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 Sports
Sports in Puerto Vallarta
Sports in Puerto Vallarta are plentiful, to both the spectator as well as the participant. Due to our popularity as a tourist destination, many international and national competitions are held in the Banderas Bay area.
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The most famous and longest running event on Banderas Bay is the Annual Sailfish and Marlin Tournament, which will celebrate its 50th year next November. The 12th Annual Sports Classic will be held May 20 - 22 this year and again will draw even more athletes from around the globe. The event, which started as a pick up game of basketball has grown in geometric proportions due to the efforts of event director Howard Kelsey, working out of Guadalajara. The grand finale of the multi-sports classic is generally the championship basketball game between a Mexican team facing an American/Canadian team made up of ex professional and Olympic players. Kelsey is also instrumental in the efforts for Puerto Vallarta to finally build a world class convention facility.
The Canto Del Sol Tennis Club hosts a variety of tennis tournaments, utilizing play on both its clay and hard court surfaces. The biggest tournament hosted by tennis director Martin Parra is a pro/amateur tournament held in the late spring. Golf is a reason many tourists visit Vallarta, and there is no shortage of golf tournaments. The biggest might just be the annual Nation's Cup, played at the Paradise Villages El Tigre golf course. This past year 18 countries competed in the event which sends the top three teams to compete for the big money in the World Cup. The Vallarta Cup is another traditional event, a competition which offers huge prizes to both amateurs and professionals. Many new tournaments are being added and always draw strong fields.
Puerto Vallarta is also host to two international softball tournaments, played at the sports stadium across from the Sheraton. National and international soccer tournaments are aplenty, as well as local tournaments. We have professional beach volleyball events, as well as a competitive half marathon. The "bloodless" bullfights start in mid-December and allow one to take in the Mexican culture.
One of the hottest sports here is Muy Thai and kick boxing. At least once a month, a professional card is held for the public to attend. Just last month, El Torito owner Felix Perez held an international championship event, with well over a thousand in attendance. The success and popularity has prompted Felix to hold another championship, rumored to be in late February. Regular boxing matches are also available.
The sports stadium is a fully functional facility with ex-Chiva star Demetrio Madero holding the position of Director of Sports in Puerto Vallarta. The facility has recently placed a brand new tartan turf track in, allowing any track events to be that of Olympic standards. There are three full sized soccer field, two baseball fields, a basketball court, as well as a gym. There is a skateboarding park, weightlifting available and a number of racquetball, handball or fronton courts.
The events are plentiful for participants, however sadly very few English speaking folks utilize the wonderful complex. One only needs to walk into the office and look on the walls at the flyers for upcoming events. Lesley Bodkin heads up girls' softball leagues. In the mornings a large class of aerobics is held for a small charge and martial arts classes are available. The phone number at the facility is 222-0640, but be ready to speak Spanish when calling.
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 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2008
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The room is divided roughly into two groups. On one side, a group of Anglos. On the other, Mexican-Americans and Mexican immigrants. Each group is shouting. They are screaming for blood. But the 100 people are not shouting at each other. They are shouting with each other.
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Lorena Ochoa is the hottest golfer on the planet right now; with Tiger Woods sidelined by knee surgery, who can argue, But know this about Ochoa, She is not long for the competitive game of professional golf.
Shark Kills US Surfer at Mexico Beach Resort
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A shark killed an American tourist surfing in western Mexico, police said on Tuesday, the second fatal attack along North America's Pacific coast in four days.
Ellis Makes It Two In a Row
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John Ellis is on a roll. Ellis won the Corona Mazatlan Mexican PGA Championship yesterday by one stroke for his second consecutive victory on the Canadian Tour.
The Worst Team That $273,573,594 Can Buy
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So who are the main offenders this year? Here's a complete 25-man roster of the All-Overpaid All-Stars - $273,573,594 million worth of declining guys who are incredibly lucky they chose baseball over football.
Ochoa Reigns as Golf's Best
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Sombreros off to the outstanding and upstanding effort put on the by the newest Best golf/athlete on the planet. Tiger Woods, stand back and let Ms. Lorena Ochoa show you how it's done.
Aztecas Reach Continental Glory in Puerto Vallarta
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The victors of last year’s edition were downed 2-1 by the new and rightful CONCACAF Champions Mexico. Over the past three days the Azteca’s dominated the competition and demonstrated why they were finalists at last year’s Copacabana showdown.
Grand Slam Dream Alive for Ochoa
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The Grand Slam is still on after what happened over the weekend - not at Augusta National, but down Mexico way. Trevor Immelman could yet do what Tiger Woods set out to do, of course, but what looks far, far more likely is that Lorena Ochoa, already with one of the four in the bag, will continue demolishing her rivals all the way to a clean sweep.
Mexican Wrestler Puckers Up to Fight
 Associated Press
In a hot-pink Mohawk haircut and leotard to match, he pirouettes before taking down his muscle-bound enemies with a swift kick to the groin. Maximo, Mexican professional wrestling's latest sensation, then delivers a crowning blow — a kiss on the lips of his macho opponent — to the delight of a roaring crowd.
Lorena Ochoa, World Number One and the People's Champion
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Lorena Ochoa's celebratory pond plunge after winning the Kraft Nabisco Championship was one of many images last week that underscored her growing reputation as the people's champion.
A History of Olympic Troubles
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The controversy surrounding the Beijing Olympics may come as shocking news for those people who don’t want politics to be mixed with sports. But the fact is that there were numerous instances in the past, where people used Olympics either as a mark of protest to raise human rights issues or to gain political mileage.
Learning From Past Mistakes, Ochoa Again Wins Going Away
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The case can be made that this is where it all started to come together for Lorena Ochoa. The limb on which you would be climbing if you said it was here at Superstition Mountain in 2005 that the woman who dominated college golf at the nearby University of Arizona figured out how to handle the professional game would be solid indeed. It was in defeat here that she learned how to fashion victories.
Yes, Running Can Make You High
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The runner’s high: Every athlete has heard of it, most seem to believe in it and many say they have experienced it. But for years scientists have reserved judgment because no rigorous test confirmed its existence.
Mexico's Hugo Sanchez Asked to Quit
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Hugo Sanchez always had a big ego. When he finally was given the job of Mexico national team coach - a job he had coveted for years - he promised he wouldn't disappoint, boasting that Mexico would win the Gold Cup and earn an Olympic medal.
Lorena Effect: World's Top Women's Golfer Popularizes Sport Across Mexico, World
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From a leafy golf course in Mexico's second-largest, sprawling city, Lorena Ochoa has willed her way to the top of the women's game, drawing millions of new fans to an increasingly international sport.
Rock Star Fleet Lines Up Corona del Mar-Cabo Race
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Magnitude 80 Smashes Puerto Vallarta Record
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XVI Banderas Bay International Regatta 2008
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This week, Banderas Bay is once again the venue for the traditional annual Banderas Bay Regatta. The Vallarta Yacht Club in Nuevo Vallarta will be Race Head-quarters for all On and Off-Shore events.
Ochoa Opens With Singapore Win
 Associated Press
Lorena Ochoa completed a runaway victory in her first tournament of the year, closing with a 4-under 68 to leave Annika Sorenstam 11 strokes behind Sunday in the rain-slowed HSBC Women's Champions.
Sports Legend Oscar De La Hoya Pens Autobiography for Harper
 Golden Boy Promotions
HarperEntertainment has announced the acquisition of an autobiography by boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya. To be called AMERICAN SON, De La Hoya’s book will chronicle his rise as one of the most-talked about fighters in the history of boxing.
Roosters Fight as Well as Crow
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A video of New York Mets ace Pedro Martinez and Hall of Fame hurler Juan Marichal at a cockfight in their homeland has showed up on the Internet and animal rights activists in the United States cried fowl.
Roids Ravage Runway: Super Models Exposed as Clemens Affair Takes Unexpected Turn
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Last week, Roger Clemens' accuser, Brian McNamee, upped the ante by claiming he injected Debbie Clemens, the pitcher's wife, with HGH before the couple posed for a 2003 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition photo shoot.
WFL Main Event Won by Manuel Peña
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Jesus Gonzalez, owner and Professor of the Tae Muay Gym in Puerto Vallarta, presented the first full fight card of Vale Todo at the Collage Club last Saturday night. The main event was won by Manuel Peña of Guadalajara with a 2nd round TKO.
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Ernesto "Finito" Valdez Captures Title at Muay Thai Bouts at Collage
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In the main event of Muay Thai Bouts at Collage on February 10th, Ernesto "Finito" Valdez of Lanna Gym in Vallarta battered his opponent, Alberto Langle of Huamantla as referee Aramnado Tapia stopped the fight nearing the end of the 1st round.
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The Mexican national soccer team recently traveled to Houston, Texas. There, in Reliant Stadium, el Tri encountered the U.S. national soccer team in a friendly match officiated by head referee Carlos Batres, of Guatemala. The teams tied 2-2.
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Those 200 boisterous skiers swooshing, gliding and racing for trophies down the powdery slopes of Whistler this week represent a hugely promising B.C. tourism market - Mexico.
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