DaKine ISA World Junior Surfing Championships
Presented by Billabong
International Surfing Association
Playa Venao, Panama
14 - 22 April 2012
Live Coverage | Results/Photos/Videos | Slideshow
Next Generation of Surfers Puts Its Talent on Display on Day 1 of DaKine ISA World Jr Surfing Champs | espanol
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 16 April, 2012 : - - Without a cloud in the sky, and the wind blowing offshore since sunrise, the first heat of the DAKINE ISA World Junior Surfing Championship Presented by Billabong took to the water, putting months of anticipation to rest. The size of the ISA World Juniors requires two contest areas until the final days of competition, allowing for concurrent heats resulting in non-stop action up and down the beach. Todays schedule was devoted entirely to the boys, with 48 Qualifying Round 1 heats running in both the Under-18s and Under-16s.
With a new swell just beginning to show and the tide filling in throughout the day, conditions were tricky for the beginning of the event. Patience was essential, and when a corner could be found or a set arrived, taking advantage of those opportunities was critical. One bogged rail or failing to land an air to complete a ride was the difference between advancing or dropping into the Repechage.
In ISA competition, events run with four-person heats and a double-elimination format, which the organization has used for the past 20 years. If a surfer finishes in the top two positions of a Qualifying Round, they stay in the Qualifying Round. If the surfer finishes in the bottom two of the round, he or she drops into the Repechage. A third or fourth position finish in the Repechage, results in elimination from the competition.
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A pair of the best surfers to watch in the Boys Under-18 division competed in early, back-to-back heats, with similar results. USAs Trevor Thornton took early control of his heat and cruised to a comfortable win, with a two-wave score of 14.00. The regular-footer seemed to be on every good left-hand wave of the heat throwing powerful, fins-free snaps and even completing a 360-degree rotation on a closing turn. Thornton didnt know until yesterday whether or not hed be competing in Panama.
Team USA has been running heats the past couple days [at Playa Venao] to finalize the team, so that was the most nervous part [of the event so far], Thornton said. Panama is great. The waves are fun, the weather is good, and you look everywhere and theres mountain and scenery. Its really cool.
After Thorntons heat, Hawaiis Koa Smith took to the water. Groomed on world-class Hawaiian waves, Smith was calm and composed despite the fickle conditions and a closer-than-expected heat. His score of 10.77 narrowly held off Japans Natsuki Sasako, who finished second with a 10.03.
The conditions are super challenging; every once in a while theres a corner, but theres not just one peak, the line-up is constantly changing, the tide moves so fast, so youre over here, youre over here, you go to the left, you go to the right, youre kind of all over, Smith said. But Ive done enough ISA events to know what to expect; you cant get too rattled or lose focus because you never know with some of these countries which kids are just going to pull something big and turn a heat.
While the nature of ISA events offers unique challenges, it also presents components of competition that are lost in professional surfing.
One of the youngest competitors in the event, Antony Díaz from Guatemala, giving it all for his country. Photo: ISA/Rommel González
Usually at contests youre just alone in your head, isolated, thinking strategy and equipment, he said. You still do that a bit here, but then youve also got the team cheering you on, youve got the coaches helping you out, its a completely different world.
With the challenging conditions that Smith described, the day did result in several upsets, including heat wins by Barbados Caelum Blandford over South Africas Slade Prestwich and Puerto Ricos Bryan Laide Roca over USAs Colin Moran.
Imanol Yeregui (ESP), Tommy Boucaut (FRA), Kaoli Kahokuloa (HAW), Luke Dillon (GBR), Michael Rodrigues (BRA), Michael Venter (RSA) and Cooper Chapman (AUS), who scored the highest combined score of the day (15.56), were other standouts in the Boys Under-18 division.
In Boys Under-16 competition, Frances Nelson Cloarec put on the display of the day, finding a pair of long waves, which provided ample room to perform several big turns. With the high-tide conditions, some of the punch of previous days was lacking, making aerials difficult to complete, and meaning power turns were the best approach to get the scores to advance.
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Its actually really fun, the waves are really good when they come, and there are a lot of sets, so its good for everyone, Cloarec said. Our team prepared to be the best in the water, and in the process we became really close and good friends. I think we should do very well.
Other standouts in the Under-16s were Jake Marshall (USA), Lucca Saldivar (PER), Takumi Nakamura (JPN), Elliot Paerata-Reid (NZL), Kalani David (HAW), Sasha Donnanno (MEX), ONeill Massin (TAH), Jackson Obando (NIC) and Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA).
The surfing action continues tomorrow morning, April 16, in what should be improving conditions. Heats will resume with the completion of Qualify Round 1 for both Boys divisions. According to Surfline, the Official Forecaster of the event, waves should be increasing in size for the next couple days, capping out in the six- to seven-foot range.
The event webcast will be live beginning at 8:00am local time (6:00am PST; 10:00pm in Tokyo)
Check the Live Coverage
Videos: Day 1 | Opening Ceremony & Parade | Freesurfing
Slideshows: Day 1 | Opening Ceremony | Freesurfin' 1 | Freesurfin' 2 | Lifestylin' | Press Conference
www.isasurf.org
www.dakine.com
www.visitpanama.com
www.dakineisawjsc.com/live
The DAKINE ISA World Junior Surfing Championship Presented by Billabong is made possible with the support of the following event partners: DAKINE, Billabong, Panamá, Super Deportes, FOX Sports, Mini, Dollar Rent A Car, Copa Airlines, Extreme Surf & Sport. The media partners are Surfea Panama, Surfersvillage and Surfos. The Official Forecaster for the event is Surfline.
Previous reports:
# 1 : WJSC offers best juniors World-Class beach break
# 2 : Top U-18 surfers from 30 countries at WJSC Panama
# 3 : Peruvian Surfing Federation names ISA Junior team
# 4 : ISA World Junior Championship forecast updated 9/04
# 5 : World's best under 18 surfers arriving in Panama
# 6 : Panamanian surf scene spotlighted: ISA WJSC rolls
# 7 : Record breaking ISA WJSC event 'Opening Ceremony'
Team Reports:
# 1 : Check out the inividual nation's surf-team reports
Some quick Panamanian surfing facts
2010 Hosted ISA World Masters Surfing Championships
2011 Hosted ISA World Surfing Games (Palya Venao)...
2012 Hosts ISA World Junior Surfing Championships.....
13 Times Panama Mens National Champion - Gary Saavedra..
10 Times Panama Womens National Champion - Pucha Garcia
About Panama-
Panama is an authentic unexplored destination with an exuberant natural habitat and an enchanting history; a gem hidden between two seas. Panamas prime location, in the center of the continent, allows it to be the main air hub in Latin America. The country offers stunning landscapes and diverse ecosystems in forests, beaches, mountains and the Canal Zone, as well as an exquisite combination of rich ethnic and colonial past favorable to the prosperity and benefits of modernity.
The Panama Canal, or eighth wonder of the world, is a symbol of an entrepreneur country that besides being a logistics center for excellence, it is the most important financial center of the Americas and home to major multinational corporations and a free trade zone. UNESCO has declared the Old Quarter of the capital, Panama City, a World Heritage Site. Panama has natural attractions, services, hotels and a massive Convention Center to receive the adventure and leisure traveler, as well as the business visitors.
More information www.visitpanama.com
About the International Surfing Association
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running Open Division World Championships since 1964, Junior World Championships since 1980, and Masters World Championships since 2007. The ISA also sanctions the World Kneeboard Titles and the Tandem Surfing World Title, and held the first stand-alone World Bodyboard Championship in 2011, and the first World StandUp Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship in 2012.
ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies of 70 countries on five continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. It is presided over by Fernando Aguerre (Argentina), first elected President in 1994 in Rio de Janeiro and re-elected seven times since. The ISA's three Vice-Presidents are Alan Atkins (AUS), Karín Sierralta (PER) and Debbie Beacham (USA).
More information www.isasurf.org.
About DaKine
More information www.dakine.com.
Source: ISA
Author: Pablo Zanocchi / Chasen Marshall
Tags: DaKine, ISA, World Junior Surfing Championship, Panama
Events: Surfersvillage
