In an interview for FS’s web page, the new president Jose Ureña– who has been the director of all the events for the CNS (Circuito Nacional de Surf) for the last two years– stated that in the months to follow, he will double the efforts so that Costa Rican surfers may travel to all big national and regional events.

How do you value the work of all past directors of FS?
I have to say that they were able to reach goals far greater than imagined: A Circuit that already has more than seven editions, the presence of our teams at two Panamerican Games, two Junior World Championships and two World Championships of Surfing. That is something that I respect very much, we must also mention that our surfers like, Federico Pilurzu, Jason Torres, Luis Vindas, Lisbeth Vindas, Diego Naranjo, Gilbert Brown and Germaine Myrie, all obtained great success that proves that our level of surfing is growing tremendously.

Why did you choose to accept the offer of presidency?
Everyone knows that this is a heavy job, but in my case, I am driven by the wish to keep alive and better all the things that have already been achieved. Furthermore, I have always been passionate about surfing, a sport which gave me great pleasures and opportunities. And now it is time to give something back to the sport. I also accepted the position because past contributors like Antonio Pilurzu and Cristopher Commarieu, have accepted to be advisors; so all their experience will still be at our service.

What is your experience in regards to organizing contests and other aspects like judging?
In my case, I am very familiar with the surfing world, having practiced it for more than 24 years as both a competitive and leisure sport. In the past, I have traveled to contests in United States (California, Florida and Virginia), El Salvador, Panamá, Ecuador, Venezuela, Hawaii and to the Galápagos Islands. And of course, I have surfed in Costa Rica. In regards to judging and the way that the rules of the CNS are run, I am more than calm because the person in charge of this part of the Federation, Mr. Jeffrey Rojas and his team, have attended many courses and are approved by the ISA; and so, we are the only judges certified in all of Central America.

In regards to your new presidency, what are some of the projects you will be working on in the next few months?
Along with sending our national teams to compete in Guatemala and Portugal, I think that we should work on the “Circuito Nacional de Surf” because it is the biggest local surf event that most people attend. We also have to continue our efforts so that more children become involved in our contests. For example, this year we had for the first time ever, a category for beginners and another one for girls under 12 years (minigrommets); with this we are planting the seed for our future surfing stars.