The first signs of the swell started filling in today with the surf hitting in the three-to-five foot range. The Girls division took over the fun beach break for their round one heats and their first appearance at theQuiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship.

Taking advantage of the fun morning conditions, girls from the USA, Australia, Hawaii, Brazil, and France managed to score high and place first in every single heat. The women's USA team finished out the day with first place finishes by every athlete. For the first time in ISA history, both girls and boys division from the USA team took first place in every preliminary heat.

Midmorning I went for a stroll on the beach and all of a sudden I heard loud yelps. As I turned around, I saw the national flag raised high and the local crowd going loco, like a rowdy Brazilian soccer crowd, when three local Ecuadorians took first in their heats.Jonathan Zambrano also known as El Gato for his crazy eyes is Ecuador's lethal weapon. Coming from a humble Ecuadorian background, this sponsor less young grom has a ton of talent and a bright future ahead of him. I'm stoked to see what sort of tricks he's got up his sleeves for the rest of this event.

After the heats today, I made it over to Hotel Mediterraneo where eight teams are staying for the week. It was a treat to see the teams mingling and the camaraderie between athletes from every nationality. It was like being behind the scenes at an Olympic event. I somehow managed to listen in on a pep talk Coach Joey Buran gave to the USA team in preparation for tomorrow's heats. Unlike most surf coaches I have met at this event, this guy has gusto and is perhaps the most animated character to be sport the red, white, and blue this week.

I'm psyched, there's gonna be more swell coming in tomorrow. Should make for a good day of heats.

Hasta manana!

JimJims