THE GOOD
THE WAVES – Overall, we had good waves throughout the competition, averaging 3 – 5 ft. Zippers behaved well with competitors and gave them many good moments.
THE MUSIC – “Caravan to Cabo” brought us six good bands from Southern California who, together with the Venezuelan band, Amigos Invisibles, were in charge of livening up the night with their unique sounds of Jazz, Disco, Funk and Latin rhythms; quality music in Costa Azul.
DREW BROPHY AND HIS TRAVELING SURBOARD – Sending this traveling surfboard and beautiful piece of art to various big cities around the world was a great marketing strategy and quickly made its way across different social networks.
ONLINE TRANSMISSION AND COMMENTATORS – We can say that the online transmission was impeccable and it has been a wise decision from the ASP to handle it as they have. Surely it will only continue to improve with each contest. The commentators, both on the beach and streaming, were well spoken and quite entertaining.
SECURITY, INFRASTRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION – This event was a pleasure to attend and it was clear that some improvements were made since last year. The ASBCS controlled the security and maintained the beach in good conditions for the athletes. We understand that putting on an international contest is a great undertaking and our hats off to them for taking it on. (If only national contests worked as efficiently...)
THE LEVEL OF SURFING AND THE ATHLETES – This year’s competitors met expectations and provided a spectacular show with incredible tricks while maintaining a kind and friendly atmosphere. They walked along the beach and mingled with the locals, always with a smile and an interest for our culture and customs.
THE BAD
BEACH ACTIVITIES – It’s hard to be on the beach watching photos and carvings for hours. For spectators, there was something lacking on the beach to hold their interest (Ex: stilt walkers, a fire show, surf competitions, etc.), as well as activities for kids like sand sculpture workshops or something of the like. Maybe treating this more like a beach festival in the future would bring more interesting activities to its spectators.
THE HEAT – At this time of year, we really start to feel the heat at this tourist destination, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 95º F.
PUBLICITY – We noticed very little publicity, banners or billboards around the city. There were a couple signs from the event’s main sponsor posted along the highway but it wasn’t too clear what the event was. There should be more publicity posted around the city to announce an important event like this one.
THE EARLY CALLS – With morning call times being around 7am, it was hard for a lot of people to attend and support their athletes. Normally, during this season, the people of Los Cabos are accustomed to coming to the beach in the afternoon when the sun isn’t as strong.
KITS – We didn’t notice any press kits or tourist information kits for the international athletes. During the days of competition, they are ambassadors of our destination, so it’s important to provide as much information as possible.
COVERAGE – Some media outlets were absent for this contest, both specialized magazines and coverage of the media in general. More attention should be brought to this detail.
THE UGLY
THEFT – Equipment being stolen from Sage Erickson at Shipwrecks beach was an unfortunate occurrence. Information should be provided to the athletes in this regard.
SUSTAINABILITY – We continue to depend on government budgets for quality events, which makes us wonder about the longevity of this contest.
NATIONAL SURFING – Still, no results on the podium. There must be something we’re doing wrong.
SPONSORS – It’s amazing the amount of contempt felt by large advertisers (Telcel, Femsa, Modelo, etc.) for events that take place outside of Mexico City. There is simply no interest in funding projects with high potential to promote regional development. Not only in surfing, but through events like music festivals, film festivals, etc. all over Mexico. The national surfing “industry” can’t even be called an industry and as for the big surf brands, they’re not even worth mentioning if, at an ASP Six-Star event like the Los Cabos Open, they’re totally absent. This must change if Mexico really wants to become a world surfing and touristic power.
Photo Gallery:
With good wave selection and consistent tricks, Asaya Brusa faced off against experienced surfers like Brazilian Silvana Lima, Alana Blanchard and Chandler Parr in this morning’s heat.
With 4.83 and 4.03 waves, Brusa was able to score an 8.86, which allowed her to surpass Parr’s 7.17 score and Blanchard’s 3.73, who was seen visibly distracted and scored several points below Lima. Meanwhile, Lima executed some powerful tricks and ended up taking first place in the heat.
We congratulate Asaya, the only Mexican moving on to the second round in her category, giving dignity to women’s participation in this competition.
Juan J. Del Río.
