CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- With two jet skis buzzing in the background Tuesday, Mayor Danny Jones officially announced the dual sports event dubbed Charleston's Summer Sizzles -- a pro beach volleyball tournament and a pro jet ski competition -- to be held later this summer at Magic Island.

"This is going to be a really nice event," Jones said at a news conference at Haddad Riverfront Park. "Two events, tied to our greatest asset -- our river."

Promoters of both events were in town Tuesday to drum up interest for their competitions, to be held July 31-Aug. 2. This will be the first Charleston appearance for the EVP (Extreme Volleyball Professional) Tour and jet ski (Upstate Watercraft Promotions) races.

"This is a great venue," said A.J. Handler of Upstate Watercraft, from Rochester, N.Y. "You're going to see some of the fastest guys in the country, racing at up to 93 miles per hour on the water on a personal watercraft. This is a free event. Bring your family, bring some lawn chairs.

"We're going to have around 37 classes. Thirty-seven national champions will be crowned here."

Magic Island offers a particularly good spot for watching races, he said. "It's up a little higher. You can look down on them."

Ross Balling said the EVP Tour has donated beach volleyball equipment to the city Parks & Recreation Department. "We've unloaded the sand. The nets will be up in about a week." He encouraged area volleyball players to come down and try out the new courts.

Under the direction of city officials, contractors began grading the court area at Magic Island about two weeks ago -- a 100-foot-by-225-foot rectangle. About 90 percent of the sand, about 100 tons in all, has been hauled in so far.

For the tournament, five courts will be set up side by side, Balling said -- a pair of courts at each end and a larger show court in the middle, with portable bleachers on both sides, for the top matches.

Both events will be televised through the Beach Sports Network, which is affiliated with Comcast, Handler said. It was not immediately clear whether they would be broadcast on area cable networks.

For information on the events, go to jetski.com and evptour.com.

Reach Jim Balow at ba...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5102.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- With two jet skis buzzing in the background Tuesday, Mayor Danny Jones officially announced the dual sports event dubbed Charleston's Summer Sizzles -- a pro beach volleyball tournament and a pro jet ski competition -- to be held later this summer at Magic Island.

"This is going to be a really nice event," Jones said at a news conference at Haddad Riverfront Park. "Two events, tied to our greatest asset -- our river."

Promoters of both events were in town Tuesday to drum up interest for their competitions, to be held July 31-Aug. 2. This will be the first Charleston appearance for the EVP (Extreme Volleyball Professional) Tour and jet ski (Upstate Watercraft Promotions) races.

"This is a great venue," said A.J. Handler of Upstate Watercraft, from Rochester, N.Y. "You're going to see some of the fastest guys in the country, racing at up to 93 miles per hour on the water on a personal watercraft. This is a free event. Bring your family, bring some lawn chairs.

"We're going to have around 37 classes. Thirty-seven national champions will be crowned here."

Magic Island offers a particularly good spot for watching races, he said. "It's up a little higher. You can look down on them."

Ross Balling said the EVP Tour has donated beach volleyball equipment to the city Parks & Recreation Department. "We've unloaded the sand. The nets will be up in about a week." He encouraged area volleyball players to come down and try out the new courts.

Under the direction of city officials, contractors began grading the court area at Magic Island about two weeks ago -- a 100-foot-by-225-foot rectangle. About 90 percent of the sand, about 100 tons in all, has been hauled in so far.

For the tournament, five courts will be set up side by side, Balling said -- a pair of courts at each end and a larger show court in the middle, with portable bleachers on both sides, for the top matches.

Both events will be televised through the Beach Sports Network, which is affiliated with Comcast, Handler said. It was not immediately clear whether they would be broadcast on area cable networks.

For information on the events, go to jetski.com and evptour.com.

Reach Jim Balow at ba...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5102.