Wellington, FL (February 27, 2023) – In poker, four kings are usually a winning hand. The Laas Crown used that strategy to capture top honors in the fifth annual Buck Off Challenge charity event on Sunday night (Feb. 26).
The family-friendly mechanical bull-riding Buck Off Challenge drew a large, enthusiastic crowd that included more than a dozen veterans and raised more than $50,000 for the Stuart-based Southeast Florida Honor Flight.
Southeast Florida Honor Flight is an all-volunteer, 501c3 non-profit 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 sacrifices.
They provide four flights a year. Each flight costs more than $140,000 to bring approximately 80 veterans to Washington, DC, free of charge. The next two trips are scheduled for April 15 and May 27.
The four kings tamed Firecracker, the feisty bull, as The Laas Crown team sponsored by Triple Crown Group and Laas Equestrian Real Estate. The team consisted of Aaron Perrin, Larry Hough, Ronan Quickian and Shah Quareshi, with an individual-high 96 points as the anchor rider, rallied for the thrilling victory with 327 points.
Second place went to The Beachin Buccaneers (Cody Abbass, Parker Mullinax, Preston Schneider, Aiden Porter), who led off the competition with 270 points (out of a possible 400) and that held up until the final ride.
10 Buck 2 Buccaneers (Daniella Russo, Olivia Johnson, Grace Lyons, Tyler Larkin) finished third with 238 points.
Several other awards were handed out to spotlight memorable achievements.
The Laas Crown was also voted the Most Entertaining team. Sophia Whalen won top honors for the Highest Scoring Youth age 12 and under with a 90 (out of 100).
The Highest Scoring Rookie that did not place in any other category was Maryana Poe with 89 points and the Highest Scoring Individual that did not place in any other category was 16-year-old Trent Ferrier with 97 points.
Celebrity judges were Wellington Mayor Anne Gerwig, Vietnam War veteran Kathy Shore, who was a nurse at a M.A.S.H. unit, and Wellington’s own Roxanne Stein, the popular anchor and reporter for WPTV West Palm Beach for 25 years. But the biggest celebrity and crowd favorite among the judges was 98-year-old World War II veteran and American hero Carmin Yannotta of West Palm Beach, who survived D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge.
The audience cheered extra loud encouragement for the many youngsters who participated and added another layer of genuineness – and cuteness — to the cause.
The main sponsors of the Buck Off Challenge were the Village of Wellington; philanthropist Dr. Shamsher Singh of Port St. Lucie, who has been a guardian on 31 Honor Flights, philanthropists Sanjiv Sharma and Nadine Allen, who regularly support local and national charities relating to food, health and education; Madison Sport Horses, IDA Development, Triple Crown Group and Carolex Stables.
Other major sponsors included Travis Laas Equestrian Real Estates, IDA Farm, South Florida Water Solutions, Red Mile Racing, Heaven Aire Air Conditioning, and Pro Plumbing & Gas, All Pro Pools.
VIP guests were treated to delicious dinner options from Wellington restaurants Bolay, Bonefish Grill and PDQ.
The event was designed and produced by Bobbi Rottman of Eques Solutions to use it as a unique fundraiser for various charities.
She has grown this event into the largest fundraiser for Southeast Florida Honor Flight.
For more information about Southeast Florida Honor Flight, visit www.honorflightsefl.org. or www.facebook.com/honorflight.