The fifth staging of the Jamaica Surfing Association’s (JSA) Makka Pro Surfing Championship will be held from July 29-31 at the Makka beach in Southaven, Yallahs, St Thomas.

The event was officially launched at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston yesterday and JSA president and tournament organiser Anthony ‘Billy’ Wilmot pointed out that with added support from organisations such as the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the Southaven Citizens Association, a lot of improvements have been made to this year’s tournament.

This include cash and prizes of US$10,000 (J$850,000) for winners of the three competing categories, male open, female open and juniors.

There will also be an ‘expression session’, where prizes will be given away for the best tricks and manoeuvring of the waves.

The event, which will also be carried live on the internet, will start at 9:00 each morning, with the preliminaries set for Friday and the finals for Saturday and Sunday.

Wilmot noted that there might not be as many top-class international entries as last year due to the ongoing recession.

However, he said some of the best regional talents have already signed up for the event and the general interest in the event has been growing internationally.

“There are three events held in the Caribbean (in the West Atlantic Pro Surf Series), our Makka Pro, one in Trinidad and another in Barbados.

“So this is going to attract competitors from the US, who come here thinking they can get some easy points,” he reasoned.

Wilmot added: “But we will have at least 15 top surfers from the region, eight have already confirmed from Barbados, Trinidad, United States and Puerto Rico. We may get more as the day approaches and we are looking for quite a bit more over the next few weeks.”

Meanwhile, preparation of the event site has been undertaken by the Southaven Citizens Association, led by event planning secretary Janet Harrison.

Harrison noted that Makka Pro has done a lot to put St Thomas and Southaven on the map and they want to play their part in assisting to preserve this rich heritage and helping it grow.

She said there will be a big entertainment package this year, which will include a fashion show, cultural performances, dances, a stage show and dance session, plus a renewable energy and fun day expo on the final day of the championship.

“We want to promote positive ways of saving money and keeping the environment clean,” she declared.

“But there is also a lot of talent in Yallahs, St Thomas and we just want people to know… we host festivals and put on events and by partnering with Makka Pro this will put us more on the map,” she added.

Corine Clarke, the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) representative said the foundation has been with Makka Pro since its inception and the improvements they have seen over the years have only strengthened the ties between the parties.

“Since Mr Wilmot spoke with us about the Makka Pro some years ago the SDF took it on and we have included them in our funding that we give annually.

“But we are pleased with Makka Pro, especially with their environmental planning.. and with the inclusion of the tourist board and the Southaven citizens you can see that a lot of things are happening now,” she said.

(Photo: Bryan Cummings)