FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2020
CONTACT: Savanna Lanza
PHONE: 321-298-4437
EMAIL: slanza@kidneyfla.org
The 35th Annual NKF Rich Salick Pro Am Surf Festival
COCOA BEACH, FL –This year’s Surf Fest will take place during Columbus Day Weekend, October 10th-12th. Normally held over Labor Day weekend, this is second year in a row where the Surf Fest was postponed to the October dates. Last year the event was postponed due to the imminent threat of Hurricane Dorian. This year, the pandemic caused event organizers to take time to regroup in order to fully prepare for a safe event with social distancing protocols. The City of Cocoa Beach and Westgate Pier’s recommendations to postpone the Surf Fest were in agreeance with event organizers to keep competitors, volunteers, and spectators safe and healthy.
The 35th Annual NKF Rich Salick PRO-AM Surfing Festival is featuring a new Mens Pro sponsor this year, Healthmap Solutions The main event will take place at the Westgate Resorts Cocoa Beach Pier. Surfers and beach-goers alike will enjoy the weekend festivities while raising funds to fight kidney disease.
Professional and amateur surfers will hit the waves in the preliminary heats that begin on October 10th. Professional competitions include the Healthmap Solutions Men’s Pro, Victory Casino Men’s Longboard Pro, Gutin & Wolverton Women’s Longboard Pro and Surfer Dudes Junior Pro. In addition, Surfer Dudes is sponsoring the Boys and Girls Pollywog divisions, amateur divisions that you don’t want to miss as 9 year old surfers and younger compete for a spot in the finals of this prestigious competition. All pro and amateur surfing finals conclude the weekend on Columbus Day, October 12th. The team event which is normally held in November will also take place on October 12th. This classic tradition involves 6 surfers per team and replicates the original format of the event that began in the ‘70s.
The Surf Fest not only features both professional and amateur surfing events but competitive tandem surfing as well. Unfortunately the evening events that normally take place such as the Taste of Brevard and Saturday night Luau have been cancelled this year due to the pandemic. New this year, the NKFF will host an entirely online silent auction to replace the Annual Taste of Brevard, normally held Sunday night at the Radisson. Auction items include hand-painted surfboards, artwork from the Wyland Galleries, beach cruisers, surf packs, and much more. All of the proceeds go to the National Kidney Foundation of Florida to help increase awareness and prevention of kidney and urinary tract diseases, improve the health and well being of individuals and families affected by these diseases, and increase the availability of all organs for transplantation. It is completely free to participate in the online auction and you are sure to find something unique and at an incredible price.
With the help of over 300 volunteers and the support of the community, this year’s event is sure to make waves. The event is in honor of the co-founder and 3 time kidney recipient Rich Salick who passed away in July 2012. For more information on the NKF Pro-Am Surfing Festival call 407-894-7325 or visit us online at www.nkfsurf.com.
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