By Paul-Andre Walker, Staff Reporter
Icah Wilmot surfs at Copacabana Beach while practising for this weekend's showdown. - Contributed
THE Wilmot brother, Inilek and Icah, are set for a grand showdown when the final event of the Jamaica Surfing Association's National Open Championships is held at Copacabana Beach, Eight Miles, Bull Bay, St. Andrew on Saturday, starting at 7:30 a.m.
As the phenomena continue to take Jamaica by storm, another sport that was traditionally American has found a following right here in Jamaica.
At present only 250 points separate the brothers and so the final competition of the season should prove to be an exciting one.
There are also other top acts that should be on show with the likes of, Eugene Miller, JSA president, Drum Drummond and Joel Lawrence, all of whom are among the top five competitors in the country.
Luke Williams, Doran Edwards, Alton Smith, Lewis Matalon, and Omar Atkinson round off the top 10 surfers. The rankings for the surfers are based on their placing in the five open competitions that are held each season in preparation for the three National qualifiers that begin in November.
Four of these competitions have already gone and Icah and Inilek have traded the coveted number one spot on a number of occasions. There are 1000 points on offer to the winner of a competition and 860 for the runner-up.
Jamaica's number two ranked surfer, Icah, recently competed in the United States East Coast Surfing Championships held last month in Virginia Beach, US.
Young Icah, who presently attends Kingston College, proved to the international community that there is good talent here when he placed fifth in the competition.
"It was very hard and exciting. I got to see all the big names," Wilmot said his international experience.
At present, the only better surfer than young Icah this season, is his older brother, University of the West Indies student, Inilek.
With a total of eight competitions per season, surfing in Jamaica has found a small but loyal following with approximately 100 surfers involved in its activities.
