On Saturday, November 24, 2018, the annual Turkey Burner Doubles Handball Tournament was held at Los Caballeros Sports Village. This event is hosted by LAFD Handball and the United States Handball Association as a fundraiser to support local youth handball and the First Ace Fund. There were five Divisions with 43 teams competing.
LAFD Handball was represented well with members competing in the finals in the top three categories. Sergio Guzman (FS-50) and Pro Qualifier John Wayne Cortez attempted to defend their 2017 title in the “Caliente Division.” They were up against the father and son team of current World Professional Handball (WPH) #8 Armando Ortiz Jr. and Armando Ortiz Sr. It came down to a very exciting final, but Ortiz Jr. had too much firepower.
The “Hot Division” featured an all LAFD final with the A/O’s from Fire Station 66 Trevor Insley and Alex Garcia, meeting Chris Yokoyama (Quality Assurance Unit) and Roy Harvey (FPB). Both of these undefeated teams emerged from a 12-team field to play an evenly matched final game. Insley and Garcia scored the final six points, coming from behind 15-18 to win 21-18.
John Libby Jr. (FS-80) and John Libby Sr. competed in the “Warm Division” (also known as the Sandbagger Division) and made it through to the finals before falling to civilians Larry Barunda and Greg Tomasian.
This tournament provides a great opportunity for LAFD players to compete against the best, and develop relationships in the Southern California Handball Community. It is always a great day of handball, food, drinks, and fun! Winners received embroidered warmup jackets and handball gloves from sponsor Owen Gloves.
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