Professional Windsurfing Association (PWA)

World Championship Freestyle Finals

“King of the Caribbean”

11-18 December 2002

Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean



What:
2002 PWA World Championship Freestyle Finals -- “King of the Caribbean”

Grand Finale to the 2002 PWA World Tour

A PWA World Cup Event



There will be competitions for all levels, including Professionals, Amateurs, Novices and Juniors. Professional winners will be crowned “King and Queen of the Caribbean” as well as PWA World Freestyle Champions for 2002. In addition to the competitions, there will be island-wide parties throughout the week, featuring the music of “Sugero”, the food exposition “A Taste of Bonaire”, a Christmas and Culture fair in the town of Rincon, and waterside parties almost every night.



Website: http://www.bonaireworldfreestyle.com



Purse:
US $65,000 broken down as: $55,000 for men and $10,000 for women



When:
11-18 December 2002. Professional competition will begin 12 December. Competition for amateurs and novices will run 13-15 Dec. Finals competition for Professionals will be 17 December. (See attached schedule)



Where:
At windy Lac Bay on the island of Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles (Dutch Caribbean). This small island of just 12,000 people is fast becoming one of the top windsurfing locations in the world with almost constant on-shore wind averaging 17 to 22 knots but often stronger. Bonaire is the home of the now sixth ranked PWA champion Tonky Frans, as well as his brother Tati, who is ranked 31 and Keke Dammers, ranked 27. All three are still in their teens and have just recently become professional competitors. Now the entire windsurf community can see where these new hot shots live and train. For years Bonaire has also been known as one of the top five scuba diving destinations in the world and has often set the world standard for ocean and reef protection.



Categories for Competition




Professional: Must be able to perform AERIAL freestyle

Men: $55,000 purse

Women: $10,000 purse

Amateur: For those who can perform PLANING freestyle

Men’s Division

Master’s Division for men over 35

Women’s Division

Junior Division for boys and girls 16 or under

Novice: For those who can perform NON-PLANING freestyle

Open Division for men and women

Junior Division for boys and girls 16 or under



Travel Information:


From North America and the Caribbean: Air Jamaica is the official carrier for the event and has offered a special promotional rate for competitors as well as spectators. There is also a discount rate for shipping competitors’ gear. The special Air Jamaica fare can be accessed by calling Air Jamaica at 800-523-5585 and referencing "Maduro and Curiel's Bank King of the Caribbean". Reservations must be booked in B or M class using ticket designator GD20. Last ticket date 20 November, but competitors and spectators are urged to purchase tickets earlier due to heavy travel during December. American Airlines and American Eagle have daily flight to Bonaire via San Juan Puerto Rico but do not offer cargo service to competitors.



From Europe: KLM (Royal Dutch Airline) is offering special group rates to competitors and spectators from Europe. Contact Emile at Maduro Travel, telephone: +(31) 70 356-2850 or e-mail: zaken@maduro.nl



Hotel accommodations, car and gear rental can be arranged by contacting Ann Phelan, event coordinator at ann@bonairewindsurfing.com or 800-219-0118 (toll free in the USA) or 508-385-8174.



Media Contact:
In the USA: Ann Phelan, coordinator at ann@bonairewindsurfing.com 508-385-8174



On Bonaire: Byron Trump, bonairepilots@bonairelive.com or Elvis Martinus, 599-717-2288 e-mail: theplace@bonairelive.com



Sponsors:
The Bonaire Sailing Foundation, a non-governmental organization on the island, is organizing the event. It is a Professional Windsurfing Grand Prix event. Primary Sponsor is Maduro & Curiel’s Bank Bonaire with support from Reda Sosial, the Bonaire Hotel and Tourism Association, Bonaire Hospitality Group, Bonaire Tourism Corporation, Bonaire Fuels Company NF and many more local companies and organizations.



Special Activities and Schedule:
11 Dec: Registration, Press conference and opening ceremonies with “A Taste of Bonaire” Island Party featuring the USA band Sugero.

12 Dec: Professional competition in the day, Cultural Night at Hollandse Grill.

13 Dec: Competition for professionals, amateurs and juniors in the day; Caribbean Beach Dinner and Party at Plaza Resort at night.

14 Dec: Competition during the day, Town Party at City Cafe at night

15 Dec: Competition in the day; Amateur and Junior Awards Ceremony at night followed by an All-island Party at Karel's Beach Bar.

16 Dec: Professional competition in the day; Culture and Christmas Fair in Rincon in the evening featuring local bands.

17 Dec: PWA World Cup final competition for King and Queen of the Caribbean, the World Freestyle Champions 2002. Followed by Coronation Ceremony and party at Sorobon Beach.

18 Dec: Departures

Fierce Windsurfing Championship Battle
Set for Bonaire December 11 to 17


Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles -- The fierce battle for the Professional Windsurfers Association Freestyle Championship 2002 will be decided December 17 on the sun drenched beaches of Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean. As it stands the race for the title is incredibly close with the top three freestyle pros separated by just 201 ranking points.

Seventeen-year-old Ricardo Campello, the young Brazilian who lives and trains on Isla Margarita, Venezuela, holds a narrow lead over Nik Baker and Californian Matt Pritchard, whose brother is the 2002 world Wave champion. All three will be competing at the Bonaire King of the Caribbean Pro-Am event along with two-time World Champion Josh Stone, 2001 winner Antoine Albeau and more than 40 other top windsurfers from around the world.

As witnessed so far this season, the standard of freestyle on the PWA World Tour is so high that all sorts of upsets are possible, especially in a new competition location such as Bonaire. Rumors are rife about some of the island’s hotshots who could easily cause major upsets.

Bonaire is home to number nine ranked Tonky (Everon) Frans and his brother Tati (Elton) who is ranked 23 and Keke (Christiaan) Dammers, ranked 32. This is the first year that all three Bonaire teenagers joined the professional tour. Several other local sailors will be in the competition on their home territory.

The top three ranking female pros, Daida Ruano Moreno, Karin Jaggi and reigning champion Colette Guadagnino are also signed up for the event, which will be the grand finale to the 2002 PWA World Tour. The World Tour opened last April in France and has made stops in Austria, the USA, Canada, Spain, Italy and twice in the Canary Islands.

This first King of the Caribbean World Championship Freestyle Finals, sponsored by Maduro & Curiel’s Bank NV, will start 11 December with registration, a press conference and island-wide party. Professional competitions will begin on the 12th and run for six days with the finals on 17 December and the King and Queen of the Caribbean crowned that night. Men are competing for $55,000 in prize money and the women for $10,000.

Amateur, Novice and Junior events are planned to start at 3 pm on Friday, 13 December and run through the weekend. Awards ceremony for the Amateur, Novice and Junior competitions will be Sunday night, 15 December, midway through the professional competition.

The Bonaire event is expected to show lots of new moves and combinations that have been created just in the last year, demonstrating the highly dynamic nature of freestyle windsurfing. Exciting performances from a number of young competitors will also spice up the competition.

Ricardo Campello, the 17-year-old leader in the 2002 freestyle competition, is training hard at home on Isla Margarita and on Maui in an effort to hold on to his narrow lead. Hoping to be named King of the Caribbean and the 2002 Freestyle Champion, Campello says he feels “a lot of suspense” as the countdown for Bonaire begins.

Since Margarita Island and Bonaire are so close, Campello is hoping for similar wind and weather conditions to work in his favor. “I heard windsurfing there is great for freestyle,” says Campello. “It is kind of like where I live, hopefully. I hope it will be warm, sunny and windy.”

The combination of top ranked professionals, young hot shots new to the tour, exciting new moves and the extremely narrow point margin in the men’s competition, all point to a dramatic climax for the PWA freestyle tour 2002 on Bonaire.

Web site for the December 2002 King of the Caribbean is http://www.bonaireworldfreestyle.com. At the site there is information on the Professional, Amateur, Novice and Junior competitions, island-wide parties, event schedule, registration, accommodations, car and gear rentals and more. Soon the site will also feature a “See You There” page where windsurfers can find out who will be attending this PWA World Championship Freestyle Finals. E-mail inquiries should go to ann@bonairewindsurfing.com.

The small island of Bonaire in the Netherlands Antilles, is gearing up for what is expected to be the hottest year-end freestyle finals yet. Bonaire is one of the three Dutch islands located just north of Venezuela. While it does not have the high number of tourists as its sister islands Aruba and Curacao, it is a paradise for scuba diving, snorkeling, and of course, windsurfing. Sorobon Beach at Lac Bay, the pristine area where the Bonaire Sailing Team trains, will be the setting for this First Annual King of the Caribbean World Freestyle Finals.

Annie just e-mailed me a PDF file with the schedule for this event. It's available below:

KOTC Schedule kotc_schedule_of_events.pdf (39 k)

Here is a link to the first photos of the day:

http://www.virtualbonaire.com/Sorobon-KOTC-20021212

Jake

Wow, Jake! I love you! Thank you soooo much for putting the little "tip" at the top of the pano flicks...to wait for it to load....Niki, you were right, too....I wasn't waiting long enuff for the QuickTime to load up fully. There is no "bar" at the bottom of my monitor on the Quick side so I just stared at the fuzzy pic and waited and waited and waited and then BAM!! There they were...crystal clear pano shots all over the island and Sorobon. I think I even saw Annie in the one shot, right?? Great, great stuff, Jake...we are sooo spoiled now. I know you are having a ball with the new "toy"/equipment....we are having fun right along with you. Great stuff. Patience is a virtue...even virtually! Carole

Great pictures Jake, thanks!
The pano's look awesome. Can't wait 2 see appear more of them

Jake,
Great Shots! I really like number 14.

That babe wasn't Annie. Just some spectator (not to say that Annie's not a babe, of course :-) )

Jake

Annie, you go girl! Looks like the event is a big success. The 360's are great too, Jake, it's making my finger twitch uncontrollably over the speed dial button to my travel agent...

Aha! You'll need to get a shot of Annie in there, then, eh? Love the panos, Jake. Carole