Sport management class to host Beach Blast

By Ted Regis

On March 31, the fourth annual Beach Blast will be held at the Anastasia Pier in St. Augustine Beach.

Students enrolled in the Facility and Events Management course, which is taught by Sports Management professor Brian Pruegger, Ph.D, are planning the event.

“With event management, the whole crux of it is practical application,” said Pruegger. ” We can teach the planning, we can teach the organization, but to actually put on the event, is where the most learning is going to occur.”

According to Pruegger, the class started preparing for the Blast last semester “by organizing and implementing different recreational events.”

“Basically it’s a community event that we wanted to run.” Dan Brady, a junior who is a member of the marketing committee for the event, “It helps the event management class learn what it takes to put on an event like this even though it’s small community event it still takes a lot of preparation to pull it off.”

Three major competitive events are scheduled throughout the day, as well as smaller events like the Hula Hoop contest, a sand building contest, and a water balloon toss.

The 5K run is scheduled to begin early in the morning along the waterfront. Fees for the 5k are $15 for pre-registration, and $18 for same day registration. Two-person surf teams will be able to compete starting at 8 a.m. and the volleyball tournament begins at 10 a.m. The teams for the tournament have to have four players with at least one player being of the opposite sex. There is $40 entrance fee for the volleyball tournament and all participants receive T-shirts.

Participants in all three major events have the opportunity to win prizes for various categories. For more information contact Anna Kroeger at Akroger@flagler.edu and Daniel Scalia at Dscalia@flagler.edu.