Costa Rica 5th place at
2008 ISA Word Surfing
Games
After eight days of
rigorous competition
that began with 233
surfers from 29
countries, the
International Surfing
Association (ISA) World
Surfing Games (WSG) in
Costa de Caprica, in the
province of Almada,
Portugal came to a
conclusion with 3 of the
Top 10 surfers in their
divisions from Costa
Rica.
Not only that, the
entire Tico Team, when
ranked in total for its
work, settled in at a
historic #5, up 3 spots
from its 8th position at
the 2006 World Surfing
Games in Huntington
Beach, California. And,
to make the mission
complete, whereby in
those Games two years
ago Costa Rica nabbed
the 4th place Copper
Medal in the Tag Team
event, in Portugal they
stepped up to 3rd and
earned a Bronze Medal.
Nevertheless,
frustration abound today
when the Federacion de
Surf de Costa Rica and
its National Selection
learned at the ISA
closing ceremonies, that
France and Costa Rica
were separated in the
rankings by 1 single
point of
difference—11,819 for
the 4th place French,
and 11,818 for the 5th
place Ticos.
The surfers who earned
the most points for the
Tricolor were those Top
10 stars themselves:
Jason Torres at #5, Luis
Vindas at #6 and Nataly
Bernold at #6 Women’s
(all from Jaco Beach).
Their historical
placement in the Top 10
set a world record for
Latin America, and with
Torres in particular, he
equaled the mark of an
individual Latino
performance in the
rankings. The Peruvian
Gabriel Villaran was
also #5 in the world
during the 2004 World
Surfing Games in
Ecuador.
With this outstanding
presentation in
Portugal, Costa Rica
officially set forth its
invitation to the
countries of the world
for the next spectacle
of international
surfing: The 2009
Billabong World Surfing
Games, in Playa Hermosa
near Jaco, where the
Federacion de Surf de
Costa Rica hopes to host
50 National Selected
Surf Teams, the best
riders of each country.
“I am certain, the
international contest in
Costa Rica is going to
be the greatest in the
history of the World
Surfing Games,”
expressed Fernando
Aguerre, President of
the ISA.
The Costa Rica National
Surf Team, without a
doubt, gave a surprise
in Portugal, especially
with three surfers
arriving in the last day
of competition, and two
of them, in the primary
event. It was a tough
day, a valiant fight for
all.
First, Vindas ran into
the problem of finding
waves in the 2-foot
surf. He dropped to 4th
place in his Heat behind
1st place Australian Kai
Otten, 2nd place
Australian Heath Joske,
and 3rd place American
C.J. Hobgood. Still
excellent enough to
place #6 in the world,
Open.
Torres was next,
admitting later to being
without nervousness, and
feeling the support of
the whole Tico Team
behind him on the beach.
He surfed hard, but also
had trouble finding
waves, falling to 3rd
place behind 1st place
Dayyan Neve of
Australia, and C.J.
Hobgood of the United
States.
The loss was barely
felt, however, when the
rankings were released
and the Tico was #5 in
the world. “I feel
really happy, but
seriously, I’m numb,
maybe I’ll feel
something when I get off
the plane in Costa
Rica,” Torres said later
that evening.
“Seriously, now I feel
like a team guy with our
coming in #5. The way we
would meet each night,
the way we prayed
together. Everybody
supported me. I was
never doubtful.”
For her part, after
eight days of unbeaten
heats, Nataly also felt
the poor luck of the
waves today. She dropped
from the Open heat and
into repercharge, where
she fell to 3rd place
behind Camila Cassia of
Brazil in 1st and Marie
Dejean of France in 2nd.
Nataly added up her run
of performances into a
#6 in the world Women’s
spot.
“We obtained a great
record, thanks to the
talent of our surfers,
and a great unity that
we were able to maintain
with our experience in
previous international
representations. Each
time we improve and get
better,” affirmed José
Ureña, Technical
Director of the Costa
Rica National Surf Team
and the President of the
Federacion de Surf de
Costa Rica.
“We felt very motivated
because we are seen as a
worldwide power of
surfing,” added Ureña.
“Our rivals now are
greatest. Our next goal
is to be champions of
the world.”
For more information
about the 2008 World
Surfing Games go to
www.isasurf.org. For
more information about
the Federacion de Surf
de Costa Rica go to
www.surfingcr.net
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