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THE ESA FROZEN SURF OPEN - A TSUNAMI OF GOOD WILL HITS OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND SURFERS


OCEAN CITY, MD -- January 19, 2005 -- The Maryland District of the Eastern Surfing Association is joining an international tsunami relief effort by hosting the Frozen Surf Open benefit surfing contest and the K-Coast On-line Raffle. With water temperatures in the 30's to low 40's and air temps below freezing, surfers will compete for points and prizes while they raise money to aid tsunami victims. This first ever mid-winter event for the Maryland District will be held during a "good-surf" waiting period of February 5-27, on a "good surf" weekend between the Ocean City inlet jetty and pier. Go to the Maryland ESA web-site, www.marylandesa.org, or call the contest hotline at 410-213-1374 for the latest event status.


K-Coast Surf Shop has donated a $500 gift card for the tsunami relief "K-Coast On-line Raffle". The $500 gift card can be redeemed at K-Coast's 78th Street, Ocean City, Md. location or on-line at www.kcoast.com. Raffle tickets are available on-line at www.marylandesa.org or they can be purchased on the beach during the event. 100 percent of all funds raised from contest entry fees and the K-Coast On-line Raffle will be donated to SurfAid International, a non-profit organization dedicated to significantly improve the health of the Mentawai people, and to encourage and coordinate the support of the global surfing community.


Some of the Mid-Atlantic region's best surfers along with many Eastern Surfing Championships finalists will be competing in this Open division points event. The Open division is "open" to all age groups and is the largest - most competitive division in the Eastern Surfing Association. Maryland ESA surfers compete in many events throughout the year to accumulate points. The top placing points finishers from each age division and the Open division qualify for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Surfing Championships. Finalists from the Regionals qualify for the Eastern Surfing Championships and finalists from the Easterns qualify for the US Surfing Championships. This year the Maryland District is hosting the Mid-Atlantic Surfing Championships on May 13-15 in Ocean City. The Maryland District will also be sending a team of surfers to compete in the US Surfing Championships in Huntington Beach, Ca. in July.


Most of our competitors surf year-round in the frigid Atlantic waters. The Ocean City water temperatures in February ranges from 30 degrees Fahrenheit to the low 40's while the high air temps average around the freezing point. At these temperatures, hypothermia can set in and kill an unprotected swimmer in a matter of minutes. Our experienced surfers wear heavy neoprene wetsuits with boots, gloves and hoods to keep their body temps warm while they have fun surfing our good Winter waves.


The entry fee for surfers is $20 and all competitors will be entered in the K-Coast On-line Raffle. Raffle tickets are $5 each. Contest entry forms and K-Coast On-line Raffle tickets are available through the Maryland ESA web-site at www.marylandesa.org or at the contest site. The Raffle will end on the last weekend of our "good-surf" waiting period at midnight on Saturday, February 26. The drawing will take place at K-Coast Surf Shop on 78th Street in Ocean City, Md., Sunday, February 27.


Come and watch the area's best surfers compete in the Frozen Surf Open and help raise money to aid the tsunami victims. For more information please go to the Maryland Eastern Surfing Association's web-site at www.marylandesa.org.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

ArtBpics_01_01_2005_03.JPG - OCEAN CITY, MD.--January 1, 2005--Chris Tilghman of Ocean City, Md. catches a clean Ocean City, Maryland wave at 47th Street on New Years Day. Tilghman will be competing in the ESA Frozen Surf Open tsunami relief benefit surfing competition at the Ocean City inlet jetty in February. photo by ART BALTROTSKY, 410-641-3329, art@tumblingmonkeys.com

ArtBpics_01_03_2005_23.JPG - OCEAN CITY, MD.--January 3, 2005--Chris Vaxmonsky of Ocean Pines, Md. rides a wave at 72nd Street in Ocean City, Md. on January 3, 2005. Vaxmonsky will be competing in the ESA Frozen Surf Open tsunami relief benefit surfing competition at the Ocean City inlet jetty in February. photo by ART BALTROTSKY, 410-641-3329, art@tumblingmonkeys.com

24_ArtBpics_01_24_2005.JPG - OCEAN CITY, MD.--January 24, 2005--Eric Kurzbard of Ocean City, Md. sets up for a backside tube ride at 50th Street in Ocean City, Md. on January 24, 2005. Kurzbard will be competing in the ESA Frozen Surf Open tsunami relief benefit surfing competition at the Ocean City inlet jetty in February. photo by ART BALTROTSKY, 410-641-3329, art@tumblingmonkeys.com

The Eastern Surfing Association (ESA), founded in 1967, a non-profit, IRS tax-exempt corporation, is the largest amateur surfing organization in the world with more than 7,000 members. It is dedicated to the sport of amateur surfing, to the operation of a program of amateur competition for surfers of all ages and abilities, and to the establishment and preservation of free access to a clean shoreline and ocean environment. The association’s activities are organized in a total of twenty-six districts, which extend along nearly 2,000 miles of coastline, stretching from Maine through the Gulf Coast of Florida and Alabama and also around the Great Lakes. The Maryland District currently has more than 350 active members and is operated by a non-paid, all volunteer staff. Visit the Maryland ESA on-line at www.marylandesa.org.