Enthusiasm ‘Shines Through’ At Spartan Powerboat Club Season-Opener
Yesterday’s Spartan Powerboat Club Barnegat Bay Marina Poker Run wasn’t just the event’s seventh anniversary. The 47-boat happening marked the seventh anniversary of the New Jersey-based organization itself, which was founded by longtime performance-boat owner Del Flores.
Like all Spartan Powerboat Club events, yesterday’s Barnegat Bay Marine Fun Run was a family affair. Photos courtesy Del Flores/Spartan Powerboat Club.
The fleet departed the marina and made several stops before finishing at the Captain Inn in Forked River, N.J., for poker-hand play and the subsequent awards celebration.
Presented by KIR Fireplaces, the seventh annual event saw some 200 participants. But for Flores, the numbers are far less relevant than the community of Garden State go-fast boat enthusiasts that has grown through the club’s fun runs, poker runs and social events.
Outboard engine-powered center consoles and catamarans comprised a good portion of the fun-run fleet.
“The Spartan Powerboat Club is growing every year with new members and new sponsors,” he said. “But the highlights for me on these runs are the kids and new members who have never participated in a poker run. Their enthusiasm shines through.”
Next up on the Spartan Powerboat Club event roster is the Cory Molinari Memorial Atlantic City Poker Run set for June 14-16.
Spartan Powerboat Club member Joe Calabro (center, next to Spartan Powerboat Club member Del Flores) and his Team Finish Line group earned the club’s “Sexiest Crew” award.
Though the minor-age children of club-members won’t be rolling the dice at the Atlantic City Resort and Casino host-venue, of course, Flores emphasized that they are more than welcome to join their parents for the three-day event,. The same goes for all Spartan Powerboat Club happenings, he noted.
“It’s not just the grown-ups who get to enjoy the camaraderie,” he said. “It’s a family affair at SPC.
“People always ask, ‘Are kids under 18 allowed?’” he added. “For me, it’s always a yes.”
Flores encourages club members to bring their children to events.
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