The members of the Nayarit State Surfing Association (ASENAY, by its acronym in Spanish) won all of the heats in the 2016 Stand Up Paddle (SUP) & Paddleboard National Team Competition that took place in Sayulita, the Surfing Capital of the Riviera Nayarit.
During the tournament several well-known names who had participated in previous world cups upheld their status, including Fernando Stalla, who pioneered this sport in Mexico; Javier “Bicho” Jiménez, a silver medal winner in last year’s world cup; Felipe “Bodoque” Hernández, 2015 bronze medalist; and Felipe “Pipe” Rodríguez, national SUP surfing champion. Erika Benítez, Martha Díaz and Alejandra Brito were the standouts in the women’s league.
“It was a pleasure to welcome competitors from far away places such as Quintana Roo and Sinaloa, among others,” said José Luis Caselin, a member of the SUP & Paddleboard Committee for the Mexican Surfing Federation. “We’re very grateful to those who spread the word that the Nayarit continues to be the SUP Mecca.”
“We’re very happy to have held this competition here in the Riviera Nayarit; everything went well thanks to the support of the CVB. We hope to hold the next national competition in another state,” added Caselin.
Ana Mariscal, from Sinaloa, snagged a spot for Fiji, thus nixing the possibility of the Nayarit-only team.
The national team consists of: Fernando Stalla, Javier Jiménez, Felipe Hernández, Felipe Rodríguez, Julio González, Miguel Rodríguez, Juan Varela, Keven Camara, José Rodríguez, Oliver Cruz, Geovani Cervantes, Karen Jacobson, Aida Ponce, Martha Díaz, Ana Mariscal, Erika Benítez, Alejandra Brito, Angélica Estrada and Italivi Fuente.
This was such a great competition to watch here in Sayulita! Sunday had great waves which made it even better. Congratulations to the Mexico team, and good luck in Fiji, the entire village will be rooting for you all! This is Sayulita Life at its finest :)