Sports Magazine

Archive for May, 2010

The good news is that there are lots of great surf breaks to choose from along the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. But if you’ve only got a short Nicaragua surfing vacation planned you’ll need to make choices. The Pacific surf spots are clustered into three main areas and it makes sense to choose one of these and spend a few days soaking up the atmosphere. Otherwise you’ll be spending most of your vacation time on the road.

Here’s how the three areas stack up:

Most surfers head straight to San Juan del Sur – a small fishing village on the southern part of the coast. The town has a great feel, many restaurants, cafe’s and surf shops, not to mention a pumping nightlife. You’ll find yourself surfing by day and heading back into town for the famous San Juan del Sur sunset. There are surf breaks both north and south of town and there’s also a nice wave in the bay itself. North, the most popular spot is Madera which pumps out some nice lefts and rights. If you’re looking for an easier wave, head south to Remanso. Then you’ve got the breaks at Yankee with peeling lefts and rights breaking over a beautiful beach.

The Tola and Popoyo area has a strong surfer following. Colorado and Panaga Drops are famous locally for pumping out consistent lefts and rights. They’re located on Iguana beach, a beautiful stretch of coastline in the heart of this area. A little to the south is Manzanillo a left point and to the north the surf breaks of Rancho Santana and finally, Popoyo, a word class wave that will keep you entertained for days. This area is more remote than San Juan del Sur and you’ll find yourself staying in small surf camps and eating at local restaurants. Remember to stock up at the town of Rivas before you get here.

If you’re heading further north, you’ll find some great waves and a very uncrowded lineup. Check out the breaks due west of the capital Managua. The best are found at the Gran Pacifica real estate development. Further north things get a little hotter and drier but the waves keep rolling in. Chinandega and Apostinello are now firmly on the surfing map.

You’ve got lots to choose from when it comes to surfing in Nicaragua. The peak season is May to October when the swells are the biggest, but you’ll find waves year round.

Football, or soccer as it’s known in the western hemisphere is the most widely played sport on the planet.  It doesn’t take much to get football fans excite about a big tournament, and the Europa League, is just one such event.  It was previously known as the UEFA league, but has since been given a face lift by the marketing gurus to a moniker that should be a little more fan friendly.  At least, that’s the hope.  Like all high profile football leagues, there is europa league betting at a number of places.  It’s a fun activity that is sure to get fans just a little more interested in the outcome of the matches.

Like most high level tournaments, there are qualifying and championship rounds leading up to a semi finals and finals match.  These different phases are often referred to as the qualifying rounds, the group phase, the knockout phase and the finals.  There are a fair number of teams involved in the tournament.  In total there are fourty eight teams, broken down into twelve different groups.  It’s a tournament with a long tradition, considering the first UEFA match was played in the early 1970′s.  With millions of Euros up for grabs, you can rest assured that all teams will be in highly competitive form.  The two final teams will get one million each just for playing, plus another million for the winner.

A key draw for Costa Rica property is the kind of lifestyle that comes with it.  And golf enthusiasts know what they want: quick access to good quality golf courses.

Guanacaste has 7 golf courses linked to master planned communities – 4 of which are completed.  Perhaps the most famous is the Arnold Palmer course at the Four Seasons Resort on Peninsula Papagayo.  Other well-known courses are the Mike Young course at Hacienda Pinilla just south of Tamarindo, the Reserva Conchal Golf Club course designed by Robert Trent Jones II and the public course at Papagayo Golf and Country Club.

The planned courses in Guanacaste include a second course at the Four Season Resort, this time designed by Jack Nicklaus, a Greg Norman course at Hyatt Azulera Resort Village and the planned Guanacaste Country Club golf offering.  Once these additional courses are completed, this area around the international airport in Liberia will read like a who-who of famous golfing names.

Our list of golfing spots would not be complete without mentioning the La Ignana golf course at Los Suenos Resort in Herradura designed by Ted Robinson Jr.  An established course set with in a master plan offering all the facilities you would expect from a full service resort destination including a marina.  Golf condos, golf lots, golf houses, you name it, are available.

Two courses stand out near the capital city of San Jose – Valle del Sol re-designed by Tracy May and the Fazio course at Cariari Country Club.  These don’t fit the mold of the destination resorts in Gunacaste and Herradura but you can purchase real estate close by.  Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula is home to two 9 hole golf courses, one at the Los Delfines Country Club and the other at Punta Islita Hotel.

And it seems that the southern zone of Costa Rica – that stretches from Quepos to the border with Panama – may finally have a golf course.  A Dan Lavis course is planned at the San Buenas master planned community.  We’re pleased to see that the growing environmental consciousness among buyers is being met here by green principles in golf course construction and management.  Good news for golf players and Central America real estate investors alike.

When it comes to horse racing no day is bigger than the Kentucky Derby.  On top of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the day you can help but love the huge payouts that have occurred.  Take 2009 for example when Mine That Bird won the race and paid more than $100 for a $2 bet!  Where else could you find something like that?  Not very many places, that is for sure.  To that end, oodles of people are always trying to make and fine tune their Kentucky Derby horse racing systems in the hopes that they will be able to pick the winner and therefore profit.

The beauty of the Derby is that there is so much money wagered on the race that there are values everywhere and payouts for exactas and trifectas can be outrageously good.  If you can find a horse racing system that will give you an edge you can make a lot of money on Derby Saturday.  So the first Saturday in May comes around and it is time to make your picks, here are some things to keep in mind.

First and foremost a jockey that has been there before is paramount to success.  Rarely does a newcomer win this race given the attention surrounding it as well as the sheer number of horses.  Remember that this is the biggest field these horses will ever see with a possible 20 in the gate.  If we are going to be talking about jockeys we would be remiss in looking also at the trainers.  Again, a prominent trainer is important in this race and demand one that has been there before.  Now is not the time to be all caught up in the bright lights and big time race.  We want a horse that can win.  If you see a pedestrian jockey or trainer you had better be getting quite a price or have a horse that is heads and shoulders above the competition.