We’re just connecting the dots
WINTER TEXAN Volume 10 • Issue 6 November 20, 2024
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Your Connection to the Rio Grande Valley Tourney Gives RGV International Exposure
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Story by Ric Cavazos
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Although the holidays bring stress with them, they also bring family, friends, sparkling lights, and a whole lot of great food. As Thanksgiving approaches, I feel the excitement all of this brings. One of the great things about Welcome Home Winter Texan is that it gives me and my WHRGV Team the opportunity to share events, “the rest of the story,” and even more with you each week. We’re having fun telling you about the artists behind the standpipe transformation throughout McAllen. It’s also a joy to bring you fascinating stories about our Winter Texans, like Rich Kleinberg and his induction into the Iowa Rock N’ Roll Music Association Hall of Fame. Traveling can be quite hectic during the holidays, but one of the greatest things about the Rio Grande Valley is that we have a beautiful island that offers a coastal twist on Thanksgiving and other holidays. Our tour manager, Sarah, offers ideas (and tours!), helping you find new ways to celebrate the holidays in the Valley--or just a short drive away. Do you have a favorite holiday tradition or recipe you want to share? I hope you’ll go to our Winter Texan by Welcome Home RGV Facebook page and share those with us. Get ready! The holidays are coming! ~We’re just connecting the dots…
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he 41st World Shuffleboard Championship at Fun-N-Sun RV Resort in San Benito was serious business, with more than a little fun and camaraderie mixed in. With over 80 participants from five countries, a first place Golden Cue was the big award sought, and it would have to be earned. Each player had four games a day to play in a tournament that drew players from the United States, Canada, Brazil, Germany, and the Netherlands. The competition started with an October 28 opening day ceremony at the San Benito RV park. It concluded November 1. It was a long time coming for Ann Engell and other tourney organizers. Fun-N-Sun was scheduled to host the event five years ago. Then COVID-19 came along and changed everyone’s plans. It was worth the wait, Engell said, as she scanned the indoor courts, seeing 84 participants shove weighted pucks across playing surfaces. “We finally got it here,” she said. “It has been really good having people from all over the country and the world coming to visit the (Rio Grande) Valley. It has been good for us, too, in bringing everyone here together at the beginning of the season.” Once everything was said and done, Mark Mallat of the United States was the men’s division champion, with Evan Engell of Canada the runner-up. Dev Baal, an American, finished first in the women’s division, and Megan Grabski of the United States placed second. For the Valley, said one participant, the event went beyond just a sporting competition. “It has been great exposure for the Valley,”
Joe Blumenkemper Jr., a Winter Texan from St. Louis, lines up a shot at the shuffleboard championship tournament. (Photo by Ric Cavazos)
said Joe Blumenkemper Jr., a Winter Texan from St. Louis. “Think of it like this--a younger player visiting here could be a future Winter Texan.” Focus and Strategy Shuffleboard is a game with origins dating back hundreds of years to its start in Europe. It is said to have been a favorite of King Henry VIII of England, whose reign covered the early 1500s. Shuffleboard has similarities to other sports, such as curling and air hockey. It has long been seen in the United States as a game for retirees. In more recent years, however, there has been a surge of younger generation enthusiasts who live in large urban areas. That was evident at the World Shuffleboard tournament played in San Benito, with participants coming from Brooklyn and Chicago. “I think it’s terrific,” Blumenkemper said of the younger players. “Having them here reinvigorates the game.” So does competing against players from other countries. Garth Bakke of Saskatchewan, who winters in Weslaco, said going against players from CONTINUED ON PAGE 2