Morro /Rucco Surfer & Family Surf Contest

“MORRO/RUCCO” SURFERS & FAMILY SURF CONTEST
By: Isaac Avila Cegobiano
Photos: Aaronchan-go
Translation: Heido Sundstrom

The sixth edition of this annual event, held at Playa Linda in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, took place on the first weekend in December. This year, the contest included a slight modification that brought two events together, both of which, happen in December, the “Rucco (Veteran) Surf Contest” and the “Torneo de Morros (Youth Tournament)”, much to the delight of local surf fans. Different generations enjoyed the event together with a feeling of family unity and brotherhood, which was felt by its organizer, Leo Catchalola, plus veterans and non-veterans alike that hailed from Mexico City, Acapulco, the United States and, of course, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo.

The “Rucos”, ranging in age from 40 – 70 years old, put their heart and soul into surfing, still practicing their sport and their lifestyle today. In some cases, their agility may fail, but it doesn’t matter, they’ll keep on catching waves anyway, enjoying the slow, yet savory, ride. You can still hear them shout for joy when they complete their whimsical journeys on their giant boards.

Rucco Surf is not a competition, but a coexistence. It’s a veteran surfer’s party because any age over forty is an age of power. They’re called veterans or Rucos for their experience; for all the years they’ve been practicing this sport.

On Friday, we saw the likes of Fernando and Alfonso Polidura from Mexico City (who have both attended every year), the legendary Gary Linden, Manuel Rios, Toño Ochoa and Leo Perez himself.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Open, Women’s and Kids’ categories sprung into action. In the Open Category, we saw stiff competition between Daniel Najera and Carlos Carranza as well as in the Women’s category, with Pamela Verboonen and Kristal Hernandez entering the water with everything they had to see who would be the “queen” of the waves. Manuel Rios and Leo Perez had it pretty easy, while Jerry Amello took the Surf Legends’ Category. The icing on the cake was the competition between the kids, proving that ‘girls just wanna have fun’ as there were more girl surfers in the water than boys (ten girls against three boys). The future of surfing is in the water and we must continue to support them in order that these young seeds bear fruit.