With some 36 countries competing in the water at the 2009 World Surfing Games Aug. 1-8 in the Central Pacific's Playa Hermosa, there was a lot of action behind the scenes.
The Costa Rican national team had its own bamboo resting area among a line of team spots, where they regrouped and constantly fueled up on peanuts and fruit.
Here, Gilbert Brown, 26, from the southern Caribbean beach town of Puerto Viejo, welcomed his mother, Magdalena López, for the first week of the competition. She rarely left his side. Luis Vindas, 22, from Jacó, just north of Hermosa, barely spoke; he just surfed. In the back corner, Jacó's Jason Torres, 20, napped between his buddies' heats.
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| Gilbert Brown |
Ronald Reyes | Tico Times |
Physical therapist Julio Granados worked on the surfers between heats. Torres sported flesh-colored bandages on his shoulder, while Lisbeth Vindas, 27, had one on her knee. Brown sat in a chair with electrodes attached to his back and shoulder as Granados turned up the power on a small device. Later that day, Brown got the biggest wave score of the day, a 9.23. He finished the event ranked 21st.
The Red Cross estimated that more than 10,000 people passed through Hermosa the first Saturday of the games, but no one but Tico surfer Diego Naranjo, 28, noticed three-time world champion Tom Curren as he strolled by with his surfboard.
Throughout the games, the Tico team met each night at their hotel to discuss the day's heats and strategize for the next day. The meetings were led by José Ureña, president of the Surf Federation of Costa Rica and head of the team's technical body. Team members Naranjo, Brown and Lisbeth Vindas also took a strong role.
“(We) have a lot of experience, so we try to lead the team meetings,” said Naranjo, who finished 33rd in the games' longboard category. “We comment on the things we do during the day and say how the heats are going to go tomorrow. Like if they have a guy with high levels in their heats, we point out that Jason and Gilbert have already beaten them, and if they concentrate, they can, too.”
Vindas finished 15th among the women, down a position from last year's games in Portugal, but she was not discouraged.
“It was a great experience working with the team José put together – Laura (Moreira), the sports psychologist, Julio, the physical therapist, and Donald Vega, the strength and lifestyle coach. We improved, and I felt like a professional athlete,” she said.
Tico Alex “Coki” Valverde served as an International Surfing Association judge for the games. Sixteen judges worked on rotation at the event, judging two heats and then taking a break.
“We're doing good as a team – the guys surfing and me in the (judging) podium,” Valverde said.
Over in the U.S. team room, The Tico Times spoke with Cory Lopez, 32, the games' silver medalist and one of the most famous surfers at the event.
“My brother has a house in Los Sueños in Herradura, so I've been here many times,” Lopez said. “I'm happy to be here and represent for America.”
Another big star, Mick Campbell, 35, the 1998 World Surfing Games gold medalist, surfed for Australia in Hermosa, finishing 15th.
“It's my first time in Costa Rica, but what a beautiful place. There are so many different faces – hot, windy, rainy. The waves are smooth, then choppy the next minute. It's a really moody place,” Campbell told The Tico Times during a two-and-a-half-hour power outage Aug. 6.
The Peruvian team rented a house behind the team rooms for the games. Here, The Tico Times talked to Sofía Mulánovich, 26, the 2004 world women's champion on the WCT and fifth among the women in Hermosa.
“I'm having fun,” Mulánovich said. “I've been here before on a boat for a ‘surfari,' but this is my first time on the beach in Hermosa. I really like it. There are good waves, good people.
“The World Games are about being with your team and doing good for your country. My country is where I learned to surf and live, and for me it's the best country in the world.”
Back with the Tico team, 16-year-old Carlos Muñoz, upon learning he finished 15th in the world, tied with Campbell, said, “I'm sad, but happy. In the next World Surfing Games, I'm going to do better.”
And Torres, who finished the games ranked seventh in the world – down two points from last year's performance in Portugal – jumped in the Terraza del Pacífico hotel swimming pool with his surfboard to avoid reporters.
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