Meet the Master Sand Sculptors

Jump down to the Florida State Champs

Dan Belcher

From:  St Louis, MO

Titles: 13 time World Champion, including an unprecedented 3 time solo World Champion.

Website: www.ampersandworkshop.com

Patron Sponsor:  Volvo of Fort Myers

Bio: Dan appeared on the Travel Channel’s Sand Blasters: The Extreme Sand Sculpting Championship in 2006. Since his first professional sand project in 1990, Dan has worked with and competed against most of the top sculptors in the profession, and has created numerous projects throughout the world, including Italy, Japan, Australia, and the U.A.E. 

Dan has a Bachelors degree in Landscape Architecture from Kansas State University.  In addition to his busy sand schedule, Dan is also an Urban Designer/ Illustrator in his hometown of St. Louis.

Meredith Corson

From: Treasure Island, FL

Titles: World Champion, American Champion, North American Champion and Sand Castle Days Champion

Website: www.sandingovations.com

Patron Sponsor:  Island Sand Paper

Bio: In addition to her Championship Titles, Meredith has medaled more than 23 times, has earned 5 People’s Choice awards, a Sculptors’ Choice award and 2 host organization awards.  Meredith and her partner, Dan Doubleday, appeared on all three episodes of the Travel Channel’s Sand Blasters: The Extreme Sand Sculpting Championship, winning 1st place in 2008.

Raised in New Bedford, MA, Meredith relocated to Florida in 1980 and started sculpting sand as a hobby.  In 1996 she met Dan Doubleday at a competition and the two teamed up as competition and business partners in Sanding Ovations.  Meredith is the first woman to win a solo medal at the World Championships. 

Dan Doubleday

From:  Treasure Island, FL

Titles: Solo World Champion, Doubles World Champion, W.S.S.A. Europe Champion, North American Champion, Cervia (Italy) Champion, 2 time Sand Castle Days Champion, 3 time Texas Sand Fest Champion, 3 time Hampton Beach Champion, New England Champion, Tallahassee Champion.

Website: www.sandingovations.com

Patron Sponsor:  95.3 WOLZ & Z100

Bio: In addition to his Championship Titles, Dan has medaled more than 40 times, including 8 World Championship medals, and holds more Sculptors’ Choice awards than any other solo sculptor on the international circuit.  Dan and his partner, Meredith Corson, appeared on all three episodes of the Travel Channel’s Sand Blasters: The Extreme Sand Sculpting Championship, winning 1st place in 2008.  

Dan was discovered sculpting on a beach in Santa Cruz, CA, in 1995 and was invited to an international Master-level competition just 6 months later, where he placed 4th.  He entered his first World Championship in 1996, where he won the Sculptors’ Choice award, becoming the first North American to take that honor.  In 2004, Dan was chosen to represent the U.S. in a solo tour that took him to China, Denmark, France, and Holland.

Bill Dow

From:  Billings, Montana

Titles: 4 time World Champion, World “Best Architecture” Champion, 2 time Texas Sand Fest Champion, 2 time Seaside (OR) Champion, Ocean Shores (WA) Champion.

Patron Sponsor:  Crazy Steve's Hot Wings

Bio: In addition to his Championship Titles, Bill has medaled more than 12 times in national and international competition, and has earned a Sculptors’ Choice award at the World Championships. A native of Montana, Bill has been sculpting sand for 18 years, a result of a chance run-in with a sand castle. Thinking he should get a degree before he turned 40, Bill decided to attend an art institute in Seattle to get a two-year degree in industrial design, a stepping stone to fulfilling his life-long desire to be some type of car or industrial designer. But a fellow classmate persuaded him to visit a local shopping mall to see a professionally carved sand castle on display there. It amazed him and changed his life.

In the summer, Bill’s sculpture is a feature at the Montana State Fair, among many events. In the winter, he’s likely to be seen carving snow or ice at popular ski resorts in the west. He travels extensively, working venues throughout the world.

Karen Fralich

From:  Ontario Canada

Titles: 3 time World Champion, 3 time Sand Castle Days Champion, 3 time North American Champion, 3 time Hampton Beach Champion, 3 time Sand Castle Days Champion, 2 time Texas Sand Fest Champion, American Champion, Quebec City Expo Champion and Wasaga Beach (Ontario) Champion.

Website: www.sandqube.com

Patron Sponsor:  Holiday Inn Beach Resort

Bio: In addition to her Championship Titles, Karen has medaled 31 times and has earned 9 People’s Choice awards, 11 Sculptors’ Choice awards and 3 host organization awards.  In 2004 she won the solo World Championship title and Sculptors’ Choice award, the only woman to ever have done so.

Karen is a professional sculptor with 15 years experience in the sand.  Hired to help on a small job in a local mall in 1994, Karen spent the next 4 years learning the rudiments of sand sculpture while working full time in the food service industry.  In 1998 she entered her first international contest and by 2001 was working full time as a free-lance sculptor.  Her work takes her around the world, collaborating and competing with other top-tier sculptors at exhibitions and competitions.

Carl Jara

From:  Cleveland, OH

Titles: Reigning solo World Champion, World Masters Champion (Italy), 2 time New England Champion, 2 time North American Champion, 3 time Hampton Beach Champion , 2 time Windemere Classic Champion, 3 time Texas Sand Fest Champion, 2 time Sand Castle Days Champion, Canadian Open Champion and Seaside Oregon Champion

Website: www.artcleveland.com

Patron Sponsor:  Sunstream Resorts & Hotels

Bio: In addition to his Championship Titles, Carl has medaled more than 35 times.  He holds the record at the World Championships for most solo medals (13) and most Sculptors’ Choice awards (5).  He is the only Artist in Residence ever named at the Windemere Classic.  Carl appeared on all three episodes of the Travel Channel’s Sand Blasters:  The Extreme Sand Sculpting Championship, winning Best Recovery in 2006 (with Kirk Rademaker) and Best Recovery in 2007 (with Suzanne Altamare).

Carl was introduced to sand sculpting in high school, but it wasn’t until years later, when his 15 foot tall sand sculpture at the Myers School of Art gallery - his Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibition - was featured on the front page of his local newspaper, that his career path became clear.  Today he is one of the most decorated sand sculptors in the country and is recognized by his peers around the world for his outstanding achievements in sand sculpture.

Thomas Koet

From: Melbourne, FL

Titles: American Champion, North American Champion, New England Champion, 3 time Texas Sand Fest Champion, Quebec City Expo Champion and Xanten (Germany) Champion

Website: www.sandsational.com

Patron Sponsor:  Geico

Bio: In addition to his Championship Titles, Thomas has medaled 11 times, has earned 6 People’s Choice awards, 5 Sculptors’ Choice awards and a host organization award.  He appeared on all three episodes of the Travel Channel’s Sand Blasters:  The Extreme Sand Sculpting Championship with his partner Jill Smith, winning 1st place in 2006 and 2nd place in 2008.

Thomas began sculpting sand in the Netherlands 10 years ago.  Now residing on the east coast of Florida, his work as a professional sand sculptor continues to take him to places as far away as China, to Europe and Canada, and all over the United States.  Thomas has a Masters degree in Industrial Design Engineering and has been a lead designer for some of Europe’s largest sand sculptures.  He is a partner in Sandsational Sand Sculpting.

Matt Long

From: New York, NY

Titles: 2 time medalist - Monmouth Sand Sculpting Competition, Medalist - North American Championships, Medalist - Sand Castle Days.

Website: www.canyoudigit.com

Patron Sponsor:  Charleys Boat House

Bio: This is only the third year of Master-level competition for Matt, but he has been a presence in the sand world for years.  He created “Can You Dig It Sand Tools,” a product that has earned numerous accolades including being named one of the Best Twenty Five Toys of the Last Twenty Five Years by the Parents' Choice Foundation. Matt also is a supporter and organizer of several amateur sand sculpting competitions in New York and New Jersey.  He has made many appearances on some of the most-watched national television programs, including the Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah, and NPR’s Creatively Speaking.

 

Fred Mallett

From: Port Aransas, TX

Titles: World “Best Hand Stacked” Champion and World “Best Architecture” Champion.

Website: www.spigeek.com

Patron Sponsor:  Free Cartoon Map

Bio: In addition to his successes at the World Championships, Fred has medaled in 23 of the 45 Master-level events in which he has competed and has earned 3 People’s Choice awards and Sculptors’ Choice awards, including People’s Choice at the Holiday Inn in 2008.

Fred has been competing in Master-level sand sculpture events since 2002.   Seeing a Guinness World record sand sculpture attempt in progress on the beach in South Padre Island Texas gave him the bug, and sculpting sand quickly became a passion.  Fred does occasional sand sculpting jobs and enjoys several competitions a year to both make money and find an artistic release in the form of a multi-day retreat from his usual job of teaching engineers to write computer programs to analyze massive amounts of data.

"Amazin" Walter McDonald

From:  South Padre Island, TX

Website: www.amazinwalter.com

Patron Sponsor:  Lighthouse Resort

Bio: Amazin’ Walter has been creating sand sculptures for so long, he’s lost count of the awards he’s accumulated.  He has appeared at nearly every major sand competition and is a frequent winner of People’s Choice awards.  He competed with his daughter, Christy, on the Travel Channel’s Sand Blasters: The Extreme Sand Sculpting Championship in 2008.

Possibly the oldest sand sculptor in captivity, Amazin’ Walter has made a reputation for himself building castles and is best known for his arches.  His competition and commercial work has carried him to the far reaches of the world, China, Japan, Belgium, Holland, Mexico, Canada, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, and many places in the U.S.

 

Sue McGrew

From:  Tacoma, WA

Titles: North American Champion, New England Champion and Medalist, Canadian Open

Website: www.sandissue.com

Patron Sponsor:  Miller Lite

Bio: One of the youngest competitors in the sand world, Sue appeared with Katie Corning on the Travel Channel’s Sand Blasters: The Extreme Sand Sculpting Championship in 2008.

Sue discovered sand sculpting the summer before her senior year of high school in 2003.  Her first professional project was the next summer in Zeebrugge, Belgium.  After graduating from the University of Southern California in 2008 with a BFA in Stage Management, she decided she much prefers the life of a wandering sand artist, and now spends most of her time creating sculptures around the world.

Kirk Rademaker

From:  Santa Cruz, CA

Titles: World “Best Architecture” Champion, Texas Sand Fest Champion and Ocean Shores Champion.

Website: www.kirkrademaker.com

Patron Sponsor:  NTL Catering

Bio: In addition to his Championship Titles, Kirk has medaled 9 times and has earned 2 Sculptors’ Choice awards.  He appeared on all three episodes of the Travel Channel’s Sand Blasters:  The Extreme Sand Sculpting Championship, winning Best Recovery in 2006 (with Carl Jara), 2nd place in 2007 (with Sandy Feet), and 1st place (with Sandy Feet) in 2008.

Kirk has been sculpting sand for 12 years, 8 of those professionally.  He has worked on several very large sand projects overseas and has recently returned from extended projects in Turkey and Portugal.

Jeff Strong

From:  Tacoma, WA

Titles: Canadian Open Champion, Medalist, Canadian Open Medalist, Westport (WA) Sand Sculpting Festival

Bio: Jeff has earned both Sculptors’ Choice and People’s Choice awards.

Patron Sponsor:  Ali Gator Catering

Jeff Strong works as a computer programmer for the University of Puget Sound.  He has been sculpting sand as a hobby for nine years.  His gravity-defying compositions often incorporate open space within the sculpture.  His designs emphasize artistic form rather than a punch line.  This is Jeff’s second year at the American Championships.

Michael Velling

From:  Federal Way, Washington

Titles: 3-time World Champion, Reigning Grand Master Champion

Website: www.michaelvelling.com

Patron Sponsor:  Comcast

Bio: In addition to his Championship Titles, Michael holds medals from other competitions and has earned People’s Choice and Sculptors’ Choice awards.  He is the reigning Grand Master, having won the Tournament of Champions with John Gowdy in 2008.

It all started for Michael at age 6 in Atlantic City, where he got busted for trying to take sand home from the beach.  The bug to carve was renewed as an adult, with his wife Frances at Longbeach, WA, in 1989.  Competition and display sculptures have taken him to many locations in the US, Canada, and Europe.  Most recently he has been featured in two TV programs about life and the arts in the Northwest.  Michael’s art background includes clay, bronze and figure drawing, and he believes his future lies in developing more abstract and interpretative sculpture.  Outside of his art, Michael maintains a private general practice in dentistry.

Peter Vogelaar

From:  Winlaw, British Columbia, Canada

Titles: 2 time World Champion, 4 time Canadian Open Champion, North American Champion.

Website: www.snowsculpture.com

Patron Sponsor:  Creative Events

Bio: In addition to his Championship titles, Peter has medaled 30 times in the 36 events of his professional career. He is the reigning North American Champion.

Peter has been an artist in many media for close to 40 years. Six years ago he was introduced to sand sculpture, and he is loving it. He has sculpted snow in 14 different countries and, with his team mates, is the current Olympic Snow Sculpture champion. This will be Peter’s first appearance at the American Championships.

 

Lucinda “Sandy Feet” Wierenga

From: South Padre Island, TX

Website: www.sandcastlecentral.com

Patron Sponsor:  Quenzel & Associates

Bio: She appeared on all three episodes of the Travel Channel’s Sand Blasters:  The Extreme Sand Sculpting Championship, winning 2nd place in 2007 and 1st place in 2008, both times with partner Kirk Rademaker.

A former high-school English teacher, Sandy Feet’s specialty is instruction and she has taught literally thousands of people how to build a better sand castle. She has written three books on the subject, the latest of which - "Sandcastles Made Simple" - has been published in both English and German.  She has appeared on sand projects around the world, and has been featured on LIVE with Regis & Kelly and Ripley’s Believe It or Not.

Non-Competing Master Sand Sculptors

Suzanne Altamare

From: Daytona Beach, FL

Titles: World “Best Hand Stacked” Champion, Medalist, American Championships; Medalist, New England Sand Sculpting Festival (Worcester).

Website: www.justplainsand.com
www.floridasandproductions.com

Bio:Suzanne also has earned Scuptors’ Choice and People’s Choice awards.  She appeared on all three episodes of the Travel Channel’s Sand Blasters:  The Extreme Sand Sculpting Championship, winning Best Recovery in 2007 (Carl Jara).

Suzanne began sculpting sand in 1982 as an apprentice to her husband, Marc Altamare, and specializes in his soft sand technique, using only loose, damp sand and no compaction.  She is a full-time professional sculptor who has worked on projects around the world and competed at events throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Suzanne and Katie Corning are partners in Florida Sand Productions.  Most recently, Suzanne has moved into sand competition management and sponsor pile supervision, performing at Texas Sand Fest, Sand Castle Days, the Canadian Open, and the New England Championships.  She will be supervising the sponsor sand piles at the new World Championships in Federal Way, WA, beginning in September of 2010.

Suzanne will be supervising the creation of the sponsor pile at this year’s event and serving as site manager at the Holiday Inn location.

Katie Corning

From:  Fort Myers Beach, FL

Titles: 3 time medalist, North American Championships; Medalist, New England Championships; Medalist, Myrtle Beach Open.

Website:www.sandmagicsculpting.com
www.floridasandproductions.com

Bio: Katie appeared on the Travel Channel’s Sand Blasters:  The Extreme Sand Sculpting Championship with partner Sue McGrew in 2008.

Katie was introduced to sand sculpture in 2004 and it quickly became her focus and passion.  She competed in her first Master-level event in 2005 and has appeared in competition 28 times since then.  She is a full-time professional sand sculptor who has worked on projects throughout the U.S., Canada and the islands.  Katie and Suzanne Altamare are partners in Florida Sand Productions. 

Katie is the Master Sculptor Coordinator for this year’s event and will be serving as site manager at the Gull Wing/Pointe Estero location.

 

Bill Knight

From:  South Fort Myers, FL

Website: www.sandlubbers.com

Bio: Relatively new to the world of sand sculpting, Bill competed in his first Master-level competition this year.  He has been sculpting professionally for a few years and is co-owner of Sand Lubbers sand sculpting.  While he enjoys attending competitions, especially meeting and learning from all of the other sculptors, his passion is teaching and demonstrating the art of sand sculpting.

For now, sand sculpting is a part-time activity for Bill.  When he’s not sand sculpting, he is the Director of a large community with over 14,000 residents near Fort Myers, Florida.

Bill will be coordinating the Amateur event on Sunday and offering sand sculpting lessons and tips throughout the weekend.

Meet the Florida State Champs

Libby Bennett

From:  Sarasota, FL

Bio: A freelance graphic designer, Libby discovered her love of sand sculpting during one of the many days spent on Siesta Beach with her family. She loves hitting the beach to sculpt with friend and fellow sculptor, Lara Hines, and enters a couple contests every year to keep her sculpting skills from getting too rusty.

This is Libby’s third year competing in the Florida State Championship. She took second place in 2007.

 

John Corning

From:  Fort Myers Beach, FL

Bio: A chance meeting with renegade sand sculptor Chris Guinto in a Key West tavern in 1975 was John’s inspiration for a life of adventure, if not crime and mayhem. Initially mistaking Chris’ slurred references to “carving sand” as “starting a band,” he spent fifteen years touring with the cult favorite Free Hot Lunch band until he discovered his error. Now settled in Fort Myers Beach with his lovely wife Katie and exceptional son Wiley, he spends much of the year studying the molecular structure of sand and water in hopes of constructing an even impossibler tower of sand in this annual competition.

The reigning Florida State Champion, this is John’s fifth year competing as a pro-am. He brought home gold from Texas Sand Fest in 2005, is a 3 time Florida State Champion, and won People’s Choice awards here in 2005 and 2006.

 

Lara Hines

From:  Sarasota, FL

Bio: Lara has been playing in the sand since moving to Florida with her mother and younger brother when she was 7 years old. Artistic from a young age, Lara took art classes in high school and private classes here and there. Her first experience with competitive sand sculpting was on Siesta Key about 9 years ago when she entered on a whim and won first place. She was hooked! Lara and Libby teamed up 7 years ago and have competed annually at the Siesta Key Contest with great success. For Lara, sand sculpting is a creative way to have a lot of fun.

This is Lara’s third year competing in the Florida State Championship. She took third place in 2008, and won a People’s Choice award in 2007.