Get ready to pull the guayabera out of the closet, light a cigar, and slam some bones on Saturday, Jan. 20 for the second annual Sunset Rotary Manny Madruga Domino Tournament at Southernmost House in Key West.

“We were friends and leadership classmates,” said Sunset Rotary’s Randy Acevedo, the tournament’s co-organizer with Donny Elomina. “Manny had so much integrity and gave himself to the organizations he was involved in and he is very much missed in Key West.”

Madruga was the Chief Assistant State Attorney when he died in 2016. The tournament funds Key West Sunset Rotary’s Key West High School scholarship for a student going into a legal field, as well as suicide awareness and prevention organizations.

This year, the tournament will boast 21 tables, rather than the 16 last year. Thirty-six of the 42 team slots have already been filled. “We are organizing a side game to start around 8 p.m. so those eliminated can buy back into a game,” said Acevedo.

Last year, more than $6,000 was raised from the tournament in Madruga’s honor.

Madruga was president of Leadership Monroe County when Mary Stella went through the program and she served on the board with him under his “exceptional leadership.” She plans on playing again this year.

“Playing in that tournament was really a special experience, to see how everyone in the community who loved and respected Manny put it together,” she said. “It was well organized and a lot fun.”

Although she touts herself as a novice player, only learning how to slam bones a month earlier on a trip overseas, “winning our first three matches and losing to Jon Crane felt really good; we are coming for you this year,” she said.

 

“In order to be the champ, you got to beat the champ.”  – Jon Crane

Domino tips for beginners from 2017 Champ Jon Crane

  1. If you need your partner to throw a low bone to help you out, wink twice with your left eye, if you need a high bone thrown, wink with your right eye twice. Don’t get caught. …I’ll be watching.
  2. If you’re lost and have no idea what’s going on, simply play connect the dots, the more dots you connect the better.
  3. Attempt to start with nine bones instead of ten. Look at that, you already got a lead!
  4. Want to look and act like a veteran, use terms such as bones, big nine, domineeecheeewhenitreachme, game’s locked, pollo, wash the dishes, and last but not least, capicu (pronounced copy coo.)
  5. When you have a chance to win and Domino with your final bone, take it all in, savior the moment, and slam that domino down as hard as you can and yell “DOMINO mother(CENSORED)!”

Sunset Rotary Manny Madruga Domino Tournament

Saturday, Jan. 20 starting at 5 p.m. at Southernmost House

Two-person teams are $100; includes cigar and dinner

$250 table sponsorships available

$20 social observer and dinner

 

Kristen Livengood is a Marathon High School and University of South Florida grad, mom of two beautiful little girls, and wife to some cute guy she met in a bar. She enjoys red wine, Tito's, Jameson, running (very, very slowly), and spearfishing.