Rain, hail and dark clouds could not stop the 16th Annual Top Gun Tournament from being the best that it could be. Hundreds of people participated in the basketball, soccer, surfing, volleyball, dodgeball and Guitar Hero tournaments. The fun took place on the corner of Ocean Avenue and Park Avenue, in Long Branch, NJ.

The day started out with a thousand people in attendance watching the tournaments and enjoying the delicious food. People came from all over the tri-state area. Upon arrival, guests were greeted by six friendly volunteers. As soon as their admission bracelets were on, everyone walked in and was overwhelmed by how many things were taking place at once. To the left, there was a beautiful tent with a delicious meat lunch and lots of tables to sit at to socialize with friends. It was a great place to meet new people. While the spectators were enjoying the day, the Sephardic Voter’s League was out in force, registering people to vote.

Right in front, there was a huge steel cage with two teams fiercely battling in an energetic dodgeball match. To the right, the Stella Liniado Rainbow Foundation conducted free bone marrow testing to help patients with cancer, and to the left there were two teams spiking away in an over-the-top volleyball match. Also taking place was one of the main events of the day, the boy’s basketball tournament. Some newcomers to Top Gun commented that our players were better than some of the guys in the NBA. The competition, talent and sportsmanship were extremely high because over 600 people registered this year—and only the best 168 were chosen. The girl’s basketball tournament was also very large, with games taking place on three different courts.

Soccer was also a popular event with hundreds of players participating. The surfing competition was fun to watch, with some of the best surfers in our community competing. An exciting new event this year was the Guitar Hero tournament, where community members got to unleash their inner rockstars. There was even fun for the tiniest members of our community, who played games, slid down slides and jumped in a moon bounce.

Then the sky turned dark and rain threatened. Everyone was extremely impressed by how the Top Gun coordinators were able to move the tournaments and events so smoothly to the JCC’s indoor courts and fields. Top Gun continued!

Top Gun, run by the Sephardic Bikur Holim (SBH), started 16 years ago at the Chehebar Beach in Deal, NJ as a tournament, and grew to be the main event of the summer. At the time, there weren’t many other events going on, so Top Gun grew like a tornado in Oklahoma. Because of its great success, many other tournaments started and now there are over 30 events every summer, all raising money for various charitable organizations. Top Gun is a fundraising event—profits help send over 400 children to camp each year.

Jeffrey Gindi and the entire board of SBH would like to thank: Steven Novick, Chairman and Coordinator; JoJo Chehebar and Ezra Bibi, Co-Coordinators; Ralph Mandil, basketball; Joey Mizrahi (Stick), volleyball; Vicki Ades, girls basketball; Isaac Saayed, soccer; Joe and Elliot Sefaradi, dodgeball; Nathan Mamiye, surfing; and Joe Harary and Hal Doueck, Guitar Hero.

Special thanks to Joey and Esther Jerome for the use of their land and Joyce and Jack Kassin for the use of their beach. Another special thanks to the Long Branch Fire Department, Police Department and Hatzolah EMTs who kept everyone safe during the storm. Thanks to the JCC and to everyone for coming and participating in a wonderful day.
___________________
Charlie Shrem graduated from Yeshivah of Flatbush high school this past May.