CARLOS MUÑOZ IS COSTA RICA’S NEW NATIONAL SURF CHAMPION

16-YEAR-OLD MAKES HISTORY BY WINNING OPEN, JUNIOR BOYS AT GRAN FINAL TERRAZA – REEF DATE OF CIRCUITO NACIONAL DE SURF DAYSTAR 2008-2009 PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA ZERO AT PLAYA HERMOSA THIS PAST WEEKEND

LISBETH VINDAS EARNS HER 7TH NATIONAL WOMEN’S TITLE

 by: Ellen Zoe Golden

photo by: Fabian Sanchez

Hermosa, COSTA RICA May 4, 2009 –  In a surprise twist, that had rankings leader Jason Torres (Jaco) falling of the semifinals, 16-year-old Carlos Muñoz carved out waves, and made history at this past weekend’s Gran Final Terraza – Reef date of the Curcuito Nacional de Surf DAYSTAR 2008-2009 presented by Coca-Cola Zero in Playa Hermosa. With Torres out, the youngster Muñoz made it all the way to the Open final heat, won it, and grabbed the 2008-2009 Costa Rica National Costa Rica Surf Championship title. The win was culmination of a hat-trick for Muñoz, as the surfer from Esterillos also won the Championship titles for the Junior and Boys categories as well.

The situation in the Open was that Torres needed to reach at least 5th place in this date to earn the national title, but in his semifinal heat, the surfer couldn’t find the waves, and came in 4th place. With Torres situated at 7th in the Gran Finals Terraza – Reef, this opened a window for Jaco’s Jairo Pérez and Muñoz to fight for the championship with the points earned with the 6 stars of the date. Only Muñoz obtained the luxury of advancing from the semifinals that included Pérez, Gilbert Brown (Puerto Viejo), Diego Naranjo (Jaco), as Pérez fell back with Brown, and Naranjo moved ahead with him.  The semifinal 2 was run with Juan Carlos Naranjo (Jaco), Torres, Matías Braun (Montezuma) and Jefferson Tascón (Jaco), with Braun and Tascón moving forward to the finals.

As usual, in the Gran Finals, the spectacle did not disappoint. It was obvious that Muñoz was hungry to win, and within the first few minutes pulled a right with an aerial 360, that he landed perfectly, and scored a 6.7. Tascón, who was surfing in the finals and throughout the event with great speed and explosiveness in the critical parts of the waves, continually put pressure on Muñoz.  As usual, Naranjo, no stranger to the final heat of Hermosa, surfed surely and offered a great backside and once even going to 1st position with a great combination, one that was scored 6.23.

But, it looked like it was going to be between Muñoz and Tascón in the waves that were peeling about 5 feet the whole weekend. Tascón took the lead, but for lack of experience in the end he ended up with an interference against Braun, which reduced his points.

In the last 5 minutes of the heat,  Muñoz took off from a series of waves and made an explosive 360 turn in the critical part, sliding down the open face, continuing right to connect for another vertical maneuver for an 8.67 score. This combination gave him 15.34 forcing his opponents to think about new combinations in the last 2 minutes, but alas it was not to be.

Muñoz left the water and was raised on the shoulders of his friends and family, taken to the prize platform where reggae singer Gentlemen serenaded him acapella in front of the crowd of over 1,000 people who were proud of their native son.

“I’m very happy, very proud for the people of Esterillos, and for my family,” said Muñoz, the youngest champion ever in the 9-year history of the Circuito Nacional de Surf, and the International Surfing Association (ISA) #9 ranked in the world at the recent World Junior Surfing Games in Ecuador. “It wasn’t in my mind to win the Championship, until I got into the Finals of this competition. I just want to be an example for the rest of the kids who follow me.”

Along with the Open title, Muñoz, this weekend, won the national Junior and Boys title, making a Costa Rican record. His total championships are the following: 2009: Open, Junior, Boys; 2008:  Junior, Boys; 2007: Boys, Grommets; 2006: Grommets; 2005: MiniGrommets.

“It was an excellent event and I’m super happy for Carlos. The first time he ever competed was at a Circuito event and now he’s a National Champion Champion. I’m so proud,” said José Ureña, President of the Federacion de Surf de Costa Rica.

The other big news at the Gran Finals Terreza – Reef came in the Women’s division. While everyone expected a big showdown in the finals between 16-year-old surfing wunderkind Nataly Bernold and veteran champ Lisbeth Vindas, it was not be. Coming into this date, the two surfers were tied in rankings points. Bernold, a 1-time, national Women’s surf champion, was ranked #6 in the world at the 2008 World Surfing Games Portugal, and Vindas was a name equated with Costa Rican surfing, had won the national Women’s championship 6 times already.  

Like Torres, Bernold failed to find waves in her semifinal heat, and didn’t pass, never meeting Vindas head-on in the competition this weekend at all. The elimination of Bernold sealed the national title for Vindas even before she made it to the final heat, which she won as well.

“I was praying to win my title back, and I did,” Vindas said afterwards.

Cedric Auffret of Tamarindo also earned back his national championship Longboard crown, a plan he had in mind before the first date of the Circuito Nacional de Surf this year. A former shortboarder, who turned to Longboarding after winning a Robert August 9’6 What I Ride surfboard at a Robert August Surf & Turf contest in Tamarindo, Auffret said he is very excited to have his title back and loves being a part of the Circuito, especially this year.

The entire Gran Finals Terraza – Reef, according to Ureña, felt like the staging area of the ISA Billabong World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009, which is set for the exact same location at the beach at Hotel Terraza del Pacifico July 31. For example, there was a brand new fiberboard podium which housed a computerized scoring system. The ISA Director Stephanie Keith was around all weekend taking meetings with the Federacion. A Billabong executive was making a film. Not to mention that the athletes were under extreme pressure to perform, and of course, the surprises in the water.

One aspect of the Gran Finals Terraza – Reef adopted from the World Surf Games format is the Tag Team surf contest. The end of the Curcuito Nacional de Surf was celebrated in this way with the participation of four teams competing for a prize of $500 to the winner. Taking place in the evening at the beach in front of Hotel Terraza del Pacifico which has lights for night surfing, the team dressed in red lycra (Gilbert Brown, Jordan Hernandez/Jaco, Josymar Fuentes (Jaco), Muñoz, and Mariana Samudio/Jaco) managed to overcome their opponents and become champions.

Damaris Arriola and Karla Gutierrez, president of Municipal Advice and Mayoress of the Municipality of Jaco, gave out the trophies to the champions afterwards.

“Today was an important day to finish the work of analysis in selecting the next National Costa Rica Surf Team for the World Surfing Games in Costa Rica. We are very content to see the level of surfing at all ages, and on one hand we can see all the experienced surfers and on the other all the young talent,” commented Ureña.

Finally, yesterday, in the morning DAYSTAR Properties, a sponsor of healthy activities including a beach festival that brought the best kayakers of the country here, initiated another Tag Team competition with a $1,000 price. The winners of this game were Diego Naranjo, Lisbeth Vindas, Luis Vindas (Jaco), Ariel Gutierrez (Jaco) and Juan Carlos Naranjo (Jaco).

The CNS DAYSTAR 2008-2009 presented by Coca-Cola Zero Sponsors are: 69 Slam, 911 Groovy Radio, Balance Natural, Banana Wax, Banzaii Surfboards, Billabong, Coca-Cola Zero, Carton Surfboards, Christian Surfers, Day & Night Beach Club, DAYSTAR, FCS, Gimnasio Platinum, Gorilla, Hotel Backyard, Hotel Terraza del Pacífico, Ibarquero Design, Jass Surf Shop, Mango, Powerade, Quiksilver, Quique, Redbull, Reef, Roca Bruja, Surfos Magazine, Surftech, Witch’s Rock Surf Camp, WOW Surf Shop.

For more information on the Circuito Nacional de Surf DAYSTAR 2008-2009 or the Federacion de Surf de Costa Rica, please go to the webpage at www.surfingcr.net.