The first Limón Ecological Tournament served as an impetus for the creation of an association that popularizes surfing in the Caribbean.

It all started about six years ago when some residents of the beautiful beach of Cieniguita looked for a way to encourage sports among the new generations in the area.

There were several ideas and ways to try to form an Association that would ensure the massification of surfing among the children of Cieneguita. It was then that the Cieneguita Surf School, with its founders Mike Castro and Esmeralda Bolívar, together with Jeremy Valverde and Dagoberto Chaves, thought of holding an event to generate funds and create the current Educational Surf Sports Association of Limón.

In this article, one of its founders, Mr. Mike Castro, tells us the whole story of how this entire life experience began.

Whose idea was this tournament?

The idea came from the founders of Cieneguita Surf School, Esmeralda Bolívar and Mike Castro, together with our friends Jeremy Valverde and Dagoberto Chaves.

What is the purpose of creating this event?

Our idea was to hold an event and use the funds to establish the Limón Educational Surf Sports Association. This would allow us to promote and motivate young people to participate in sports, learn about environmental stewardship, socialize, and learn competitive surfing. Our goal was to generate positive news from our community and showcase what could be one of the best beach breaks, or at least not the best, in the Caribbean.




In what year was it held and who could participate?

It was held in 2014 and there were several categories such as Open, Junior, Groms and Bodyboard. We were going to give the winners prizes and used boards in perfect condition, as well as their trophy.

 

Besides the fundraising tournament, why was it called ecological?

Because the event also had the purpose of cleaning the beach, planting trees, having refreshments and sharing, in order to get to know our future representatives of the Caribbean.



Where was the first ecological tournament held?

The event took place on Cieneguita beach in a place called "El Punto", where well-defined right and left waves appear, making it ideal for a tournament at that time.

Who were the winners of this first event?

We believe the province was the big winner, as this has allowed us to carry out many activities to benefit new generations; however, the actual winners of the first ecological tournament were:

In the Open category:

1-Bryan Arauz
2-Mike Castro
3-Romario Montero
4-Rodrigo Fernández

In Open Women:

1-Camilla Summers
2-Paulina Summers
3-Alexa Bolivar

They triumphed in Bodyboarding:

1-Jeremy Sandoval
2-Marlon Sandoval
3-Eduardo Rodriguez
4-Rodrigo Fernández

The winners of the Junior category would be:

1-Rodrigo Fernández
2-Axel Castro
3-Cedrick McCrakin

Since when can we say that the Association was founded and what benefits has it brought to the province?

From that tournament, ADSEL can be said to have been born, and to this day, much work has been done, becoming an essential pillar in the development of athletes, providing improvement clinics, beach registration and the Blue Flag Ecological Award, ongoing education for children and young people, and a link with the Surf Federation to bring the first date of a National Circuit to Cieneguita Beach in March 2016, as well as the National Master Circuit. This association has also helped different organizations such as ACOS and ABCR in the organization of important events, putting Cieneguita Beach on the map, producing national team members and national champions, and helping to change the stigma and discrimination against surfing and the community in the central canton. Later, we created our own Caribbean circuit called POWER CARIBE, which ran for three years until we modified our vision and way of impacting the community. ADSEL provided a platform for what is now the Waves and Smiles mental health foundation, and it is a blessing in our community, and a pleasure to share this beautiful story.

Written by: Enrique Hernández

General Management: Marco Montero