Beach 'N Boards Fest to attract high-caliber board sport events
By Meagan McGone
mmcgone@hometownnewsol.com
BREVARD -- Get excited, Brevardians. This year's Beach 'N Boards Fest will be sure to delight beachgoers and visitors alike.
Presented by Ron Jon Surf Shop, the Beach 'N Boards Fest will be held at Cocoa Beach's Alan Sheppard Park from March 6-10.
Organizers of the Ron Jon Beach 'N Boards Fest said the event will include two high-level Association of Surfing Professionals-sanctioned tournaments as part of its multi-day celebration of boarding, actions sports and music. The contests will be held on the three best days of surf conditions during the festival's five days.
The Ron Jon/Quiksilver Jr. Pro and the Ron Jon/Roxy Jr. Pro will each be Association of Surfing Professionals 3-star events. The events will be expected to draw surfers from all over the United States, including Hawaii, as well as surfers from Latin America, all ages 20 and younger and will offer up valuable points toward qualifying for the Junior Pro World Championships in Australia.
The men's contest will feature a $15,000 cash purse, and the women's contest will offer a $5,000 cash purse. The events are equally weighted with the Association of Surfing Professionals.
The surfing tournaments are a joint effort between Ron Jon Surf Shop and surf apparel companies Quiksilver and Roxy.
"We are thrilled to partner with Quiksilver and Roxy on these two events and to be bringing top-quality surfing to Cocoa Beach for the Beach 'N Boards Fest," said Ron Jon Surf Shop president Debbie Harvey, in a press release. "With the surfing contests and all the other events going on, it is going to be an exciting week."
In addition to surf contests, the Ron Jon Beach 'N Boards Fest will feature a variety of competitions and demonstrations in several board sports, including skateboarding, skim-boarding, stand-up paddle-boarding, kite-boarding and more. The event will also feature a collegiate beach volleyball tournament, daily live music on two stages and an action sports film festival.
The event will embrace the outdoor sport culture of Cocoa Beach.
"These will be the most prestigious surfing contests ever held in Cocoa Beach, and there is sure to be some amazing surfing," said event director Mitch Varnes. "The surfers coming in for these two contests are the next big thing and will surely include some athletes, who will be out on the Association of Surfing Professionals Championship Tour in the years ahead."
For more information on the Beach 'N Boards Fest, visit www.beachnboardsfest.com.