BY FERNANDO RODRIQUEZ
On April 19, Los Cabos dominated the Baja California Sur state surfing championships which qualified 13 places for the CONADE Nationals in Manzanillo, Colima, scheduled for June. CONADE stands for Mexico’s National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport. It is the athletics arm of the Mexican government charged with fostering and promoting physical education, recreation, and sport.
Nearly 60 athletes and coaches participated in the event, which was supported by the Sudcaliforniano Sports Institute (INSUDE) and the Sports Institute of the Municipality of Los Cabos (INDEM). They are the two governing sports branches at the local and state level here in Southern Baja.
The representatives of the municipality of Los Cabos showed skill in managing the times and dominated the longboard, bodyboard and shortboard competition. They took home a total of 15 medals: 6 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze, reflecting the effort and dedication of all our local participants.
The Baja California Sur Surfing Association (ASBCS) was in charge of organizing the high-quality state surfing championship, prioritizing the safety of all participants with the support of the Federal Maritime-Terrestrial Zone (ZOFEMAT). Additionally, rest areas and sound equipment were provided to keep spectators informed of the status of completed rounds.
The beaches of Manzanillo will host more than 200 athletes, coaches, staff and visitors who will witness the final stage of surfing, which is considered the most important national amateur competition in Mexico, all vying for the chance at winning the national title in their respective divisions.
The surf specialists who advance to nationals are Maria Mendez, Lucine Salas, Lucine Dorantes, and Chiara Sorrento in the women’s division and Sebastian Olachea, Rocco Puig, Tiago Sorrentino, Lucas Nobili, Miguel Olachea, Teo Sorrentino, Ismael Bañaga, and Juan Manuel Quintana in the men’s group.
Absent from the state-level championships were Coral and Moana, of Todos Santos, who during the past two years have worked hard towards achieving their goal of competing at the highest levels. Moana, 17, won a bronze medal at the 2022 FeMex Women’s Open Longboard National Championships and has been the Baja California Sur State champ in both women’s longboard and shortboard.
Coral, 15, earned a silver medal at the same championships. Their father, Pablo Bonilla, is a 7-time Mexican National Longboard Champion and was also selected to represent Mexico Longboarding in the Pan American Surf Association Games in Panama, 2021. Their amateur absence was because the two have become professionals, with Coral having reached the podium twice during the Surf City El Salvador ALAS Pro Tour of 2023 where 197 athletes from 18 countries participated in the Women’s Sub 18 Surfing category. Next up for the sisters and their father will be the world pro competition championship later this year.
