COSTA RICANS SWEEP REEF LATIN PRO IN JACO BEACH ALAS FINALS

COSTA RICANS SWEEP REEF LATIN PRO IN JACO BEACH ALAS FINALS

YOUNG TICOS RULE THE PODIUM: 17-YEAR-OLD JAIRO PEREZ WINS OPEN; 14-YEAR-OLD NATALY BERNOLD TOPS WOMEN'S DIVISION; 17-YEAR-OLD JASON TORRES STEALS PRO JUNIOR CATEGORY

by Ellen Zoe Golden

PLAYA JACO, COSTA RICA November 27, 2007 – It may have been the Brazilian Ernest Nunes who earned the 2007 Asociacion Latinamerica de Surf (ALAS) Latin & Caribbean Open title by the end of the day on Saturday, but it Jairo Pérez from the home turf who came away the big winner of the Reef Classic Latin Pro Costa Rica in Playa Jaco the next day, Sunday, November 25. The 17-year-old won the 9 th —and final—ALAS Tour event with steady, controlled maneuvering, in a man-to-man final heat against his own countryman, Jaco's Luis Vindas. As a matter of fact, with the exception of Venezuelan Ronald Reyes winning the Longboard category, all of the major divisions were taken by the Ticos: Jaco's Nataly Bernold won Women's and Jaco's Jason Torres scored a trophy for Pro Juniors.

“With the exception of a national contest a while ago, this is my first Open win,” said the diminutive, muscled youngster after receiving a $4,000 winner's check and his own, giant trophy for the 6-star ALAS triumph. “When the contest started on Friday, I realized there were a lot of good surfers; I didn't think I was good enough, but as the contest went on and especially, when it came to competing with our national champion Diego (Naranjo, Jaco), and then Diego Cadena ( Mexico ), I got nervous. Thank God he gave me the waves and the money because he knows how much I needed both of those things today.”

Against Vindas in the finals, Pérez received accolades for an impressive five off-the-tops on a critical part of a left wave, followed by a snap, an aerial, and a final bottom turn, scoring the highest in the Championship with 8.73 points. Of course, the other big surprise of the event, was when Jairo defeated the International Surfing Associations' (ISA) ranked #13 Cadena in that semifinal heat. Not to mention that the youngster surfed in two finals—Open and Junior categories.

Meanwhile, Vindas defeated the Puerto Rican Gabriel Escudero with his trademark aerials—including once performing two on one wave. With this, he rated the second best average score of the weekend with 16.10 points in the semifinals, and though tough, were a warm-up for the last heat which became “a great final between Ticos to represent the country and Jaco. We live here and we both know the wave.”

The Open tally resulted in Pérez at 1st, Vindas 2nd, Escudero 3 rd and Cadena 4 th .

Peru 's Valeria Solé, also secured her 2007 ALAS Latin & Caribbean Women's title in Jaco, since her closest competitor, the Peruvian Analí Gómez, didn't make it to Costa Rica . Yet, once again, the big news was a Tica—14-year-old wunderkind Nataly Bernold, who recently moved with her family from Guanacaste's Tamarindo to Jaco, also making the contest ground her home base.

Bernold began and ended the weekend with great performances—and the last day of the contest she demonstrated why José Urena, President of the Costa Rica Federacion de Surf (FSC) calls her a “contest machine” She offered excellent rollers and snaps in the critical part of the wave, just what the judges needed to award her 1 st place in the Women's Reef Classic Latin Pro Costa Rica, beating her mentor, 5-time Costa Rican National Women's Champion and 2-time Central American Women's Champion Lisbeth Vindas in the 4-women final heat. Vindas took 2 nd , Solé was 3 rd .

Torres, who holds the only Pan American Surfing Games gold medal for his Junior triumph in 2005, earned the best championship average with a 16.17 on the second day of competition with his Open category score, but bust out of the pack this weekend to win the Pro Juniors at the Reef Classic Latin Pro Costa Rica . He and friend Pérez were in the final 4-man heat. Pérez won 2 nd , the Venezulean Francisco Bellorian placed 3 rd , with Chilean Manuel Selman 4th. Selman became the 3-time ALAS Pro Junior Champion.

The 2007 ALAS Latin & Caribbean Longboard Champion is Martín Pérez. The awards ceremony will be in January, in the ALAS TOUR 2008 first stop.

For more information on Costa Rican surfers or the Federacion de Surf de Costa Rica , please go to www.surfingcr.net



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Ernesto Nunes is the Latin American Surf Champion 2007

from the ALAS website - www.alaslatintour.com

In the second day of competition we have the undisputed champion of all Latin America. The Brazilian Ernesto Nunes is the new champion after a strong battle over the whole 2007.

"I`m the champion, I´m the champion," he shouted between laughs. Ernesto remained throughout the last quarter-final heat alone and away from the podium. From there the locution couldn´t be listen, he preferred to stay there because of the nerves. If Passeri and Alanderson get out of competition nobody could remove him for the first place.

And things gone in his favor, the two Costa Ricans Naranjo and Vindas dominated the heat leaving out two of the top of the Tour, Passeri in third and Alanderson in fourth.

"I stayed away from the competition, I didn`t know that Passeri`s heat was in the water. But when my friends started coming towards me screaming, I realized that the victory was mine. It was very difficult to become champion, it means a lot to me, it was a very long way, I thank God that it`s closed today." Ernesto lifted the Brazilian flag and cried of happiness.

In the last heat of the day, 32, was like the finals for the ALAS Tour. Passeri and Martins were out. Both should win the Reef Classic Latin Pro Costa Rica to go home with the Latin crown. But the heat was really hard; they compete against the Ticos Diego Naranjo and Luis Vindas that imposed. Ernesto embraced Diego Naranjo. The pass of Naranjo and Luis Vindas was the triumph of Nunes.

Passeri left all in the water: "I had a few dates that hurt me. I think I felt pressure all year by carrying the title. It`s difficult because you are the champion and you can`t run badly. But I`m happy because I surfed with the heart today. I congratulate Ernesto who is a great surfer; he has been very consistent throughout all the year."

Passeri with this result is the fourth in the ranking, and keeps a good position for next year. With the motivation to take the title for the second time, something that no surfer has been able to achieve, the Argentine thinks back to the ALAS Tour 2008 with force. "Next year, the level of ALAS Tour will be very strong, there are juniors who come with talent."

The situation of the first places in the ranking 2008 remains the same: the title is of Ernesto Nunes (BRA), second is Sebastian Alarcon (PER), third Francisco Bellorin (VEN) and fourth Martín Passeri (ARG). Starting from the fifth position there are changes. The Brazilian Alanderson Martins (BRA) has climbed to fifth while in the sixth is Josie Graves (PRI), seventh Jean Carlo Schaffer (VEN) and eighth Javier Swayne (PER). The only one who can continue climbing is the Chilean Manuel Selman because he`s still alive in competition.

El ALAS Latin & Caribbean Tour Reef Classic Costa Rica thanks all the sponsors and to those who make posible this event: Imperial, Restart, Credomatic, Jacó Beach, 911, Roca Bruja, Cristal, Fiesta Casino, Tantique, Australian Gold, POL, Day Star, Quique y QFA. And also the Costa Rican Surf Federation.

The Latin American Surf Association

The Latin American Surf Association - ALAS was founded in the year 2000 with the purpose of promoting surfing in Latin America and creating a circuit at continental level that serves like platform of professional competition for the increase amount of surfers in our countries. In the year 2002 ALAS made for the first time in history a series of events that consecrated the first Latin American Champion of Surf; the Latin American Surf Circuit continued and grew throughout the years, holding fast in the coasts of twelve countries of Latin America.

Today, ALAS controls and executes professional championships in the Latin American level, defining the Latin Champions in the Open Pro, Pro Junior, Woman and Longboard categories.