Surfers were greeted with high tide and good surf condition as they compete for the 15th Lanuza Surfing Festival championship titles.
During the first heat of the Men’s Longboard Open, Jefferson Dela Torre (La Union) showcased his superb longboarding skills–throwing huge combinations of cut backs and nose rides. He finished strong with an 8.0 score which earned him the best heat points so far in the Longboard division.
“Okay ‘yung alon ngayon, may wall and consistent ‘yung dating ng mga alon kaya super excited ako mag-surf. Focus lang din ako sa performance ko lalo na nasa quarterfinals na. Sana manalo. (The waves were good and consistent that’s why I was so excited to surf. I’ll just focus on my upcoming Quarter-final heat. I hope I win.)”
Mark Aguila (Baler) gave an impressive performance during his heat against fellow surfers from Luzon- Buboy Palad (Laguna) and Reynald “Kulot” Liwarin (Zambales)- by capitalizing on his classic surf style, owning much of the waves, despite being in Lanuza for the first time.
“Ganda ng waves ngayon. Bukod sa low tide kami nagsu-surf, mahaba din talaga yung wall ng alon at saka medyo mabilis siya. Solid ‘yung vibes talaga dito sa Lanuza. Ngayon lang din ako nakaranas ng event na ganito, maraming pagkain. Salamat din sa PSCT sa pag-organize ng professional surfing event sa Pilipinas. Iba ‘yung surfing pag naririnig mo ‘yung score mo habang nasa lineup. Napag-iisipan mo kung ilan yung need mo na habulin na point. Plano ko salihan yun mga susunod na legs and if magkaroon man ng rankings sa longboard division, itutuloy ko ‘yung professional surfing career ko for longboard (We have beautiful waves today. Aside from surfing during low tide, the waves also had a lengthy wall and they’re fast. Lanuza has a good solid vibe. This is my first time to experience this kind of event- there’s plenty of food! Thank you also to PSCT for organizing a professional surfing event here in our country. It makes a difference when you hear your points at the lineup. You know how much points you need and can plan your next move accordingly. I’m planning to join all the remaining legs of PSCT and if ever there will be a ranking for the Longboard division, I will continue to focus on my professional surfing career.), Aguila said.”
The judges were impressed with Benito Nerida’s (La Union) combined classic and high performance maneuvers and awarded him with a total of 14.95 score during their heat, the highest average score of Round 1.
The Women’s Shortboard division has also commenced with a total of 12 female surf athletes. 2016 Asian Surfing Championship (ASC) Women’s overall champion Nilbie Blancada (Siargao) once again showed her dominance and prowess over other female surfers, elevating the standards of women’s surfing in the Philippines.
Nilbie is the younger sister of the first female surf champion in the Philippines Nildie Blancada. Nilbie considers her elder sister as her inspiration and her coach whenever she competes internationally.
For live heat scores and updates, visit www.psctour.com/lanuza/ and our official Facebook page.
The 15th Lanuza Surfing Festival is brought to you by the following sponsors and media partners: The Municipality of Lanuza, Province of Surigao Del Sur, Department of Tourism, Philippine Sports Commission, Office of Senator Angara, SkyJet Air (Official Airline Partner), Solar Sports (Official TV Partner), EDGE Sport (Official Digital Media Partner), Reef, Pichay Initiative, TIEZA, Marcventures Holdings inc., Kermit Surf Resort, Gwapitos, Fluidsurf, BackBurn, Indio, Holy Skull, Aguariva Swimwear, AFrame, San Miguel Beer, Inquirer.net, INQPop, The Manila Bulletin, Going Places Magazine, EDGE Davao and My Life on Board.
ADVT
