Almost three decades ago, when the argentinian surfing began to travel the long way to takeoff, it was all lung. Martin Passeri he remembers it well. The most winner of Argentine tournaments in history (six) traveled periodically by bus from his house in Buenos Aires to sea of silverwhere his father lived, to follow the passion that surfing had awakened in him.
He did it between the ages of 13 and 18, when he finished high school and decided to move to The happy to surf, with effort and determination, the day to day of an incipient professionalism. In that sense, he was the leader of a new generation, opening a door that they enjoy today.
That is remembered as a romantic era of this sport. It was to get into the water, enjoy and then return to the activity of each one. But the Warrior had a plan: to live off his passion. And for that he had to work. AND Passeri did. A precursor. There were some at the same time, others followed, and national surfing was showing important results.
It is true that the two largest internationally were achieved by two compatriots (Santiago Muñiz and Lele Usuna) who, not coincidentally, had lived abroad, progressing in other cultures and waves.
But little by little, that looks different. Today, after sustained growth and an increasingly professional path, there is a new breed of surfers who “are better than us at this point”, as he believes. maxi siri -side of Passeri in that way-, which can grow in our country and has an interesting projection.
Thus I am ratified in the brilliant Quiksilver and Roxy Young Guns I end up this Sunday at the spa honu beach from the south of Mar del Plata. The tournament with the longest tradition in the Argentine junior circuit, the same one that every boy or girl wants to win at least once before becoming an Open (from the age of 19).
In this case, with 105 registered in eight categories (M12, M14, M16 and M18), this second date of the national circuit supervised by the Argentine Surf Association was held for two days. And the second had the best waves of the summer, very challenging for the new generation. We are talking about an epic day with powerful waves of at least two meters…
“We had something atypical for Mardel at this time. It was difficult to enter and there was a lot of current to one side. Already being in position, especially for the little ones, was a great challenge. That’s why it was a pleasure to see them perform in that condition and surf such difficult waves.. The smaller categories coped well and the larger ones, M16 and M18, broke it”, analyzed the experienced surfer siri.
Facundo Ruggiero prevailed in M12 and M14, Thiago Passeri in M16 and Joaquin Munoz Larreta in M18, while among the girls they won Isabel Gaudi in M12, katy wirsch in M14, victoria muñoz larreta in M16 and Vera Jarisz in M18. “It really was an event that tested the level of boys and girls who have been working very well”
“The first day the conditions were deteriorating and on the last day there were two-meter waves throughout the day, very strong. Perhaps the best swell of a junior event that I can remember, even more difficult than that of Young Guns 2022. The youngsters had to adapt to both extremes in those days and they responded very well”, he described Passeri about the tournament sponsored by wing moana and Ford.
There is precisely a junior who attracts a lot of attention: he is the son of Martin, Thiagowho at the age of 13 competes in three categories and in this YG2023 he prevailed in U16 and was on the U18 podium, thus achieving a leading position in both categories.
“Competing against bigger guys doesn’t change me much and I like doing it in a sea like this because normally we don’t have this size or power of waves. When it’s time and in a championship, I try to make the most of it. I really enjoy it more,” he says. Passeri pigeon, who is gaining an important place within the Quilksilver-Roxy Team and within the national training team.
Martin, his father, is also his coach and gives his analysis of the new jewel in the hotbed. “You have made a marked click. I see him as very mature and this time he ratified it in a very heavy sea. I don’t remember him getting into such conditions and he really responded very well, doing adult manoeuvres,” he analyzed.
He showed that he does not shrink in conditions like this and that he does not mind competing for objectives, such as seeking to win in each of the categories. On the last day she had to intervene in eight series, with a big sea, and she responded. This reflects the training we have been doing, even in the mental aspect. Note that on the first day, she was left out in U14 and that did not affect her at all, ”she explains.
siri consider that, saving the distances, one can speak of the Argentine Storm, paraphrasing with the world-renowned Brazilian Storm that today impacts the professional tour. It is just a reference to a brand new crop “with a large number of talents that have things clearer than us and, in addition, have a greater structure to strengthen themselves.
“All this will guarantee us great surfers in a few years, something that makes me very happy,” he says. Maxi. Passeri tries to find an explanation for the explosion of the hotbed. “A lot has to do with the work that different schools and training groups do. There are a lot of ex-professional surfers that are giving structure to this litter and there are a lot of parents that are going with this option that is paying off.”
“In this tournament, the work that many of these guys are doing was noticed. A job that includes the technical, the tactical, the physical and the psychological,” analyzes who is the director of the main center of MdP, the CEEIS that is located in honu beach.
It is no coincidence what we saw in another epic edition of the young guns. The great moment that formative surfing is going through in Argentina is no coincidence.
