Young talents trained in the South Pacific seeking a place in the Junior National Team that will represent us in the world championship of the category, which will be held in El Salvador.

Since last weekend, the Junior National Pre-Selection team, led by coach Diego Naranjo and first assistant Juan Carlos Naranjo, has been training in the South Pacific of Costa Rica in order to prepare the national team that will be representing us at the ISA World Surfing Games 2022 in El Salvador, from May 27 to June 5.

The young athletes have been training in both left and right waves, in order to try to match the conditions that the athletes will have in La Bocana and El Sunzal in El Salvador.

“This is the first time we’ve trained at a camp with this idea, so that the young surfers can have two waves with similar conditions to where the tournament will be held. The process is being carried out under the guidance of an institution where Diego Naranjo is the head coach, Juan Carlos Naranjo is the first assistant, and Mike Castro is the second assistant. All three of us are under the direction of the Diego Naranjo Surf Academy, which is great because the work isn’t being done by just one coach, but rather under a structured team of three, resulting in greater professionalism,” said Diego Naranjo, head coach of the Junior National Team.

Another point to highlight in this appointment is that for more than 10 years we have not had a coach of Costa Rican nationality and in 2023 a Jacobean will have the great responsibility of putting our country in the top positions in the world in minor categories.

During the training sessions themselves, the boys showed great motivation and eagerness to be considered for the final selection.

“This is the first time I’ve been in a training camp with such a structured method from the entire team, and it’s helped us a lot and will continue to improve. I’m personally very happy. In this training camp, we also had work on the beach and video analysis to review all the waves we caught and see how we could improve. They also gave us motivational talks, and I hope the Costa Rican Surfing Federation can continue doing this,” said Axel Castro, a national team pre-selection member.

“It went really well. I felt like my surfing solidified a bit more. Everyone was in a great mood, and I got along really well with everyone. The camaraderie was wonderful, and we felt like a really strong and united team. Coach Diego kept us training hard, surfing for about seven hours total each day, and then we did video analysis. Diego showed me unconditional support and kept me really motivated to give my best. The waves were insane! There were some good-sized swells coming in, and honestly, I had an amazing time and enjoyed myself a lot with everyone,” said Lia Díaz.

This national pre-selection showcases a group of very talented young players who have demonstrated their high level of skill in various national and international tournaments, a situation that encourages us to expect a good result in a competition of this nature.

“I’m very happy to be part of a team like this and I’m very motivated. I hope I can make the final squad and get a good result at the World Cup. Diego is a great coach and I’m sure the final team will be very strong. The training we’ve done is focused on the future and I like this approach,” said Ethan Hollander, a member of the national team pre-selection.

Another training session is scheduled before the final names of the team are announced, and this will take place at Playa Guiones on May 12 and 13, days before the challenger event that will be held on this beach.

Written by: Enrique Hernández