Continuing off from last week’s highlights during the opening and first rounds of the different divisions during the 15th Lanuza Surfing Festival, let’s see how the third day went for the qualifying rounds.
High tide and good surf conditions at the Doot Poktoy river mouth greeted the surfers on the third day of the competition as they continued to fight for the 15th Lanuza Surfing Festival championship titles.
Jefferson Dela Torre (La Union) showcased his high performance longboarding during the first heat of the Men’s Longboard Open throwing huge combinations of cut backs and nose rides. Dela Torre finished strong with an 8.0 score which earned him the best heat points so far in the Longboard division.
“The waves were good and consistent today that’s why I was so excited to surf. I’ll just focus on my performance in the 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.
“We have beautiful waves today. Aside from surfing during low tide, the waves also had a lengthy wall and they’re fast. Lanuza has great vibes. 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.
MEN’S LONGBOARD FINALISTS DETERMINED
Doot Poktoy, Lanuza, Surigao Del Sur Philippines- The Men’s Longboard Division Semi-finals was run yesterday on a waist to shoulder high waves.
Two of the best longboarders in the country, Benito Nerida from La Union and Mark Aguila from Baler battled toe-to-toe, using every inch of their surfboards and giving an exciting match-up during the Semi-finals. Nerida, who’s known for his combined high performance and classic style of surfing, proved his mastery of right-hander waves, impressing the judges with his variant cross-stepping, hang-fives and cutbacks.
“It was hard catching waves. The wave intervals were quite long and it was almost high tide,” said Nerida. During the final minute of Heat 2, Semi-finals, Nerida spotted the incoming sets and didn’t hesitate to paddle for a wave, which got him a 6.5 heat score and earning him a spot in the Finals.
Lanuza local Loynex Ruina knew exactly what he wanted and patiently waited for the perfect sets to come in. Ruina was rewarded with two quality head high waves and the judges gave him a 4.75 score on his first one and 6 on the second one, securing his spot in the finals together with Jeff Dela Torre from La Union.
In the next heat, crowd favorite and first time competitor Rafael Nogalo from Siargao failed to proceed to the finals. Nogalo was lined up against well-experienced competitive surfers but he didn’t back out and continued to perform his best. “I was so nervous. Good thing my fellow competitors encouraged me to relax and just enjoy the waves. They were all excellent surfers. It’s my first time to compete so I was really pressured. I tried my best but fell short during the last minute of my heat.” said Nogalo.
To recap, the 15th Lanuza Surfing Festival announces the following as winners of the second leg of the Philippine Surfing Championship Tour: 19-year-old Neil Sanchez from Baler for the Men’s Shortboard title, Mark Aguila of Baler for the Men’s Longboard Division, undisputed champ for the Women’s Longboard Division Daisy Valdez from La Union, 2016 Asian Champion Nilbie Blancada from Siargao for the Women’s Shortboard Division, and WSL qualifier Gabriel Lerog from Siargao for the Grommets (16 and under).
Congratulations to all the winners and to the organizers of the 15th Lanuza Surfing Festival and to PSCT for such a great week of surfing and! The next stop of the tour is up in Baler on November 29 and the last stop at La Union on December 5.
The municipality of Lanuza hosts the surfing festival annually and so if you want to experience what it’s like being part of a national surfing competition that’s patterned after international standards then mark your calendars for the 16th Lanuza Surfing Festival next November 2018. Stay tuned next week as I share the best places to stay, eat and surf in Lanuza. Don’t forget out my Instagram (@ferina.millennialmermaid) to see snaps from my stay there.
