Waterman League Heading To Japan For Shonan Chigasaki Pro

OAHU, Hawaii - The Waterman League is extremely excited to be making its first entry into Asia this summer, in Japan with the Shonan Chigasaki Pro. We have wanted to get to Asia over the past few years and have explored a number of ways to achieve this. The time is right now, as working with our team in Japan representing the Waterman League across Asia, we are making this first step with a Prime World Challenger Series Race that will attract a number of the very best racers in the world.

The goal is to make our first step this summer an extremely successful event and then build towards a full status World Series event for 2015, with the concept of a Grand Slam event (Surf and Race) to follow in the future.

Having witnessed the popularity of ocean sports in Japan, particularly in windsurfing in the eighties and nineties, there is no doubt in my mind that Japan and Asia as a whole will fast become a hot spot for the sport in the future. To come to such a beautiful surf town as Chigasaki, twinned with our capital city out here in Hawaii, Honolulu, is a real pleasure and honor and allows us to successfully maintain the surfing roots that we esteem to be so important for the sport here at the Waterman League.

The event will also feature a Na Kama Kai Clinic, staying true to our Non profit partner Na Kama Kai’s vision to spread responsible and fun clinics and education for the youth, our future around the world. Along with the World Class Competition, this has been an incredibly important part of the Waterman League’s mission as we have developed the World Championship Surfing Tour and Racing Series for the sport as a way to give back, and maintain the core principals that we live by, passed on to us by our Advisory Board members such as Hawaiians Archie Kalepa, Brian Keaulana, Mel Pu’u and of course Na Kama Kai founder, Duane DeSoto.

Having personally visited the region, I was very impressed by the potential of the location and the cultural experience that this event will provide to our international field of athletes. We are excited to work with our local partners to create a phenomenal first event in 2014 and build towards an exciting future for the sport both in Japan and Asia as a whole.

EVENT SCHEDULE

DAY 1

7:00 -Staff and Member meeting at eventsite

7:00/7:30  -Staff meeting

8:00 -Start registration

9:00 - Athlete and staff meeting
Press conference. Top 2 of int’l and domestic top 2 need on stage with Hosoii and Taro
Media question
Tristan speech
Mayor and important member introduce
Na Kama Kai introduction
International athlete introduction

10:00 - Paddle clinic from int’l athletes

Na Kama Kai start

12:00 - Lunch time

13:30 - Free time. Sightsheen map. Rental cycle
Na Kama Kai

15:00 - Top Athlete signature time.

17:00 - Beach clean

18:00 - Finish

DAY 2

7:00 - Staff and Member arrive onsite

7:30 - Staff meeting

8:00 - Opening ceremony. Thanks to ocean.

10:00 - 3km race start

11:00 - 3km race finish

12:00 - 500m sprint trial/R1/QF start

16:00 - 500m sprint finish

17:00 - Beach clean

18:00 - Finish

DAY 3

7:00 - Staff and Member arrive onsite

7:30 - Staff meeting

8:00 - Athletes arrive at event site

10:00 - 500m sprint start. SF/Final

11:00 - 500m sprint finish

12:00 - 6km race start

13:30 - 6km sprint finish

14:15 - 10km race start

16:00 - 10km race finish

17:30 - Everyone moves to closing ceremony event area

18:30 - Ceremony start, award. Food drink.

Party!

20:00 - Finish