Source: Argentinean Surfing Association – www.asasurf.org.ar

The Argentinean surfing team finished 13th at the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship held in New Zealand.  This was an improvement of two places in relation to the position previously obtained in 2009.  The great Champion was Australia, followed by Hawaii, United States and South Africa.

Latin America placed only one team among the Top 10.  Peru obtained 9th place after very good performances by Carlos Mario Zapata and Martín Jerí, and became the region’s reference team.  Argentina (13th), Brazil (14th), Ecuador (15th) and Mexico (17th) followed behind.

Tobías Ortells and Martina Gainza were the surfers that received grants from the Individual ISA Scholarship Program in 2010.  The athletes will receive financial support from the International Surfing Association to invest in the improvement of their surfing skills and to boost their education.

As every year, the ISA chose the surfers that will receive their stimulus grant to provide them with an incentive for the development of their surfing and education.  This year, 25 athletes from around the world received the benefit of 900 USD sponsorship for 2010.

A total of 77 young surfers applied for the grant, among which Argentineans Martina Gainza and Tobias Ortells complied with the requirements and were selected by the ISA to be a part of the program.

In the press conference where the 25 names were disclosed, ISA President Fernando Aguerre said that “this success is not only ours or that of the companies that finance the program, but also the success of the federations in each country that stimulate their athletes to become a part of the program.”

Leandro Usuna was the winner of the Pura Vida Surfing Festival, first event of the Argentinean Surfing Tour that finished in a day of perfect waves in the Seis Brujas beach of the city of Miramar.  “Lele” defeated Maxi Siri, one of the best surfers of the entire event, with a score of 10.54 against 10.40, thus achieving his first victory in 2010 by fractions of a point.