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VOL 19 No. 44
August 14, 2019
It’s gold for Gomez siblings at Pan Am Games BY CINDY LANE SUN STAFF WRITER | clane@amisun.com
LIMA, PERU - Former Anna Maria Island residents and siblings Giorgio Gomez and Isabella Gomez have both won gold medals at the 2019 Pan American Games. The grandchildren of Jim and Ronee Brady, who own the West Coast Surf Shop in Holmes Beach, earned gold in SUP Surfing (stand up paddleboarding) on Monday, Aug. 5. Giorgio Gomez faced off Peru’s Tamil Martino (silver), and the USA’s Daniel Hughes (bronze), while Izzi Gomez beat out Peru’s Vania Torres (silver) and Brazil’s Nicole Pacelli (bronze). They competed for Colombia, as they have dual citizenship in the U.S. and Colombia, their father’s home country. “We kind of thought they had a chance and they did it,” said Jim Brady of his grandchildren, who grew up surfing in Anna Maria Island waters. It’s the second time the brother-sister duo has won gold in two years, making Colombian history, he said – last year it was at the 2018 Pan American Claro Games, also in Peru. SEE GOMEZ, PAGE 17
TOM VAUGHT | SUN
Frank Agnelli hugs his daughter, Sadie, before she heads into the kindergarten classroom of teacher Kelly Crawford for her first day of school at Anna Maria Elementary School.
Anna Maria Elementary open for learning BY TOM VAUGHT SUN STAFF WRITER |tvaught@anisun.com
HOLMES BEACH – The new school year got off to a relatively calm start Monday morning with a break in the rainy weather and a concerted effort by staff to keep track of how the students would be going home. Before the students were allowed inside the building, teachers and staff determined whether they would walk or bike home, take the bus or ride with their parents. Each had a color-coded bracelet around
his/her wrist to avoid confusion. Outside, Makena Corr, Eliana Romeo and Mya Ferrari raised the United States flag, a duty that will be repeated every school day. Students seemed too intent on getting to their classrooms to be worried about the first day of school. In the hall in front of Kelly Crawford’s kindergarten class, kids and their parents waited for the door to be opened then received the emotional good-bye hug
ISA/PABLO JIMENEZ | SUBMITTED
SEE AME, PAGE 21
Isabella Gomez won gold in Women’s SUP Surfing at the Pan Am Games.
INSIDE
BEAT THE
NEWS 3 POLITICAL CARTOON 6 TURTLES 11 OUTDOORS 16-17 RESTAURANTS 18-19 REAL ESTATE 20-26 CROSSWORD 28
THEY ARE golden: The 50th
summertime heat and chill out with cool gazpacho. 14
anniversary of Woodstock. 5
Anna Maria Island, Florida
JOHN Chappie to seek re-election
as Bradenton Beach mayor. 8
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