Dates for the 2009 US Wind & Water Open have been set

This year's event will be headlined by the 2009 North American Course Racing Continental Championships as well as the US Kiteboarding National Championships.

The championships will take place Tuesday, May 5th through Saturday, May 9th Although several kiteboarding championships have taken place during past U.S. Wind and Water events, this will be the first year for this level of competition. "To have the Nationals and Continentals in Kitesurfing, the fastest growing water sport worldwide, in Corpus Christi is fantastic," said competitor and Omni Hotels GM Nils Stolzlechner.

The event will be sanctioned by ISAF (International Sailing Federation) and an official IKA (International Kiteboarding Association) Grade C event. The points awarded count towards the overall 2009 World Championship Tour competition.

In addition to the Kiteboarding events, the Wind and Water Open 2009 will also feature the US Windsurfing Regatta, the WW09 Volleyball Classic and the WW09 5K. The WW09 5K will once again be the official warm-up run for the annual Beach to Bay Marathon.

"The Kiteboarding events will be a great addition to what has been a great annual event for Corpus Christi," said Karina Paris, EPIC Director of Operations. "We're excited to partner with the Yacht Club on what should be a great week of competition."

The US Wind & Water Open, formerly the Velocity Games, is an international favorite to both competitors and spectators. Over the past 20 years, the national events have evolved from a local weekend outing into an annual international celebration on McGee Beach.

The combination of competitions in the Wind and Water Open are unique to Corpus Christi. Each event is "green" in its use of natural resources, and each event is feasible here because of the natural conditions along the Corpus Christi Bayfront. "We, at the CVB, are happy to partner with Epic Sports and Entertainment, to promote WW09 to visitors from San Antonio, Austin and Houston, in particular, as a compelling reason to visit our waterfront city for fans and families," said Keith Arnold, CEO of the Corpus Christi CVB. "We welcome the Kiteboarding Continental and National Championships to Corpus Christi."

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