COLORADA NATIONAL BODYBOARDING GAMES PRO AM 2012

By: Isaac Avila Cegobiano
Translation: Heido Sundstrom

This past August, Planeta Surf went off in search of the perfect wave to celebrate the 1st Annual National Bodyboarding Games in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca and witnessed the best selections from eleven states including: Baja Norte, Baja Sur, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Colima, Michoacan, Veracruz, Guerrero, Quintana Roo, Distrito Federal and, of course, the home state of Oaxaca.

BOOGIES, YES! BOARDS, NO!
Playa Punta Colorada, located at the north entrance of Puerto Escondido in front of the airport, remains untouched by human hands (although there have been a few civil leaders that would love to privatize the area). It’s a wave with right and left peaks and is dense and heavy on its best days. Plus, it breaks close to the shore, making it an ideal wave for bodyboarders.

FOUR DAYS OF COMPETITION
The contest consisted of four days of competition that would ultimately define the Mexican National Selection to represent us in next year’s ISA World Games. Special prizes for the open category included a direct pass to the World Tour IBA’s next stop in Zicatela, Puerto Escondido at the end of September.

START YOUR ENGINES, WE MADE IT TO THE FINALS
The bodyboarders shined, even though there were some heats where they didn’t take full-advantage of the waves and did very little maneuvers. The heavier heats, on the other hand, had them flying, getting covered by the waves and doing all kinds of showy tricks that their teammates and the public both enjoyed. The girls defined their championship with two series of competitions to see who would gain more points. In the end, it was Soledad Fernandez (Oaxaca) that won. Each final was full of excitement, but it was the 16 & under open category that proved to be the highlight, with two surfers from Sinaloa and two from Oaxaca battling it out. Hector “El Motor” Santiago, with his wealth of experience and excellent ability to maneuver through waves, had a close match with teammate, Chuy Silva, who was also in full swing (being first in each of his qualifying heats). And we can’t forget the seasoned Sinaloenses, Ivan Gonzalez and Rafael Aguilar, who won the competition in the 16 & under and 18 & under categories respectively, and were both credited for competing in two categories and taking home the honors. The Oaxacan master, Edwin Morales, demonstrated his experience by outperforming other widely recognized competitors and knocking back Jose Farias (Michoacan) and taking first. Out of all the states, Oaxaca and Sinaloa proved to be the most competitive delegations.