/*For immediate release* (En Español abajo)/ *Surfing included in the 2009 South American Beach Games* *The waves will meet the Olympic Movement once again.* /La Jolla, California 29 July 2008/ The South American Sports Organization (ODESUR) announced, after holding their General Meeting which ended on Tuesday, May 13th, in Medellín, Colombia, the creation of the South American Beach Games that will take place from February 28th until March 8th in Montevideo and Punta del Este, Uruguay. Just as the ODESUR President, Carlos Arthur Nuzman said: ?The creation of the Beach Games shows that South America is aware on the global sports tendencies,? and this is why Surfing will be one of the sports held in the first edition of the event. This project goes hand in hand with the first ever Beach Games, the Asian, which will have Surfing as one of the main attractions ?this was announced previously by the ISA (click here to know more) -, to be held in Bali, Indonesia, October 18th to 25th. This is another important step in the long journey towards building surfing as an Olympic Sport. Fernando Aguerre, President of the International Surfing Association, who started this quest in 1994, after years of hard work is seeing the benefits. He said: ?A year ago, the ISA managed to introduce Surfing in the first Beach Games of the Olympic World. Now the ODESUR decision moves Surfing one step forward to a well disserved inclusion of the sport in the Summer Olympic Games and the Summer Youth Olympic Games. Duke Kahanamoku´s dream is one step closer.? Aguerre has achieved a great deal of support from different personalities of the sports world for the inclusion of surfing. Future events include surfing in the Cultural Program of the Singapore 2010 and London 2012 Games. He has made different presentations on both Organization Committees, including the construction of wave parks which will stay there as a part of the benefits to the organizers of the Youth Olympic Games. To the South American and Asian Beach Games, the Bolivarian Games, also to be held next year, can be added. All of them are part of the Olympic Movement and each of the participant surfers will be representing their Official Olympic Team. As time passes, the reality of Olympic Surfing is more probable. According to Aguerre, ?The question is no longer if Surfing will be part of the Olympics but in which year this will happen?.

 

Check out the beginning of Wave House Singapore located on Sentosa Island opening Spring 2009

 

Wave House makes the first debut in the Spanish media. What would be the equivalent of our California “Governator” for the Spanish region of Bizkaia, presented the Wave House project to the media, yesterday, July the 2nd. 6 TV stations, 4 local radio stations, some with national broadcast, and local newspapers.

More related articles:
ElPais.com
ElcorreoDigital.com
Deia.com

Q: Your last gee-whiz feature was FlowRider, the surfing pool unveiled on Freedom two years ago. Do people actually use it?

A: We are putting more than 100 people an hour through it. There’s constantly a line. And it’s fun to watch people do it, so we have lots of spectators at it every day. It’s very heavy, weighing a couple hundred tons, but it’s the type of feature that uses space well.

Splish, Splash: Belmont Park Owner Is Making Waves, Literally

FlowRider Joining the Giant Dipper

By CONNIE LEWIS

San Diego Business Journal Staff

Tom Lochtefeld has invested millions of dollars of his own money in addition to loans to revitalize the historic Belmont Park, which now offers wave machines, retail shops, an athletic club and outdoor entertainment. Tom Lochtefeld likes to create waves. After spending years rehabilitating the once-closed Belmont Park, a historic amusement park anchored by the Giant Dipper roller coaster in Mission Beach, and revitalizing it with FlowRider wave machines — his own invention — and an outdoor eatery, he’s now launching more improvements, thanks to $17 million in refinancing.

Two weeks ago construction of a new walk-up window eatery on the south side of the midway devoted to retail shops and carnival attractions was nearing completion. Another FlowRider there would bring the park’s count of wave machines to three. In keeping with the beach-at-the-beach theme, plans also call for a sand-laden patio and palm trees next to the new wave maker. All would be open by the end of May, he said. Meanwhile, four roll-up doors with windows were also being added to replace the fixed windows on the fortress-like building that houses the historic Plunge, one of the largest indoor pools in Southern California. Expanding an outdoor deck closer to the exterior wall would help integrate the new with the old, Lochtefeld said. “The pool is a money loser,” he said. “This (the new doors) will open it up and give a pool-party feel. It will also increase food and beverage revenue.” The retail shops, game booths and kiosks are subleased to independent tenants, as are the rides, including the 83-year-old roller coaster, while Wave House, Lochtefeld’s company, operates the Athletic Club, which includes the pool and the FlowRiders. A lawyer and avid surfer who grew up in Pacific Beach, Lochtefeld made his fortune developing water parks and installing wave machines around the world. His future plans for Belmont Park include three more FlowRiders and possibly a 250-room hotel on the 18-acre, city-owned lease hold. That would necessitate underground parking, however, and local residents are apt to complain that a hotel would bring additional traffic on already clogged arteries leading to Mission Beach. “But it’s illogical to assume that a new hotel would attract an influx of people,” he said. “The fact is the people are already coming.” Sound Of Money The cost of the latest improvements will be about $2 million. The new loan will be used to cover that tab and previous debt with higher rates. In times like these, obtaining refinancing at 6.75 percent interest on the basis of the park’s “seasoning of revenue streams and proven management” exemplifies a return to more traditional lending practices, Lochtefeld said. He acquired the park’s master lease in May 2002 for $6 million borrowed from a local bank, then invested $4.5 million out of his own pocket to cover the cost of initial fix ups and razing one old building on the boardwalk. He spent another $5 million of his own money to add the Wave House Bar and Grill and the first wave machine.

During the first five years of operation, he borrowed a total of $10 million in short-term financing at 11.5 percent interest, he said. The park’s revenue rose from $9.6 million in the first year of operation to $20 million last year. Wave House’s rent to the city is 5 percent of gross sales. Last year that amounted to $140,000 in cash and a credit for $860,000 worth of previous capital improvements. His lease came with an obligation to invest $4 million by 2006 and to invest an additional $5 million by 2010. The cost of improvements may be used to offset the rent, but a minimum rent of $140,000 in cash is due to the city annually. According to the online newsletter, GlobeSt.com, Scott Abell of Cushman & Wakefield’s San Diego Real Estate Finance Group helped arrange the refinancing through East West Bank, which has its headquarters in Pasadena. He said it was not an easy sell since it’s a one-of-a-kind development. It took a year to complete the deal.

Adrenalina Signs Lease Agreements for National Expansion of Extreme Sports Retail Destination

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Adrenalina (OTCBB: AENA.OB - News), a new innovative retail entertainment destination designed for extreme sports enthusiasts, announced today that it has signed six new lease agreements as part of the Company’s national expansion initiative. Delivering on its expansion plans, Adrenalina has started construction on a store location at International Plaza in Tampa, Florida, with additional prime locations secured in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Houston, New York Metropolitan and Tampa Markets. The Company’s two existing stores are located in the Florida Mall in Orlando and Miami International Mall. “We’ve selected the perfect locations for Adrenalina’s Extreme Store concept, as they represent important shopping destinations in major markets throughout the country, offering the right co-tenancies that best support our brand,” commented Jeffrey Geller, President of Adrenalina. “We are very excited to expand on this new retail destination experience and introduce a unique shopping experience through a store environment and merchandising platform that caters to customers looking to meet their extreme sports needs.” Demolition and site preparation are scheduled to begin next month for four additional locations – Houston Galleria and Willow Bend (Plano, Texas), Cherry Creek Mall (Denver, CO) and North Point Mall (Alpharetta, GA) – with openings expected by the 3rd quarter of 2008. Construction also is expected to begin in the next several months on a store at the Xanadu entertainment/retail complex in the New Jersey Meadowlands, to open around November 2008. In at least two of the new locations, the full construction cost, including the cost of the FlowRider® wave machine, will be covered by landlord allowances. Mr. Geller continued, “We are receiving more than four new landlord proposals each week, and going forward, we are confident that most new store buildouts, around $2 million per store, will be paid by the landlords.” Adrenalina pioneered and branded “The Extreme Store” concept, which showcases top-quality athletic apparel, equipment and accessories in a fun, engaging retail entertainment format. Building on the popularity of the Adrenalina TV program, the stores feature the first FlowRider® wave machines to be installed in retail locations. Adrenalina has the exclusivity for FlowRiders in retail locations. The stores average 10,000 square feet and carry the best in extreme sports apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories from industry leaders and fashion brands such as Quiksilver, Billabong, Volcom, O'Neil, Reef, Crocs and Ed Hardy.

Summer Vacations With An Edge: Wave House @ MallSport.

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Featured in Forbes Magazine - Tom Lochtefeld's wave machines are catching on everywhere. And he's just getting started.

At San Diego's hopping Mission Beach, Thomas Lochtefeld charges $40 an hour to ride Bruticus Maximus, a 30mph wave that gushes 125,000 gallons of water per minute. But why should surfers pay when the genuine stuff--SoCal surf--is so close and so free? "My wave is better," laughs Lochtefeld. "Out there you can have bad surf. Not here."

His are not your average wave pools or waterslides for throngs of splashing kids. Lochtefeld's machines are built for enterprising daredevils. They blast a 3-inch-thick sheet of water up a 30-foot-wide incline, which can vary from a slight ramp to a full-on barrel curl. A bodyboarder or an adept surfer can ride the torrent by playing gravity against the flow, staying suspended in the wave while weaving back and forth across the curl.

Read Complete Article

Surf's up -- on the top deck

First, miniature golf. Then rock climbing. Now surfing.

By Gene Sloan, USA TODAY | 08/31/2005

Royal Caribbean announces today that it is adding "surf parks" to the top deck of future vessels -- the first cruise line to do so.The attraction will operate on the same principle as a stationary lap pool with a constant water flow creating a wave-like shape that can be surfed or body-boarded.The option to surf, which makes its debut in May aboard the 3,600-passenger Freedom of the Seas, joins the line's other recent changes.

TW Business - Wave House To Open In San Diego

By Ben Marcus

Posted 08.11.2005

Set to draw back its curtains for the grand opening on June 16, the masterminds behind Wave House San Diego are calling their giant indoor/outdoor surf park no less than “the royal palace of youth culture.” To quote John Travolta in Pulp Fiction, “That’s a bold statement.” But where Vincent Vega was talking about illegal drugs, the Wave House people are taking about a different kind of pleasure dome--one dedicated to the generation of adrenaline and endorphins through more natural means.

Read Full Article

TW Snowboarding at Wave House SD

Wavehouse, Yeah Bro!
by Evan LeFebvre
08/01/2005

Our senior editor and true player for real, Cody Dresser made it out to the grand opening of the Wave House in San Diego’s very own Belmont Park. If your not knowing, they have two artificial wave’s up in there. First you have the baby-bird Flowrider, this one is pretty mellow. It’s shaped like a small quarter pipe and pushes water out one side and up the other. The real deal Flowrider—Bruticus Maximus—is about ten feet high with a heavy, stationary barrel. Bruticus dishes out 100,000 gallons per minute, topping out at 30 miles per hour. The water rushes over a carefully engineered soft-foam covered surface and up a wall, which in turn becomes the barrel. Anyways Dress-dog along with Snowboarder dudes Joel Muzzy, and Marty Ward, were on hand to witness Terje Haakonsen, Andy Finch and friends tear this thing apart.

Link to Full Article and Photos

PRIDE ON THE LINE: A FlowRider Experience

Reprinted from: SurfShot - Issue 19 - March 2005
by Rebecca Heller

Do you surf?

"Yes."

Have you ever gone snowboarding?

"A couple of times."

Then you'll be fine, he said.

I wasn't.

I visited the WAVE HOUSE in Mission Beach, San Diego on a sunny day in August with my 12- and 15-year-old cousins in tow.

The FlowRider is an evolution of the wave pool where riders maneuver shaped boards on a continuous "wave." The wave is created by water rushing towards the surfer, who surfs in place as the water travels below and past him or her up an incline of about forty degrees. You have two choices - either lay prone on a boogie board or stand up on a board made of thick foam.

"Why don't you come down and try it out?" the exasperated sales director finally asked. I was in San Diego for the weekend and thought, "What the heck."

At the front desk, I was handed some forms to fill out and my cousins were asked if they'd be riding as well. They shook their heads no. That should have been my first red flag.

"You'll be part of the 3 o'clock session, " the front desk guy said, which only left me 20 minutes. I still hadn't seen the FlowRider in person. I wanted to see what I was getting myself into.

It turns out anyone could watch the riders attempt the FlowRider. An audience of about 15 people gathered to watch as riders battled the solid flow of water that surged towards them at speeds of 25 miles per hour.

There were about five teenaged and twenty-something guys taking turns, carving back and forth spraying water. Each one would ride until they caught a rail and wiped-out. Most rides lasted between fifteen and twenty seconds. Little butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I am a 30 year-old woman.

I went back to the locker room and changed into what I thought was a safe and secure swimsuit - a tankini. I, then, met the only other first timer - a younger guy maybe 18 years old. He was shivering and it was 85 degrees outside. We sat in front of a safety video. No instructions on riding, just a "keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle" type warning, and that was that.

I walked up the stairs to the top of the machine. There were four other guys all at least five years my junior. "Should I try boogie boarding first to get the feel?" I asked the front desk guy.

"Sure," he said and handed me a boogie board. He pointed down the mountain of water. "Just jump out."

Right.

I eyed the water rushing up the Flowrider suspiciously and timidly scooted myself over the edge and slid down the hill. It wasn't so bad. I could keep myself in place and attempted to move back and forth. Once I had the feel, I let myself be pushed off the board.

When you fell you had two theoretical choices. The flow of water either pushed you up the hill to land safely on a flat embankment on top or you maneuvered yourself to the edges of the ride where the water escaped and slide down.

I myself had no choice in the matter. I flailed around between the rushing water and the hill until I was thrown up to the top.

Next, the front desk guy helped me onto one of the standing boards near the side of the machine and held my hands. He pushed me out into the rushing water and let go. Immediately my feet were pushed out from under me and I went down. I then realized the swimsuit I was wearing might be a problem.

"Keep you weight on your back foot," one of my fellow riders remarked.

Too quickly my turn came again and down I went. And again. And again. Some women in the audience asked me if it hurt when I fell. "Only my ego," I replied.

The Flowrider is covered in about three inches of water over a tensioned polyester reinforced vinyl one-sixth of an inch thick. It didn't hurt that badly to fall, although the next day I was sure I had a mild case of whiplash.

I took one more turn trying to regain some dignity. No luck. I slunk off the FlowRider about 45 minutes into my hour session.

My cousins met me in the locker room and we laughed and joked about my terrible rides. They told me people in the audience were remarking about the fact that a woman was up there riding with the boys. One little girl even asked her mom if she could try. Well, if I inspired just one girl to try something she wouldn't normally do, maybe it wasn't all for nothing.

I may go back to the Wave House, but next time I'll be sure to wear a wetsuit and check my dignity at the door.


The FlowRider is located at Wave House Athletic Club in Mission Beach, San Diego. Hours: 12pm-8pm weeknights, 12pm-5pm weekends. $20 for a one-hour session.

Rebecca Heller is a freelance surf journalist and the author of the book, SURF LIKE A GIRL, due out from Three Rivers Press in March 2005.

Wisconsin Dells offers indoor winter surfing

Associated Press
January 9, 2005

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. -- Did you know you can go surfing in Wisconsin? In the winter?

OK, so it's indoors, with artificial waves. But the Kalahari Resort's FlowRider is the Midwest's answer to a Pacific beach, and it's a lot closer to Chicago or Minneapolis than Hawaii.

The FlowRider, which opened last summer at the Kalahari's indoor water park, is just one of the attractions that helps make Wisconsin Dells a four-season destination. The town is famed for its 21 waterparks, and 18 of them have enough indoor pools, rides and slides to keep vacationing families happy in their bathing suits in January.

Other attractions around Wisconsin Dells suitable for winter getaways include spas at the Sundara Inn & Spa, Great Wolf Lodge, Chula Vista Resort and Kalahari; nightclubs, live music and magic shows; high-tech games and interactive gadgets at venues like the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory and Wiley's Woods; and the Ho-Chunk Casino & Bingo, Wisconsin's largest gaming facility.

The Endless Curl

The Wave Waterpark
Vista, Calif.By Jenny E. Beeh

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WAVE LOCH, INC.

While surfers the world over are constantly in search of that perfect wave,it seemed only a matter of time before science stepped in on Nature's turf.
With its perfect, endless curl, The Wave Waterpark in Vista, Calif., givesthe nearby San Diego beaches a run for their money. The municipal park's not-so-secretweapon is its FlowRider, which is a continuous, simulated wave system, moving30,000 gallons of water per minute. Engineered by Wave Loch, Inc. of La Jolla,Calif., the FlowRider is the park's most popular amenity, attracting bobyboarders(and sometimes surfers) of all ages.
Unlike traditional wave pools where waves are created by pumps at one endof the pool then travel the length of the pool and break at the other end,the FlowRider wave stays in one location, and surfing hopefuls take turns inthe curl.
"It gives you the feeling that you're surfing and that look," saysKenny Handler, park manager. "It's better to surf on. In a typical wavepool, the wave ends. This is a wave you could ride for 24 hours."
Ah, if only the park were open around the clock.
This wave flows over a smooth surface, so wipe outs are much less painful,compared to skinning yourself on hard concrete or sand.
"It's a really safe ride," Handler says. Unlike the ocean, it'salso a controlled aquatic environment, so there are few unknown hazards, eithernatural or manmade, like rip tides, jelly fish or local surfing territorialdisputes.
"Patrons prefer this to the beach," he says. "We wanted torelate to our beach community. We also offer a safe area for kids to play inwithout big waves slamming them down, a place where they can learn to bodyboard."
The FlowRider attraction is coupled with an attached lazy river, so that thepumps that create the wave also generate the motion of the river.
Although sunny California seems like a perfect fit for a surfing attraction,that's not to say places like the Midwest or Rockies couldn't enjoy a littletropical temptation.
"I would consider adding it if a park was looking for a unique niche," Handlersays. "It definitely brings the beach to you."

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WAVE LOCH, INC.

Unlike some typical waterpark attractions, masses of people can't participateall at once, but that doesn't stop the FlowRider from being a real crowd-pleaser.
"It's not a big through-ride, but it's a great spectator ride," saysHandler, adding that even though there's a more modest number of participantsper hour, lots of patrons enjoy watching.
Open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., May to October, the three-acre WaveWaterpark debuted in 1994 and is operated by the City of Vista's Parks andRecreation Department. In addition to the FlowRider with lazy river, thereare several water slides, a children's play pool, a competition pool, children'splay areas, a volleyball court, grassy areas for picnics, food and beverage,and apparel and bodyboard sales. The competition pool is open year round forcommunity and school activities. Daily admission fees are $11.50 for all-dayunlimited usage of park facilities for adults; the price is $8.50 for childrenand seniors, while and children under 2 are free. A season pass is $75 perperson. The FlowRider can also be rented for private parties at $120/hour.
The park's attendance last year was more than 116,000 recreational visitors,with an additional 24,000 people from community and school groups during theoff-season. As a suburb located in North San Diego County, the City of Vistahas a population of 89,857, with an additional 941,000 residents within a 20-minutedrive of the park.
As popular as The Wave Waterpark is today, initially getting approval forthe park was not easy. The City's original plan was to simply build a municipalpool. After much analysis, however, a larger investment upfront for a waterparkseemed to be a better long-term choice for the facility.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WAVE LOCH, INC.

Rather than accept the constantly yearly drain of several hundred thousanddollars in operating costs for a municipal pool, the City could actually subsidizeother activities through seasonal park revenues.
"Originally I thought the City couldn't afford a waterpark with a FlowRiderand lazy river attraction, but I soon realized that the City couldn't afforda pool without one," says Jim Porter, director of Parks and Recreationfor the City of Vista.
The Wave Waterpark was financed using a combination of $1.6 million in parkfees, $1.5 million in general obligation bonds, $600,000 in redevelopment revenuesand $200,000 in revenues generated directly from the park.
The City's goal for the park is to be financially self-sufficient, thereforenot spending City general funds for park operation or debt service. In 1999,the park's annual operating revenue of $1,280,000 exceeded annual operatingexpenses of $1,220,000, however, total expenses still exceeded revenues dueto debt service and almost $70,000 in unreimbursed services provided to thelocal school district. The waterpark in general, and the FlowRider attractionin particular, subsidizes the 25-yard by 10-lane competition pool operatedon a year-round basis and used by community swim teams, school swim and water-poloteams, and general swimming.
"Building the waterpark has developed a pride of ownership in the community," Portersays. "It has given us something to hang our hat on."
For more information
Wave Loch, Inc.: 858-454-1777
Or visit www.waveloch.com
The Wave Waterpark
Visit www.wave-waterpark.com