Jeremy Parr of Mims, Fla., does a somersault while holding on to his Jet Ski with one hand, during a freestyle exhibition Saturday for the Toyota Governors Cup Pro Jet Ski Racing National Championship on the Kanawha River in Charleston.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Jet Skis zipped across the Kanawha River on Saturday as volleyball players spiked, blocked and dove headfirst into the sand at Magic Island.
Charleston's riverfront park took on the image of a beach location for the Toyota Governors Cup Pro Jet Ski Racing National Championship and the EVP "Rocks the River" beach volleyball competition. Both events were part of the city's second SportsFest.
Women in bikinis and men in swim trunks rode ATVs through the downtown park, and mingled in a crowd of several hundred spectators from across the state and nation.
Charleston is not the first city that comes to mind for Jet Ski and beach volleyball championships, but the tour managers "love it," said Patty Bradley-Pitrolo, president and CEO of the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"They're very happy with Charleston as a venue and they've become our best sponsors," Bradley-Pitrolo said. "There are cities that have better parks, but we are so convenient. Everything is close together and walkable."
Volleyball and Jet Ski tournament organizers have signed a contract to compete in Charleston until 2012, she said.
The weather also cooperated this year, she said.
Officials worked hard last summer to keep the river debris-free after heavy rains washed trees, trash and a refrigerator onto Magic Island.
"Amazingly, even with the logs and refrigerator washing up, they wanted to come back," Bradley-Pitrolo said.
This year's SportsFest, which started Friday, also has attracted more competitors and spectators -- about 7,700 -- and will have an estimated local economic impact of about $1.5 million, Bradley-Pitrolo said. That's up from about $1 million last summer.
The beach volleyball tournament brought in 20 professional teams, including some of the nation's top 10 ranked players, said Ross Balling, tour commissioner for the Extreme Volleyball Professionals competition.
Five fewer professional volleyball teams competed in this year's tournament in Charleston, but participation from local players in the corporate cup increased significantly, Balling said.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Jet Skis zipped across the Kanawha River on Saturday as volleyball players spiked, blocked and dove headfirst into the sand at Magic Island.
Charleston's riverfront park took on the image of a beach location for the Toyota Governors Cup Pro Jet Ski Racing National Championship and the EVP "Rocks the River" beach volleyball competition. Both events were part of the city's second SportsFest.
Women in bikinis and men in swim trunks rode ATVs through the downtown park, and mingled in a crowd of several hundred spectators from across the state and nation.
Charleston is not the first city that comes to mind for Jet Ski and beach volleyball championships, but the tour managers "love it," said Patty Bradley-Pitrolo, president and CEO of the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"They're very happy with Charleston as a venue and they've become our best sponsors," Bradley-Pitrolo said. "There are cities that have better parks, but we are so convenient. Everything is close together and walkable."
Volleyball and Jet Ski tournament organizers have signed a contract to compete in Charleston until 2012, she said.
The weather also cooperated this year, she said.
Officials worked hard last summer to keep the river debris-free after heavy rains washed trees, trash and a refrigerator onto Magic Island.
"Amazingly, even with the logs and refrigerator washing up, they wanted to come back," Bradley-Pitrolo said.
This year's SportsFest, which started Friday, also has attracted more competitors and spectators -- about 7,700 -- and will have an estimated local economic impact of about $1.5 million, Bradley-Pitrolo said. That's up from about $1 million last summer.
The beach volleyball tournament brought in 20 professional teams, including some of the nation's top 10 ranked players, said Ross Balling, tour commissioner for the Extreme Volleyball Professionals competition.
Five fewer professional volleyball teams competed in this year's tournament in Charleston, but participation from local players in the corporate cup increased significantly, Balling said.
There are plans to add an amateur and junior division to next year's competition, Balling said. The junior division is the tour's fastest growing segment.
Volleyball players competed for a first place prize of $1,200, and entrance to the national championship next month in Racine, Wis.
On the river, about 200 Jet Ski competitors raced at speeds up to 80 miles per hour, and also took part in a freestyle competition where they twisted, dunked and spun across the water.
The competition was part of the Toyota Sea-Doo Watercross Series, and is sanctioned by the International Jet Sports Boating Association.
Jet skiers competed for a $20,000 grand prize -- the largest purse of the IJSBA events -- and traveled to Charleston from Florida, Arizona, New York, California, Canada, Kentucky, and Ohio, among other states.
Local jet skiers also held their own during Saturday's tournament.
Brothers Trey and Cameron Frame of Charleston represent Team Black Star and are ranked in the top 10 nationally.
The brothers learned to jet ski on the Kanawha River, and now travel the country year-round to compete. They also helped the CVB land the Jet Ski and volleyball sponsorship.
"It took five years to get it down here," Trey Frame said.
The work was worth it, he said: "This is one of the biggest pay-offs [for the city], two for the price of one."
The Jet Ski and volleyball competitions will continue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, at Magic Island. Admission is free.
Reach Veronica Nett at veroni...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5113.
