Corona Extra Pro Surf Circuit 2011 @ Domes, Rincón. Marzo 12 y 13 2011.

On Saturday and Sunday, March 12 and 13, the Corona Extra Pro Surf Circuit will hold a $15,000 Men’s and Women’s tournament at Domes Beach, in the town of Rincon, on the northwest corner of the island. This will mark the 19th edition of the popular circuit, which runs under the auspices of the A.P.S.P.R. (Association of Professional Surfing of Puerto Rico). APSPR was founded in 2001 by local surfer and surfboard shaper Werner Vega and his wife, Viviannee, to provide international quality surfing competition to the Caribbean.

The Corona Extra events have become the premier showcase for the veteran surfing legends on the island, like Juan Ashton and Carlos Cabrero, as well as a springboard for a young generation of hot competitors like Brian Toth and Dylan Graves, who are now making their mark in the international rankings. All four of them are previous APSPR Circuit Champions and are expected to compete at Domes.

Graves, 25, from Isabela, became well-known to Pro Surfing fans around the world during last November’s  ASP World Championship event, held at his home break of Middles, northeast of Rincon. He was the Puerto Rican Wildcard for that event, meaning that he was selected to face nine-time World champion, Kelly Slater. With thousands of his Puerto Rican fans cheering him from the beach, Graves put on a competitive effort against the Champ, but went down in defeat. Slater went on to win that event and secure his record-setting tenth World Title.

The enthusiasm from that historic event has carried over in the media and put the spotlight on Puerto Rican surfing like never before. Thousands of surf fans are expected to fill the shores of the iconic beach at Domes next month, where the 1968 World Championships were conducted.

APSPR Director Werner Vega is hoping that March at Domes will provide the strong Atlantic swells which make Puerto Rico the surfing mecca of the Caribbean. “The close proximity of Puerto Rico by air has made it the favorite winter destination for East Coast surfers from the U.S., especially the Northeast”, said Vega.  “New Jersey pros Matt Keenan and Jason Reagan are regular visitors, and competitors in the Corona events, and are again expected at Domes. Floridian women like Connie Arias, Kirra Shepard and two-time Corona winner, Karina Petroni are also expected to be back again.”

On the Women’s side of the competition, Corona and APSPR have launched the careers of the top Puerto Rican surfers like Idalis “Lilac” Alvarado and Liselie Gonzales.  Gonzalez, 23, of Canovanas, was the winner of the last Corona event, at Middles, and leads the current rankings for the Women’s Title.

Brian Toth, 25, of Isabela, was the winner of the Men’s event at Middles, and is the current leader of the Mens rankings, where he enjoys a slim lead over the Bursian brothers, Leslie and Tommy. The Corona Extra Surf Circuit season title will be decided this Fall, after the event at Middles. Another favorite for the event at Domes will be Darren Mushett. He always surfs well at Domes, which is his local break.

Surfing fans that are unable to attend in person at Domes will once again have the opportunity to follow the action online with the popular “Heats on Demand” feature. At the completion of each day of competition they will have access to every scoring ride of the event. On our website < www.apspr.net > you can scan the draw, and select which heat you would like to view 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. Each of the five judges enters their scores for each surfer’s rides into the computer, which tallies the points and decides the winners. All of that scoring information is then available on the APSPR website to anyone with access to a modem.

All of the competition will take place at Domes as long as surf conditions permit. The nearby break of Maria’s, also in the town of Rincon, is the backup site. Once again Corona Extra is offering a total purse of $15,000, with $10,00 divided among the men and $5,000 to the women.

In addition, Coppertone Skincare will be awarding their popular “Best Performance” award of $500 each, to one of the Men and one of the Women.  Last October, at Middles, Brian Toth and Alexis Engstrom each won the Coppertone “Best Performance” for their top heat scores.

All APSPR events have the same goal and commitment:
To determine the best surfers at each event;
To provide them with the highest standard of competition possible;
To improve the knowledge and performance of all competitors;
To provide the competitors and the sponsors with substantial exposure and recognition;
To enhance the professionalism of surfing.

For all interested competitors, entries must be in by Wednesday, March 2nd       “After Wednesday March 2nd, a late entry fee of $35 will be charged, until entries finally close on Saturday March 5th, announced Viviannee Vega. Entries can be downloaded at < www.apspr.net > and mailed to APSPR office, or paid in person at Hang Loose Surf Shop, located on road 4466, Jobos Beach, P.R..

In addition to both days of surfing competition, Corona Extra will feature nighttime entertainment at several locations throughout the host town of Rincon, ensuring that the fun will continue around the clock all weekend.

For more information visit our website <  www.apspr.net  >,
Or call: (787) 872-2490 between the hours of 10:AM and 5:PM, Tuesday through Sunday.

Media Information:
Visit the media center on www.apspr.net for images, surfer quotes, archived press releases and athlete profiles.  Downloadable audio clips and TV news feed  also available.

In addition to Corona Extra and Corona Light, the other sponsors of Domes event will be:
Coppertone Skincare, Jose Cuervo, Alfa Rock, WAPA, Surfers Village.com, Hang Loose Surf Shop, Werner Vega Surfboards.