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Chronicle: Beginning of the Masters of Surf World Championship Nicaragua 2012

Faustino Salcedo | Jul 16, 2012

Competitor on the first day of the Masters World Championships of Surf. | Photographer: Ariadna Ramos

After the opening ceremony in Rivas, the first qualifying day in Colorado beach took

"We declare the opening of the World Masters Surfing Championship Nicaragua 2012," shouted Fernando Aguerre, President of the International Surfing Association (ISA), having completed the opening ceremony of this world class event, held in the hot city Rivas, on Saturday July 14th. In this chronicle you will find details of what was one of the most important weekends in the history of surfing and tourism in Nicaragua, which does not end here, but marks the beginning of 8 days during which about 120 countries will appreciate surfers over 35 years old, who will be showing off their skills on the waves of Colorado Beach in Tola, one of the 10 best places in the world to practice this sport, according to the ISA.

Saturday July 14th will be marked on the calendars of history as the day in which the fifth World Masters Surfing Championship opened, and the first carried out in Nicaragua. The event took place in the city of Rivas. The journalists who traveled with the “Instituto Nicaragüense de Turismo –INTUR-” (Nicaraguan Tourism Chamber), we arrive at the city at about 12:00 noon. There was a party atmosphere already felted, the locals frequently circulated on the streets which were also filled with tourists, all waiting for the parade of the delegations of the participating countries.

The opening ceremony of the championship, began with a parade which begun from the Pan American Highway at a gas station where the main street of the city begins. The 26 delegations were ready to take a tour of 7 blocks until reaching the Central Park. The parade was led by a group of soldiers from the Army of Nicaragua, followed by members of the presidency of the ISA. Then the delegations from each participating country followed, each carrying an urn carrying the sand of its beaches, and then followed by a Nicaraguan comparsa.

Once in front of the central park, delegations entered one by one to an area suitable for the event. Each delegation came in singing, shouting or clapping. The most striking were the French, who never stopped joking and singing, followed by Venezuela. The act began immediately with the deposit of sand of the world in a container. The Nicaraguan competitor carried Corinto’s and Colorado’s Beach Sand. After the words of Fernando Aguerre and Mario Salinas, president of INTUR, a cultural event in which the dance from Pearl Lagoon and Güegüense play, considered cultural heritage of humanity began.

Upon completion of all acts, delegations came up on stage, and Aguerre officially launched the Masters of Surf World Championship Nicaragua 2012. A party at Colorado Beach was waiting for the participants and organizers. Nightlife began and the anxiety that Sunday arrived soon became stronger, it would be the first day of the competition.

The next day we set off from San Juan del Sur town where we stayed, to Tola. The trip took us approximately 45 minutes, then we arrived at the Iguana Livestock, which is located in Colorado Beach. Visitors must leave their vehicles at the entry at a point indicated by the authorities, and then are transported in a minibus to the beach.

At the south side of the beach are the sheets of each delegation. There the participants wait for their turn, which is announced from the tower where the judges of the event are located. The competitors are identified by shirts that can be white, red, black and yellow that is decided by judges. In the morning the round of the Masters One category took place, which had 12 heats composed of groups of 3 or 4 participants each, of which only the first 2 classified. In this stage the competitor with the highest qualifying score was Magnum Martínez of Venezuela, strong candidate to win gold

As the morning was consumed the presence of the public was more noticeable. There was Rex Calderón at the event, the young Nicaraguan surfer with bigger international projection. Rex said that Sunny García, a competitor of Hawaii, is an expert in giant waves, therefore he is a favorite, and that Magnum Martínez is a highly skilled surfer, who he has had the opportunity to surf with. The competitors for Nicaragua are Carlos Deshon and Ronald Urroz, registered in the Grand Kahuna category for people over 53 years old. Deshon had to withdraw because of a knee injury, becoming Urroz, the first Nicaraguan to participate in a Surf World Cup, in its round he ended in fourth place, but the audience applauded him for having represented Nicaragua.

Surfers agreed that the waves and weather were spectacular. The white sand of the beach reflected the beauty of this place, which was little known until recently. At the southern end of the place is a stage in which Rivas restaurants are offering their services. There the public can sit and relax, enjoy the water of a small stream, and appreciate the competition without any problems. The end of the press tour came and we had to leave the event that continues to develop these days, and we will be giving you more details in the coming days.

Here you can see a photo gallery about the event.

Translated by Aída Pichardo