Everything is in place for the 10th edition of the Circuito Nacional DayStar, presented by LimeCarol. Called the Copa Mango, this year's first date will begin Saturday, December 19, and is categorized with 4 Stars — or 1,500 points to the winner in each of the 15 divisions. Scheduled to take place in front of DayStar's Hotel Bahia Encantada, this date will unite the best surfers in the country for the beginning of a six month journey that will see the Circuito visiting seven beaches around the country.

The last two times the Copa Mango went off in Jaco, in 2008 and 2009, the winners were Germaine "Nino" Myrie (Puerto Viejo) and Jason Torres (Jaco). Torres, however, may not even appear for this Circuito date as he has plans to surf at the Asociacion of Latinamericana Surfing (ALAS) Latin Pro contest in El Salvador, which happens to coincide with the Copa Mango.

"I'm not sure yet if I will be able to run the whole Circuit. It is time for me to leave and compete outside the country where some more important dates are realized," affirmed Torres, who has not been able to obtain a Costa Rica national title after coming close with two subchampionships in three years.

In fact, several Tico surfers may be absent due to that ALAS appointment, opening the way for an interesting start to the Circuito Nacional championship rankings. Several new faces may be standing in the winners podium on Sunday, December 20.

Also notably absent from the debut date is the current National Surf Champion — in the Open, Junior, Boys divisions — 16-year-old Carlos Muñoz. The Esterillos surfer is in Hawaii honoring commitments from his sponsors.

On a high note, for the Copa Mango, the Federacion de Surf de Costa Rica is expecting the participation of about 300 surfers in the first date of its Circuito Nacional DayStar 2009-2010. This corresponds with the beginning of the high season in our country, which should also draw a large spectator crowd at Bahia Encantada.

According to José Ureña, President of the Federacion de Surf de Costa Rica, there is a high amount of interest in the Circuito this year, due in large part to the positive impact that was felt from the Billabong International Surfing Association (ISA) World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009 that took place in Playa Hermosa last August. Not only did the event draw record numbers of spectators, but the contest itself featured world renowned surfers and called international attention to Costa Rica's waves and surfers. The Circuito Nacional is seen as the farm team for the national selected Costa Rica National Surf Team who participate in these kind of international events.

During the Jaco competition, waves are expected of about 2 to 4 feet, with winds that come from the north.

"A good start in the Circuito is vital to play a good role throughout the championship, especially in Jaco which is a zone that features a lot of surfers of high levels. The truth is we are very moved by the beginning of this new season and we think it will be more competitive than the previous year," commented Ureña.

Ureña stressed that this is also the first full season that the Circuito will be using the computerized judging system, Refresh, from the start to finish.

Inscriptions for the Copa Mango will take place on Friday, December 18, at JASS Surf Shop in Jaco from 5 to 7 p.m. For the start of the season, surfers will need to pay a membership fee of 15,000 colones, and then a fee per category of 12,000 colones. (That's 8,000 colones for under 16 years of age.)

The categories this year will be Open, Junior (Under 18), Boys (Under 16), Grommet (Under 14), MiniGrommet (Under 12), Longboard, Novices (for those who have never participated in the Circuito), Masters (Over 35), Grand Masters (Over 40), Bodyboard. In the Female categories: Open, Junior, Grommet, MiniGrommet, and Bodyboard.

The Circuito National DayStar 2009-2010 is sponsored by: DayStar Properties, LimeCoral Apparel Company, Red Bull, 911 Groovy Radio, Quiksilver, Britt Iced, Witch's Rock Surf Camp, Mango Skate & Surf, Banzaii Surfboards, Carton Surfboard, Odessa Clothing, Ibarquero Design and Surfos Magazine.

 

Past Champions of the Circuito Nacional de Surf

2001 Federico Pilurzu (Tamarindo)
2002 Alvaro Solano (Jacó)
2003 Alvaro Solano
2004 Germaine "Nino" Myrie (Puerto Viejo, Limón)
2005 Gilbert Brown (Puerto Viejo)
2006 Isaac Vega (Tamarindo)
2007 Diego Naranjo (Jacó)
2008 Gilbert Brown
2009 Carlos Muñoz (Esterillos)
2010 ...?

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