BRGY. BALAOI, PAGUDPUD, ILOCOS NORTE – 12-year-old Rica Manegdeg surfs everyday when the waves permit. She walks to Heartbreak and skips on the tricky reef, her feet familiar with the key hole that serves as the entrance to Pagudpud’s perfect A-frame. In the inside section, she’d wait for waves to her liking. By the time she represented her hometown, Balaoi, in the surfIN: Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, the first leg of the 2023 NextGen Pilipinas Surfing National Tour, she was so comfortable with the waves that she finished 3rd Place in the Junior Girls Division.
Rica is not the only surfer in her family. Her older brother, Brent Manegdeg, is one of Pagudpud’s top athletes who joined the National Surfing Tour in past years. Although Brent bowed out of the surfIN: Pagudpud competition early, Balaoi held its head high as Rica surfed in the Finals. Now that Rica has earned 487 points from her podium finish, the question is whether she will continue to surf in the other stops to further her spot in the rankings.
The Philippines has a lot of talented surfers but their surf dreams falter when the means to go on tour falls short. The 2023 NextGen Pilipinas Surfing National Tour is slated to run in five spots this year and the logistics involved in zig-zagging across the country is no minor feat. So what is the remedy? How can the next generation make the full transformation from surfer to surf athlete?
It takes a surf team to make a champion
It is this act of carrying another athlete on your shoulders that makes a surf team– or perhaps, a surf family. Having someone’s trained eye tell you how to fix your bottom turn or an experienced competitor sharing with you how to keep your cool during a heat makes the difference between a good surfer and a good surfer who wins competitions.
Ashlee Lopez, winner of the Women’s Open Longboard, comes from a family of surfers. Her older brothers, Warren and Rj Lopez, and younger sister, Mara Lopez, are household names in surfing competitions. Mara stands to gain the most surf knowledge in the shortest time possible because she is standing on the shoulders of her siblings.
Team Siargao emerged the strongest by taking home two championship titles in this leg. Troy Espejon, the Junior Boys Champion, surfed against his older brother Toby in the Semifinals. Remar Magaluna, who took home the coveted Men’s Open Shortboard Title, surfed head-to-head with veteran competitor Philmar Alipayo, who happens to be his surf coach.
“Philmar is one of the best surfers in the Philippines. I’m really happy to be in the Finals with him,” Remar remarks.
The surfIN: Pagudpud’s big winners all have one thing in common: they come from formidable surf teams or families with whom they can share the load with. Whether it’s bunking together in one surf house to do post-heat video analyses or just having someone else take care of booking the trip essentials, it takes a surf team to make a champion. And as the African proverb goes: if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
Leg 1: Done
The surfIN: Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte is a Grade 2 event and winners add a substantial 750 points to their national rankings. 2nd Placers add 600 points, while equal 3rd and 5th Placers rack up 487 and 450 points respectively. All winners also get a corresponding cash prize, with top winners per division taking home P50,000.00 each.
Here are the winners of Leg 1 – surfIN: Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte of the 2023 NextGen Pilipinas Surfing National Tour:
Junior Girls
1st: Cathleya N. Casals (Baler)
2nd: Mara Lopez (La Union)
3rd: Rica Faith Manegdeg (Pagudpud)
4th: Kaila Jane Dela Torre (La Union)
Junior Boys
1st: Troy Espejon (Siargao)
2nd: Julius Isaguirre (Baler)
3rd: Jayuard Alciso (Siargao)
4th: Jhonmark Figuron (Siargao)
Women’s Open Shortboard
1st: Susan Escanilla (Siargao)
2nd: Dianne Nogalo (Siargao)
3rd: Shelamae Arjona (Siargao)
4th: Daisy Valdez (La Union)
Men’s Open Shortboard
1st: Robert Magaluna (Siargao)
2nd: Philmar Alipayo (Siargao)
Equal 3rd: Jomarie Ebueza (La Union)
Equal 3rd: Lemar Delamide (La Union)
Women’s Open Longboard
1st: Ashlee Lopez (La Union)
2nd: Daisy Valdez (La Union)
3rd: Shiela Mae Convicto (Siargao)
4th: Junnelyn Badiang (Lanuza)
Masters Division
1st: Abdel Elecho (Samar)
2nd: Jeff Ganuelas (La Union)
3rd: Bjorn Dizon Pabon (Zambales)
4th: Manuel Melindo (Siargao)
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About UPSA
The UPSA is the sole recognized National Sports Association (NSA) for developing and promoting surfing in the Philippines. This recognition was granted by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) through Republic Act 6847. As the national governing body for surfing in the Philippines recognized by the International Olympic Committee, UPSA continues to support and foster the growth of exceptional surf athletes like Jay-r Esquivel, Jr.
About Pilipinas Surfing
Pilipinas Surfing is the country’s premiere professional surfing championship tournaments with multiple competitions held at different regions around the Philippines. These events are sanctioned under your Local Government Unit (LGU) as part of the only national competitions in a unifying and collective series of national legs around the country.
