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 News from Around Banderas Bay | May 2006 
XIII International Sports Classic Founder Howard Kelsey, Going Stronger Each Year
 Bob Cohen - PVNN
As Howard has for the part few years, he allowed me to take a bit of his demanding schedule while in town for the Annual Sports Classic, an event that draws more and more local and out of town and country competitors and spectators. What began 13 years ago with a $300 budget and six basketball teams playing on a dirt floor has become an international draw for Puerto Vallarta.
This year’s competition has grown even more than last year and promises to delight sports fans and players and increase the multi cultural bond between Mexico, Canada and the United States. Puerto Vallarta once again is proud to be the host city and happily greets everyone.
Added this year after a two year absence is professional women’s beach volleyball and bowling has been added for the first time. This event will have a prize purse of 40,000 pesos and ensures the best of competition. Eight teams of two from the United States and all over Mexico will compete Saturday and Sunday with the final match played on Sunday at 4 PM at the Flamingos, next to Canto Del Sol.
For the second year the IV Copa Vallarta has joined in the Classic with 86 teams entered, mostly kids and will utilize every available soccer field in Vallarta. The always popular aerobic marathon will be held at Los Arcos on the Malecon Saturday morning at 8 AM and expected are over 100 participants. The winner is expected to last 2 ½ - 3 hours. The embassies of Canada and the U.S. will play Puerto Vallarta and Jalisco government and tourism teams in a four team softball tournament.
Tennis has been ongoing at both the Sheraton and Canto Del Sol resorts with Pro-Am, “A”, “B”, “C”, and Kids divisions. The tennis finals will be held at Canto Del Sol on Sunday. The 5K run has been switched this year to the new Olympic track at the Sports Stadium and will be run at 8 AM on Sunday.
The highlight event has always been basketball and this year adds a new twist. At 6:30 PM Sunday afternoon Team Mexico will play Team Canada/USA a game that the team from the north always won. Last year Team Mexico, brought in the National team and defeated the English speaking squad for the first time. Now, the Canada/USA team needs to come up with a strategy to take back bragging rights. The featured player is Jerome Kersey, an ex-NBA star for 17 years and the owner of an NBA championship ring. Other international stars are Dan Meagher, Ron Putzi, Berry Randle, Jeff Moore, Lars Hansen and Howard Kelsey. All have played Olympic and/or professional ball. The Mexican stars include Enrique Zuñiga, Horacio Llamas, Oscar Ruiz among other greats.
Another first in basketball is the formation of a Puerto Vallarta 14 and under league and they will send two teams to compete against teams from Guadalajara, Portland and Vancouver. Also for the first time is a father and son team from Vancouver, the Dads will compete with the big boys and the kids will compete in the youth division.
The biggest project Howard has been working on for years now and hopefully close to fruition is the Puerto Vallarta Convention Center project. Working with Sheraton owner Sra. Gemma Garciarce the new proposed plan will locate the 7-8000 seat convention center on the triangle of the new cruise ship terminal, surrounding by the three cruise ships in port.
The land is government owned land, not privately owned as many skeptics might have suspected and will benefit Puerto Vallarta economically to the approximate amount $350 million USD per year. In addition, the convention center will create 6000 new jobs and 1200 new businesses, basically to be created for the local population. The Center is modeled after the award winning convention centers in Vancouver and San Diego. “This could become the most spectacular and potentially most lucrative for the city, the state and the country”, Kelsey stated. “This could become the highest profile postcard for the country of Mexico in tourism if managed correctly”, he added.
Howard added that “those who began working on the convention center project years ago have slowly picked up those who were once doubters or skeptics that have now become supporters.”
As the nature of Howard Kelsey, he keeps moving forward with his visions and picking up supporters along the way. He has done this in his athletic career and his business career and credits the Mexican people in teaching him to ignore some traditional North American ways of conducting business and embracing lessons he has learned during his years here. Keep it up Howard, this writer is with you!
 Click HERE for a profile of Sports Classic Founder Howard Kelsey. |
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