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Wednesday, May 30, 2001
City lands windsurfing tournament
USWA selects Corpus Christi for 2002 U.S. championship
Andrea Wall
Caller-Times
Already home to one of the largest windsurfing competitions in the nation, Corpus Christi will host another - the 2002 United States Windsurfing Association National Championships.
The city was selected by the USWA for three reasons, officials said: the area's consistent winds, the location of Cole Park's Oleander Point and the organization of past windsurfing events, including the annual U.S. Open windsurfing regatta.
The date for the 2002 championships will be decided this summer. Corpus Christi hosted the national championships in 1996.
"It is a huge honor to have this national championship here," said Elaine Motl, who served as event director for last weekend's U.S. Cellular U.S. Open Windsurfing Regatta.
"It shows how great of a place Corpus Christi is to windsurf," she said.
Motl helped organize the national championships in 1996 and is a former national director for the USWA.
The location of the national championships changes each year, and will be held in Hood River, Ore. this August.
U.S.W.A. officials were in town over the weekend to make the announcement and to watch the 14th annual U.S. Open, which ended Monday.
The Open wrapped up by welcoming a new men's professional champion. Australia-born Phil McGain upset three-time U.S. Open titleholder and current world champion Kevin Pritchard.
It was McGain's first title at the U.S. Open.
"I have been here quite a few years and it feels good to finally win one," said McGain, 38. "This is a big-time win."
In the men's professional kiteboarding division, local boarder Jeff Howard narrowly lost to Argentinean Martin Vari, despite making a sizeable day two comeback.
The closest event of the regatta happened in the men's amateur kiteboarding, with a mere one-tenth of a point separating the division's top three finishers.
Local boarder Rob Gordon scored a 7.375 to slip by second place finisher Jody Barnett, who put up a 7.2375.
The women's kiteboarding competition was a blowout, with Tanya Adams easily winning the division - partly due to the lack of competition she faced. Adams, 23, only met one other competitor in a solo kiteboarding heat.
Unlike last year, winds remained consistent throughout the regatta, with gusts reaching over 30 knots on Monday - the final day of competition.
While strong winds can sometime cause problems with equipment, the light winds were not well liked by competitors, some windsurfers said.
"Gusty winds are no good, because it is hard to know what to expect," said Vari, 19. "But the light winds make it difficult to do anything in."
Despite extremely high winds during the last two days of the regatta, large numbers of spectators were present, without fail.
"This was just a great regatta," said Motl. "We had so many people attend and they were very gracious to the competitors."
Contact Andrea Wall at 886.3631 or walla@caller.com
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