Back to the Future

Thursday 19 September 2013 Our longboard team has arrived in Peru for the ISA World Longboard Champs. Spike previews the event, and looks at the spot, home of ceviche and pointy reed boats used by the ancients to ride waves before even the Inca era, maybe even before the Hawaiians?

The South African team has arrived in Peru for the ISA World Longboard Championship, which takes place from this weekend at a pointbreak called Huanchacho, home of the lemon-soaked raw fish delicacy ceviche.

However, the journey over for the four-person team was not without its dramas. Thomas King's boards did not arrive on the other side. After frantic behind-the-scenes machinations, including assistance from the South African Embassy in Peru, the boards arrived, and as you can see from the Facebook photo (right), he was more than a little relieved.

South Africa have sent a team of four - Thomas King (Captain), Justin Bing, Simone Robb, and Ethan Pentz, who cracked the nod based on results in the SA Longboard Championships.

They are joined by popular radio reporter Deon Bing, who is manager and coach and chief motivator. If you know him from his slot on Kfm, the team will not be short on team spirit.

The newspapers, and numerous social media platforms and websites, last week featured the team dressed not in their Springbok blazers, the national "uniform" of national athletes, but in costume. At first I thought they were penguins, until, on closer inspection I realised they were wearing "onesies" - all-in-one springbok outfits. Going to be a lot of fun on the beach in Peru.

Huanchaco is a famous rock and sand bottom long left point-break, similar to its close neighbor, Chicama. Its long lines and sloping wave face make it perfect for longboarding. On bigger days, the wave can connect from behind the point all the way past the pier, resulting in 200-300m long rides

According to the ISA, Huanchaco is a "famous rock and sand bottom long left point-break, similar to its close neighbor, Chicama. Its long lines and sloping wave face make it perfect for longboarding. On bigger days, the wave can connect from behind the point all the way past the pier, resulting in 200-300m long rides".

With the massive growth in longboarding, it was only a matter of time before the International Surfing Association (ISA) organised a separate, stand-alone world longboarding championship, the first ISA event of its kind. Take a look at Muizenberg on any given weekend when there are waves. It's packed.

Until this year, longboarding was just a division of the ISA World Surfing Games, held every two years since 1988. Capetonian Matthew Moir won two titles in the event, in 2006 and 2008. He is not in the team this year.

For the new world titles, an Open Women and Junior (Under 18) division have been added. This is where Robb and Pentz fit in. King and Bing make up the two men's open division slots. All 24 nations will have the same four-person teams.

It's not going to be easy. The USA have brought Tony Silvagni, 2011 ISA World Longboard Champion and Taylor Jensen, 2012 ASP World Longboard Tour Champion. For the Women, France’s Justine Dupont, is a favourite, according to the ISA, but I reckon that our Robb is right up there. Her surfing is world class, with her experience on the lefts at Long Beach bound to bode well for her.

Huanchaco - located in northern Peru - is the home of “ceviche”, when raw fish turns white after it is soaked in the juice from lemons or limes.

Before the time of the Inca 3000 years ago, ancient Peruvians rode waves on their “caballitos de totora” – pointy reed fishing canoes. I have seen one in a museum. Fascinating - they are believed to be the world’s first proper surfing craft.

The entire SA team hails from Cape Town. Perhaps Surfer's Corner in Muizenberg has something to do with it. These easy rollers have brought a boost in longboarding popularity at the historic hub of early surfing in South Africa.

Funny how regions dominate in surfing. A couple of weekends ago, Border won the South African Masters Championships for the seventh consecutive time.

If a strong longboarding presence at the country's premier longboarding break lies behind WP longboard dominance, what makes Border so powerful in the open surfing masters division (over 35s)?

A preponderance of ballies? Muizenberg has that too, and then some. However, our SA team are nowhere near, except for, well, maybe Bing senior. Good luck guys.

Follow the event at http://isawlc.com/