The Arucas Oleaje Bodyboard Contest 2022 returns to the Gran Canaria beach of San Andrés, the first stop on the national bodyboard circuit in which more than 50 athletes from all over Spain will compete this June 24 and 25. “This test is one of the few dedicated exclusively to bodyboarding, valid for the 100% Bodyboard National League of the Spanish Surfing Federation and for the Canarian Circuit of Absolute Bodyboarding and Promises”, highlighted Jorge Juan Cabrera, technical manager of the Surfing Club. Oleaje and organizer of the event, during the presentation ceremony held this Tuesday at the Arucas Town Hall. Since 1995, with the centenary of the city of Arucas, this event has been celebrated with the support of the Spanish Surfing Federation and the Canarian Surf Federation.
During the presentation of the event, the General Director of Sports of the Government of the Canary Islands, Manuel López, thanked the Oleaje Surfing Club for all these years, work that he claimed to know from his previous situation in the municipal corporation. In his opinion, this currently allows us to be on this circuit at a national level and to have the best athletes here. “Through sport we can transmit the values and essence of the Canary Islands, show that we are at the forefront and that we have the capacity to organize any event, national or international,” said López. The general director also thanked the work of the federations, clubs and companies linked to sports and tourism that promote these events.
From the City Council of Arucas, sponsor of the event, the support for water sports such as surfing and bodyboarding stands out. “We want to congratulate the organizing club for their work, many times it is difficult to reach national and international competitions, so the support of all the public and private entities involved make it possible,” said Juan Jesús Facundo, municipal mayor. In this sense, from the municipal corporation they emphasize that tourism and sport are compatible and “we want to promote it in a sustainable way, since our coast is our jewel”, added Facundo. In the words of José María González, Councilor for Sports in the municipality, this type of competition “values the quality of the north coast and its waves, it is a test that is very important for the municipality in terms of tourism”.
This first test of the national and regional circuit of the 100% Bodyboard League will qualify for the final of the Spanish FESurfing Bodyboard Championship 2022 to be held this November in Gáldar. Specifically, the competition includes 9 categories, Open Bodyboard and Women’s Bodyboard, Dropknee Bodyboard and Master Bodyboard, in addition to the categories of the Junior Bodyboard FESurfing Cup: Alevín sub12, Infantil Sub14, Cadet sub16 and Juvenile sub18 feminine and masculine. €500 will be distributed in Women’s Bodyboard and €500 in Bodyboard Open, as well as sports equipment among the rest of the categories. In this sense, the importance of public-private collaboration must be highlighted, “since the contribution of private entities such as the Cruce Surf Shop or Cool Shoes are essential,” said the representative of the Oleaje Surfing Club.
“What motivates me the most to compete is that there are more and more girls in the water”
The Canary Islands have been positioning themselves as a sports tourism benchmark for years, especially thanks to the celebration of these tests that bring more and more athletes to the islands. But among the elite of this sport are local riders such as Abián Perdomo Álvarez, 3 times champion of Spain in the Master category, but there are also more and more Canarian athletes such as Ilenia Suárez Almeida, champion of the Canary Islands and Spain, as well as being the Current leader of the national and Canarian circuit.
According to Moya’s original Canarian competitor, the main reason she competes is because there are more and more girls in the water. “I remember years ago, when I started in 2013-2014, that we were always the same girls and the direct finals were very frequent,” said Ilenia Suárez. However, female participation has grown significantly, and “the best thing is that they all have a good level and you never know who will be proclaimed champion,” said the Canarian rider, who will compete this weekend at home. For Ilenia, level I surfing sports technician and judge of the Canarian Surfing Federation, “this test is done on a beach where each athlete can easily show their level due to the multiple peaks to surf.”
For Abián, originally from La Garita (Telde), Arucas is an ideal place for sports in general, a municipality that “has always opted for physical activity and is an example for other cities.” As for his waves, he describes them as “great”, some stronger and others softer. Specifically, San Andrés is very “versatile”, since it is, in his opinion, a beach suitable for all categories, although he qualifies the test as “quite hard”, since the beach has several sections and the level is high. “We have the best area in all of Spain to train, good weather, waves practically every day and the water temperature is ideal, so we can train all year round”, explained the rider from Teldense. However, he also acknowledged that many times “they lack help to be able to compete abroad.”
