Regional Champions for Surfing T&T International Surf Festival 2010!

This weekend (May 1^st & 2^nd), Trinidad and Tobago will host the greatest pool of surfing talent to ever grace our shores. In its inaugural year, the Surfing T&T International Surf Festival has attracted serious attention from professional surfers of this region, securing entries from a long list of champions that will battle for the unprecedented US$3000 individual first prize, and share a total prize purse of US$10,000.

From the Unites States, eight (8) surfers have confirmed entry including Aaron “Gorkin” Cormican, multiple east coast (US) event champion and ESPN X-Games gold medalist in 2003 (MVP) and 2004. Cormican is know in the surfing world for the “Gorkin Flip”, a backside double grab inverted 360 air, the first legit flip ever landed in surfing which he also completed in competition. Joining Cormican will be fellow Americans Evan Geiselman, a Redbull Team Rider and winner of both the Pro Jr. and Open Mens divisions of the Landshark Pro (event #1 of the Western Atlantic Pro Surf Series), Nils Schwiezer, Overall winner of the Western Atlantic Pro Surf Series 2009, and Jeremy Johnston, a Billabong team rider and past USA National Junior representative for ISA World Junior Surfing Games.

Hailing from Barbados is last years Caribbean Surf Network (CSN) overall tour Champion, and CSN Sans Souci Pro 2009 Champion, Lewis St.John. Young Lewis will be looking to stamp his authority on this event for a solid start in the Caribbean Surf Network for 2010. Christopher Clarke, Jonathan Reece, and Junior Female Phenomenon, Chelsea Tuach, who is also Barbados National women’s Champion and CSN tour 2009 women’s Champion, join him to represent the Blue and Yellow of Barbados.

The Jamaican Surfing Association has once again stepped up their support for regional surfing competition and will be coming to Sans Souci, Toco with their A-game. With a total of eight (8) competing surfers, they will be lead by Icah Wilmot, Current and 5-time Jamaican National Surfing Champion and CSN Tour 2009 Open Men’s Runner-Up. Also carded will be Akeam Phillips and Enson Lightbourn, CSN Tour 2009 2^nd and 3^rd ranked Pro Junior Surfers, among others.

Josie Graves, winner of the Barbados Reef Classic 2007, will be representing Puerto Rico at the event and will be one surfer to keep an eye on with his consistent and powerful approach to surfing. Also competing will be four (4) Venezuelan and one (1) Australian competitor, who will add a lot of diversity to the field. Finally, there will be a solid roster of Trinidad and Tobago locals looking to defend their home turf and keep the prize money in the island.

Local pro Christopher Dennis of Balandra, the 2-time Surfing T&T National Champion who is currently competing internationally in ASP events, will be leading the pack. Jason Apparicio and Che Lovelace, both 5-time Surfing T&T National Champions and Jr. Champions, will also be flying the Red, Black and White flag for T&T. Current Surfing T&T National Champion and Executive President Keith Lewis, will also be representing T&T alongside top local surfboard shaper, Alan Davis, who was Surfing T&T’s Surfer of the Year 2007 and CSN Tour overall champion in 2007.

Registration for the event closes at 7pm Friday 30^th April. There will be no late entries or beach entries. Anyone at risk of missing the registration is encouraged to contact the contest director via the information provided below to make alternative arrangements.

Sponsors for the event include Épicé Sunscreen, the Tourism Development Company (TDC), Josef’s Sports Bar, the Western Atlantic Pro Surf Series, Carolina Swimwear, Beach Break Surf Shop, Caribbean Waterman, Mystic Hemp, and Tropical Power Limited.

All surfers, team managers, officials and press can contact SURFING T&T by calling Lee Quesnel at 1-868-301-5051, or e-mail surfingtandt@gmail.com .

US$10,000 Purse for Surfing T&T International Surf Festival 2010 – Largest ever in Trinidad and Tobago!

The Western Atlantic Pro Surf Series (WAPSS, www.westernatlanticsurf.com), the only pro surfing tour that exists on the east coast of the United States, is run by Michael Bloom who is an Association of Surfing (ASP) certified judge and a professional photographer. For the first time in the tour’s existence it will venture beyond its native shores of the US and run an event in Trinidad and Tobago in partnership with Surfing T&T. In order to make the event attractive to international pro surfers, Bloom teamed up with Épicé Sunscreen of the US to secure the largest Prize Purse ever for an International Surf Contest in Trinidad and Tobago.

Épicé Sunscreen’s (www.epicemd.com) developer and owner, Michael S. Spicer MD, FAAD, was born in Trinidad and is returning to his roots to bring much needed support to a developing sport in a developing island. He is also bringing a superior sun protection product than what is currently available in Trinidad’s market. After testing many sun protection products, Dr. Spicer finally found one that dries like a powder, doesn't burn the eyes and, most importantly, keeps the sun's harmful rays at bay. After all, no one wants to hold a surfboard or a fishing rod with sticky or slippery hands just because of sun protection.

The stage is now set for an epic surf contest in Sans Souci, Toco; at a beach the locals affectionately call “Beach Break”. The small, half moon shaped bay will provide a coliseum style ambiance for spectators to watch the best pro surfers from the region battle for an unprecedented prize purse and the open men’s winner will walk away with US$3,000! With so much money on the line, Surfing T&T and WAPSS have employed the services of top International Surf Judges from Jamaica, Barbados, Puerto Rico, and the Unites States, to compliment the a solid team of local judges who will all be managed by Surfing T&T’s head judge John Torry.

Two of these judges are certified by the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) and the rest are certified by the International Surfing Association (ISA). Additionally, for the first time ever in Trinidad and Tobago, the Beach Byte computerized score tabulating system will be used to provide real-time tabulation of judge’s scores and place positions of surfers in the heat. This computer system allows for greater spectator engagement as everyone is aware of what the surfers in the water need to accomplish in order to win their heat and advance to the next round.

The main categories are Open Men’s, Open Woman’s, and Pro Junior (Under 21). There will also be a Night Surfing Expression Session Event, where top surfers will be surfing under stadium lighting and will be looking to perform radical maneuvers to win a separate cash prize.

In addition to being internationally recognized as the second event of the 2010 Western Atlantic Pro Surf Series, Surfers will also be awarded points based on their performances that will contribute to their overall standing in the Caribbean Waterman Challenge 2010 competition (www.caribbeanwaterman.com).

International competitors will benefit from subsidized accommodation and meals packages organized by Surfing T&T, and can choose one of two packages at USD$30/day and USD$50/day, all meals and accommodation included. Transportation to and from the contest site at Sans Souci will also be organized via shuttle services. Entry fees for the competitors are USD$50 for Open Men’s, and USD$25 for all other Categories. There will be prize money for the top 24 Open Men competitors beginning at USD$3,000 for First Place.

To complement Surfing action, there will also be Audio Visual Entertainment provide by the RedBull Pinzi Vehicle, a Rally Car Demonstration by the Trinidad and Tobago Rally Club, and a “Reef Brazil” Style Bikini Contest hosted by Carolina Swimwear. Sponsors for the event include Épicé Sunscreen, the Tourism Development Company (TDC), Josef’s Sports Bar, the Western Atlantic Pro Surf Series, Carolina Swimwear, Beach Break Surf Shop, Caribbean Waterman, and Tropical Power Limited.

All surfers, team managers, officials and press can contact SURFING T&T by calling Lee Quesnel at 1-868-301-5051, or e-mail surfingtandt@gmail.com .

PAYOUT
OPEN MEN	USD		PRO JR (U21)	USD		WOMEN	USD
1st	3000		1st	500		1st	250
2nd	1100		2nd	250		2nd	125
3rd	800		3rd	150		3rd	100
4th	500		4th	100		4th	25
5th	350
7th	250		NIGHT SURF	USD
9th	200		EXPRESSION
13th	150		SESSION	500	Winner takes all.

Surfing T&T set to host regions best surfers!

Surfing T&T (www.surfingtt.org) has teamed up with the Caribbean Surf Network (www.csnsurf.com) and the Western Atlantic Professional Surf Series (www.westernatlanticsurf.com) to bring a world class International Surfing Event to the shores of Trinidad and Tobago in 2010. In just about 5 weeks time, professional surfers from the region, including representatives from Jamaica, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and the Unites States, will be competing in the SURFING T&T INTERNATIONAL SURF FESTIVAL 2010 in Sans Souci, Toco, Trinidad.

The main categories are Open Men’s, Open Woman’s, and Pro Junior (Under 21). There will also be a Night Surfing Team Event, which will feature impromptu teams of fellow countrymen, sponsored team riders, crewmembers, and locals. This will be an “aloha cup” style event, different from the tradition style competitions with which spectators and surfers are accustomed. Further differentiating this event will be the employment of an ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) Certified Judge from the Unites States and the use of a real-time computerized score tabulation system, both are firsts for Trinidad and Tobago and the Southern Caribbean.

In addition, the competition will be internationally recognized as the second event of 2010 on the recently developed Western Atlantic Surf Series, a US based regional professional surf series, and on the Caribbean Surf Network, a Caribbean based professional surfing circuit. Surfers will also be awarded points based on their performances that will contribute to their overall standing in the Caribbean Waterman Challenge 2010 competition (www.caribbeanwaterman.com).

International competitors will benefit from subsidized accommodation and meals packages organized by Surfing T&T, and can choose one of two packages at USD$30/day and USD$50/day, all meals and accommodation included. Transportation to and from the contest site at Sans Souci will also be organized via shuttle services. Entry fees for the competitors are USD$50 for Open Men’s, and USD$25 for all other Categories. There will be prize money for the top 10 Open Men competitors beginning at USD$1200 for First Place.

To complement the Traditional and Non-Traditional Surfing action, there will also be Audio Visual Entertainment provide by the RedBull Pinzi Vehicle, a Rally Car Demonstration by the Trinidad and Tobago Rally Club, and a “Reef Brazil” Style Bikini Contest hosted by Carolina Swimwear. Sponsors for the event include, but are not limited to, Suzuki International, Lifestyle Motors, the Tourism Development Company (TDC), Joseph’s Sports Bar, the Western Atlantic Pro Surf Series, Carolina Swimwear, and Tropical Power Limited.

All surfers, team managers, officials and press can contact SURFING T&T by calling Lee Quesnel at 1-868-301-5051, or e-mail surfingtandt@gmail.com .

Surfing T&T to host International Surf Festival in May 2010, welcomes competitors from around the region.

February 20, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On May 1^st and 2^nd, 2010 The Surfing Association of Trinidad and Tobago (SURFING T&T) will be hosting its first international surfing event in over a decade. In recent years the beaches of the Toco area, located on the northeastern tip of Trinidad, have played host to a handful of International Surf Contests organized by various sponsors and organizations. However, none of these have managed to live up to the reputation of the legendary International Surf Events hosted in the early 1990’s by SURFING T&T and historically remembered as the ZOOM BREAK INTERNATIONAL.

SURFING T&T has spent the last 5 years getting their domestic affairs in order by certifying Coaches and Judges through the International Surfing Association (ISA, www.isasurf.org), implementing surfing development programs, and sending National Teams to ISA World Surfing Games events. The Association is now in a formidable position to re-introduce the excitement of International Surfing Competition to the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, and the greater region.

The SURFING T&T INTERNATIONAL SURF FESTIVAL 2010 will be different from any International Surf Event held in Trinidad and Tobago in the Past. The competition will be a combination of a Professional Event, which means Open Surfers will compete for Money Prizes, and National Team Event, which means National Teams will compete for National Pride and Silverware. In addition, the competition will be internationally recognized as the second event of 2010 on the recently developed Western Atlantic Surf Series (www.westernatlanticsurf.com), an US based regional professional surf series. Surfers will also be awarded points based on their performances that will contribute to their overall standing in the Caribbean Waterman Challenge 2010 competition (www.caribbeanwaterman.com).

Moreover, this event will be a weekend long FESTIVAL, in every sense of the word. There will be something for everyone as we promote the celebration of the beach culture of Trinidad and Tobago and expose it to international guests. There will be live music, a bikini competition, action sports demonstrations, local cuisines and delicacies, a spacious and comfortable beach environment for relaxing and socializing in the sun, and of course world-class surfing action!

SURFING T&T has invited competitors from Venezuela, Barbados, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the Unites States. We expect a great turnout and look forward to seeing these countries well represented in and out of the water. For more information on the event please refer to the attached info pack, or feel free to contact us at surfingtandt@gmail.com .

SURFING T&T SICK SATURDAY A HUGE SUCCESS!

SANS SOUCI, TRINIDAD. On Saturday 9^th January 2010 the SURFINGT&T held their first official event of the year in Toco. The day began at noon with the Surfer of the Year National Team Trails #1 at Salibea Beach, near the Toco Lighthouse. With solid waves in the 4’-5’ range and favorable conditions for contest surfing, the 12 top surfers in the country entered the water to compete for valuable points and hopefully a place on the National Team.

Top local surfer, and 2009 Surfer of the Year, Christopher Dennis Managed to edge past local surfing legend Che Lovelace in the Final to take an early lead in the 2010 Surfer of the Year race. His victory will secure him 1000 points on the tally sheet.

Minutes after the horn was blown to end the Trials, all the competitors and event organizers packed up and headed for Sans Souci, where the SURFING T&T Annual General Meeting was held. The existing executive of the Association was un-contested and they secured their positions for another two (2) year term running the development of Surfing in T&T. The executive committee is: Keith Lewis – President, Sherrard Spiers – Vice President, Warren Rostant – Secretary, Lee Quesnel – Treasurer, Mark de Verteuil – Public Relations, and Johnathan Torry – Head Judge.

The 2009 SURFING T&T Surfer of the Year, Christopher Dennis, was then awarded with his very special SANS SOUCI MEMORIAL TROPHY that was build locally and dedicated to the lives of all the Trinidad and Tobago surfers that have been lost over the years. Finally, the members of SURFING T&T were treated to an experience of a lifetime. With the help of Power Up Rental Equipment Ltd, the Bay of SANS SOUCI was illuminated with two massive industrial lighting towers and the surfers all paddled out at 8pm to surf the waves in the night, under the lights.

This was a first for everyone present and the energy and good vibe was overwhelming. The night surfing under lights was an experiment by the Association in preparation for an actual contest under lights, featuring International Teams, as part of the SURFING T&T INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL 2010, scheduled for May 1^st and 2^nd, 2010.

For more information about these events, please contact SURFINGTANDT@GMAIL.COM

RESULTS:

Round 1

H1

Chris Dennis 1

Shane Hennaman 2

Kevin See Tai 4

Simon Cabral 3

H2

Che Lovelace 1

Brian Ramcharan 2

Shawn Rostant 3

Stephan Lue Chin 4

H3

Keith Lewis 3

Kendall Francis 1

Dario Jordan 2

Kiwan Landreth-Smith 4

Semi-Finals

H4

Che Lovelace 1

Shane Hennaman 2

Kendall Francis 3

H5

Chris Dennis 1

Brian Ramcharan 2

Dario Jordan 3

Final

H6

Chris Dennis 1

Che Lovelace 2

Brian Ramcharan 3

Shane Hennaman 4

Current		Trials #1	Salibea
RANK	Surfer	Place	Points
1	Chris Dennis	1	1000
2	Che Lovelace	2	860
3	Bryan Ramcharan	3	730
4	Shane Hennaman	4	670
5	Kendall Francis	5	610
5	Dario Jordan	5	610
7	Keith Lewis	7	555
7	Shawn Rostant	7	555
7	Kevin Setai	7	555
10	Simon Cabral	10	488
10	Stephan Lue Chin	10	488
10	Kiwan Landreth-Smith	10	488

Tobago Surfers Rule at CW Cocrico Pro Tobago!

CARIBBEAN WATERMAN – COCRICO PRO TOBAGO

DEC 29 2009 – JAN 1 2010

MT.IRVINE, TOBAGO – From December 29th 2009 – January 1st 2010, Caribbean Waterman (caribbeanwaterman.com) and the local surfing community in Tobago successfully ran a surfing event in Tobago that highlighted the quality of the surfers and their performances in the high quality waves of the Sister Island, with support from SURFINGT&T (surfingtt.org).

This spectacular event, which coincided with huge waves (2.5 – 3.5 Meters)formed by a North Atlantic Low Pressure System, was blessed with surfing conditions that dreams are made of, at least for the surfers. Many of Tobago’s beaches were too rough for swimming and this encouraged many spectators to gather on Mt.Irvine Beach to witness the first Surf Contest in Tobago in over 20 years.

The goal of this event was to have minimal negative impact on the surf break at Mt.Irvine and the great beach culture that already exists. Instead, the organizers wanted the event to have a great positive impact on the performance quality of surfing in Tobago. Surfers and watermen who would not normally compete in traditional surf contests were encouraged to take part in this event due to its new and innovative format.

Traditionally surf contest are purely judged by non-competing judges, in a rigid schedule of 20 minute heats, whereas a large portion of the CW COCRICO PRO TOBAGO was judged based on the observations and opinions of the competing surfers themselves through a voting process. This meant that credit was given where credit was due, and the athletes that were awarded prizes knew that they had truly gained the respect of their peers.

Additionally, a large focus of this event is was the youth factor. SURFINGT&T has made it clear that our country needs a lot of attention focused on youth development. Tobago has shown potential in this area far beyond its size and population, and they did not disappoint at the event with 4 of the top 5 U18 surfers coming from Tobago.

The positive feedback from the Tobago Community in the wake of this event has been overwhelming and many have volunteered their support for growing the event into an annual gathering with significant additional resources and infrastructure. Tobago surfing legend and winner of Best Big-wave Surfing Exhibit and Best Overall Waterman Performance, Barry St.George had this to say:

“This event has come as a true blessing to surfing in Tobago and has brought recognition where it is long overdue. All critics who downplayed the potential of this event are humbled by its great success!”

RESULTS

Voted

(CATEGORY – WINNERS NAME – PRIZES RECEIVED)

Monster Drop / Biggest Wave – DUANE KENNY – Medal, Traction Pad, Leash, DVD.

Best / Biggest Barrel Ride – ALAN DAVIS – Medal, Traction Pad, Leash, DVD.

Worst Wipeout – SCOTT TUCKER – Medal, Traction Pad, Leash, DVD.

Best High-Performance Surfing Exhibit – ANDRE STEWART – Medal, Traction Pad, Leash, DVD.

Best Big-wave Surfing Exhibit – BARRY ST.GEORGE – Medal, Traction Pad, Leash, and DVD.

Best Overall Waterman Performance – BARRY ST.GEORGE – Medal, Free Weekend at 4Bdrm Villa.

Most Improved Performer (OPEN) – ANDRE STEWART – Medal, Traction Pad, Leash, DVD.

Most Improved Junior (U18) – MATHEW MILNE – Medal, Traction Pad, Leash, DVD.

Best Master Performance (35+) – CHE LOVELACE – Medal, Traction Pad, Leash, DVD.

SPIRIT OF SURFING AWARD – EAMON HEALY-SINGH – Medal, Traction Pad, Leash, DVD.

Best Still Photo of a surfing performance. – TO BE DETERMINED (MEDIA BEING COLLECTED)

Best Video Clip of a Surfing performance. – TO BE DETERMINED (MEDIA BEING COLLECTED)

Please submit media for the best Still and/or Best Video Clip to the e-mail address below, or call me to arrange pick up of media. We sincerely appreciate any media you can submit!

Judged

Super-Session 1st (OPEN) – ALAN DAVIS – Ticket to THE SHADE NEW YEARS PARTY (TTD$500)

Super-Session 2nd (OPEN) – JASON APPARICIO

U18 juniors 1st (Male) – ADRIAN DE SILVA – Ticket to Trinidad to Compete in SURFINGT&T EVENT.

U18 juniors 2nd (Male) – MATHEW MILNE

U18 juniors 3rd (Male) – DARIO JORDAN

U18 juniors 4th (Male) – CAELUM BLANDFORD

U18 juniors 5th (Male) – IAN ROSS-SCHWEDEN

THANKS

This event was made possible by the generous contributions of CARIBBEAN WATERMAN, SOULJAHS INTERNATIONAL, THE SHADE, SURFINGT&T, TIM LAVESQUE at NETWORK SURF AUSTRALIA, RAIN SCHNIDER REAL ESTATE, and THE TOBAGO SURFING COMMUNITY.

You can contact Caribbean Waterman via Keith Lewis 775-1001 or onamission420@yahoo.com

Alan Davis driving through a Barrel on his way to winning Best Barrel and 1st Place in the Super Session Open Division!

SURFINGTNT NEWSLETTER IS HERE!

We invite you to get familiar with the current event of SURFINGTNT...

Check out SESSIONS here...

Also, check out cool new merchandise from Trini Spirit at SURF T&T