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.

Mexican surfing pioneer, ignacio felix cota, presents his book

“Tribe of the waves” in Guadalajara’s Fil
Translation: Heido Sundstrom

This past November 30th, Ignacio “Nacho” Felix Cota presented his book “Tribe of the Waves” at the FIL (Feria Interncional de Libros) in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The book chronicles the early days of Mexican surfing, where Nacho and a small group of friends became the first Mexican surfers to practice the sport in Mexico, learning in the icy waters of Ensenada. The book takes us back to when the first surfboards arrived in Mexico and describes the first “surfaris” that Nacho and his friends embarked upon along the coasts of Mexico and throughout the World. “Tribe of the Waves” will undoubtedly make a valuable addition to your library, regardless of whether you’re a surfer or not.

For more information about the book or if you’d like to purchase a copy, visit its facebook page: La Tribu de Las Olas

Smash that Wave 1st Annual Luis Aldaco Surf Classic Ensenada

By Guadalupe Beatriz Aldaco
Translation Heido Sundstrom

“Where was I when,
with the same care that moves an effigy,
you polished your board with wax,
making it more in tune with the waves
you carved?

Why was your passion not mine?”
-GBA

Wait...wait until you hear the buzzer: 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

The atmosphere surrounding the legendary beach 3M’s in Ensenada, Baja California could be seen from the highway. Threatened numerous times to be closed to surfers, this majestic gift of the Pacific Ocean has survived, and recently played host to the 1st Annual Luis Aldaco Surf Classic, held on November 17th, 2012 in memory of the surf veteran and Puerto-native that promoted the “gym of the waves” for decades.

Expectations were exceeded both in the number of competitors as well as the amount of spectators. Contest organizers expected approximately fifty participants but about a hundred came out to register, hailing from Ensenada, Rosarito, Tijuana and even a few from the United States; there were even some surfers that were left out of the contest for failing to register on time. The event had to be extended an extra day to accommodate everyone and saw activity all of Sunday, November 18th. Waves ranged from 2 – 4 ft. on Saturday and increased on Sunday, with light winds. Although the waves weren’t very big, they were the ideal size for an event that saw a large number of kids participating.

From all sides, you could hear people saying that they’d never seen a contest like this in Ensenada before. “The best event 3M’s has seen in a long time. I haven’t participated in a contest like this since the ’98 Nationals in San Miguel, which was followed by a National contest right here,” said one surfer, “it was a very competitive contest, with a good level of surfing and an outstanding team of judges.”

Luis Aldaco’s surf buddies, led by Eduardo Echegaray and Luis’ family, organized the contest. Fernanda Aldaco, the surfer’s youngest daughter and one of the principal organizers, recalls how her Father instilled his love for the ocean and for surfing in both her and her sisters...“3M’s was his favorite beach”. Since they were young, the girls sat on the shore so that their bodies came into contact with the ocean, delighting in the final part of this peaceful horizontal waterfall that is the breaking waves.

Sponsors of the event included:

San Miguel Surf Designs
Premiaciones Víctor
Kamisetas Shimo's
Glass-teck
Impresos Galván
Haru, Juan Corral & Chebeto Promotions
Surfblank México
Asociación Surf BC
Brewmaster Shop   

There’s the wave! Competitors, shattering the wave!

The waves, undulating formations as natural as they are mysterious, remain the place of contact between surfers and nature, a way of escaping the land and connecting with the universe. Man comes from the sea and the surfer returns to his source through his board, adhering to the power of a liquid magnet.

Slater and Gilmore Earn Top Honors at 42nd Annual SURFER Poll Awards

A veteran of the Poll, this year marked Kelly Slater’s 18th SURFER Poll No. 1 Award. He first took the honor in 1993 when he was just 21 years old.
 
“Obviously I’m stoked, it’s been a long time with a lot of support from a lot of people,” said Slater. “It’s definitely nice to be recognized by the surfing community and to come out at the top position. I’m surprised John John didn’t get first. I also thought Dane was going to get it this year—maybe next year. I think they split each other’s votes. They stole the election from each other.”
 
This year saw two first-time additions to the Top 10. John John Florence, who in 2011 won the AI Breakthrough Performer Award, leapt into second position on the list just behind Slater. Also making his SURFER Poll debut this year, Gabriel Medina became the first Brazilian to break the Top 10 on the coveted Poll. He also secured the distinguished AI Breakthrough Performer Presented by New Era award for 2012.
In addition to Slater’s accolades, ASP WCT surfers filled the top 10, with Gabriel Medina (BRA), 18, Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, Mick Fanning (AUS), 31, Taj Burrow (AUS), 34, Owen Wright (AUS), 22, Julian Wilson (AUS), 24, and Jordy Smith (ZAF), 24, adding to the list of ASP Top 34 surfers to make the fan voted awards list.
 
On the Women’s side of the Poll, the Top 5 from 2011 all remained on the list, with Alana Blanchard jumping up into the second position behind Stephanie Gilmore, who reclaimed the top spot for her third SURFER Poll victory.
 
“I am very excited about this year,” said Gilmore. “I was a little unsure of how it’d unfold, I wasn’t sure if I was going to come out on top because I didn’t win last year. I seriously had one of the best years of my life, and I guess everybody else thought that too. These awards are so important, because it’s the fans voting, so it means a lot.”
 
Aside from Gilmore, Hawaii’s Coco Ho (HAW), 21, 2011 ASP Women’s World Champion Carissa Moore (HAW), 20, and Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 21, also found themselves in the top 5.

AI Breakthrough Performer Presented by New Era
Gabriel Medina