| Ecuador ready for the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships |
| Friday, 20 February 2009 10:20 |
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From March 28 to April 5 the waves of the Playa de las FAE in Salinas, Ecuador, will host the greatest junior surfing event in the world: the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship. More than 200 of the best athletes of about 30 different countries will be competing for one of the greatest honors to which a junior surfer can aspire: a podium in an International Surfing Association (ISA) event. The ISA is the World Governing Authority of Surfing and all its disciplines, recognized by the International Olympic Committee. The event will crown the world champions in the categories Boys Under 18, Boys Under 16 and Girls Under 18, as well as the World Junior Champion nation, after the results of all its participants have been added. Each team will be represented by four members in each of the categories; therefore, a complete team will be composed of twelve athletes. ISA President, Fernando Aguerre, commented on this upcoming event: I’m very happy that a major ISA event is going to be held in Ecuador, the host of the 2004 ISA World Surfing Games. It’s a great country with warm people, hot waves and weather - for sure a place to spend some extra days before or after the competition. Regarding the fact that Ecuador is the first Hispanic American country to host an edition of the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship, Aguerre said: This is proof that Surfing in that region is maturing in a great way, in countries that only 20 years ago would not be considered surfing countries like Ecuador and Costa Rica, host of the ISA World Surfing Games later this year. We’re looking forward to hot surfing, a substantial increase of junior surfing level.” It will be the seventh edition of the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship. The event started its history soon after ISA decided to separate the Junior category from the World Surfing Games, to offer the best Under 18 athletes their own event. The decision proved a correct one and transformed itself in a mandatory stop for the best young athletes, since it became a talent incubator of the future leaders of world surfing. The first competition happened in South Africa in 2003, continued in Tahiti (2004), California (2005), Brazil (2006), Portugal (2007) and France in 2008. In this way, Ecuador becomes the first Hispanic-American country to host the WJSC. Australia, the greatest surfing force at world level, will be defending the gold medal in the general team position. On the other hand, the kangaroo country is the absolute leader in the event’s history, having won four of the six editions already held. About the Place The wave is a long, perfect and consistent left-leaning point break that maintains the good shape in swells of up to 8 feet. The beach acquired fame after the World Surfing Games were held there in 2004. In March, the average temperature in Ecuador is of 35o centigrade. Be sure to take sun protection and water. Rainfall is scarce in Salinas.
Gallery of WJSC Champions
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