The 1st National Championship of the Mexican Surfing Circuit, Karma 2006, took place this year from September 12 through 17, at Playa Escolleras in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo. This was the fourteenth year for the annual invitational surfing tournament; it was comprised of 12 categories and for the first time included adult and children’s categories in a National competition. Over 200 surfers competed—25 of them under the age of 14—coming to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo from all across the Republic: Baja California, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Colima, Tamaulipas, DF, Michoacan, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Jalisco and Guerrero, including nationally and internationally ranked competitors. With a tropical storm hovering nearby and rain all week, the surfers had to contend with difficult weather and conditions, but the sun came by the end of the week and the finalists were rewarded with up to 11-foot waves. The winners of this event will go on to compete in the 2nd National Championship Circuit to be held in Cancun, Quintana Roo, in January 2007. The 3rd and final circuit, which determines the Mexican National Surfing Team, will be held after, sometime in 2007. The Mexican National team that is selected will go on to represent Mexico in the World Surfing Games in 2008. This year’s World Surfing Games was held in the famous surf town of Huntington Beach, CA . The location of the 2008 Games has not yet been determined and work is underway to bring it to Mexico. Karma Surf Tournament Director, Leonel Perez, of Catcha La Ola Surf Shop in Ixtapa, seems to think it could happen. A recent poll of the world’s top 44 surfers, who have surfed the best waves across the globe, listed a little known spot in southern Oaxaca as one of the world’s best waves. The spot, says Perez, that they are hoping will be chosen to host the World Games in 2008.
Other projects in the works for the Ixtapa area, are a children’s surfing tournament, Festival Infantil de Surfing, scheduled for December 2-3, at Playa Linda. It will be open to both boys and girls, and children will compete in two divisons: ages six to ten years, and ages ten to fourteen years. We encourage every young surfer who has an interest to sign up. You can contact Leonel Perez at Catcha La’ Ola Surf Shop in Ixtapa, Tel. 755-553-1384 or Adrian Tellechea at Restaurnat Bananas in Zihuatanejo, Tel. 755-102-7058, for more information.
For more information of the Guerrero State Surfing Association, go to their web site at www.aseg.tk
-Originally published in November 2006
