The National U18 Surf Team is currently in Hyuga, Japan, participating in the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship which kicks out this Sunday, September 24 with the participation of 40 countries and close to 300 competitors.

“We found the type of waves we expected, very small and without power. The competitor that manages to generate more speed will be obtaining more points. This is why we are going to work on getting speed”, explained coach Jim Hogan after the Ticos trained in Japan this past Thursday.

The large number of competitors may force the organization to change the number of rounds and the repechage options; this same situation occurred in Portugal last year.

Leilani McGonagle, one of the strongest contestants for Costa Rica was invited to participate in the opening press conference that took place yesterday.

“First of all I’d like to say konnichiwa (hello)! For me it is an honor to be here in such a beautiful country and with such nice people. I got here with my team just two days ago, and already I have so many good things to say about it, so I can’t imagine the impression I will take home with me when I leave”, commented McGonagle.

The National Team is formed by the following 12 representatives:

Male U18
Aldo Chirinos
Joseph Méndez
André Chacón
Francisco Coronado

Male U16
Malakai Martínez
Sebastián Mora
Oscar Urbina
Gabriel Córdoba

Women U18
Leilani McGonagle
Zulay Martínez

Women U16
Eva Woodland
Coral Wiggins