Contest in Copa today...

Surfed my first heat today in the Rio Bodyboarding International in Copacabana....
So, the waves were a little difficult to say the least, and I got second in my heat which is not exactly the result I wanted. I needed a win to put me into the quarters. BUT luckily it was a non-elimination round.
Jessica Becker won our heat, she was ripping, but I did manage to beat Maylla Venturin and Maria Helena Tostes, two other Brazilian shredders.

To be honest, I'm actually pretty happy with how I'm surfing. I'm feeling good. It was 2ft strong onshore, high tide and super mushy, but that seems to be the formula for almost every world tour heat I've had this year, so I'm getting used to it, and definitely getting more comfortable in these conditions. I felt I was surfing pretty fast, had one wave with two rollos that felt really good. I was surprised I only scored a 5 for it and I'm not 100% happy with some of the judges calls today, but well, that's competition. Not everything can go your way. I just had a little bit of bad luck with that heat, but I have my second chance tomorrow morning!
These are the heats:

Today I actually borrowed a board from my friend, the 2010 World Champ Isabela Sousa. I'd noticed that her board is almost exactly the same shape as mine, but just a little bigger and thicker, and feels more buoyant, which is perfect for the little waves on offer. It felt good, so I may even use it again tomorrow.  I ride a 38.5 right now, and I think Isabela's board is a 39.
This pic is with my friend Lino, a super nice guy who is also Isabela's personal trainer from Fortaleza, in Brazil's north :)

You can see the board is basically the same shape as mine but a little bigger, and PP core. PERFECT for here. Thanks for the board Bela, and the photo Lino! I will also be training with Lino when I visit Fortaleza next month. Yew!

Anyway, I gotta head to bed now. Fingers crossed for some fun waves in the morning.