Under overcast, breezy and sometimes stormy conditions, which included a tornado warning, the 17th annual Flags for the Cure flag football tournament was held from Jan. 3 to Jan. 7 in Wellington.
The tournament had strong participation and generated a big donation to the American Cancer Society. In all, 64 teams played in this year’s event, which for the second year in a row was held on five fields at Wellington’s Village Park on Pierson Road.
In addition to crowning champions in eight different competitive brackets, the event had a bigger purpose. This tournament is held each year in order to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
“The tournament was a huge success, despite the weather,” said Dr. Hart Collier, the tournament’s director. “I want to thank the many volunteers who attended planning meetings in the months leading up to the event. Next year, our goal is to get more younger teams in the tournament, specifically in the 10U, 13U and 15U age brackets. It takes a lot to coordinate and plan a five-day tournament like this. Many thanks to the Village of Wellington for allowing us to stage the event at Village Park.”
In the first 16 years of this event, it raised a total of $400,000 for the American Cancer Society. This year’s $36,000 donation was announced in a special ceremony at the Village Park football fields on Saturday, Jan. 6.
In addition to the presentation of the $36,000 check to the American Cancer Society, the event was staged in order to recognize and honor those who are currently battling cancer, those who have lost their lives to cancer, and to the caregivers who are so instrumental during all stages of the struggle against cancer.
The tournament’s eight different competitive brackets ranged from 10 & Under Coeds to the Women’s Over-30 division. The bracket with the largest number of teams was the Men’s Open division, which had 22 teams.
Nearly 30 referees from the Officials of Florida worked the tournament. According to Officials of Florida President Bruce Hawthorne, many referees supported the tournament’s mission to raise money by donating their game checks to the American Cancer Society.
Creative team names are a popular part of this event. Some of the more creative team names this year were: Cancer Outlaws, Fight Like a Girl, Calcium Cannons, Bangin Bongos, Kyngs & Qu33ns, TDs for Ta Tas and the Tittsburg Feelers.
Listed below are the final scores of the championship finals in each bracket:
In the Felice Trial Attorneys Men’s Open division final, Florida Motion defeated Steel City, 31-16.
In the Western Communities Chiropractic Women’s Open division final, Carnage stymied Make Your Move United, 19-7.
In the Hubbs Tire & Service Coed division championship final, the Minions won over Carnage due to a forfeit.
In the PDQ Wellington 30 & Over Women’s championship final, Fight Like a Girl blanked Backyard Baddies, 6-0.
In the Texas Roadhouse 18 & Under championship final, Standing on Business outscored Tru Skills Academy, 18-13.
In the Rockwood Instillation Inc. 15 & Under championship final, Venom outlasted the Ravens, 19-13 in overtime.
In the Breakthru Athletic League 13 & Under championship final, the BA Bulldogs defeated the Acreage Elite Black, 27-12.
In the Village of Wellington 10 & Under championship final, the Acreage Elite were victorious over the BA Makos, 30-6.
The tournament opened at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 3, and the final matches kicked off at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 7. Major sponsors included Felice Trial Attorneys (presenting sponsor), Hubbs Tire & Service Inc. (event sponsor) and the Village of Wellington (field sponsor).
Learn more about the event at www.flagsforthecure.com.
