Welcome to our Costa Rica surfing report:
Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy continues to show why she’s the country’s choice to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. This month, she won the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying (QS) Corona Open China hosted by Wannings, a QS 5000 point event. The 2019 Championship Tour (CT) Rookie of the Year and 2020 provisional Olympian used what is clearly a dominant backhand attack to beat Vahine Fierro from France in the event’s finals.
For Hennessy, this was her first-ever QS win, and while she has already requalified for the 2020 CT, it doesn’t hurt to take the 5,000 points on the QS rankings towards next year’s participating.
“I’m so excited to win this event, it’s an incredible feeling to start the year this way,” said Hennessy. “It was so special to share it with Vahine (Fierro). I feel like she was the most in-form and feel really grateful to have the Final with her. I’m really happy to be here with my mom and Molly (Picklum) too which has been hilarious. One thing I really want to focus on this year is committing more to my decisions. I’m really indecisive (laughs). Just trying to stay in the moment. This is a journey and it’s a marathon, not a sprint so I’m just going to enjoy the process.”
This month, the Circuito Nacional de Surf kicks off its countrywide surf tournament. And sponsoring it this year—and the following two years as well—is the international financial institution Scotia Bank.
Here are the 2020 dates for the contests and their beaches:
Costa Rica Surfing report:
January 25, 26 Dominical
February 22, 23 Puerto Viejo
March 21, 22 Guiones
April 18, 19 Santa Teresa
May 23, 24 Avellanas
June 20, 21 Playa Hermosa
July 18, 19 Jaco (Grand Finals)
“We are very pleased to announce this new sponsorship relationship between Scotiabank and the Federacion de Surf,” said Randall Chaves, President of the FSC. “For years, we have been supported by the best private companies and institutions of the state such as ICE, INS and, now having one of the best banks in Costa Rica fills us with satisfaction and joy as it is good recognition for the biggest surfing championship in the country.”
Added Diego Masola, Senior Vice President for Central America and General Manager of Scotiabank Costa Rica: “We applaud the initiative of the Costa Rican government to give surfing a privileged place as a constructive and priority sporting activity for the growth of the country and for all the people who practice it. We are delighted that this declaration has been the perfect framework to announce our support for a discipline so close to the hearts of the Ticos.”
The Federación de Surf de Costa Rica made some moves last season to accommodate the extraordinary number of competitors who participated. On three occasions there were more than 200 competitors and at one contest, more than 300.
Thanks also to the effort in infrastructure investment that the Federacion made in 2018, the competition site had two podiums, and by all accounts, was a success. As a result, the national championship surf contest can support the large number of competitors with dual judging panels, sound systems, and are totally independent of each other.
The computerized judging system used by the Federacion is the most up-to-date program, one that is also used by the International Surf Association at its world events.
More about our Costa Rica Surfing report: the surfers to beat this year are the national champions of 2019: Jair Perez/Open, Rubiana Brownell/Women’s and Junior Women’s, Sam Reidy/Juniors and Boys, Valeria Ojeda/Girls, Leonardo Apreda/Grommets, Ethan Hollander/MiniGrommets and Erika Berra/MiniGrommets Girls.
“The Circuito Nacional has been and will continue to be the great hotbed of national surfing. As a Federacion, we have committed ourselves enormously to the Olympic cycles and that is why this championship functions as the maximum training event to produce the top surfers that jump to the international level as our great representatives,” said Randall Chaves, President of the Federación de Surf de Costa Rica.
Meanwhile, the Circuito Guanacaste de Surf has also announced its 2020 dates. They are:
April 25, 26 Tamarindo
May 16-17 Avellanas
May 30, 21 Playa Negra
