OUR TOWN: Boy toughs out man-of-war attack, finishes triathlon

Ormond Beach Observer
Sports

Local boys make waves in Ormond Beach: An 8-year-old finishes his first triathalon -- despite a war with a man-of-war, and a 5-year-old reels in a fish nearly as big as him.

BY THE OBSERVER STAFF

An 8-year-old boy named Asher Ravede competed in his first ever triathalon June 9, in the YMCA’s 10^th-annual Tri-Y Triatholon. But it was anything but a easy run in the park.

The only child competing in the event’s 14-and-under division, Asher was “viciously attacked by a man-o-war,” his father, Jim, explained, during the first half of the event's swimming segment.

“His right arm and shoulder were covered with the marks,” Jim Ravede said, noting that he still went on to finish the swim and, eventually, the race. “Dozens of people came up to congratulate him on this feat.”

Calling the finish “extraordinary,” Asher’s father said, “My wife and I are very proud of our son, and he does not need the accolades of others to motivate him — he sets his own goals and meets them.”

Meanwhile, at the lake … a 5-year-old catches a 7-pound bass

Finnley Nordstrom, 5 years old, was fishing with his grandfather last month, when something big and angry caught his line.

There was a struggle, but Finnley won, pulling up a 7.5-pound large mouth bass.

“Although it was a heavy fish, he reeled it in, landed it, then released it,” Lorraine Wenstrom, Finnley’s grandmother, said. “They enjoy their time together fishing.”