The Surfing Federation of Costa Rica recently announced the young members of the National Team that will be traveling to Ecuador to compete in the 2014 World Junior Surfing Championship, organized by the International Surfing Association (ISA) and sponsored by VISSLA, a new brand of surfing and clothing accessories. ISA World Championships are largely considered to be the closest that surfing has to the Olympic Games.

According to the official press release by ISA the 2014 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship (WJSC) will take place in Salinas, Ecuador from April 5th to April 13th, 2014:

This is the 4th ISA World Championship to be held in Ecuador over the last decade, and the ISA’s largest event of the year. The most important Junior surfing event in the world has the full support of Ecuador’s President, Rafael Correa, and the country’s Ministries of Tourism and Sports, as well as the Ecuadorian Surfing Federation (FES).

These are the team members announced by the Surfing Federation of Costa Rica:

Under 18 Male

• Noe Mar McGonagle (Pavones)
• Manuel Mesén (Jacó)
• Leonardo Calvo (Barranca)
• Martín Artavia (Limón)

Under 16 Male

• Aldo Chirinos (Playa Negra)
• Malakai Martínez(Tamarindo)
• Joseph Méndez (Jacó)
• Lorenzo Córdoba (Puerto Viejo)

Under 18 Female

• Leilani McGonagle (Pavones)
• Paula Duarte (Jacó)

Under 16 Female

• Leilani McGonagle (Pavones)
• Emily Gussoni (Jacó)

Staff

• Coach: Gilbert Brown López
• Assistant: Sean McGonagle

Readers of The Costa Rica Star who follow the surfing beat in our country are undoubtedly familiar with the McGonagle siblings. Noe Mar brought home a bronze medal from the ISA World Junior Championship in 2012, and his sister Leilani is a familiar face in the junior circuits in Costa Rica.

Coach Gilbert Brown has the most surfing cup victories in Costa Rica: Three in a row, and he is ready to earn even more.

The Junior National Surfing Team of Costa Rica will leave for Playa Las FAE in Ecuador on April 2^nd.