Gilbert Brown Wins Costa
Rica's Circuito Nacional
De Surf
Playa Hermosa -- "We did
it, now the pressure is
over," said Gilbert
Brown, after he claimed
the Costa Rica national
surf championship at the
Circuito Nacional de
Surf (CNS) Gran Final
Terraza-REEF in front of
over 1,000 people in
Playa Hermosa.
The Puerto Viejo
surfer's win, naturally
hard fought, came after
seven contests in
five-months at
six-beaches of Costa
Rica's CNS, and took
place this past Friday,
April 25 and April 26 in
good conditions of 3-5
foot waves in front of
Hotel Terraza del
Pacifico in Playa
Hermosa.
The final heat included
Jaco's Luis Vindas, who
not only made #1-ranked
Brown work the last two
dates of the Circuito by
winning the Playa Carmen
and Dominal tournaments,
he closed the ranking
points at #2.
Yet, Vindas choked:
After hitting the rocks
at Terraza, he had to
borrow an inferior
surfboard to complete
the final heat. Then,
even with a couple of
extraordinary wave rides
scored high by the
judges, Vindas
interfered against Brown
that resulted in the
judges taking away one
of those high-scoring
waves. That interference
blunder pushed Diego
Naranjo, the 2007-08 CNS
National Champion to 1st
place in the CNS Gran
Final Terraza-REEF,
Brown to 2nd, Vindas to
3rd, and Jairo Pérez to
4th.
Even with Naranjo
winning the day and the
individual contest, that
still gave Brown enough
points in the 5-star
event at 2nd place to
became the national
champion. With his CNS
2007-08 Championship
trophy, Brown has won
two Costa Rica National
Surf Championship
titles; he has the
2001-02 Costa Rican
National Surf
Championship under his
belt as well. Only one
other surfer has matched
this record. That would
be retired competitor
Alvaro Solano of Jaco,
who has two National
Championships: Solano
was 2003-04 and 2004-04
CNS National Champion.
"I feel like I'm in
heaven," sighed Brown
with the National
Championship trophy in
hand. "This started way
back in the beginning in
Hermosa as well when I
won that one that it was
put in my head that I
could do this. Then I
won again in Tamarindo,
and I made a plan. But,
I knew after that it was
warming up to be a
fight. But I stayed
focused and was being
consistent. I realized I
had to watch my back and
both my sides because I
knew Luis Vindas could
take it all. I prayed to
God last night, and this
morning before any heat.
I knew I was gonna win.
Thank God that I did.
And I thank all the
people and my friends
for my support."
Brown's win means a lot
to José Ureña, President
of the Federacion de
Surf de Costa Rica, as
well. "I'm the happiest
person because Gilbert
won. This time it's not
luck, its life, it's
fair, and it's someone
who puts a lot of effort
into his win. It started
in Chile (at the Pan
American Surfing Games)
when Gilbert made it
into the finals and made
it to 3rd place and (the
National Team) all gave
him our support. He's
been confident since
then. That makes a
person stronger to know
he's got a team behind
him. Gilbert didn't
travel this year so he
could make sure he had
this title behind him.
If Luis hadn't made
those mistakes we'd have
a different result, but
I think we closed the
Circuito perfectly."
Ureña was quick to point
out that Brown wasn't
the only champion to
return to the spotlight
this year. Lisbeth
Vindas indeed excelled
at the CNS Gran Final
Terraza-REEF, despite
also coming in 2nd place
in the individual
contest behind 1st place
winner Nataly Bernold (Jaco).
Again, the points
accumulated in the
5-star contest as a 2nd
place trophy winner were
enough to sustain her #1
ranking in the Women's
category and she
reclaimed her National
Women's Surf
Championship title for
the 6th time, after
letting it dust off for
two years.
"This year was hard,"
Lisbeth explains. "At
every single contest
something happened I had
a problem--1st one I was
late getting there
because of a test at
school, the 2nd I had
just been attacked by a
crocodile, then one I
had driven all night
from Panama to arrive
and was so tired. All
these things meant I had
to try really hard to
win, and I started
competing really well
because I really wanted
to win.Then at the
second contest Laura (Pecoraro)
showed up and her
presence made me want to
try harder to win. And
of course, Nataly is
surfing really good. Now
I made it and I'm really
happy to get my title
back. I can start the
Latin Tour (Asociation
Latinamerica de
Surfistas Profesionales)
with my title under my
arm."
The change in the Junior
category is one that is
historic. First and
foremost is the crowning
of 15-year-old Carlos
Muñoz of Esterillos,
which makes him the
youngest Junior National
Surf Champion ever in
Costa Rica. In addition,
Muñoz claimed the Boys
National title for the
second year in a row,
making his trajectory:
2005 CNS Mini-Grommets
National Champion, 2006
Grommets National
Champion, 2007 Boys, and
2008 Juniors.
For the first-time in
its eight-year
existence, the Circuito
Nacional de Surf
initiated a tag-team
contest during the
night, taking advantage
of the Hotel Terraza del
Pacifico's lighting of
the ocean for surfing.
The contest was won by
the Billabong Team,
captained by Luis Vindas
and including Diego
Naranjo, Anthony Flores,
Orlando Solís and
Lisbeth Vindas, all of
Jaco. The prize was $500
in cash.
911 Radio sponsored a
Sunset Party, and a
nighttime concert and DJ
preceded the final Miss
Surf Organic and Natural
2008 contest which
awarded $1,000 to Jetsie
Hernández from Puerto
Límon.
The 2007-08 Circuito
Nacional de Surf
International sponsors
are: Organics In
America, Powerade,
Coca-Cola, RedBull,
Billabong, Quiksilver,
Roxy, Reef. National
sponsors include: 911
Groovy Radio, Banco
Nacional, Witch's Rock
Surf Camp, Hotel &
Resort Terraza del
Pacifico, Bar &
Restaurant El Tabacon,
Hotel Playa Carmen,
Quique Surf Shop,
Coldwell Banker
Peninsula Trading Co.,
Banzaii Surfboards,
Banana Wax, Remax
Surfside, Cala Luna
Hotel & Villas, The
Backyard Hotel, Mango
Surf & Skate, Jass Surf
Shop, Roca Bruja Surf &
Skate Shop, Carton
Surfboards, Chiclets
Canopy Tree Tour,
Gimnasios Platinum
Fitness Center, Chuck's
W.O.W. Surf Shop, Shifi
Surf Shots, Surfos
Magazine.
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.
Results of Gran Final
Terraza-REEF
Circuito Nacional de
Surf
April 25-26
Playa Hermosa
Open
1- Gilbert Brown
2- Luis Vindas
3- Matias Braun
4- Juan Carlos Naranjo
Women's
1- Lisbeth Vindas
2- Nataly Bernold
3- Laura Pecoraro
4- Verónica Quirós
Junior (Less Than 18)
1- Carlos Muñoz
2- Jairo Pérez
3- Anderson Tascón
4- Rudy Jiménez
Junior Women's (Less
Than 18)
1- Nataly Bernold
2- Debbie Zec
3- Jullie Javelle
4- Anastasia Patterson
Boys (Less Than 16)
1- Carlos Muñoz
2- Danny Bishko
3- Anthony Segura
4- Mykol Torres
Grommets (Less Than 14)
1- Anthony Fillingan
2- Tomas King
3- Noe Mar McGonagle
4- Eliha Guy
Mini-Grommet (Less Than
12)
1- Noe Mar McGonagle
2- Manuel Mesen
3- Leonardo Calvo
4- Sean Forester
Mini-Grommet Girls (Less
Than 12)
1- Leilani McGonagle
2- Arisha Grioti
3- Marta Fillingam
4- Naomi Bernold
Longboard
1- Diego Naranjo
2- Cedric Auffret
3- Mauricio Umaña
4- Cristian Santamaría
Masters
1- Mauro Sergio Oliveira
2- Marcelo Matos
3- Mike Esterak
4- William Agüero
Novices
1- Jose Angel López
2- Francisco López
3- Wein Guevara
4- Yader Díaz
Bodyboard
1- Joan Mojica
2- Richard Marin
3- Yeffrey Gómez
4- Reiner Montenegro
Bodyboard Women's
1- Lorena Vera
2- Jimena Calvo
3- Dinnet Arce
4- Anne Cecile Lacoste
Air Show
Anderson Tascón |
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