In the province of Guanacaste, every year, is a very important surf contest that visits the area beaches.

 

The Guanacasteco Circuit of Surf 2017-18 edition will begin December 16 and 17 in Tamarindo, followed on February 10 and 11, 2018 in Playa Marbella, March 24 and 25 in Santa Teresa, and April 28 and 29 back at Marbella. The finals will take place May 5 and 6 at an as-yet-unnamed beach.

 

According to coordinator Chelsea Lisaius, an average of 10 national and international surfers gather at these contests to see who is the best in the province.  The Municipality of Santa Cruz, who are in charge of the politics of the area, has voted to name the Guanacasteco Circuit of Surf of “Tourist Interest” which brings new validation to the event and its results.

 

“The fact that the Municipality has made this decision implies a very important act for us because, in this way, it will allow public institutions and sponsors to perceive that this is a serious and well-addressed project” Lisaius said.

 

Serena Nava, the 2016 Costa Rican national Girls champion, was in Barbados a few months back for Live Like Zander Junior Pro in Soup Bowl Barbados. She had the good fortune of facing Samantha Sibley, a known pro from the US, in Round 1, as well as with Costa Rica’s own Eva Woodland. Nava came in 2nd behind Sibley, and passed to the Quarterfinals. There, she says she “froze” when she became a little uncertain about priority.

 

According to her father John, who was there in Barbados, “She had priority and waited too long. Then when the wave she needed came the girl under priority took the wave and Serena gave it up. She won’t do that again.”

 

Meanwhile, lots of action went down in Hawaii for four of Costa Rica’s best surfers: Noe Mar McGonagle, Carlos Muñoz, Anthony Fillingim and Tomas King. At the end of the World Surf League’s (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) regular events, all of them were ranked in the Top 100 of that chart. As a result, they were invited to participate in the Hawaiian Triple Crown, beginning with the Vans Presents the HIC Pro. There, Fillingim’s performance was uneventful, only earning a low-scoring wave and an interference. He placed 4th

 

For King, he made a noble effort in first-ever HIC Pro and Hawaiian Pro,  yet fell out in 4th place during the 2nd round of the former, and in Round 1 of the latter. Still, he had a remarkable year on the QS and gained a lot of notice.

 

Meanwhile, in the HIC Pro, McGonagle took his seeded Round 3 heat in 1st place, and Muñoz passed in 2nd place in the same starting Round for him in the contest. Cali went on to win 1st in Round 4 then had a tough heat in the quarterfinals rendering him to 4th place, while Noe Mar couldn’t find the waves and ended his own run here in 4th place in the next Round.

 

The Hawaiian Pro was stocked with some of the best surfing competitors in the world, yet both McGonagle and Muñoz fought hard beginning in the round of 96 surfers, both scoring high enough to pass onward.  Yet, it’s hard to say whether Day 3’s extremely difficult surf conditions—windblown onshore, rapid river current and overhead waves—or the stacked heats troubled them more in Round 3. What an experience for Noe Mar to face Jordy Smith, Joshua Moniz and Adam Melling, one that might only have generated him a 4th place, but gave him lots of experience. Cali had Michael Bourez and Josh Kerr in his heat, and while he bested Michael Dunphy, his 3rd place was not enough to move forward.

 

In mid-December, and for the first-time, the Central American Sports Games will include surfing in its games. This will be one of the precursors of Olympic-sanctioned events, organized as steps to the debut of surfing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

 

The National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Costa Rica has joined with Costa Rica national surf coach Jim Hogan in identifying a selection of surfers most-likely to be the in those Tokyo 2020 Olympics.  These are the athletes who are competing at the Central American Sports Games in Managua, Nicaragua. While the entire tournament takes place between December 2-17, the surfing competition will be December 12-15 at Playa Maderas in San Juan del Sur, Rivas.

 

are joining 32 other countries for a total of 400 athletes in Nicaragua for the test.

 

The team joining 32 other counties for a total of 400 athletes in Nicaragua’s Central American Sports Games is:

 

Open

Carlos Muñoz

Noe Mar McGonagle

Tomas King

Jason Torres

 

Women’s Open

Leilani McGonagle

Zulay Martínez

 

Longboard

Marcel Oliveira

Dorian Torres

 

Stand-Up Paddle (Racing)

Rolando Herrera

 

Stand-Up Paddle (Racing) Women’s

Valeria Salustri

 

“We will have the same commitment that we had at world championships this year in Nicaragua. We want to bring out the best from all our national surfers, and give the country as many golds as possible,” said Jim Hogan.

 

The Central American Sports Games presents 33 different sports with various countries participating. In the surfing category, only Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua will compete.

 

The next stop in the Olympics-sanctioned events is in 2019 for the Pan-American Games in Lima, Peru.