Costa Rica National Surf
Team Arrives In Portugal
for World Surfing Games
After a long flight of
12 hours, the Costa Rica
National Surf team has
arrived in Costa De
Caprica, Portugal, in
the region of Almeda,
where they are prepared
to compete in the
worldwide event par
excellence, the 2008
International Surfing
Association (ISA) World
Surfing Games (WSG) that
will take place October
11 through 19, 2008.
The Ticos arrived with
just their luggage to a
house rented by the
Federacion de Surf de
Costa Rica (FSC),
located less than five
minutes from where the
competition will be
carried out. The lack of
equipment was due to an
airport snafu that
occurred in San José.
When the team arrived
for their check-in they
discovered a different
policy from Iberia
Airlines requiring more
than us$3,500 in
additional fees for
their surfboards. The
surprise was that the
airline was determining
the fee not by weight,
as was the normal custom
on such occasions, but
by surfboard.
For the ISA WSG, the
recommendation is for
each competitor to bring
at least three
surfboards, which for
this Iberian flight
boasted the tariff
tremendously, and forced
the team to leave their
tools at the airport.
"We are surprised at the
treatment towards a
national selection,"
said José Ureña,
President of the
Federacion de Surf de
Costa Rica.
"Nevertheless, it's an
ill wind that does
nobody any good. For the
World Games that will
take place next year in
Costa Rica we will have
to work on this and give
our recommendations to
the other country's
national selections so
they choose airlines
that best serve their
needs."
In addition, the
technical body of the
FSC is worried overall
on the subject of
airport fees on
surfboards and what it
represents for surf
tourism in Costa Rica.
At present, surf tourism
represents more than 20
percent of the total of
tourism in this country.
After the National
Selection was forced to
abandon their surfboards
at Juan Santamária
Airport, they boarded
their plane from San
José to Madrid, flew
eight hours, then
connected to Lisbon for
another four hours, and
arrived in Portugal
jetlagged. The team ate
dinner, and retired for
the evening.
Nevertheless, the Costa
Rica National Surf Team
arrived to good weather
to train today, with
three days of
anticipation and power
to run the waves where
the ISA World Surfing
Games will be carried
out.
MEET THE COSTA RICAN
NATIONAL SURF TEAM:
Nataly Bernold:
WOMEN'S 14 year old with
6 years experience from
Playa Jaco; current
Central American Women
Champion and 2006 Costa
Rican National Women
Champion and 2007 Junior
Women's Champion;
Sponsors: Roxy, Arena's
Surf Shop.
Gilbert Brown:
OPEN 25 year old with 15
years experience from
Puerto Viejo 2007-08
Costa Rican National
Surf Champion; Sponsors:
Quiksilver, Maxx.
Jimena Calvo:
BODYBOARDING 18 year old
with 4 years experience
from Boca Barranca;
current Costa Rica
National Bodyboard
Champion.
Jeffey Gomez:
BODYBOARDING from Playa
Jaco.
Richard Marín:
BODYBOARDING from Playa
Jaco.
Diego Naranjo:
LONGBOARD 26 year old
with 17 years experience
from Playa Jaco;
currently Top 5
Asociacion
Latinoamericano de
Surf's (ALAS) Latin Pro
Tour. Sponsors:
Billabong, Red Bull,
Reef, Freestyle, Quique,
Surf Shop, Byrne
Surfboards.
Jairo Pérez: OPEN
17 year old with 7 years
experience from Playa
Jaco; most recently the
ALAS 2007 Reef Class
Costa Rica Champion,
2006-07 Costa Rica
National Junior Surf
Champion; 2007 Central
American Junior
Champion; Sponsors:
O'Neill, etnies.
Jason Torres:
OPEN 19 year old with 10
years experience from
Playa Jaco; currently
Central American
Champion and hold's
Costa Rica's only Pan
American gold medal from
the 2006 Games as a
Junior; Sponsors:
Quiksilver, etnies.
Luis Vindas: OPEN
21 year old with 12
years experience from
Playa Jaco; 2nd Place
2007-08 CNS; 2007 Costa
Rica Triple Crown
Winner. Sponsors:
Billabong, Reef, Quique,
Nixon.
Lisbeth Vindas:
WOMEN'S 26 year old with
13 years experience from
Playa Jaco; this 6-time
Costa Rican National
Women's Champion and WQS
competitor is the 2007
Central American Women's
Champion. Sponsors:
Billabong, Reef, Maxx,
Arenas Surf Shop, Byrne
Surfboards, OAM,
Freestyle.
To view the Costa Rica
National Surf Team in
action at the 2008 ISA
World Surfing Games go
to
www.isasurf.org |
