ISA President Fernando Aguerre at the office

International Surfing Association

Year end summary from ISA President Fernando Aguerre   |   Click images (below) for galleries

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 23 December, 2008 : - - The International Surfing Association had a great year in 2008, but the same could be said of 2007, 2006, 2005 and so on. As ISA President, I have the enormous satisfaction and honor to preside at an ever improving organization in all aspects of our operations.

“A Better Surfing Future” is not only an ISA slogan, but rather our Mission Statement. That mission is what motivates us to work efficiently and move forward year after year, with our eyes, minds and surfing hearts in sync.

While the ISA is known by its legendary and unique World Team Championship events, our programs and those of our National Federations (NGBs) cover a wide range of activities.

The ISA and its members, run more events, with more competitors, and provide more volunteer hours than any surfing organization in the world. Our programs aim to benefit surfers from all disciplines, ages, countries and socio-economic status, whoever and wherever they are. Our age divisions, Juniors, Open and Masters, provide the end destination for national competition surfers around the world. They come from the richest top nations all the way to the newest, less developed surfing nations. Our ISA Scholarship supports under 18 surfers from underdeveloped countries that are also good students, people that inspire their community. Our “Surfing for All” program supports the challenged and disabled surfers or want to be surfers.

Our aim is to help surfers and the organizations that support them, fulfill their dreams.

Some of the highlights of ISA’s 2008 activities are:

Year end summary from ISA President  

The International Surfing Association had a great year in 2008, but the same could be said of 2007, 2006, 2005 and so on. As ISA President, I have the enormous satisfaction and honor to preside at an ever improving organization in all aspects of our operations.

“A Better Surfing Future” is not only an ISA slogan, but rather our Mission Statement. That mission is what motivates us to work efficiently and move forward year after year, with our eyes, minds and surfing hearts in sync.

While the ISA is known by its legendary and unique World Team Championship events, our programs and those of our National Federations (NGBs) cover a wide range of activities.

The ISA and its members, run more events, with more competitors, and provide more volunteer hours than any surfing organization in the world. Our programs aim to benefit surfers from all disciplines, ages, countries and socio-economic status, whoever and wherever they are. Our age divisions, Juniors, Open and Masters, provide the end destination for national competition surfers around the world. They come from the richest top nations all the way to the newest, less developed surfing nations. Our ISA Scholarship supports under 18 surfers from underdeveloped countries that are also good students, people that inspire their community. Our “Surfing for All” program supports the challenged and disabled surfers or want to be surfers.

Our aim is to help surfers and the organizations that support them, fulfill their dreams.

Some of the highlights of ISA’s 2008 activities are:

Three Yearly ISA Main Events in 2008:

In 2008, for the first time in history, our three main events (the ISA World Masters Surfing Championship, the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship and the ISA World Surfing Games) took place in the same year.

The 2008 World Masters consolidated the event successfully started in Puerto Rico in 2007.
The Quiksilver Junior World Championship has become a “mandatory” event for the annual agendas of the best juniors in the planet. Quiksilver commitment to Junior Surfing has been a great jump starting for this stand alone event since 2003.

The World Surfing Games continue to expand with the inclusion of newer nations, like Senegal in 2008. Starting in 2009, the WSG will become a yearly event, with the arrival of Billabong as title sponsor.

The future is bright for the ISA World Surfing Games, as stated by the 2008 ISA WSG Champion and Gold Medalist, CJ Hobgood, “I love the Davis Cup and the Ryder Cup in golf. I think it’s important that the pros are involved with the ISA Games. It just shows that they love surfing, love their country and don't need to compete for money. It’s going in the right direction and with the internet and proper companies getting involved, it won’t take much for everyone to really want to be a part of this special event.”

The ISA World Championships have allowed all to the top surfers around the world, in all divisions, to come together as National Teams, representing their countries in a true spirit of world friendship and surfing aloha.

Surfing at the Olympic Games:

“The question is no longer if Surfing will be part of the Olympics but rather in which year this will happen.” As I wrote in my editorial piece about “Surfing in the Olympics” (go to www.isasurf.org), it is very likely that surfing will be part of the greatest sporting event in the world. The only question now is when this will happen.

Twelve years ago, I started the long path to bring surfing to the Olympic Games. In the last two, my rapprochement to the Olympic movement has strengthened more than ever. I have participated in meetings with top officials at the International Olympic Committee, international sport federations and related stakeholders.

It is evident to me that the Olympic Movement needs to include the new sports practiced by the youth and as exciting as surfing. In 2008 the ISA was able to materialize the first inclusion of surfing in an Olympic Movement Beach Game. This happened during the month of October in Bali during the First Asian Beach Games, where surfing played a lead role and was voted online as one of the top sports of those Games.

Partly as a consequence of the ISA led growing popularity of surfing within the Olympic Movement, in 2008 we had the pleasant announcement of the First South American Beach Games – ODESUR – that will take place at Punta del Este and Montevideo (Uruguay) from the 27th February thru the 8th March, 2009. Surfing will be one of the ten sports that will conform the calendar of events of that championship. At both events, the ISA has took organizing and regulatory role for the surfing event, together with local federations, and at the South American Games, with the support of PASA.

On both occasions, the surfers travel as official representatives of their National Olympic Committee, as any athlete of the traditional Olympic sports. These events are evidence of the great steps that our sport is taking towards the long road that will take Surfing to the Olympic Games.

Wave Parks

One of the ISA goals, is for surfing to be available to all people, not just to the ones that live near the oceans and waves. For this reason, the ISA started to interact with wave technology development companies, in order to materialize man made great waves suitable for an acceptable surfing competition.

Working together with the main manufacturers and specialists in wave parks, we are going to develope the ideal wave, something of fundamental importance for surfing to become part of the Olympic Games. Since the Olympic Movement will not always come to the waves, we are prepared to take the waves to where the Games will be held.

This goal is part of the ISA’s vision for a more democratic sport, with easier access to a wider segment of the population. We firmly believe that in the same way that the Public Sector in each country builds soccer and basketball stadiums, as well as arenas for many other sports, under the ISA leadership, they should start building wave parks, as soon as proper and cost efficient technology is available. We expect this to happen with the next 12 to 24 months.

ISA Surfing Development Programs on the move

Several ISA Programs such as Judging and Officiating, Coaching and Instructing, Surf School Register, Adapted Surfing, Individual Scholarship and Surfing Library have shown an incredible growth during 2008.

The ISA Scholarship Program had a humble beginning in 2007 with five grants. In 2008 it grew 400% with 20 grants. For 2009, the program will expand to 40 recipients.

These scholarships provide much needed financial support, to under-18 year-old surfers that have proven their case for funds to support their surfing and academic lives, while being inspirational for their communities. The grant may only be used for supporting their studying or surfing. With this program, the ISA help them achieve their dreams.

The first ISA film, “For a Better Surfing Future”, was launched in May 2008 featuring the stories of the first five scholarship winners in five short films produced by local filmmakers from their native countries. This DVD was distributed free of charge all over the world.

The ISA Judging, Coaching and surfing instruction programs, expanded around the world. About one hundred of these were administered by ISA licensed specialists in Oceania, Asia, the Americas, Europe and Africa. These ISA standardized programs, have proven to be key building blocks for a better surfing future around the world, not only in the traditionally surfing nations but also in those where the sport is taking its first steps.

In addition, in 2008, the ISA created the Surfing School Registration Program, where ISA lists recognized surfing schools that are committed to ISA education standards.

Finally, the Director of the ISA Adapted Surfing Program, Alcino Neto, aka “Pirata”, started working in the ISA created, and Quiksilver Foundation funded second DVD for challenged surfers. It includes instructions and a video introduction to the different techniques for teaching surfing to the disabled and challenged surfers of the world. This film will be a fundamental tool for all those that are including this program in their work scheme.

ISA and the Surfing Industry leading brands alliance

The two leading surfing brands of the world, Quiksilver and Billabong support the top two ISA events, the World Junior Surfing Championship and the World Surfing Games, respectively, through multi year title sponsorship agreements. Their involvement has provided firm stability to the ISA World Championships and the national championships that select the national teams around the world.

Our ISA/Quiksilver partnership is in its sixth year, with the latest event held in May 2008 in France. Billabong begins its partnership with the ISA in the August 2009, with the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games to be held in Jacó Beach, Costa Rica.

At the same time, the Quiksilver Foundation, Billabong, Global Surf Industries and Reef Redemption announced the renewal of their donations to the ISA Individual Scholarship Program for 2009. Thus, they show that while they are market competitors, when a better future in surfing is at stake, they all join forces to work together as members of the same family.

On the environmental side, and as testimony to the ISA’s commitment to the preservation of our waves, as an element of fundamental importance to our society, an alliance with the NGO “Save the Waves” was announced in December 2008. This organization fights for the preservation of our most important resources.

The agreement partners the ISA and Save the Waves in the creation of a World Wave Reserves directory, involving private and public sectors in the preservation of the surfing areas.

Final Words

The ISA’s job is not limited to the above-mentioned matters, but continues in other areas and projects that would require a whole book to describe. This work is carried out by the ISA and the more than 50 member federations, the management staff, volunteers and surfers around the world. Our job is carried out by all those that strive on a daily basis for a better surfing future.

For 2009 we will continue to lead and assist in the development of surfing around the world, with a special focus on the expansion of surfing to more countries, with Africa, Asia, and Latin America areas in the forefront.

With the help of thousands of volunteers, the public and private sectors, and especially the surfing industry, I plan to continue to lead the ISA and the surfing world in our passionate path towards a better surfing future.

Muchas gracias y un fuerte abrazo,

Fernando Aguerre
President
International Surfing Association

  

  
  

About International Surfing Association
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for surfing, bodyboarding and surfriding. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964 and the Junior World Championships since 1980. 

ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of over 50 countries on six continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. It is presided by Fernando Aguerre, first elected in 1994 in Rio, and re-elected six times since.  The ISA's four Vice Presidents are Alan Atkins (Australia), Robin de Kock (South Africa), Maile Aguerre (Hawaii) and Mike Gerard (USA).

www.isasurf.org

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Fernando Aguerre
President ISA

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