Pro volleyball championships here Sept. 6

They like us. They really, really like us!

For the third consecutive year, Racine was named “Host City of the Year” by The Corona Light EVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour. The award was handed out during a ceremony at the National Championships in Chicago on Aug. 9.

Equally important, due to the success of the Racine event, the Corona Light EVP Pro Beach Volleyball World Championships have been moved from Kona, Hawaii, to Racine and are scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 6. The event will feature a $12,000 purse, the largest in EVP tournament history. It is free to spectators and is sponsored locally by the Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.

“The players and staff of the EVP Tour love Racine. Besides the great playing environment, the staffs at the CVB and the City, including the Parks and Recreation Department, have made our event a national story. The beach town is volleyball crazy”, said Ross Balling, EVP Tour Commissioner.

Racine also won the award in 2006 and 2007 for the annual July volleyball tournament at North Beach, one of only two beaches on the Great Lakes to win the Blue Wave Award from the National Clean Beaches Council. The Blue Wave Campaign is America’s first environmental certification for beaches, whose aim is to promote public awareness and voluntary participation in beach sustainability.

Dave Blank, President and CEO of the RCCBV, said “The EVP Pro Beach Volleyball event has become one of the highlights of Racine’s summer. We look forward to having them here on our beautiful North Beach and it’s great to hear that they love to visit Racine each year. He went on to say, “Racine should be very proud to receive this award." Other cities competing for the prize were Fort Lauderdale, Virginia Beach, Santa Barbara, Chicago and Long Island. " It’s really an honor that goes beyond the beach-- it goes to the City, the restaurants and hotels, as well as the residents,” Blank said.

For further information on the Corona Light EVP Tour check out its website or that of the RCCVB.

For pictures of the July tour event, check HERE.