Costa Rica Shows
Home-Beach Advantage at ISA
Games
When the closing horn blew at 4
p.m. yesterday, the opening day of the Billabong
International Surfing Association (ISA)
World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009 had seen
48 heats completed between Round 1 of the
Open and Women’s divisions at both Podium 1
and 2 in Playa Hermosa.
And, according to José Ureña, President of
the Federacion de Surf de Costa Rica, the
organizer and host of this event, he
estimated that between those coming and
going today, about 10,000 people showed up
to kick off the first day of the biggest
sporting event ever to hit Costa Rica.
“It was awesome,” Ureña said at the close of
the day. “It’s always important to start off
on the right foot, but we didn’t expect so
many people.”
Those people got a glimpse of some of the
biggest names in surfing today as Sofia
Mulanovich, 2004 ISA and ASP World Champion,
Australia’s Mick Campbell, an ASP
professional surfer ranked 13th in the world
and ISA Gold Medalist in 1998, and USA’s
Cory Lopez, another ASP surfer who has been
ranked Top 3 in the world. All passed their
heats.
Undoubtedly, the most popular team on the
beach today were the hometeam, the Costa
Rica National Surf Team, 6 of which had
Round 1 heats.
First up was Puerto Viejo’s Gilbert Brown, a
veteran of the World Surfing Games. He
knocked it out of the park right away with
some serious and confident manuevering
against Agrentina’s Lucas Santamaria,
Trinadad and Tobago’s Che Lovelace and
Austria’s Lazi Ruedegger.
Minutes later, 16-year-old Carlos Muñoz (Esterillos)
took 1st place among Leandro Usuna of
Argentina, Shane Haneman of Trinadad and
Tobago, and Stefan Corbin of Barbados. “I
feel good about winning and surfing. It was
normal,” Muñoz said later about the early
sesson.
Luis Vindas of Jaco had his heat just after
noon, and with assured familiarity of board
and waves took another 1st place for Costa
Rica. He beat noted Argentine Martin Passari,
as well as Trindad and Tobago’s Keith Lewis,
and Austria’s Chris Schnitzer.
The only 2nd place win for the Ticos came
from Jason Torres (Jaco) who earned it in
his heat. Still, the youngster passed to
Round 2 and was pleased with the result.
The Women on the Costa Rica National Surf
Team scored 100 percent today in their heats
showing the might of the female. Jaco’s
Nataly Bernold, all of 16 years of age,
whipped through her initial Billabong ISA
World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009 heat
with confidence, taking 1st place and
shaking out the likes of Argentina’s Maria
Paz Usuna, El Salvador’s Esmeralda Lopez and
Austria’s Julia Kremser.
Seven-time Costa Rica National Women’s Surf
Champion Lisbeth Vindas showed the crowd how
it’s done at her homebreak by quickly
locking up 1st place against Tete Gil of
Argentina, Jocelyn Ramos of El Salvador and
Nikita Fizwilliams of Barbados.
“Costa Rica passed every heat, but we have a
long contest ahead of us. Hopefully, we can
maintain our rhythm. On the other hand, it’s
a good message that we showed everyone
today,” concluded Ureña.
Costa Rica pride : photo Fabian Sanchez
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