FMB Sand sculpting event qualifies for Worlds
There will be a new format to the American Sand Sculpting Championship Festival on Fort Myers Beach in November. It will include professional sculptors, a different venue and the winner qualifying for the World championships.
Sixteen master sculptors -including the reigning World Champion, Grand Master Champion and the 2008 North American Champion- will be competing in the 23rd annual event at the collective sites of the Holiday Inn on the Beach and GullWing and Pointe Estero beach resorts during the first week of November.
Labelled as one of only a handful of events in the nation to be chosen as a qualifier for the World Championships, the Fort Myers Beach competition will highlight the best talent in sand sculpting by inviting “A” list carvers who collectively hold 37 World titles between them. The winner automatically goes to the 2010 World Championships, which is held during the first two weeks of September next year in Federal Way, Wash.
“We’ve completely re-structured this festival so that it falls in line with the best competitions in the country,” said Beach resident Katie Corning, who is a master sandsculptor and sandblaster but will coordinate the local event this year. “We’ve made it a real competition now instead of a weekend hobbyist kind of thing. We’re bringing in the best sculptors, and they are getting paid well to do this. There are a lot of changes. But all of that is to bring it in line with how the most established and best-run competitions are done.
“The gravy is, because we did this and the timing was right, we were chosen as a qualifier. We are one of only five contests under consideration to be chosen as a qualifier for the World Championships. Three have been confirmed: Sand Castle Days in South Padre Island; the Windemere Classic in Port Angeles, Wash.; and the American Championships in Fort Myers Beach.”
Due to the costs and arrangements to host such elite World-ranked carvers, the re-structured event will include an admission charge inside a roped-off area. The rates are expected to include $3 apiece for children and seniors; $5 for adults; and $10 for family packages.
“The quality of the sculpture is going to be so much better than they’ve ever seen before,” said Corning. “There’s going to be lots of stuff going on at this festival that people can do for free. It’s only the Master Sculptor pieces that will be inside the admission area. You’ll be able to see through the fencing, but if you really want to see these pieces, it’s worth the cost. The reason is to ensure this competition will continue in the future and save this championship. It’s a small amount of money to see this kind of art work.”
Corning said the fee structure is also for attendence inventory and to make sure that the high level of competition continues. Who knows? Maybe the Beach will be hosting the World Championships in the future.
“In my opinion, we need to count how many people come to sand sculpting,” Corning said. “You see the estimates from one year to the next, but it’s difficult to know. This year, we’ll know how many people come through the gate. It gives us some numbers to work with. That’s helpful for future use in getting sponsorships and Tourist Development Council dollars.
Beach Chamber of Commerce President John Albion is excited about having World Championship-level sand carvers come to the area.
“Every sculptor has the potential to win at this event, and the winner gets an automatic bid to the World Championships,” said Albion.
The Outrigger Beach Resort will not be participating in the event this year. The north site will be at GullWing/Pointe Estero -a shorter walk from the Holiday Inn. There will be a general tent set up between the two locations.
“That’s all open to the public even if they don’t decide to pay the $5 and come in and see the art,” said Corning. “That area will have food and drinks. There are options for people to come and have a good time without paying the admission. I hope they will. Hopefully what they see through the fence will lure them in.”
Master Sculptor Suzanne Altamare of Daytona Beach, who like Corning is not competing but will help coordinate the event, is managing the site at the Holiday Inn while Corning manages the GullWing location. Bill Knight of South Fort Myers, a relatively new Master Sculptor, will be running the amateur event on Sunday as well as giving carving tips at other times during the weekend.
The action starts Monday, Nov. 2, with Corning and Altamore “conditioning” the big mound of sand for the group carve -a logo-sponsored sculpture which will be carved out by all 16 competing master sculptors, Corning and Altamare on Thursday. After the group carve is finished at roughly 2 p.m., the sculptors will go to their individual sand piles. Admission will be charged Friday, Saturday and Sunday -the main days for individual carving.
“There will be a little more limited access to the sculptors at that point because this is a competition and this particular group takes this stuff very seriously,” said Corning. “But, there will be opportunities after the close of the competition each day to meet and talk to the sculptors. This is an outstanding opportunity to see the best sculptors.
Go to www.sandsculptingfestival.com for more information on all sand sculpting events and/or go to the Opinion page in this issue for World Championship details.