Welcome to Nicaragua: land of perfect waves, constant offshore winds and amazing barrels. We wish you were here. Photo: ISA/Shawn Parkin
Venezuela’s Magnum Martinez, Hawaiians Kaipo Jaquias and Sunny Garcia, and Brazil’s Jojo de Olivenca Shine at Colorado Beach
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Nicaragua ISA World Masters Surfing Championship
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Colorado Beach at Hacienda Iguana, Nicaragua
Colorado Beach at Hacienda Iguana welcomed competitors to the first day of the Nicaragua ISA World Masters Surfing Championship in the fashion in which it’s become known: picture-perfect conditions.
A happy looking ISA president, Fernando Aguerre said, “This is a dream scenario: head-high, light offshore all day long, with occasional one foot overhead. And water temp in the mid 70s and sunny weather. We are sooooo happy to be in Nicaragua.”
It was a long day of optimal conditions for some of the best over-35-year-old surfers in the world. Venezuela’s Magnum Martinez and Hawaii’s Sunny Garcia put their championship-level pedigree on display in the picture-perfect conditions, as they chose the waves with the most scoring potential and put together some of the most outstanding heats of the day.
“I came here about a month ago and the waves all this week have been a little tough, walled and closing out, but to have a heat like that with all kinds of corners was a blessing,” Martinez said. His two-wave score of 15.5 was the highest of the day. Martinez’s teammate, Ronald Reyes advanced in second in his Qualifying Round heat. Martinez credits the cohesiveness of the team for the early successes.
Venezuelan Magnum Martínez made the most of the perfect 4- to 6-foot conditions at Colorado Beach at Hacienda Iguana, posting a 15.5 heat total to advance in first and make it to the second round. Photo: ISA/Rommel González
“The Venezuelan government has been very supportive of our team, and it’s brought us together,” Martinez continued. “We eat together, we surf together, we spend lots of time together, which bonds us, and makes us stronger in and out of the water.”
The highest-profile surfer in the event, 2000 ASP World Champion Sunny Garcia didn’t seem to have any difficulty acclimating to the conditions in his first ISA event. Where some competitors had difficulty with the fast, barreling conditions, Garcia appeared completely at ease. There is a reason he has six Triple Crown of Surfing titles to his name. Garcia seemed as happy to be representing Hawaii as he was to have won his heats.
“It’s good to get that first win out of the way; hopefully we can get another from Kaipo [Jaquias] and help get Team Hawaii off to a good start,” Garcia said. “I’m pretty pumped to be here. I had expressed interest to the Hawaiian team in the past, but other commitments kept me from making it, so it’s great to finally make it. Everyone is super stoked; it’s a completely different vibe [from other surf events]. I’m really happy I came.”
Garcia and Jaquias are both pulling double-duty for Hawaii, competing in the Men’s Masters (over-35) and the Men’s Grand Masters (over-40) divisions. Both of the former ASP World Tour competitors won their respective heats.
Other standouts in the Masters division were Robbie Page (AUS), Jojo de Olivenca (BRA), Carlos Cabrero (PUR), who narrowly won the heat over Reyes, and Alejo Martinez (ARG), who won the first heat of the morning.
In Men’s Grand Masters competition, Juan Ashton (PUR) started his trek toward what could be his sixth medal with a heat win. Ashton is the most decorated surfer in ISA history, with four individual Gold Medals, a Copper Medal and three Team Medals.
The afternoon high-tide made the conditions a little tricky for the later heats, but USA’s Hans Hagen and Brazil’s Sergio Noronha still put together respectable two-wave scores to advance in first.
The surfing action for the Nicaragua ISA World Masters Surfing Championship continues tomorrow, July 16, at Colorado Beach at Hacienda Iguana in the Municipality of Tola, with the first Qualifying Round of Men’s Kahunas (over-45).
USA team member and former ASP World Tour top 16, Shea Lopez, mixed modern moves with classic powerful surfing to win in his debut heat at the Nicaragua ISA World Masters Surfing Championship. Photo: ISA/Rommel González
The event webcast will be live beginning at 7:40am local time (6:40am PST; 9:40am EST; 2:40pm in Paris; and 11:40pm in Sydney) with The Morning Show at www.isawmsc.com/live.
Men’s Masters Qualifying Round 1 Results
Heat 1: Alejo Martinez (ARG), 10.17; Christian Jimenez (CRI), 8.47; Gerson Gomez (GUA), 2.54; David Lee (JAM), 1.73
Heat 2: Carlos Cabrero (PUR), 10.27; Ronald Reyes (VEN), 10.16; Jon Hanna (PAN), 5.27
Heat 3: Robbie Page (AUS), 10.0; Reinaldo Ibarra (CHI), 6.84; Raul Villas (PER), 5.83
Heat 4: Rick Takahashi (USA), 8.97; Andres Fernandez (ECU), 7.53; Hugo Camacho (MEX), 5.17
Heat 5: Shea Lopez (USA), 9.33; Marcelo Matos (URU), 8.17; Cesar Moreira (ECU), 3.57
Heat 6: Dean Hall (AUS), 8.27; Cesar Aspillaga (PER), 4.83; Juan Andres Guerra (CHI), 3.44
Heat 7: Magnum Martinez (VEN), 15.5; Norberto Pena (PUR), 4.9; Ricardo Alfaro (PAN), 4.32
Heat 8: Martin Passeri (ARG), 9.17; Gustavo Castillo (CRI), 5.3; Giovanni Benetti (ITA), 2.6; Maurizio Di Spirito (ITA), 1.8
Heat 9: Armando Daltro (BRA), 9.8; Heriberto Martinez (MEX), 9.23; Diego Gallardo (SAL), 1.87
Heat 10: Jojo de Olivenca (BRA), 13.27; Patrick Castagnet (GER), 6.2; Jaime Delgado (SAL), 4.4
Heat 11: Sunny Garcia (HAW), 12.43; Hiroki Watanabe (JPN), 11.74; Victor Peralta (DOM), 5.83; Charlie Philippon (FRA), 3.87
Heat 12: Kaipo Jaquias (HAW), 14.76; Yoshio Ishida (JPN), 6.86; Regis Blanchard (FRA), 6.33; Daniel Lopez (GUA), 2.83
Men’s Grand Masters Qualifying Round 1 Results
Heat 1: Randall Chaves (CRI), 8.5; Sebastian Galindo (ARG), 6.66; Azumi Hara (JPN), 2.4
Heat 2: Juan Ashton (PUR), 11.33; Eduardo Rojos (VEN), 6.5; Ricardo Chiari (PAN), 4.2
Heat 3: Mark Cameron (AUS), 8.77; German Aguirre (PER), 6.34; Carlos Corado (GUA), 2.16
Heat 4: Hans Hagen (USA), 9.6; Julian Galeana (MEX), 3.43; Carlos Alvarado (ECU), 3.13
Heat 5: Dean Randazzo (USA), 6.2; Manuel Lozano (ECU), 4.96; Adrian Valenzuela (MEX), 3.93
Heat 6: Victor Peralta (DOM), 8.1; David Hammond (AUS), 6.44; Luiggi de Marzo (PER), 4.73
Heat 7: Giovanni Visconti (CHI), 3.04; Alfredo Flores (VEN), 2.7; Jose Medina (PUR), 2.33
Heat 8: Pascal Luciani (TAH), 7.43; Yasunori Isobe (JPN), 7.07; Santiago di Pace (ARG), 6.57; Jose Urena (CRI), 2.5
Heat 9: Sergio Noronha (BRA), 9.43; Francisco Romagoza (SAL), 2.36; Daniel Paez (SWI), 4.4
Heat 10: Junior Maciel (BRA), 6.1; Richy Arosemena (PAN), 3.63; Rodrigo Dominguez (SAL), 1.73
Heat 11: Sunny Garcia (HAW), 11.67; Francois Gouffrant (FRA), 4.74; Pedro Pablo Vergara (GUA), 1.63
Heat 12: Kaipo Jaquias (HAW), 10.1; Olivier Salvaire (FRA), 8.1; Lorenzo Parmegiani (ITA), 1.6
Sunday’s Heat Schedule:
8:00 AM – 8 Heats Qualify 1 Men’s Kahunas
10:40 PM – 6 Heats Qualify 1 Men’s Grand Kahunas
12:40 PM – 3 Heats Qualify 1 Women’s Masters
1:40 PM – 6 Heats Qualify 2 Men’s Masters
3:40 PM – 2 Heats Repechage 1 Men’s Grand Masters
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running the Open Division World Championship since 1964, the World Junior Surfing Championship since 1980, the World Masters Surfing Championship since 2007, the World Bodyboard Championship since 2011, and the Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival in China and the World Standup Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship beginning in 2012. The ISA also sanctions the World Kneeboard Titles and the World Tandem Surfing Championship.
ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies of 71 countries on five continents. Its headquarters are located in La Jolla, California. It is presided over by Fernando Aguerre (Argentina), first elected President in 1994 in Rio de Janeiro and re-elected seven times since. The ISA´s four Vice-Presidents are Alan Atkins (AUS), Karín Sierralta (PER), Debbie Beacham (USA) and Layne Beachley (AUS).
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