Flamingos Golf Club-Marriot Casa Magna

January 26, 2008

Next Saturday January 26, we will have the fifth Tournament Make a Wish® México at Flamingos Club de Golf in Nuevo Vallarta, Nay.

18 teams (4 players each) will be participating together with 18 national and international companies in order to collaborate to make possible same number of wishes for different Mexican children currently fighting against terrible life threatening illnesses.

The present tournament has become already a wonderful and very expected tradition in which to gather friends and in which we can put together our brotherly efforts for a very noble cause while enjoying a fun challenging competition. Golfers from different places of the region will be adding to the list of participants; each one will be offering through their registration fee a donation and a valuable gift to the magical moment of a kid getting his or her wish.

The tournament will be played in the mode Scramble, that is, the teams will start on the hole number one with intervals of 8 minutes between them; the four members will hit a ball each and the better one will be the one played. This will make it a dynamic game and the competition between the members of the team will also be a fun way to play it.

In every hole there will be a big announcement with the name, age, illness and the wish of one or more of the kids referred to Make A Wish® Mexico, the names of the team members of a given team and the logos of their participating sponsor companies. In this way, everyone will know who is playing and which companies are sponsoring the cause.

The registration will open at 9:00 a.m. The first team will be starting their round at 10:00 a.m. in such way that around 14 hours the game should be ending and everyone goes to relax and prepare for the magnificent that will be served at the Marriot Casa Magna Hotel at Marina Vallarta and that will take place at the Awards Ceremony.

The ceremony will be filled with magic and emotion. It will be the occasion to celebrate the good will and to thank for the generosity of those who support Make-A-Wish® México and the many children that every day fight in hopes that they will get a miracle.

Of course, our very special and hart felt thanks are for Flamingo Club de Golf, for Mr. Bill Davis and all of his marvellous team; For the Marriot Casa Magna Hotel for the unconditional, immediate and wonderful support and for Mr. Joe Johnston expert in Golf and invaluable assessor for Make-A-Wish® Foundation México. Among other participants we thank Outback Steakhouse, Amerimed Hospital de Puerto Vallarta, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Honda Avante, American Airlines, Mexicana de Aviación, Hotel Hyatt Cancún Caribe Resort, Caldwell Banker, Grupo Cotish, S.A. de C.V., Canopy Los Veranos, Tropicasa Realty, Merril Llynch, Le Kliff Restaurant, River Café Restaurante, Rancho Palma Real, Body Boutique Crown Paradise Spa, La Dolce Vitta, Costa Gráfica.

If you are interested in participate with Make-A-Wish Foundation® México as a volunteer, to donate or to adopt a wish please contac us:

Make-A-Wish Foundation® México

San Salvador No. 337-A, Col. 5 de diciembre Puerto Vallarta, Jal. 48350
Tel. (01322) 222-9111 (01322) 222-9112

www.makeawishmexico.org.mx

www.worldwish.org

Adriana García L.

COORDINADORA NACIONAL DE EVENTOS Y RECAUDACIÓN

MAKE-A-WISH MÉXICO

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

(322)222-9111

(322)222-9112

Cel. 322-112-6287

The XXIII Annual Copa Canto Del Sol Tennis Tournament will begin on July 31, 2007 and its conclusion will be on August 5, 2007. Once again Canto Del Sol Tennis Director Martin Parra and his staff will host the tournament which traditionally has a majority of Guadalajara players in the tournament. This is the one amateur tournament in Puerto Vallarta that is sanctioned by the Jalisco Tennis Association; therefore valuable points can be won at all levels of play.
The categories are the "open" or AA, A, B, C, C50, D50 and beginners. There is also doubles play in the Copa Canto Del Sol and points will be awarded in each modality. The winner in any singles division receives 96 points and the finalist wins 80 points. Moving downward to the semifinals and below the point allocation is 64, 48, 32, 12 and 8. In doubles, the winners will receive 48 points each and the finalists will get 40 points. Moving down again the allocation is 32, 24, 16, and 8.

There were well over 200 competitors last year and the tournament had many rain delays. The Canto Del Sol Tennis Club has four uncovered clay courts and four covered hard courts and are the only facility in the Vallarta area that has protected courts. Last year many clay court events delayed play as a huge thunderstorm hit one evening early in the tournament and the four scheduled court matches were worked into the hard court schedule. Matches that were scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. were played at anywhere from 9:00–10:00 p.m., and there was hardly a complaint.

The deadline to enter the tournament is at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, July 27th in Puerto Vallarta. Those entering in Guadalajara have an earlier deadline by one day. The cost is 350 pesos per person and this gives you the right to play both singles and doubles. The draw will be presented on Sunday, July 29th in the Salon Jazmin at 6:00 p.m. during the welcome cocktail party. To enter, either stop by the Canto Del Sol Tennis Club or call the resort at 226-0123 and ask for the tennis courts or in Spanish the "Cancha de Tenis".

Running concurrently is another tournament; this is the Copa Grupo 3, which is for youth aged 10-18. The levels are 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 and there will also be singles and doubles play. The Copa 3 will run from August 1st – August 4th and entries will be handled the same way. The cost is 220 pesos and the draws will be posted at the same cocktail party mentioned above.

Rules are being played under the A.T.J. and F.M.T., which are the Jalisco governing body headed by the President of the Jalisco Tennis Association, Ing. Manuel Martinez Flores. Manuel has been the head of the Jalisco association for a number of years. The Canto Del Sol is headed by General Manager Rene Rodriguez and Tennis Director Martin Parra. The tournament staff also includes Polo Torres, Polo Martinez and Leonardo Lopez.

If you are a tennis player, regardless of level, come join the 200+ entrants for the tournament. People around the club are already buzzing about the event and there will be plenty of spectators as well. Join us all for a week of competition, exercise and most importantly fun.

The MHRS plans to open a homeless shelter for youth and teens with problems in Puerto Vallarta, an issue that has been increasing important here (several local orphanages donnot have facilities for children over 14-years-old).
To begin the fund raising for this project, several famous ex-professional soccer players from Mexico and Hollywood United came to CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & SPA to host soccer clinics for kids and a professional exhibition game followed by a cocktail and autograph session this past weekend. A press conference was held this past Friday at Champions Sports Bar to kick off the event.

On Sunday, June 17th, Father's Day, a golf tournament at the Vista Vallarta Golf Course offered the general public the unique opportunity to play golf with the Soccer Champions for $1000 pesos per person. A soccer star played in each foursome.

Some of the stars who playied were Eric Wynalda, the all-time leading scorer for the US and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame; Frank Leboeuf, who won the 1998 FIFA World Cup; Richard Gough, who played for the Scottish National team; Yari Allnutt, a member of the US team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona; and Chicago Fire veteran midfielder, David Vaudreuil.

The Mexican soccer stars who attended were "The Killer," Luis Hernández; Adolfo Rios, who is now sports narrator for Televisa; and Indoor National Soccer manager, René Ortiz.

Nuevo Vallarta - PV's El Tigre Golf & Country Club is celebrating its "5th Anniversary Tournament" aptly named "Amigos de El Tigre" on Saturday, June 16th beginning at 9 am.
A very special prize can be won worth $220,000 USD if a player makes a hole in one on a designated Par 3 hole. That special prize is a furnished one bedroom, one bath condominium at the Grand Villas Nuevo Vallarta, thus also giving the tournament the name of "The $220,000 Dollars Challenge."

The format of the one-day event is a scramble tournament. A scramble format has each of the foursome drive the ball. The team then picks the best drive, and all four players hit their next shot from the same spot.

The same is done with each shot, even on the green, so everyone has the chance to be a hero with just one great shot. Scores in scramble tournament are obviously very low, and it will take a superb score to win at El Tigre.

Although it is doubtful that someone will win the condo, there are prizes for the first, second and third place finishers. Other competitions will be "closest to the pin," "longest drive" and "team gross."

The cost is $1500 pesos + 15% for members of the club and $2000 pesos + 15% for non-members. This will cover the green fees, a welcome kit that will include an Ashworth polo shirt / cap / cap clip, an open bar with domestic drinks and a lunch buffet with the award presentation.

Also available to those participating is a 50% off coupon for any spa treatments at the Spa Hacienda del Paraiso. Other prizes to be given away are: memberships at the El Tigre Sports Center, dinners, massages, and other gift certificates.

For more information or to register, call 297-0773. Who knows? Someone might get real lucky and win the $220,000 condo. All the ball has to do is land on the green and roll into the cup...

Learn the soccer tips from the Champions in the soccer clinics.
Players Eric Wynalda, member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Frank Leboeuf, 1998 FIFA World Cup, and Vinnie Jones, ex-player and now actor in movies such as Swordfish, X-Men III and Juggernaut Roal, will be some of the soccer stars. Also attending are Richard Gough, ex-player for the Scottish National team, David Vaudreuil midfielder of Chicago Fire, Anthony LaPaglia, ex-player and TV series actor in The Sopranos - HBO and Without a Trace - Warner Channel.

MHRS Puerto Vallarta plans to open a homeless shelter for youth and teens with problems in Puerto Vallarta. To begin the fund raising for this project several famous ex-professional soccer players from Mexico and Hollywood United are coming to MHRS Puerto Vallarta to have soccer clinics for kids, a professional exhibition game followed by a cocktail and autograph session. The next day a Golf Tournament with one player in each foursome will take place at the Vista Vallarta Golf Course and to celebrate Father's Day.

Players like Eric Wynalda, the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Frank Leboeuf, who won the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and Vinnie Jones, player and now actor who performed in movies such as Swordfish, X-Men III and Juggernaut Roal, will be some of the soccer stars. Also attending are Richard Gough, who played for the Scottish National team, Yari Allnutt, a member of the US team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, David Vaudreuil veteran midfielder of Chicago Fire, Anthony LaPaglia, ex soccer player and TV series actor who was in The Sopranos - HBO and Without a Trace - Warner Channel. The Mexican Soccer Stars that will be attending are "The Teacher", Benjamín Galindo; Luis Hernández "The Killer", Adolfo Rios who is now sports narrator for Televisa and René Ortiz Coach manager of Indoor National Soccer. A special guest to come for this event is Mr. Alfredo Macisse President of the Indoor National Soccer Federation.

Only 50 kids are going to be the luckiest which can learn the soccer tips from the Champions in the soccer clinics next Saturday, June 16 at the MHRS Puerto Vallarta at a cost of $2,500 pesos per child and also they can enjoy the game between the Champions, Mexico Vs Hollywood United; closing with a cocktail to meet the players and get autographs. Parents or the general public who want to participate in this cocktail, the cost is only $500 pesos per person. More activities continue the following day, on Sunday, June 17 as the public will have the unique opportunity to play golf with the Soccer Champions at VIsta Vallarta Golf course for $ 1,000 pesos per person. A soccer star will play in each foursome.

All proceeds go directly to support funding for the shelter for the kids & teens on the street of Puerto Vallarta.

By Bob Cohen

The 14th Annual Sidral Aga International Sports Classic came to an end late Sunday with the finals of the Open division basketball played in front of a full house at the Municipal Gym. Again in the finals was the Sidral Aga team, captained by Howard Kelsey and included a list of players that have played on a professional or Olympic level during their careers.

The last two years, the team suffered their first two losses in event history, facing the Mexican National team for the first time in 2005 and again in 2006. The Sidral Aga team is made up of players who have retired from competitive basketball and most fall into the over 45 bracket. Playing the younger and stronger Mexican squad was a difficult task and the "older" guys couldn't take the trophy in the finals in the 100+ degree heat inside the gym.

This year, the format changed, as a Masters division was formed and many from the Sidral Aga team played in the over 45 event. The Mexican Masters team was permitted to have any players that were over 40 years of age. The game was played at 6:00 PM on Saturday.

Playing as the Vancouver Shadows the old guys filled the basket quickly and often against their Mexican opponent, the Euro Oficinas and led 36-20 after the first quarter. The lead opened to 60-35 at the half and Captain Howard Kelsey led the way, scoring 18 points by halftime.

The Mexican team was outmanned and had only two players on the bench, but did have a strong big man inside and a good long range shooter that launched some "threes" from beyond 25 feet. Bob Hieltjes and Jeff Moore form the Vancouver squad helped Kelsey, who finished with a game high 26 points, by adding 16 each. The bench finished out the final quarter as the good natured Masters final was won by Vancouver 91-69.

The Sunday Open Division final was played Sunday afternoon at 2:00 PM and many of the same cast was looking for a second trophy. Added to the Sidral Aga team was the best point guard from Mexico, Enrique Zuniga, who was permitted to play as the National Team was not involved this year. Add Barry Randall and Jeff Moore to the backcourt and Bob Hieltjes and Lars Hansen to the frontcourt and there was quite a team on the floor. Ron Putzi was the first man in from the bench to replace any player.

Their opponents were named Selecion Vallarta, the best players from the Puerto Vallarta area. The team lacked a bit in size and did not offer the challenge that the powerful National Team did the last two years. But the team was tough, aggressive and was quite familiar with the gym and the warm conditions with had always hurt the team from the north.

Sidral Aga opened up a 25-17 lead almost completely on the shoulders of Barry Randle, who filled the basket with four "three pointers" in the opening quarter. Zuniga handled the ball throughout the first half with assists to all his supporting cast, especially Randle. The lead at halftime was 42-31 as Vallarta was staying close enough to take advantage of any lapses by the older, more experienced team.

No lapses or collapses occurred as Sidral Aga won by a final of 71-57, with Randle leading all scorers with 32 points and Zuniga scored 16, most in the second half. The game might be the end of the long reign of the Sidral Aga team in open competition. The youngest player is 43 and there are a few that are over 50 and Kelsey might opt to play in the Masters in future years.

Another good year of competition and fun was offered at the Municipal Gym and after the final each winning and finalist team was called out and presented with trophies. This year that also included a girl's team for the first time. Photos of the closing ceremonies show just some of the participants and award winners.

Picture, After the basketball finals, all award winners were presented with trophies in a party like atmosphere.

Westin Resort & Spa Announces XIII Tennis Anniversary Tournament The popular tennis club at the Westin Resort in the Marina announced its 13th Annual Anniversary Tournament which will be held beginning Thursday, September 22nd and concluding on Saturday, October 1st. A tournament that has been popular among local players should have a record number of participants announced tennis director Norberto Aguirre. “We expect about 120 players, mostly from the Vallarta area and some from Guadalajara and Tepic as well”, stated Aguirre. “Due to the time of year with families working and kids at school this has become a competitive local event. This is an amateur event with men, women and kids competing. At the tournament end, there will be a professional exhibition match between two of the best professionals in Vallarta, the winner to receive 1000 pesos”. Men will play in A, B, C, and D divisions; women will compete in C and D, and the kids will play in 12, 14 and 16 year old classifications. The men will play three set matches with tiebreaks when necessary. The format for women and kids will be a round-robin eight game set elimination until there is a winner in each category. The tournament will be played on the Westin’s unique synthetic grass surface which has a sprinkling of sand on the courts. The court provides play that is slower than traditional hard court yet faster than clay. The cost to enter is 150 pesos which includes a commemorative shirt from the tournament. Entries will close on the 21st, a day before play begins and the draw will be posted the following morning. The Westin has three courts, each separately enclosed. The tennis club has been a popular one with local players as well as tourists and Aguirre regularly sees all courts in use at all times. Norberto is also busy with clinics and lessons at the facility which offers spectacular accommodations, with a total spa and gym. To enter, stop by the tennis club to sign up or call 226-1143 or 226-1100 ext 4323. One can call Aguirre on his cell phone at 044-322-205-7274 or even email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The event is sponsored by the resort, Club Regina and Aura 1 publicity.

It´s time to look at the serve. You know, that stroke that requires an athletic movement with a very un-coordinated part of your body (the ball toss with the left arm), that stroke that is only "in" if you hit a small square representing 25% of the entire tennis court, that stroke that makes your racket feel so heavy during big points when you only have one chance left to get it in. Well, I will try my best to help you make this stroke a more enjoyable experience, with 2 more checkpoints to add to your list from the previous articles. But first I want to look at a few theories with the serve.
You´re only as good as your 2nd serve!!!
You´ve all seen the player that hits their first serve as hard as they can, and when they miss they offer you a big "lolli-pop" serve 80% softer than their first one. If that player happens to be you, then please read on...
Though hitting the 2nd serve at that speed demonstrates the partial understanding of the fact that if the 2nd serve doesn´t go in, you lose the point, and that you would even put your tennis ego aside and accept the people laughing at your "dinky" serve, just to get that serve in.
It also demonstrates the lack of understanding that the first serve must go in at a very high percentage in order to protect the "big weakness". Also, that the second serve´s arm speed should be fairly similar to that of the first serve, but it´s the addition of spin to the ball that will slow it down in the air, help keep the ball in the court, and not to mention make life a little more difficult for the returner when it bounces in the court...which brings me to my next point...

Types of Serve:

There are three basic types of serve, flat, slice, and topspin. There are variations and combinations of each of them, but for the sake of this article, I will limit it to these 3. Learning all 3 will greatly improve your serving game. I would recommend starting with the flat serve, then learning the slice as that is a similar motion the flat serve, and finally the topspin, which requires a slightly different arm motion and state of mind.

Checkpoint #1: "toss vs wrist"
It is important to toss the ball well enough to be able to make contact with it above your hairline, without having to move your left foot to achieve that goal. That is the last I will ever write (or teach) about the toss. If you are able to do that, (and even the most un-coordinated people are able to achieve that 8-9 out of 10 times), then there is hope for your serve!
Though a perfect toss would undoubtedly make the serve a much easier stroke, the quest for that dream will drive most tennis players mad for years, if not decades for the following reasons:
- A perfect toss requires throwing a ball up in the air with a hand that you don´t naturally throw with.
- A prefect toss achieved "indoors" on the practice court will be seriously affected nerves and/or fatigue in a match
- A perfect toss achieved "indoors" on the practice court will be seriously tested when the sun happens to be right where you like to toss your ball, or when the wind blows your toss away from that perfect spot you so desire.

So if a better toss isn´t the answer, then how can you hit your serve better? Simple, better use of your wrist! The first step to allow you to use your wrist on the serve, is to make sure the wrist is loose enough prior to hitting the serve. Once it is loose, then you can use the analogy of trying to hammer a nail into the wall as you hit the ball. The "hammering motion" requires wrist motion that will allow your wrist to be active during impact. (try hammering a nail only using your upper arm...you will see its quite difficult).

Checkpoint #2: "Hit Up vs. Snap Down"
Ok, so if the toss isn´t the secret to a great serve, then what is? In terms of consistency these 4 words, "Hit Up vs. Snap Down" are the keys to getting the ball in. When a serve goes into the net, your focus on the next serve should be on the "hit-up" part of the serving motion. When you hit the serve long, your focus should shift on the "snap down" part of the motion. Your motion will always be composed of both these movements, but it´s the excess focus on one or the other that will help correct the mistake you just made.

One last thing on this. You must compare apples with apples, and oranges with oranges, when trying to make these adjustments. If you have a hard flat serve as you first serve, and a softer spin serve as your second then, you must make the adjustment according to the result of the last time you hit that particular serve. (ie. If you hit your first serve long and the second serve in the net, the next time you hit a first serve you must focus on the "hit-up" motion to correct the mistake that happened the last time you tried to hit a FIRST serve, and not just the last time you hit ANY serve...).

Thank You. We will look at ways of avoiding injury both before, and during your tennis game.

Karl Vukobrat
Tennis Professional with Peter Burwash International.

Puerto Vallarta has been selected by I.G.F.A. (International Game Fishing Association) to host their "Hook The Cure Fishing Tournament", which is a benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and when you set the tournament record you will qualify for the "8th Annual 2007 I.G.F.A. Offshore Championship Tournament" while helping the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. They'll be fishing for Yellowfin Tuna, Dorado (Mahi Mahi), Sailfish, and Marlin.

There will be trophy prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in Yellowfin Tuna, Dorado and Sailfish with trophy prize for the most released billfish. We're expecting 40-50 anglers from all over the USA. There'll be about 15 to 20 local boats involved. The host hotel is the Premier and host charter company will be Charter Dreams along with PVRPV Property Management Company who will be helping with the PR for the tournament. ESPN will be bringing in 4 camera crews to shoot the event. They're hoping to make it an annual event. If you are interested in fishing the tournament contact me or Charter Dreams at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Well let's move on to what is going on with the local fishing. The rains are here and things are changing for the better but just a little slower start than what we're use to. I'm not to sure what's up with this slow start, some say that it is because of the El Nino effect and some say that it's the commercial tuna boats, but who knows. Offshore: There's not as many boats going out this time of year so we don't get as much information as we'd do during the season. Both El Banco and the Rock are giving up Marlin in the 300 to 400 pound range along with some big Dog Tooth Snapper (Pargo). Dorado (Mahi Mahi) is also being caught from 20 to 40 pounds. The Yellowfin Tuna aren't the big boys yet, they've been 50 to over a 100 lbs. and a little tuff to catch with some saying that they are feeding on the small red crabs and the small sardines. The big Tuna will be in anytime now and I feel that we will get that world record (388 lbs.) this year; we catch them every year over 400 lbs. but just don't get them weighed on a certified scale. Sails are being caught from Punt Mita to past the Rock. I was told that a boat came in with a Sailfish that weighed 165 lbs. and released 4 more, they were trolling dead baits.

Inshore: Roosterfish have been very active around the buoy at Punta Mita to over by Litibu. They've been nice ones, 30 to 50 pounds. Live bait works the best but they'll take a lure such as a Rapala and other diving plugs. Dorado are also being caught inside the bay on both north and south shores. Rabalo (Snook) have been active in the mouths of the rivers and off some of the beaches. As always plenty of snapper can be caught at night over the reefs and rock ledges.

Cajon de Pena: Bass have been on the bite with rains filling up the lake. They've been most active on the south shore where it drops off deep fast and biting right on the edges. Plugs and worms seem to be working the best. Just get out there and plug that shore. If you are looking for any of our great fishing just drop me E-Mail and we will get you hooked up.

The games will be held in Bogota Colombia from the middle of July to beginning of August. So far Jenny and Ariana have made the prequalifying events, both are now officially on the National team.<br>These 8 girls will compete to represent Mexico in the Central American Games. Jenny is second from left, Ariana 4th from left.

 Congratualtions to the PV all-female "Dreadnought" captain and crew on winning the Vallarta Cup Regatta!