Hunter Dortenzo. “If the bite was right and the weather cooperated – the weather was solid at least Friday and Saturday – and everything aligned and fell into place, we knew it could be a record breaker.”

For the first time since its inception, the Ocean City Tuna Tournament broke the million-dollar payout mark in 2021. A total of 106 boats registered for the 2021 tournament. The overall payout was $1,019,690.

Three more boats entered this year and an additional $101,000 was awarded.

The largest tuna of the tournament was caught by Wes Cromer aboard Reel Crazy. The 275-pound bigeye earned the crew $307,852.50. The size was also a new tournament record.

“It was 77 inches. It was just an incredible fish to be brought back here to the scale,” Dortenzo said.

The group entered the Level H Pro Tuna Jackpot, which is a winner-takeall pool for the largest single tuna.

That pot totaled $229,500. It costs $5,000 to enter and 51 of the 109 tournament boats registered for the calcutta.

Talkin’ Trash angler Steve Sylvester landed a 256-pound bigeye, good for second place. The crew also came in first place in the heaviest stringer division - with their total weight topping the scale at 535 pounds. The group took home a total of $316,042.50.

A large portion of that money – $145,800 – came from the Level G Heaviest Stringer Jackpot. Fifty-four out of 109 boats registered for the calcutta.

The Fin Planner crew came in third place for single largest tuna. Kevin Sutton’s 224-pound bigeye was worth $53,707.50.

A total of 12 bigeyes were brought to the Ocean City Fishing Center scale last weekend and eight of them weighed over 200 pounds each, Dortenzo said.

“That’s the most we’ve had in the last couple years,” he added. “It’s only the second time in tournament history that multiple tuna over 200 pounds were weighed; 2013 was the last time.”

The Sea Hag team finished in second place in the heaviest stringer division with a total weight of 508 pounds. They received $106,627.

The Take Em’ crew placed third in the stringer division. Their total fish weight of 473 pounds earned them $79,140.

The heaviest bluefin tuna was caught by Ryan Earls aboard Shorebilly. The 70-pound fish was worth $58,050.

About $31,000 of that money was rolled over from the last two tournaments, because no qualifying bluefin were weighed in 2020 and 2021, Dortenzo said.

Jase Weaver was the top junior angler, reeling in a 57-pound tuna while fishing on Reel Fin Addict. He was presented $1,000 and prizes.

FFMD (Fishing for Muscular Dystrophy) junior angler, Danielle Robertson, landed 56- and 55-pound tuna. She received $750 and prizes.

Reel Trips angler, Kallie Lucas, won first place in the women’s division. She was awarded $1,500 for her 57-pound tuna.

Azora angler Shari Swope and Robertson tied for second place with their 56-pound yellowfin tuna. They both were presented $750.

Fifty boats entered the Level Q Charity Donation division, which this year benefits Fishing For Muscular Dystrophy (FFMD), a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit and offshore fishing team that has a strategic alliance with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) whose purpose is “Fighting Muscle Disease.”

FFMD and Talkin’ Trash each received $4,500.

Teams could fish two of three tournament days. A total of 108 boats went offshore Friday. One hundred and two fished Saturday, leaving nine eligible to compete on Sunday.

Hundreds packed the Ocean City Fishing Center each day to catch the fish being weighed.

“We had an awesome crowd. The action was non-stop at the scales. There was just a constant line of boats waiting to weight fish,” Dortenzo said.

In total, 12,296 pounds of tuna were weighed, Dortenzo said.

For more information, visit https://octunatournament.com/

PHOTO COURTESY OCTT FACEBOOK The largest tuna of the 35th annual Ocean City Tuna Tournament was caught by Wes Cromer aboard Reel Crazy. The 275-pound bigeye earned the crew $307,852.50. The size was also a new tournament record.

OCMC presents 18th annual Kid’s Classic this wknd.

By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (July 15, 2022) Young anglers will be the stars of the show this weekend during the Ocean City Marlin Club’s 18th annual Kid’s Classic.

Final registration for the 2022 tournament, which benefits the WishA-Fish Foundation, will begin today, Friday, at 6 p.m. at the Marlin Club on Golf Course Road in West Ocean City.

A captains’ meeting will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and will also be available on Facebook and the Marlin Club’s website, www.ocmarlinclub.com.

The tournament is open to anglers 19 and younger, many of whom participate annually. The cost is $200 per boat, with an unlimited number of anglers.

Worcester, Wicomico to host softball nat’l championships

(July 15, 2022) Over the next three weeks, nearly 350 girls softball teams will make their way to the lower Eastern Shore for the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Eastern National Championships.

The 2022 Eastern National competition marks the 16th year of the event on the shore.

Teams will travel from 14 states and Canada to compete in this year’s championships.

The Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex in Salisbury provides the main fields of play for the tournament. Other fields tentatively scheduled for use in Wicomico County include East Wicomico Little League, Mason-Dixon Sports Complex and WinterPlace Park.

In Worcester County, games are scheduled at Showell Park and John Walter Smith Park in Snow Hill. In Ocean City, games will be played at Northside Park on 125th Street.

The Eastern National is divided into three tournament weeks:

Week 1: July 12-17 - 10U Open, 12U Open

Week 2: July 19-24 - 14U Open, 14U

Week 3: July 25-30 - 16U Open, 18U Open, 18U B

Tournament games are open to the public with no admission fee charged.

Opening ceremonies were slated to take place on Tuesday for week one teams on the Caroline Street stage, located just off the Boardwalk downtown. The opening ceremonies for week two participants are scheduled for Tuesday, July 19 beginning 3:45 p.m.

Week three teams opted for an extra game instead of an opening ceremony.

For more information on the Eastern National, visit www.WicoSports.org. Schedules will be released at the beginning of each tournament week, and will be posted to the USSSA website.

The tournament is a major economic driver for the area. This year’s estimated economic impact is $19 million.

The growth of the tournament is due in part to the Mid-Atlantic Amateur Sports Alliance (MAASA), a formal sports marketing partnership between Wicomico and Worcester counties and the Town of Ocean City.

MAASA was formed in 2014 to accommodate the growth of the Eastern National, which had expanded beyond Wicomico County’s borders.

Tenth annual Ocean Games open water swim, Saturday

(July 15, 2022) Swim Ocean City is hosting its 10th annual Ocean Games open water swim on Saturday, July 16, to raise funds for research and increase awareness of brain injuries and promote the positive effects that sports have on the brain and body.

Ocean Games is one of the few oceanbased marathon swimming events offered on the entire East Coast.

It attracts participants of all ages and levels, from first-time open water swimmers to experienced marathoners.

The Ocean Games features a WOWSA-sanctioned series of 3- and 9mile open water swims along the Atlantic coastline. The swim also offers a two- or three-person team 9-mile relay.

The 9-mile swim starts at 10 a.m. Depending on the direction of the current, the race will either start or finish at Caroline Street and 146th Street.

The 3-mile swim starts at noon. Depending on the direction of the current, the race will begin at 94th Street and end at 146th Street or start at 46th Street and end at Caroline Street.

“Each year, the swim event has unique challenges for the participants and its organizers. There is a saying, ‘the only thing predictable about open water swimming is its unpredictability,’” said Corey Davis, Ocean Games Race director. “The currents, tides and weather make for challenging moments for the swimmer, but you have different challenges from the planning end.”

Every 9-mile swimmer must have an individual safety kayak to aid with nutrition, water, and assistance.

“This year, besides the typical hurdles, finding safety kayak pilots for the swim has been extra hard,” Davis said. “Many swimmers had their kayak pilots cancel on them. If you want a challenging, fun day kayaking in the ocean, here’s your chance. Contact me at corey@oceangamesusa.org.”

After experiencing a traumatic brain injury in 2007, Davis worked with the team at Johns Hopkins’ Brain and Stroke Rehabilitation Program to return to his previously active lifestyle.

To give back to the program that helped him so much, Davis founded the Ocean Games as a way to raise funds for the Brain and Stroke Rehabilitation Program and local charities.

Since its debut in 2013, the Ocean Games has raised over $120,000 for the Johns Hopkins Program and local charities. Ocean Games is widely supported through grants and many local Ocean City businesses.

Ocean Games offers something for everyone, open to novices and seasoned athletes alike, allowing for the perfect open water swim experience in a safe and structured environment. For information, visit www.oceangamesus.org. Continued from Page 68

Those who don’t have access to a boat can participate for $25 and fish from areas including the surf, Route 50 Bridge, Ocean City fishing pier and Assateague Island.

The tournament is slated for Saturday and Sunday with participants having the option to fish one or both days in the bay or ocean. Weigh-ins will take place Saturday from 3-6:30 p.m. and Sunday, 3-6 p.m. at Sunset Marina in West Ocean City.

All participants will receive an award. There are additional first-, second- and third-place prizes for most billfish released, and heaviest fish including bluefish, bonita, dolphin, flounder, mackerel, rockfish, sea bass, tog, tuna, wahoo and “unusual catch.”

Stringer weight includes five fish in a bucket per angler per day for croaker and spot.

More than 180 junior anglers fished on 53 boats during the Ocean City Marlin Club’s 17th annual Kid’s Classic in 2021.

The tournament will benefit the Wish-A-Fish organization, whose mission is: “We can’t cure an illness, make a disability vanish, or remove the daily stress a family with special needs children has to endure. We just try to make one day a little better for the whole family by taking them out on the water for some fun and fishing. The smiles and excitement on the children’s faces when they catch their first fish (and their second, and their third...) is a wonderful experience and a memory that will last for years.”

The Classic has raised approximately $70,000 for the foundation since its inception.

For more information, call 410-2131613 or visit www.ocmarlinclub.com.

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