Elito Arceo’s 2nd Annual Kids Fishing Tournament Brings SUCH Joy on Mother’s Day

At 7am, yesterday, kids from all over Ambergris Caye gathered in Boca Del Rio Park for the official briefing for the 2nd Annual San Pedro Kids Fishing Tournament.

For weeks…months…Elito Arceo – who created this tournament last year – has been organizing all across the island. Speaking to school kids’ assemblies at all the primary schools (there are at least 8…maybe 9?), holding registration drives, and rallying businesses and individuals around town to donate prizes…

AND THERE WERE SO MANY PRIZES! Especially big thank you to Grand Caribe Resort – who donates 10% of the proceeds from their annual Deep Sea Fishing Classic Tournament to this event.

Registration was free for any child ages 5-13. Parents and kids were told to pack a small cooler with drinks, snacks and lunch, bait and…bring your fishing rods. All fishing would take place from docks and the shore – anywhere on the island. There were given a raffle ticket. And told to meet into Boca Del Rio Park at 2pm.

I got just before 2 and…whoa. If you are ever feeling down about…whatever it is. The sargassum, the heat, the dust, whatever it is…your house is in desperate need of a very deep clean….

This event – the generosity, the number of excited kids, the donations, the volunteers, Elito and his boundless excitement and energy and love of kids and this island, seeing all the young fathers with their sons and daughters – snapped me right out of it.

INCREDIBLE. Let me just show you my pictures. And some fabulous drone shots by Macarena Rose – she’s a local real estate agent and when I arrived, her drone was hovering above.

From above!

My favorite part? Well…I’ve got a few. One – you didn’t need to catch a fish to win. The raffle was on going…and kids were winning all sorts of cool stuff. Two – seeing all the dads. So many folks I know as tour guides, bartenders, delivery workers…beaming along with their kids.

What an incredible event. I am just…bowled over by how much work it takes to organize something like this…and how many prizes were assembled.

This community is pretty amazing. I hope everyone had the best time ever. It was so good that I didn’t even get the least bit cranky when I had to do a 14-point turn to get out of my parking space. Success!

Happy Mother’s Day everyone. I hope all the San Pedro moms got a nice fish soup or fry fish for dinner last night.