East Coast Surfing Championship will hold a scaled down competition
Just like in years past, waves or no waves, the East Coast Surfing Championship will take place. Organizers of the event decided to hold a scaled down version Aug. 23-30.
For 57 years, the surfing competition has drawn thousands of people to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, and the Jaycees, who own it, don’t want to break the tradition. But the coronavirus pandemic left them with few options.
ESCS will look different in 2020.
George Alcaraz has been in charge of the logistics for 30 years. He’s juggled hurricanes, tornadoes, even an earthquake, but nothing compares to the frustration of planning amid a pandemic.
“It’s stressful,” Alcaraz said Wednesday. “We do want to do it, but do we want to do it with low attendance? It’s a hard decision to make.”
Alcaraz has been sweating over three scenarios for the 58th annual event with the threat of coronavirus keeping everything up in the air.
“I’ve got these cards laid out,” Alcaraz said earlier this week. “Model one, model two, model three... I’ve got a budget for each one.”
He gave up hope months ago of having professional surfers from around the world traveling to Virginia Beach to compete this year.
Alcaraz started mapping out a plan for 250 attendees, but on Tuesday, the governor dropped large gatherings down to a maximum of 50 people. There’s no guarantee that will change when ECSC begins.
This week, Alcaraz has focused on his second model. Only surf competitors and a dozen staff members and volunteers will be allowed inside a gated area at any given time. The footprint will be downsized from 10 blocks to just one block.
“We’re going to have the whole 2nd Street beach cordoned off,” he said. “We’re going to have one way in and one way out, and we’re going to have a counter.”
Unlike years past, concerts, volleyball, BMX and skateboarding events won’t take place.
The event will be live streamed on social media.
Thankfully, the third option – postponing it – wasn’t needed.
Alcaraz met with city and health department officials to discuss that option Wednesday afternoon and got the green light for August.
“This will be the first probably nationally recognized surf event in the nation since COVID,” he said. “Hope for waves.”
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com
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