Venezuelans Take Top Spots as ALAS Comes to Jacó

By Britton Jacob-Schram

If Hugo Chávez sponsored any sport with oil money, it would be Venezuelan surfing.

Dominating men’s open and juniors during this year’s ALAS Latin Tour, Venezuelans Rafael Pereira and Francisco Bellorín held first and second place in both categories, and were crowned at the final event of the tour, the Reef Classic Costa Rica, in Jacó on the weekend.

Yet, while Costa Rican surfers failed to hold their own during the men’s open finals Sunday — with the likes of Luis Vindas, Gilbert Brown, and Jason Torres all getting knocked out during the quarterfinals — Jacó-locals Nataly Bernold and Jairo Pérez led the women and juniors categories, respectively.

© Britton Jacob-Schram

After the competition both Bernold and Pérez (right) agreed competing more with the Latin American Surfing Association (ALAS) was top priority next year. With more and more sponsors laying claim to Costa Rican surfers, branching out to more regional competitions seems to be the consensus across the board.

From its inception in El Salvador in 1998, the idea of a single Latin American surf association has gained momentum over the years. The association was then founded in Peru in 2001. By 2003 the circuit had four events in three different countries.

This year ALAS had ten events across Latin America and saw 14 countries represented and Guatemala, Nicaragua, Guadeloupe and Trinidad and Tobago being integrated into the lineup for 2009. At the end of each circuit, surfers’ best of seven scores are calculated.

“The only way they can keep growing is competing against other nations’ best surfers,” said President of the Costa Rican Surf Federation, José Ureña. “It’s the next frontier for them.”

© Britton Jacob-Schram

CIRCUIT BREAKER: ALAS circuit winners, left to right, women's open champ Sofia Borquez; longboard champion, Argentine Martin Perez; juniors and men's open top honors went to Venezuelans Francisco Bellorin and Rafael Pereira, respectively.

So, while well-sponsored Costa Ricans such as married couple Lisbeth Vindas and Diego Naranjo say they’ll be expanding their horizons toward the international scene with the ASP’s World Qualifying Series, or WQS, the two also say they’re now fully devoted to the ALAS circuit.

“My goal is to compete on the Latin Tour this year because I’ve never completed a whole circuit for it,” said six-time and current women’s national champion, Lisbeth Vindas, late last week.

But traveling to and from events in countries like Argentina, Peru, Chile, Mexico and Venezuela is exhaustingly time-consuming; and for young professional surfers, extravagantly costly. It’s money junior surfers like Bernold and Pérez (both still in school) simply don’t have right now in sponsorship.

© Britton Jacob-Schram

GUARO, GUARO, GUARO: The tournament drew hundreds to Playa Jaco, but possibly more to the private after party, held at Diego Naranjo (ranked 10 on ALAS) and his wife Lisbeth Vindas’ home.

For instance, when asked if he would be attempting any WQS events this year, Pérez, who beat out both Pereira and Bellorín during the juniors’ final in Jacó, merely laughed and shook his head.

“For our surfers, ALAS is really the only pro tour they can afford to do,” said Ureña, adding the ALAS tour was centralized toward South America. “But we want them to expand more to Central America. It would be an excellent idea for surfers to let’s say, have contests running straight through Central America.”

Over the weekend, both ALAS reps and competitors effused about how Costa Rica’s national circuit was by far the most competitive and finely-tuned in all of Latin America.

“Actually, some of the tour’s top surfers, surfers from places like Peru, Mexico, Argentina, have been doing a couple of our [national] events,” said Ureña. “They really respect our circuit.”

© Britton Jacob-Schram

LEADING LADY: After coming second to Nataly Bernold, Lisbeth Vindas salsa’d with former men’s national champion Guanacaste’s own Isaac Vega.

For the big swell that looks like it will hit Saturday, Ureña says, Mexican Angelo Lozano (pictured main) ranked seventh in Latin America, Puerto Rican Gabriel Escudero ranked eighth, and Peruvian Gabriel Villara are all foaming at the mouth for a crack at the Bahía Encantada’s break, in Jacó.

“It’s a new spot, right at the end of the north side of the beach. We’ve never had a contest there,” beamed Ureña.

For more information on Saturday and Sunday’s event, the four-star Torneo Coca-Cola Zero, visit: www.surfingcr.net