Snowflake, the infamous mechanical bull, is looking forward to challenging riders young and old in the annual Buck Off Challenge to benefit Southeast Florida Honor Flight.
The popular event is a crowd-pleasing mechanical bull-riding contest that benefits Southeast Florida Honor Flight, a nonprofit organization that flies World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials built to honor their service and sacrifice.
The Buck Off Challenge will be held on Friday, March 15 at the Wellington National Golf Club at (400 Binks Forest Drive, Wellington). Practice opportunities will be on Thursday, March 14 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., thanks to sponsor Happy Endings Farm, and Friday before the competition at 6 p.m. The competition will start at 6:45 p.m. Riders can register now, Thursday evening or Friday before the start of the competition. The event is open to the public. To register, contact event director Bobbi Rottman at (561) 436-1165 or bobbi@equessolutions.com.
Each team consists of four riders with an entry fee of $100 per team. Wellington National Golf Club will be providing an Argentine Asado dinner for $20 per person, and there will be a cash bar. Proceeds from the night’s food and drink sales will be donated to Southeast Florida Honor Flight.
Four-person teams compete in the Buck Off Challenge, where individual rides are scored by a panel of celebrity judges and totaled to determine the winning team. Riders are scored on their ability to stay on the bull while keeping one hand in the air at all times, as well as the style of the ride. Higher scores can be achieved for character, team spirit and costumes. Prizes are awarded to the top three teams. Judges will include former WPTV anchor and Wellington Chamber of Commerce President Roxanne Stein, 94-year-old WWII veteran Carmin Yannotta and two more surprise judges.
The main sponsors are philanthropists Sanjiv Sharma and Nadine Allen of Highland Beach. Allen has chaired the Share Our Strength, Palm Beach No Kid Hungry Gala for more than 10 years. Sharma is on the board of Caridad, located in Boynton Beach, which provides free medical care and health education to underserved families.
Other sponsors include Carl Schacter with Northwestern Mutual, Alpine Farm South, PNC Wealth Management, Jolie Burrell Consulting LLC and Envisian LLC.
The next trip for Southeast Florida Honor Flight is scheduled for Saturday, April 13 — a day devoted to honoring local men and women who served the country in conflicts around the globe. For the veterans, it is a day to reflect on those heroes who never came home and connecting with fellow military compatriots. For everyone else, it is a day focused on thanking these courageous men and women for serving the nation, for stepping up when the world needed them most and for helping to preserve America’s freedom and way of life.
The Buck Off Challenge is being organized by Eques Solutions. For more information about Southeast Florida Honor Flight, visit www.honorflightsefl.org, www.facebook.com/honorflight, or contact event director Bobbi Rottman at (561) 436-1165 or bobbi@equessolutions.com.
