Translation: Heido Sundstrom
THE TRADITION CONTINUES...
Playa La Barrita, located in the municipality of Petatlan in the state of Guerrero, celebrated the fifteenth edition of this surfing event held during the Lord of Petatlan celebration, the Patron Saint of this Costa Grande town.
PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION
The event kicked off Saturday and was opened by the Mayor of Petatlan, Licenciado Jorge Ramirez, as well as Esteban Carranza (trustee), Erik Castro (organizer) and the Guerrero State Surfing Association, who recognized the importance of supporting this sport (and even more so since it’s a sport that promotes the wonderful beaches that are available in the state of Guerrero, with warm water and extraordinary sunsets).
About fifty athletes gathered from Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Playa Azul (Michoacan) to compete their hardest for the prize purse that was to be divided among the top three spots in three categories that included: Shortboard Open, Juvenile and Bodyboard Open. The event also featured a bikini contest and a volleyball tournament.
The surf was better on Saturday and dropped slightly on Sunday. But that was no reason to not enjoy the feats of these extreme athletes during tough semifinals that featured Oscar “Pawi” Chino of Acapulco and Mario Farias from Michoacan (who were later eliminated in a close and competitive group).
The Open final entertained us with aerials, tubes and floaters, with Jose Manuel “Yuco” Trujillo beating seasoned Michoacan surfer, Raul Medina, Bonfil local, Roberto Olguin (who caught a tube in each one of his heats), and Serafin Chino, who just couldn’t get the dynamite lit and ended up taking fourth.
Juan Manuel “Cuico” Suazo of Zihuatanejo didn’t have it easy in the final and had to face World Cup winner, Ulises “Votrek” Rodriguez, plus Revolcadero local, Manuel Palma (who is now bodyboarding quite well) and Boris Dueñas, who is “back on the podium”, so to speak. It was a grand final that gave us tubes, rolls and reverse aerials.
In the Juniors Category, young surfing sensation, Luis Rey Hernandez, took home the victory, followed by Pablo Guerrero of Zihuatanejo. The other competitors included: Fernando “Gabacho” Olea of Revolcadero and Vicente “Chentelo” Vega, who also competed in the Open category but stayed in fourth place, perhaps due to physical factors.
BODYBOARD CATEGORY
1.- JUAN MANUEL SUAZO (ZIHUA)
2.- MANUEL PALMA (ACA)
3.- ULISES RODRIGUEZ (ACA)
4.- BORIS DUEÑAS (ACA)
JUNIORS SHORTBOARD CATEGORY
1.- LUIS REY HERNANDEZ (ACA)
2.- PABLO GUERRERO (ZIHUA)
3.- FERNANDO OLEA (ACA)
4.- VICENTE VEGA (ACA)
SHORTBOARD OPEN CATEGORY
1.- JOSE MANUEL TRUJILLO (ACA)
2.- RAUL MEDINA (MICH)
3.- ROBERTO OLGUIN (ACA)
4.- SERAFIN CHINO (ACA)
THE ASP 1-STAR GIJON JUNIOR
Translation: Heido Sundstrom
French surfers, Nomme Mignot and Johanne Defay won the inaugural ASP 1-Star Gijon Junior Pro, held in Gijon, Asturias, Spain.
The young Mignot, at 16 years old, managed to win the tough semifinal by mere tenths of a point against the other competitors in his heat.
The difference was already clear in the finals, as the young Mignot went with everything he had and scored a 7.33 for his best wave and a 7.10 for his second best wave, hitting all the lefts that the San Lorenzo high tide was dishing out. With two radical turns and a reverse aerial, victory was in the bag.
In an interview, the young Mignot said, “This victory is for my family, my parents and brother and the whole Billabong team, including our coach, Richard, and all the other surfers. My brother Diego won in Sopelana and now me; I’m thrilled!”
The young surfer thanked his Billabong team, whose priority is to have fun and not pressure yourself and has supported him on the national team. Mignot also gave a shout-out to the town of Sayulita, Mexico, where he’s spent a lot time.
Last week, we congratulated ourselves for Diego Mignot’s victory on the second stop of the ASP European Junior Series—the O’Neill Sopelana Junior Pro in Sopelana, Spain and now Nomme celebrates his own victory. These are two brothers that both have a lot of potential and are really showing it.
Both grew up and currently reside in Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico, which reinforces what we’ve always said: Sayulita is the birthplace of great surfers in Mexico. The waves are small and perfect for doing extreme tricks that you can execute in different swells around the world. This, combined with the natural talent of the surfers, makes for an explosive combination.
In the Women’s Category, French surfer, Johanne Defay claimed the victory on this stop; she was the contest favorite and obtained the highest scores during the event.
MEN’S CATEGORY RESULTS
1 - Nomme Mignot (FRA) 14.43
2 - Miguel Blanco (PRT) 13.26
3 - Jorgann Couzinet (REU) 12.76
4 - Ugo Robin (FRA) 10.96
WOMEN'S CATEGORY RESULTS
1 - Johanne Defay (FRA) 15.67
2 - Cannelle Bulard (REU) 12.40
3 - Leticia Canales Bilbao (EUK) 10.67
4 - Ainara Aymat (EUK) 8.86
