sports

Ron Jon Masters of Surfing Pro

Organizers of the Ron Jon Masters of Surfing Pro, a premiere 40 & over  professional surfing contest set to occur in mid-March are announcing that  former international professional surfing standouts Richie Collins, Todd Holland, Wes Laine and Pat Mulhern have entered the event and will be among the field of competitors vying for a cash purse of up to $12,00.00.** Sebastian Inlet icons Bill Hartley and Matt Kechele have accepted wildcards into the event.    The Masters of Pro Surfing will award $3,000.00 to the winner, with 50% of the total field taking home prize money.

The Ron Jon Masters of Surfing Pro will be limited to 48 entrants and will occur in a contest window from March 11-14, during the final days of Surf Fest 2010, a multi-event week of surfing competition that begins March 6 and includes the first ever Surfing America PRIME series event to be held in Florida, the Collegiate Surfing Association’s East Coast Championships, the Ron Jon Sebastian Inlet Pro Presented by Skullcandy and the Skullcandy Girls Junior Pro.

 Entrants into the Masters of Surfing Pro will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.  Entries are now being accepted at www.active.com   through searching for “Masters of Surfing” on the event home page.  Entrants must have turned 40 on or before March 1, 2010.

One does not have to be a member of any particular organization to compete, and entries will be closed once the field of 48 is secured.   The Masters of Surfing Pro will coincide with the time frame of the Ron Jon Sebastian Inlet Pro Presented by Skullcandy, a Grade 3 Association of Surfing Professionals Junior Pro and the Skullcandy Girls Junior Pro, a Grade 2 ASP Junior Pro.  The events will be intertwined, depending on schedules and conditions.

The Ron Jon SI Pro is one of North America’s biggest Junior Pro tournaments now scheduled for 2010 and offers a cash purse of $15,000.00.  The Skullcandy Girls Junior Pro is one of just two junior pro events for girls now on the 2010 ASP North American schedule and will offer a cash purse of $5,000.00.  Junior Pro contests are open to surfers age 20 and under and routinely attract the best emerging surfers in the world.

The Masters of Surfing was created by Sebastian Inlet Pro founder Mitch Varnes as a means  to put a spotlight back on some of the greatest surfers of decades past; many of whom are still surfing at a near-elite level.  “Golf, running, tennis and many other individual sports have pro events for their Masters-aged competitors,” said Varnes.  “So, why doesn’t surfing?  This is an effort to initiate the same for surfing here in the states.  Maybe some of the bigger events in Hawaii and the US Open in California will take a look at what we’re doing in Florida and see the value in adding pro masters division contests to their events.  There are some pretty big name surfers out there who are over 40, and there is no doubt that people would still love to see them compete.”

Sebastian Inlet mainstay Paul Reinecke, 39, will be the contest director, and the event will be judged by ASP-qualified judges.  Reinecke will be responsible for determining the heat draw and overseeing the event.

The entry fee into the Masters of Surfing is set at $200.00 per surfer with the format and **cash purse breakdown as follows:

· Round One:  12 four-man heats with 50% advancement into Round 2

· Round Two:  8 three-man heats with 1st and 2nd place going onto round 3.  Third-place surfers are equal 17th and receive $200.00

· Round Three:  8 man-on-man heats, with 2nd place receiving equal 9th and $300.00

· Quarter-Finals: 4 man-on-man heats, with 2nd place receiving equal 5th and $500.00

· Semi-Finals:  2 man-on-man heats, with 2nd place receiving equal 3rd and $750.00

· Finals: man-on-man with winner receiving $3,000.00 and runner-up receiving $1,500.00

** Cash purse amounts are guaranteed from quarter-finals onward to the final.  Cash award amounts for round two and round three will depend on number of entries.  Above breakdown and total purse amount is based on a 48-man field.

The Masters of Surfing is made possible due to the overall sponsorship provided to Surf Fest 2010.  Major sponsors include Ron Jon Surf Shop, the Space Coast Board of Tourism and www.go211.com   Additional sponsorship of the event is through Ocean Potion, Red Bull, Health First Health Plans, Melbourne International Airport, Tobacco Free Florida and Eastern Surf Magazine.

The Masters of Surfing and all of Surf Fest 2010 will be web cast live via www.go211.com

The event website, www.sebastianinletpro.com  , will  be updated and live by the end of February.

Again, entries are now being accepted at www.active.com   Registration will be closed once the field of 48 surfers is reached.