Newsletter join now Keep in touch with all the latest surf news, green scene and partner info by joining the Drift weekly update. SIGN UP NOW
What are we made of? Drift Magazine is made from ECF (Elemental Chlorine Free) FSC Certified pulp and low VOC vegetable inks. Studio power by Ecotricity and delivery made using Biopower V100 waste oil.
News Playa Joco hosts 8th Circuito Nacional de Surf
[Diego Naranjo by Shifi Surf Shots]
Five month countrywide contest gets under way
by Ellen Zoe Golden
07/12/2007:// José Ureña, President of Federation de Surf de Costa Rica (FSC), announced today that the 2007-08 Circuito Nacional de Surf (CNS) will begin this weekend, December 8 and 9 in Playa Jaco. The 3-star Copa Mango, set for both mornings at 7:00 a.m. in front of Hotel Copacabana, begins its eighth year with a slew of champions leading the charge at the first of seven contests at this five-month, countrywide, six-beach tournament.
“It’s been quite a year for the veterans of the Circuito system,” said Ureña. “Diego Naranjo won the 2007 Circuito Nacional de Surf Open Championship, then he placed 3rd in the Mexpipe Vans Pro. Luis Vindas was our first Triple Crown winner, and had some top ALAS (Asociasion Latinamerica de Surf) wins this year. Federico Pilurzu was Top 100 on the WQS and made it to the Hawaiian North Shore’s Triple Crown, while Gilbert Brown scored a Bronze medal at the Pan American Surfing Games to become the 3rd best surfer in all of Latin America. And then, Jairo Pérez, won the ALAS Reef Costa Rica.”
“Costa Rica is maintaining a very high international reputation in surfing right now and that’s because of the Circuito system,” he added. “With the start of the 2007-08 season, the young kids starting out are looking at the contest and thinking that they too can one day become like these veterans and do what they are doing. They can also compete now against these champions. And that’s exciting to them.”
When the first horn blows on Saturday morning, these new kids will face the aforementioned veterans as well as others with great developed surfing talent vying for those prestigious trophies. According to Ureña, these challengers will include competitors in the Open category such as 2005 Pan American Junior gold medal winner Jason Torres (Jaco), 2006-07 Costa Rican National Boys Champion Carlos Muñoz (Esterillos), 2005-06 Costa Rican National Surf Champion Isaac Vega (Tamarindo), and top-CNS-ranked Luis Castro (Tamarindo), Mattias Brown (Montezuma), Josimar Fuentes (Jaco), Ronald Brown (Puerto Viejo), Juan Carlos Naranjo (Jaco), José Calderon and Juan Calderon.
Nataly Bernold recently took the National Women’s Champion crown from 5-time Costa Rican National Women’s Champion Lisbeth Vindas of Jaco. Bernold also holds the National Junior Women’s title and at only 14-years of age, and a “contest machine” in the words of Ureña, is hard-pressed to give either award away. Meanwhile, Debbie Zec of Domincal, and Hermosa’s Lupe Gallucio are still in it to win it. This year’s CNS will welcome still another field of new young ladies looking to surf their way to a championship, says the President of the Federacion. And, never, Ureña added, count Vindas out, especially when she surfed away with her second Central American Surf Championship this year.
Minigrommets to watch: Tamarindo’s Tomas King and Boca Barranca’s Leonardo Calvo.
“One more thing: Last year, Diego Naranjo hoped to inspire a new generation of longboarders by surfing in that division all season long,” commented Ureña. “Because of this, and Mauricio Umano (Jaco) showing that longboarding can be challenging as well, Luis Vindas and others are looking to compete in the longboard division, something we have been hoping would happen. We really need to bolster that category with surfers for our national and internationally competitions.”
At the present time, the Champions of the 2006-07 CNS to beat are: Diego Naranjo/Open (Jaco), Nataly Bernold/Women’s (Jaco), Jairo Pérez/Junior (Jaco), Nataly Bernold /Junior Women’s (Jaco), Carlos Muñoz /Boys (Esterillos), Michael Torres/Grommets (Esterillos), Tomas King /Mini-Grommets Boys (Tamarindo), Naomi Bernold/Mini-Grommets Girls (Jaco), Cedric Auffret/Longboard (Tamarindo), Cassio Carvalho/Masters (Hermosa), Rándall Ruiz/Novice (Tamarindo), Joan Mojica/Bodyboard Men (Venezuela) and Jimena Calvo/Bodyboard Women’s (Boca Barranca).
The inscriptions for the Copa Mango, the first date of the Circuito Nacional de Surf, can be made on Friday, December 7, between 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the Jass Surf Shop in Playa Jacó. Annual membership for FSC is c10,000, and the cost for Open, Women’s Longboard, Bodyboaders and Masters is c6,000 to inscribe. Boys, Juniors, Junior Women’s, Grommets, Mini-Grommets and Novices will pay c5,000 to register.
With the 2007-08 Circuito Nacional de Surf, spectators at the beach will also be treated to the return of the contest for Miss Surf 2008. This year, the concurrent event which will bring the most beautiful women of the country to the contests will be called “Miss Surf Organic & Natural.” Each winner will receive $100 and a chance to gain the overall crown—and $1,000—at the Gran Finals in April.
For more information on the Circuito Nacional de Surf or the Federacion de Surf de Costa Rica, please go to the new webpage at www.surfingcr.net. Available here is useful information, news, photos, films and videos to accompany all activities on Costa Rica’s surf, surfers and contests. In addition, every surfer in the FSC will eventually be profiled, and noted with their achievements in the water.
“We hope that this will attract sponsorship money as well,” Ureña stated. “Everybody still needs money to accomplish their goals.”
The Costa Rican beaches, surf breaks and more are also noted on the website. Also, surf schools are listed, but only those certified by the International Surfing Association (ISA) are indicated on the site. “This will motivate this country’s surf schools to get certified by the ISA program we have brought into Costa Rica; this is for safety and quality assurance,” adds Ureña.
The full dates of the 2007-08 Circuito Nacional de Surf are:
Top seeds took control of the ASP World Qualfying Series 6-Star Buondi Billabong Pro Portugal posting big scores and impressive performances in the good three to four foot waves on offer at Ribeira d’Ilhas
Briton Russell Winter's run in the Buondi Billabong Pro in Portugal came to an abrupt end when the Cornishman finished last in his second round heat
The upcoming Boost Mobile Pro presented by Hurley may be the closest thing eight-time ASP World Champion and ratings leader Kelly Slater (USA) has to a home court advantage on the ASP World Tour
Home advantage saw Lee Ann Curren claim top spot in Rip Curl Pro Junior Mademoiselle at Les Bourdaines in Seignosse
The August Bank Holiday weekend saw a hive of activity at the inaugural Quiksilver Skins invitation competition, one of the most innovative contest formats to grace the circuit
Champions tell the story of their success step by step
Skype us
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Surf art 
Surf environment