ELLEN ZOE:: FEDERACIÓN DE SURF

Playa Hermosa, COSTA RICA August 3, 2009 – As the playing field narrowed, and the talent in the water grew stronger, Costa Rica’s surfers found themselves today often coming from behind and fighting for waves to pass their heats. All of the Costa Rican Surfers, whether in the main event like Gilbert Brown (Puerto Viejo) and Jason Torres (Jaco) or in repercharge like Luis Vindas (Jaco) and Nataly Bernold (Jaco)—with the exception of Carlos Muñoz (Esterillos) who surfed the primary Round but lost and fell to repercharge tomorrow—passed their respective heats by placing 2nd.

The heats were also made the more difficult by a dropping swell, now 2-4 feet, albeit with soft offshore winds.

The day began with a sour note when Muñoz couldn’t put together any serious waves even though he paddled all over the place. “I had bad luck,” he said afterwards when he placed 4th behind Carlos Cabrero of Portugal in 1st, Jay Quinn of New Zealand in 2nd , and Hermoana Luciani of Tahiti in 3rd. Muñoz will get a second chance in repercharge.

One of the local favorites, Brown gave us a nailbiter as he started later in his heat as he, too, paddled around searching for waves. Then, wham, patience paid off, with a long left and 5 maneuvers that earned a 7.67 and bumped him from 4th place to 2nd. The crowd on the beach went wild, and the announcer added: Gilbert “pulls off a smoker.” That wave and another left that he surfed hard, kept him in 2nd place to pass. Dylan Graves of Puerto Rico was the 1st place winner of the heat.

“I looked patient, but I was just quiet. You wouldn’t want it if I got desperate. I prayed to God to send me the waves and he did,” Brown explained.

Jason Torres had a similar fate in his heat. While yesterday it seemed from afar the local surfer had a easy time beating everyone and earning his 1st place, today he had to fight hard against an extremely confident Brandon Jackson of South Africa, a persistent and at his heels Francisco Bellorin of Venezula, and Peruvian champion Javier Swayne. After a slow start, Torres managed a right with a steady cutback and a couple of snaps for 6.67 and followed up surfing a long left with 5 maneuvers that earned a 6.87. The combined 13.54 pushed Torres to 2nd placed behind Jackson and he goes to Round 4.

“I tried to win, but I got 2nd,“ said Torres. “But I’m happy I passed. It was a hard heat. Things get like that.”

It seemed that Luis Vindas’ repercharge heat followed the same pattern. Although he managed a sweet 360 slider on his premier wave of the heat, and he surfed confidently the rest of it, Matias Mulanovich’s confidence and ability made things happen out of nothing. That shaped the 1st place win for the Peruvian. Vindas passed with 2nd place.

Today at the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games, Nataly Bernold faced—and passed—two Rounds of repercharge. According to José Ureña, President of the Federacion de Surf de Costa Rica and head of the Technical Body of the Costa Rica National Surf Team, these wins are really important for Bernold as she is “trying to get more confidence back” having lost so early in the main event.

In Round 2 of repercharge, Bernold surfed pretty well, including one wave that earned a 7.00 and another for 5.00 that pushed her to 2nd place. 1st place was New Zealand’s Laura Rishworth. Once again, in Round 3, she put together solid maneuvers—and numbers of 6.75 and 5.5 to climb to 2nd place and a chance at Round 4. Her 1st place opponent was Alessa Quizon of Hawaii.

Hardly a talker, Bernold admitted that today was much better than yesterday: “I have no strategy. I want to win.”

Ureña summed up the day: “The heats are starting to get harder. The Costa Ricans are doing well even with the pressure of the other surfers. Sometimes it takes a couple of days until they get their rhythm going. But they all passed. I’m happy they all did what they had to do.”

To watch all the action of the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009, please go to www.surfingcr.net.

GILBERT BROWN AT THE BILLABONG ISA WORLD SURFING GAMES COSTA RICA 2009
PHOTO BY FABIAN SANCHEZ