~ by Heather Kline / Dagmar Reinhard

Hard work pays off: For the 2nd time Costa Rican National Champion

Samuel, who adorned our title page in an earlier edition is back. He told us what he has achieved in the last years. An intense travel schedule of new surf breaks and challenging unfamiliar waves was the key to this 14 year old surfer´s win.

"My parents wanted me to challenge myself and step outside of my comfort zone this year. Instead of focusing on heavy training with coaches, we focused on good experiences and fun. I got to travel a lot with my friends, surfing a ton and having a great time. This was a really fantastic way to push each other to do our best every session but still laugh a lot.” We traveled all over Costa Rica, Central America, Indonesia, the US and Australia. Next year we are hoping to go to Mexico and maybe South America. "No matter where I go, I feel like the surfing in Costa Rica is still the BEST." When it comes to crowds, weather and just straight up beauty, Sam says nothing beats Costa Rica.

Sam is an Athlete Ambassador for Community Carbon Trees Costa Rica and prides himself on being a ZERO footprint Athlete. "Every tree that is planted under my ambassadorship helps offset my carbon footprint during my surf travels.” Always talking about the importance of planting trees is the key to saving our oceans and planet and is a huge priority for Sam. "My mom always reminds me that if you have attention on you, it is important to make it count. Reminding surfers to give back to our environment that gives us so much fun is the most important message I could ever share!" Sam not only excels at surf, he is in virtual school and belongs to the Junior Honor Society.