Alex Comes Home With The Hardware From Oaxaca

 Back in the spring of this year Alex qualified for Mexico's Junior National Games aka the Juegos Nacionales CONADE.  She would join other youth surf and SUP athletes from all over Mexico for a week in Oaxaca's Puerto Escondido.  Each state would send their 15-18 year old representatives to compete.  Our state of Nayarit is not all that organized especially on the SUP side of things so she would be representing a Team from the neighboring state of Jalisco.  The organization called CODE is the athletic development body for each state and Jalisco's CODE program is exceptionally strong and well funded for all athletic pursuits.  SUP is still relatively new to the CODE program so to have a paddler like Alex with her experience is definitely an asset to the program.

One last practice before traveling to Oaxaca

Alex had been practicing occasionally with the kids on the Team from the Jalisco since last April.  Alex was by far the most skilled and experienced of this group.  Her Team would be joined by another group from the interior of Jalisco who were in a developmental program for canoe.  Some of these canoe athletes were crossing over into SUP.  The crossover to SUP from canoe and kayak is exactly what the sport is currently seeing especially in Eastern Europe.  The two groups would meet up in Guadalajara and fly together to Puerto Escondido.  Alex had actually met many of these "Canoe" kids at a two day qualifying event last spring to she was happy to see them again.

The two groups of the Jalisco Team meet up in Guadalajara.

Alex and amiga, Dani.

The impressive part of all this is that CODE Jalisco would be picking up the bill for everything.  Travel, lodging, meals, uniforms for the entire week!  The Team even traveled with a doctor and physical therapist. Alex' Jalisco group would be led by the Jalisco Surf and SUP Federation president "Fiky" who has been super to Alex since she joined the Jalisco Federation last spring.

Alex and Fiky.

The Team arrived all together in Puerto Escondido and the plan was for them to get settled and to train for a couple days ahead of the SUP events, sprints and long distance.  The forecast called for waves so Alex was pretty excited.  Variable conditions were comfortable for her and she felt like demanding conditions would give her an advantage especially against those kids who trained on flat water locations like lakes or rivers.

So, while the competition turned their attention to the surfing and body boarding disciplines the SUP competitors took to getting some water time and practicing in some waves.  Alex was super happy to burn off some nervous energy and rode wave after wave into and back out of the surf and the question being asked on the beach was "who was the gringa charging the waves for the Jalisco Team"?

All was good until it wasn't.  On her last ride into the beach a wave picked her up and drove her board  nose first into the sand.  A smashed board only a day away from competition.  Nooooooo!  This was NOT news anyone wanted to hear.  All her preparations and travel just to have a broken board!?!?  Alex was already fighting a nagging injury but now she also had no useable equipment?!  Fortunately, there was a very respected repair guy nearby and he was able to get Alex board water worthy again overnight and she would be up and running by the time the sprints happened a day later.

Alex' SIC RS race board looking sad.

After practice back at the hotel.

While Alex' board was off getting repaired, the Team got ready for opening ceremonies on the beach at the event center.  This was basically a small tent city where each state had their own space to call their own during the competition.  This is where the kids were able to mingle a bit and be teenagers meeting other teenagers from other places around the country.  Some of the other team coaches actually didn't want their athletes to mix much during the competition but everyone managed to meet other teams despite the coaches efforts and make new friends.  I think this was Alex' favorite part of the event weekend and she still keeps in touch with the kids she met and hopes to see them again at the National SUP Competition in 2022 or at future Conade Games.

The event center.

Post opening ceremonies Team photo.

Day one of the competition for SUP was the sprints.  200 meters.  It sounds easy enough except that the swell that brought waves the previous couple days was still sending energy into the event area.  So, the paddlers needed to not only paddle as fast as they could but also contend with wave energy coming sideways to the way they were paddling.  Again, Alex trains in these kinds of conditions so she was unfazed by what the ocean offered that day.  Several of her Jalisco team and other competitors fell during the race since most, if not all, of their training is in protected water that is almost always flat.  This was a real disappointment for some of the kids and the coaches but if you want to win in different conditions you have to train in different conditions.  In the end, Alex advanced from her qualification heat to the final and ultimately won a sprint 15-16 year old division gold medal for her and her Jalisco Team.  

Alex headed out to her first sprint heat.

If the competition didn't see Alex practice catching and riding waves during the week then pretty much everyone saw her sprints during the competition.  Alex said kids started coming up to her for advice which she was happy to share but at the same time wondered if she should say anything that might help the competition in the distance race still to come the next day.

Alex relayed a story about how she arrived at a social event between teams a bit late and everyone was busy talking.  She stood patiently to the side until one of her team mates called her over to where they were all talking with another team from the State of Guerrero.  The Guerrero team wondered about Alex.  Blonde, blue eyed, tall girl who was probably the most skilled paddler at the competition.  Who was she?  She joined the group and they were totally surprised that she spoke Spanish at all.  They thought she was standing off to the side of the conversation because she didn't speak the language.  She had to explain that the only reason she was standing off to the side was because she didn't want to interrupt.  Another good question was when she was asked about how she felt about Mexicans.  Puzzled she asked what they meant by the question.  The kids said that "Americans don't like Mexicans" and they wondered how she felt.  She had to tell them that she has spent most of her life growing up in Mexico and has lived here since she was barely six years old.  Asking her how she felt about Mexicans as if she was a born and raised north of the border just didn't fit who she is.  She said the kids had some difficulty understanding that her upbringing was much different than what her appearance said.  After taking with her they finally understood that she was very different than what they expected.  Alex said that the kids they were speaking with do not live in a community such as Sayulita where people from all over the world live, visit here and many languages are spoken.  They just figured Alex was American and had certain opinions or views about things and never even considered that she may have grown up here and might have other feeling towards people than what they thought was the truth.

Team Jalisco girls getting ready for the long distance race.

Day two brought the long distance races.  Alex and the other 15-16 year olds would be racing 9km and the older group 12km.  A 9km is not terribly long for a distance race and Alex had been working on her conditioning before the event so she was confident going into the race.  Three 3km laps to the finish line and ocean had calmed since they first arrived so there would be no advantage there.  It had rained the night before so the hot sun made things sticky-humid but Alex went out prepared with a hat and camelback filled with electrolytes.  Alex and Trace also train in the afternoon heat so the temps did not have an effect on her like it did with many of the other kids.  During the day kids were stumbling up the beach at the finish and were provided IV fluids or were even removed from the course by jet ski.  Alex, on the other hand, ran up the beach in first place for the girls, grabbed a hydration drink and happily received congratulations from her team and coaches.  She even did a couple post race interviews.  She went out prepared and had no problems with that day's conditions.

Another gold medal for Alex and her Jalisco team.  Her good friend, Dani, finished second and the Jalisco boys did great as well.  I was actually able to see a live stream on FB of the end of the race and tuned in just as Alex was paddling her last half KM or so to the finish line.  So much fun to see her since we are always there in person to see the kids race and had to painfully live by texts and photos all week.

Such an amazing experience for Alex and her Team in Oaxaca!  The Conade Games is something she can continue to compete in for another couple years and Trace will be old enough in 2022 to try and earn a spot to go to the games as well.  Alex absolutely loved the week traveling with her Team and meeting kids from all over Mexico and we really think it was a fantastic learning experience.  She will be doing more traveling like this when she goes to Peru in March with her online high school.  Capable world citizens was Ashley's goal from the day the kids were born so this type of thing helps move that along.  SUP has provided several great opportunities to travel and a meet people inside and outside Mexico and we are grateful for that.  Looking forward to more in 2022.

Back To SUP Competitions!!

 It has been over a year and a half since the kids competed in SUP racing.  All racing events were shut down for 2020 so the kids continued to practice and wait...and wait...and wait for their next opportunity to stand on the starting line again.  This last weekend the state of Jalisco Surfing Federation held its State  Championships.  The kids were invited through their Team coach who is a Jalisco Surfing Federation member to attend the event.  

The Eco Sport loaded and ready to leave.

Ashley was in the States so it was up to the kids and I to pack up and head south for the 5 hour drive.  It was the first time I had been away from Sayulita since August 2019 due to COVID and the first time I had gone on the road with only the kids since we arrived in Mexico.  

The three day event was held in Barra de Navidad.  The kids would compete in three events over the course of the long weekend.  We stayed along a canal system that led out to the protected bay and beach so the the kids could put their boards in the water near the house rental and paddle over to the competition that was going to take place in the area of the town's malecon and jetty.  Pretty cool to be able to paddle over to race.

Barra de Navidad was quite a bit different than Sayulita.  Much quieter, really clean, fewer cars, few vendors/performers and very pedestrian friendly.  The downtown area had wide sidewalks, legitimate one way traffic and we never had to dodge motos delivering tortillas or 10 year olds driving golf carts.  Yes, it was super nice but it did lack Sayulita's energy and vibe.  It was a nice change of pace for a few days but it made us appreciate our home a bit more.

Trace charging during the Sprint event.

The kids were competition rusty and nervous as they arrived for the day one sprint competition.  Upon arrival it was clear that it was a small event as far as racer numbers and we even recognized several competitors from other racing and surfing events we had attended in Mexico. It was clear that Trace and Alex were two of the most experienced racers in the competition with just a couple of exceptions. As soon as the horn sounded for the first race it was clear to most everyone as well that these two were a little bit different.

Alex pulls away during the sprints.

The kids had only a little competition and won their divisions easily.  A good start and after a short intermission it was on to the other side of the town's malecon for more open water and the Technical race.  The juniors would race first for 2 laps with 3 turns each lap and then the adults would race 4 laps with 3 turns each lap.  Alex would race with the adult women's Open division.

The Technical race is fun to watch as competitors navigate turns, waves and each other during the event and lead changes are common.  Trace was up first and is his strength.  Make turns, ride waves, sprint and then repeat.  Trace loves it.  After the first lap the other competitors started to make mistakes while Trace paddled clean and finished well ahead of the 2nd place paddler.

Alex was up next and was in an Open group that included the men's division.  Alex isn't quite as skilled as her brother in the turns on her larger board and spent some time in the water.  She made up for it on the straight runs with her 14' board and managed to still finish first in the women's division and finished third overall beating her coach who finished just behind her.

Alex outrunning her coach to the finish.

Sunburned and exhausted that would be all for the day and we would have to wait until morning to hear if the surf was good enough to run wave events or if the long distance event would be bumped up one day from the originally scheduled last day of competition.

Alex approaching her turn to head back out for more kilometers.

At 8am the event organizers met and the updated event schedule was announced.  Race day! So, the kids headed off through the canals to the distance race.  The morning was beautiful, winds calm and the water was flat.  Conditions that were so much different than what we are accustomed to in Sayulita and it allowed for some fast paddling.  It would be a group start and the kids sluggishly got on the starting line still tired from a full day in the sun the day before.  Trace would be racing a little over 8K and Alex a little over 12K.

Just a beautiful morning to be on the water or near it.  Lacking any real competition the kids cruised to first place finishes in their events.  Trace actually like the conditions so much he even considered going out for an additional lap so his sister couldn't say she paddled more than he did that day.

So that was the event.  The next morning we got an early start to beat the end of the weekend traffic headed north.  The change in the schedule for the distance event cancelled out a "rest day" for us where I had hoped to walk around town a bit and explore.  We will have to return and perhaps do just that in the future.

So glad the kids received the invite to compete and we thank the Jalisco SUP Community.  Considering they were guests, not members of the Jalisco Federation and not even Mexican everyone was super nice, welcoming and complimentary of the kid's paddling skills.  Of course they blew some folks away with their Spanish language abilities since they were not exactly what they appeared to be when they arrived at the competition.  Their results didn't compromise anyone's pursuit of qualifying as a Jalisco representative for the National event in the fall so their presence just really raised the level of competition for the event and opened a few eyes as far as what needs to be done to elevate Jalisco's place in Mexico's SUP development.  The final Jalisco results and point system will be tabulated for only Jalisco Federation members without Alex and Trace's results.  

Some folks were very curious about the paddles and boards the kids used and some even took them out to test drive.  Spreading the stoke!  Hopefully the trend towards more small races continues into summer and  and the kids can be on the water racing again.

Alex sharing her gear with new friends.