Bulletin June 07

ROWDIES

KUDOS TO SONIA

Congratulations are in order to our Club President, Sonia Smith. Sonia is this year’s winner of the prestigious Norm Wyman & Poppa Taylor trophy, awarded by Florida Skin Divers Association (FSDA) at their annual Awards Banquet last night, 16 February, 2008. This is the premier award bestowed by FSDA, annually, to the area diver who most exemplifies and supports SCUBA diving. Nominations and voting for this honour are done by all the dive clubs who are members of FSDA. Sonia was recognized for her many years of contribution to our sport, as a present and past President and earlier as treasurer of our Club, the Suncoast Reef Rowdies; her help and support of other FSDA functions; and her hundreds of hours of work on “Ocean Pals” a very important project supported by FSDA. Ocean Pals stimulates education of our next generation on the importance of Marine Health and Protection through a poster contest open to school age kids throughout Florida. Winning posters from Florida are sent on for entry into a Nation-wide competition making this a significant vehicle for our kids’ education and interest in our planet, ecology, the sea, its fishes and critters, and SCUBA diving.

The Norm Wyman & Poppa Taylor award has been awarded to deserving FSDA divers since the late 60s. Norm Wyman and Poppa Taylor were both exceptional FSDA members whose support of diving made them natural patrons for this award, after their death. An excellent history of this award and list of members who have received it since 1982 can be found on the FSDA website. www.divefsda.com/NW_PT_Award_A.htm. As the newest recipient, Sonia’s many years of hard work and dedication have been recognized by our dive community and we all owe her big CONGRATULATIONS!

Sonia was also presented the photo “Best of Show” award at the Rowdie's December ceremony.

The SPUC’S are getting ready to rock and roll this new upcoming tournament season. With the grouper being closed the last month and a lot of bad weather the SPUC’S have itchy trigger fingers and are all set to go.

The SPUC’S have hosted two social functions at the Wing House in Pinellas Park and have had some great turn outs with up wards of 90 people showing up. Lots of beer and chicken wings were consumed in the normal fashion of having a great time with fellow divers from many clubs and several sponsors of many tournaments.

The SPUC’S would like to congratulate Sonia Smith for winning the Norm Wyman/ Poppa Taylor award this year and Pit Gills for winning the overall diver of the year for the WCC series. We would also like to thank Bill Hardman and Scott Childress for putting together a great FSDA banquet at the Rusty Pelican. It had to be one of the best ever.

Good luck to everyone with the upcoming tournament season and please everybody be safe and shoot straight. We look forward to seeing everybody this year.

Seashells - Best Collection:
1st - Lisa Tatro
2nd - Rita Fitzpatrick

Seashells - Best Shell:
1st - Lisa Tatro (Junonia)
2nd - Rita Fitzpatrick (Lace Murex)
3rd - Deb Holtz (Cowrie)

Artifacts - Man-Made:
1st - Mary Taylor (Encrusted bottle)
2nd - Rita Fitzpatrick (Night Dive Light)
3rd - Deb Holtz (Squid Lure)

Photography - Topside Prints and Slides:
1st - Rita Fitzpatrick (Tahiti Over-the-Water Bungalow Sunset)
2nd - Deb Holtz (Hotel over rocks)
3rd - tie - Paula Twaits (Sailboats Sunset)
& Mary Taylor (Boats & Church)
4th - Lisa Tatro - Turtles

Photography - Fix Focus Prints:
1st - Deb Holtz

Photography - Creative/Digital:
1st - Lisa Tatro – (Green Eel)
2nd - Rita Fitzpatrick - (Orange-fin Anemone fish)
3rd - Cindy Whitaker - (Christmas Tree Worm)

Photography – Standard 35mm/Wide-Angle Prints:
1st - Lisa Tatro (Diver on Wall)