Fifth annual Beach Blast: March 30

Sport Management Department expects about 1,000 attendees

By Ryan Day | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Senior Sean Gormley believes the student-run “Beach Blast” event is a good enough reason for students to stay in St. Augustine for this year’s spring break.

“If you’re going to be here over spring break, it’s going to be a good way to spend the weekend,” said Gormley, a sports management major helping to coordinate the Beach Blast event. “There will be bands, surf competitions, food. It’ll just be a good way for students to relax over the break.”

Dr. Brian Pruegger, assistant professor in the Sport Management Department and faculty-sponsor for the event, said the Beach Blast is an annual event put on by sport management students to help fund the Sport Management Scholarship Fund, a scholarship awarded to Flagler students who excel in the department.

Gormley said the event is entirely student-run, with sport management majors have doing everything from publicity to fund raising in preparation for the event.

They have paired up with local companies such as the YMCA of St. Augustine, Extreme Kites and Family Fun Factory to donate thousands of dollars to fund the day. Students have also found vendors such as Five Star Pizza, Great Wraps and Smoothie King willing to supply food for the event.

There will also be live music by local musicians such as Keller Williams-soundalike Colton McKenna and the Jacksonville-based classic rock cover band Hot Cotton.

“There’s a surf competition sponsored by Pit Surf Shop [of St. Augustine Beach] that’ll include 64 surfers from around St. Augustine,” Gormley said. “There’s volleyball tournaments, a 5k run. There’s going to be some local artists out there showing and selling their work. There will just be a lot out there for Flagler students to do and have fun with. And it’s good to support fellow classmates and what they’re doing.”

Event coordinator Danielle Baker said about 800 people from around the community showed up for last year’s Beach Blast and the group expects more than 1,000 this year as a result of all the positive feedback she got after last year’s event.

“It’s really just something to help out our [sport management] department, but at the same time it really does bring a lot of cool aspects from the community together,” Gormley said. “People can surf. They can eat. They can look at art. They can sell art. There’s something for everyone.”

The Beach Blast will be Sunday, March 30, from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the St. Augustine Beach Pier and Pavillion. For applications to be entered into the surf contest, volleyball tournament, 5k run or to be an artist in the artist expo, or for more information and directions visit www.flaglerspm.com.