March 4, 2014
For immediate release:
ASSOCIATION PROFESSIONAL SURFING PUERTO RICO (APSPR)
Event # 2 on the “Corona Extra Pro Surf Circuit” competition season.
Strong International Field for Corona Contest in Puerto Rico
The field of entries for the Corona Extra Pro at Domes, beginning
Saturday morning, March 8, will be one of the strongest and most varied
in the history of the circuit. “This year fifteen of the first round of fortyeight men are coming from the Mainland U.S.”, said Event Director
Werner Vega. “In addition, we have entries from Venezuela and the
Virgin Islands. In the Women's division we have entries from Argentina,
Barbados and France”.
Cody Thompson, Photo: Angelo Cordero / APSPR©
Some of the notable visitors that will be seen include Nathaniel Curran,
Dean Randazzo and Magnum Martinez. Curran is a competitor on the
international World Qualifying Series, where he is currently rated # 71.
He was the 2008 Champion of the U.S. Open of Surfing, at Huntington
Beach, California. Dean Randazzo, known as “the Jersey Devil”, is the
only New Jersey surfer to have competed on the World Championship
Tour, composed of the top 44 surfers in the world, which he did in 1996.
Randazzo was recently inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of
Fame. Magnum Martinez, the top-ranked Venezuelan surfer of all time,
was the champion of the ALAS Latin American circuit in 2004, and in
2012 he became the ISA World Masters Champion in Nicaragua.
Liza Cabán, Photo: Angelo Cordero / APSPR ©
Another Mainland surfer who will be one to watch is Michael Dunphy, of
Virginia Beach, who is currently ranked #31 on the WQS ratings. Back
again from Florida is Gabe Kling, the defending champion of the Domes
event, who won last year's contest in the giant surf that no one will forget.
The giant size of the surf forced organizers to assemble a team of
personal watercraft who carried the surfers out into the lineup. Paddling
out was simply not possible. “That was one of the most exciting contests
I have ever been in” said Kling. ”Without the skis, I don’t think I would
have even made it out”.
Of course, all these eager visitors will face a formidable challenge against
the local island pros, who surf their home waters like no one else.The
winner of the Middles event in November, Wesley Toth, of Isabela, will
once again be competing against his fellow finalist Gabriel Escudero.
Wesley's brother, Brian Toth was able to clinch last year's season title
because of his remarkable consistency. In all three events he never placed
lower than third. Brian is now a four-time champion of the APSPR
Circuit and the most successful Puerto Rican surfer ever, having
competed for several years on the international ASP (Association of
Surfing Professionals) World Tour. Brian Toth had a good start to his
2014 international campaign by placing equal 13th at Hawaii's Banzai
Pipeline, and is currently in 25th in the international rankings after
Australia. Other local favorites include Norberto “Panadero” Peña, who
recently claimed second place in the Open Masters International category
at the Masters Surf Reunion in the Dominican Republic; along with
Alejandro Moreda, Josie Graves and Wilfredo “Control” Deliz.
In the Women's division the current ratings leader is Chelsea Tuach, of
Barbados, who won the Middles event. The defending Corona Extra
Women's Champion from 2012-13 is Alexis Engstrom, of Montauk, NY
and Rincon. who finished third at Middles. While Tuach and Engstrom
must be considered the favorites, they will face a formidable new
challenger in Maud Le Car, from France. Le Car, 21, has begun the
international World Qualifying Series in spectacular fashion with
performances in the first two events in Australia that have placed her at
number five in the world. Top contenders among the local women
include Idalis Alvarado and Maria Kuzmovich.
A special ceremony will take place on Saturday afternoon, when longtime
island resident David Balzerak will be presented his induction into the
East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame. Balzerak, the legendary surfer and
surfboard shaper, known to surf fans as “DCB”, was voted into the Hall
in January, and a representative is being sent to honor him in person.
The Corona Extra Pro Surf Circuit, was founded in 2001 by Werner
Vega, surfboard shaper and owner of Hang Loose Surf Shop, in Isabela.
“Since we began thirteen years ago Corona Extra has been the biggest
supporter of Puerto Rican pro surfers” said Mr. Vega. “The continued
support of Corona Extra shows a huge commitment to the sport and it’s
athletes”.
Surfing fans who are unable to attend in person at Rincon will once again
have the opportunity to follow the action online with the popular “Heats
on Demand” feature. “They will have access to every scoring ride of the
event”, said APSPR Event Coordinator, Viviannee Vega. “On our
website < www.apspr.net > you can scan the draw, and select which heat
you would like to watch, and much more”. Each scoring ride is shown,
along with the points earned for that wave, through the technology of the
Beach Byte computer scoring system. All of that scoring information is
then available on the APSPR website to anyone with access to a modem.
The other generous sponsors of the Corona Extra Pro Circuit are:
Corona Extra, Corona Light,Jose Cuervo, Finlandia, Cabreiroá, Hang Loose Surf
Shop, Werner Vega Surf Board, Mango's, El Nuevo Día, Wapa, N- Punto, Alfa Rock,
Mundo Rad, Surfers Village, Surfline.