By Federico Ayciriet – Argentinean Surfing Association – www.asasurf.org.ar

Martín Pérez dominates Soul Surfing Day

The Converse Soul Surfing Day crowned Martin Pérez as absolute winner of the second valid edition of the Argentinean Surfing Association’s ranking in the Longboard category.
The spectacular event, organized by Converse and carried out in the emblematic waves of Kikiwai, also counted with the presence of the country’s most important surfers competing with retro surfboards in the categories Single Fin and Twin Fin - the winners were Maxi Siri and Marcelo Rodriguez respectively.

In a sunny day with ideal waves for these categories, the Longboard and retro surfboards competitions were a real spectacle to those that went to Kikiwai to enjoy the third edition of the Soul Surfing Day, the first that was hosted in Mar del Plata.

Competitions began at 9:30 am with the Longboard category.  In heats of four competitors each, the contenders that classified for the final heat were Martín Pérez, Jeremias Alabart, Daniel Gil, Blas Alabart and Catupé Santa Crocce, while Fefe Goñi, Pichu Goel and Martin Passeri did not classify.  During the final heat, the best maneuvers were performed by the two-time Latin American champion Martin Perez that prevailed over a very good presentation by Daniel Gil.  Further behind were Blas Alabart, Catupé Santa Croce and Jeremias Alabart.
Afterwards, with more than 20 registered competitors in each category, the retro surfboard competition took place, with the presence of the best national surfing exponents and the outstanding performance of Peruvian Tamil Martino.

Nehuen Adamo is new King of the Groms

Nehuen Adamo won the fifth edition of the 2009 Quiksilver King of the Groms. This year the event took place in the Quiksilver Surf Beach and it was valid to the ranking of all the Junior categories of the Argentinean Surfing Association, who was responsible for managing the event.  Also in the first place were Brian Masmut (Junior U18), Lyn Petersen (U16), Fermin Besteiro (U14) and Maria Paz Usuna in the Women division.

The two days of competition were sunny and had good waves.  This gave the championship an ideal environment not only in relation to the sport competition, but also to the spectacle itself.  Furthermore, since the 2009 World Junior Championship is only two months away, the King of the Groms had a special dimension. 

All the team members that traveled to France in 2008 and a good part of those that are training and aspire to integrate with the team that will represent Argentina in Ecuador, were present.

On the last day, the semifinal and final heats demonstrated the existing parity among the juvenile riders.  Several surfers participated in more than one category, but only Brian Masmut and Lyn Petersen managed to repeat finals.

Argentina Lived Surfing Night

Argentinean Surf set a precedent on Tuesday 20.  The first surfing gala took place in the Sobremonte Complex of Mar del Plata, with more than 400 persons present, among which were the country’s best surfers, surfing pioneers, public officers from all the Atlantic coast, representatives of the industry and the press.

In one of the most intense moments of the night, the Argentinean Surfing Association received a resolution from the president of the city’s Honorable Deliberative Council, Mr. Marcelo Artime, where it was proposed to declare Mar del Plata as the “National Surfing Capital”.  This document was handed to the ASA president by Mr. Fernando Aguerre, President of the International Surfing Association (ISA).

Mr. Aguerre also donated to the Argentinean Association, in ISA’s name, a full grant for the formation and improvement of judges and one for instructors.  Aguerre, founder of the Argentinean Surfing Association declared that

“Five years ago Costa Rica had no professional surfers and in the last world championship obtained a fifth place, only one point behind the fourth team, which was France.  This impressive improvement was a result of training programs held all over the country through ISA-sponsored courses”.


Marcelo Rodríguez best of Reef Classic 2009

After three unforgettable days, the 2009 Reef Classic came to an end.  This was the second official circuit and valid for the Argentinean Surfing Association ranking. 

It took place in the Waimea and Biologia sectors of Playa Grande.  Marcelo Rodriguez won in the Open Pro category, Ornella Pellizzari in the Women category, Martin Perez in Longboard and Mariano Arreyes in Junior.
The 15th Edition of the Reef Classic that was carried out within the Argentinean circuit, rose to the occasion and concluded the third day of competition with high-level surfing sessions. 

To crown an impeccable event, the closing ceremony was transformed into a real party with the election of Miss Reef 2009, the prize-giving ceremonial and the presentation of Dread Mar I.

The best performances of the weekend were, on one hand, Ornella Pellizzari’s quarterfinals series, where the eventual winner of the category registered a general score of 19 points with 9 to 10-point waves, as well as Marcelo Rodriguez’s regular and solid surfing that demonstrated an unbeatable level throughout the three days.

Soon after winning the final heat of the Open Pro, Marcelo commented: “This is the championship that every surfer wants to win and thank God it happened to me. 
I’m extremely happy and want to thank my family, my friends and my sponsors who were here to back me during the last three days. When we train and make our body used to performing, the body responds when we ask it to.  I must thank a lot of people that are behind me accompanying all these physical preparations”.

Teté Gil was queen of the Roxy

After two long days of intense competition, the Roxy Surf & Art has concluded and Teté Gil was crowned in the Open and Longboard categories.  The local Waikiki athlete dominated the waves of Honu Beach during both days, thus ensuring the top of the Argentinean Surfing Association ranking in this first event of the National Circuit.

Maria Paz Usuna, Samanta Gyogri and Paola Danuncio also won in their categories.  The winning pair in the Tandem category was formed by Lucila Rey and Fede Goñi.

The Roxy Surf & Art continues to surprise us in each edition due to the continued growth of the number of inscribed surfers.  In this 2009 edition, sixty riders filled 81 registration forms resulting in a new record enrollment and ratifying the good choice of adding this event to the official ASA circuit.

About the International Surfing Association (ISA)
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for surfing, bodyboarding and surfriding. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964 and the Junior World Championships since 1980.

ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of over 50 countries on six continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. It is presided by Fernando Aguerre, first elected in 1994 in Rio, and re-elected six times since. The ISA's four Vice Presidents are Alan Atkins (Australia), Robin de Kock (South Africa), Mike Gerard (USA) and Karin Sierralta (Peru).

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