In front of hometown fans and family, Fort Lauderdale's Jimmy Lariche capped a great wakeboard weekend by winning the Board Up Miami pro-am wakeboarding festival last month at Key Biscayne.
Lariche qualified for Board Up Miami after winning his the junior men's category at the IWSF Pan Am Region Wakeboard Championships. He was considered an afterthought by the field of pros that included defending Board Up Miami champion Rusty Malinoski, defending pro tour champion Philip Soven, J.D. Webb and Trevor Hanson.
Sticking to a good plan and landing an array of solid tricks throughout the semifinals and finals, Lariche beat pros Andrew Atkinson and Webb to take home the top cash prize -- $4,000.
On the women's side, defending Board Up Miami champ Emily Durham beat 14-year-old phenom Raimi Merrit, Ashley Leugner and Megan Ethell for the top spot. For complete results visit boardup.net.
ELSEWHERE
• The International Swimming Hall of Fame, One Swimming Hall of Fame Drive, will transform itself into an international extravaganza May 8-11 across from Fort Lauderdale Beach.
The event is part of the 38th Annual Diving with the AT&T USA Diving Grand Prix, the second-most important international diving event behind the Olympics.
The special preview will feature the top Olympic divers in the world, including gold medalists, world champions and Olympians from the United States, China, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, Germany and Italy.
Comedy and clown diving exhibitions will be featured alongside a Dreaming of Beijing Asian Cultural Festival, with demonstrations of Asian cooking, martial arts, music, dancing and singing, along with a special appearance by the Beijing 2008 Olympic mascots.
For information and sponsorships, contact the International Swimming Hall of Fame at 954-462-6536 or visit ishof.org.
• Hollywood's Patricia Soden of Team Amino Vital completed her 17th consecutive Boston Marathon. She covered the hilly course in 4 hours, 21 minutes. The event had 21,963 finishers.
• The Sprint For the Finish David Posnack Hebrew Day School 5K Run and Daniel's 1 Mile Fitness/Fun Walk are 7:30 a.m. Sunday at Markham Park off State Road 84 and Weston Road in Sunrise.
The 1-Mile Fitness Walk is in memory of Daniel Wultz, a former student at David Psonack Hebrew Day School. The 5K race is sanctioned, and the course is certified.
Registration at the race is $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under.
Proceeds will benefit Special Olympics, W.E.C.A.R.E. Food Pantry, the David Posnack Hebrew Day School and the Daniel Cantor Wultz Scholarship Fund, which will help finance trips to Israel for DPHDS students.
For information, call 954-583-6100, ext 235.
• Registration for the ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon is open. The event is Jan. 25, 2009, with a 13.1-mile (half) and 26.2-mile (full) route from AmericanAirlines Arena to South Beach, downtown and Coconut Grove.
Until July 9, the registration fee is $55 for the half marathon and $80 for the marathon.
For beginners and advanced runners seeking training information for a marathon or half marathon, call PR Racing at 305-278-8668 or go to ingmiamimarathon.com.
