U.S. Virgin Islands Update
February 25, 1997
USVI Is Sports-Lover's Paradise:
Major Tournaments Abound
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS, MARCH 1997 - Every spring and summer, some of the world’s most talented athletes descend on the U.S. Virgin Islands to test their skill and endurance. This tournament season, St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas become a sports-lover’s paradise hosting everything from an international triathlon to an LPGA golf tournament to a national windsurfing championship.
Tournament season moves into high gear Easter weekend when St. Thomas hosts the 24th Annual International Rolex Cup Regatta. Yachtsmen from around the globe, including V.I. America’s Cup Challenge leader Peter Holmberg, will compete for the coveted Rolex Cup in the waters off of Cowpet Bay. The Rolex Cup is just one of several regattas that draws sailors to the USVI every year. St. Thomas' sailing season continues with the Caribbean International Optimist Regatta June 12 - 15. St. Croix welcomes the Memorial Day Regatta May 24 - 26, and the Warren Young Memorial Race June 29.
St. Croix is not only known as the home of Wake Forest basketball star, Tim Duncan, but also for some of the best golf courses in the world. The greens of St. Croix’s Carambola Golf Course, designed by Rober Trent Jones, will host the LPGA’s most talented golfers April 9 - 12. Last year’s co-champion Sally Little will be among the players competing in the winner-takes-all 4th Annual Konica USVI Golf Classic. The three-day event is scheduled to be the first tournament of the inaugural LPGA Medalist Tour.
St. Croix once again becomes the center of attention May 4, when the island welcomes the 8th Annual St. Croix International Triathlon. Five hundred athletes from 32 countries are expected to compete for this year’s $50,000 prize purse. The competition requires triathletes to swim two kilometers (1.2 miles), bike 55 kilometers (34.1 miles) and run 12 kilometers (7.4 miles).
St. Thomas’ summer tradewinds and warm waters offer ideal conditions for windsurfers competing for the title of National Champion July 14 - 19. Sapphire Beach Resort and Marina will be the site of this year’s U.S. Windsurfing National Championships, held for the first time outside of the continental U.S. More than 200 professional and amateur athletes are expected to compete in four levels of competition during the five-day event.
Sportfishing enthusiasts should polish their rods and reels before arriving on St. Thomas this summer. The American Yacht Harbor Billfish Tournament July 17-20, will draw fishermen from around the Caribbean and the U.S. mainland to St. Thomas for the first competition of the sportfishing season. Anglers won’t want to miss the annual V.I. Atlantic Open Blue Marlin Tournament which celebrates its 25th anniversary August 14 - 19.
Swimmers would also appreciate the adventure and satisfaction of completing the 5.5 mile swim from Buck Island through the colorful reefs and sandy bottoms of St. Croix's surrounding waters on November 3. Also on St. Croix, the Annual Atlantic Tele-Network VI Tennis Championships on July 24-27, is also sure to be a crowd-pleaser for tennis fans, as the competitors battle it out for a chance at this year's title.
Whether in the heat of competition or watching from the sidelines, athletes and their fans will find plenty in the USVI to challenge their spirit of competition this season. With a different international, national or local tournament held almost every week, the USVI is the place sports lovers will want to be this spring and summer.