A New Era of Surf Emerging in Costa Rica
Tico Jason Torres Beat Gold Medalist Jeremy Flores on 3 Occassions Before Falling to 7th Place in the Open Category.
The honor of playing host to this August’s Billabong ISA World Surfing Games 2009 was the crowning feat of over a decade of growth and impressive international performances by the Costa Rican national surf team and community.
Surf developed slowly as a local sport in the 1960s and 70s but it didn’t take hold until the 21st century due to lack of funding, organization and interest. Not until 2000 did the National Surf Circuit take root, thanks to a ,000 donation from famous surfer Jeff Booth who won the cash in an invitational tournament in Costa Rica. Led by Antonio Pilurzu and then-manager of the surf institution Terrazas del Pacifico Hotel, the country began to cultivate its talent and the first generation of international surf names emerged and continue to represent the country today.
The final day of competition alone saw an estimated 30,000 spectators.
The eight days of competition that took place from Aug. 1 – 8 in Playa Hermosa, Jaco, saw the strongest international showing at any other surf event in history with 35 national teams and 260 surfers participating. The spectatorship, which totaled 70,000 people throughout the course of the event, was second only to the annual U.S. Open in California. The revenue generated in the Jaco area directly from this surge in visitors was estimated at .5 million, the equivalent sum usually earned during all of high season in the region.
As for the level of competition at the World Surfing Games 2009, all will agree that the challenging waves and the large turn out of big name surfers made it one of the most difficult tournaments ever. The waves ranged from 3 to 6 feet with some tubes allowing for scores of 9+.
Caray! Peruvian Gabriel Villaran Celebrates His 3rd Place Finish in the Company of the Best Surfers in the World.
It was Team USA that surpassed the competition for a 1st place finish earning themselves the gold medal for the first time in over a decade since the 1996 World Surfing Games in California. The team had the most depth with 5 of their 8 surfers ranking in the top 4 of each division including 16-year-old Courtney Conlogue who took first place in Women’s and Cory Lopez (2nd) and Ben Bourgeois (4th) the Men’s Open division.
Team France kept them on their toes with two individual Gold medal winners: Jeremy Flores in Open and Antoine Delpero in Longboard, allowing them to secure a strong second place finish and more than enough reason to celebrate (and celebrate they did!).
The Australian team, which had won the last four consecutive Surfing Games got another gold medal in the Aloha Cup tag team event, though their individual scores from the week put them in 3rd place overall.
Though the Costa Rican team members fell short of the finals, strong performances by veterans Jason Torres, Gilbert Brown and Lisbeth Vindas along with 16-year-old Carlos Munoz in his first WSG appearance helped the team pull in a strong 7th place finish.
While admittedly discouraged by falling two positions from last year’s 5th place finish in Portugal, the team members agreed that they put up a solid fight on their home turf considering the greater level of competition and challenging waves. However, the honor of hosting the Billabong World Surfing Games is not one that they will soon forget.
For a team that has come so far in so little time, this national honor seals the start of a new era of Costa Rican surf. Not only did the event generate .5 million in tourism spending in just one week, it put the international spotlight on the country’s beautiful coastline and powerful breaks. More than 400 journalists attended the games from 100 national and 50 international media outlets, adding ‘the most publicized sporting event to ever take place in Costa Rica’ to the growing list of superlative honors.
The games also turned the nation’s eyes to this sport practiced regularly by only 1,000 Costa Ricans, painting it in a new light. The enthusiasm of local media and curious spectators turned a group of 8 young adults into national heroes, as the whole country joined together to support them from home and the beach.
What was once only enjoyed by trail blazing foreigners and the wealthy is quickly becoming a sport that helps define the Costa Rican national identity. As the Costa Rican Surf Federation President said “There are two people on the beaches of Costa Rica today: those who surf, and those who wish they did.” Don’t you?
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1 – USA
2 – France
3 – Australia
4 – Hawaii
5 – South Africa
6 – Peru
7 – Costa Rica
8 – Venezuela
9 – Brazil
10 – Puerto Rico
11 – New Zealand
12 – Argentina
13 – Tahiti
14 – Ecuador
15 – Panama
16 – Italy
17 – Mexico
18 – Japan
19 – Chile
20 – El Salvador
21 – Ireland
22 – Austria
23 – Barbados
24 – Germany
25 – UK
26 – Guatemala
27 – Switzerland
28 – Jamaica
29 – Canada
30 – Nicaragua
31 – Colombia
32 – Trinidad & Tobago
33 – Bahamas
34 – Rep. Dominican
35 – Aruba
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