Victoria Jauregui
Our next rider is from the eighth largest city in the world, in 2001 they had five presidents in ten days.
It is the largest Spanish speaking country in the world and shares a land border with five countries, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay.
The tango originated here and they have the highest consumption of red meat in the world, this is not surprising as they quite possibly have the most famous beef known to man.
"Hello my name is Victoria, I'm 24 years old, I was born in Argentina in a very small but very pretty town called Necochea, now I am living in Puerto Escondido and have been here for six months.
I had the opportunity to come and do the surf season and escape from the cold, in Argentina it is winter and surfing at home is very hard the water temperature is very low and outside it is very cold, you need a 5.4mm wetsuit, boots, hood and gloves.
I started to bodyboard about a year and a half ago but ten years ago I went into the water to surf, unlike many I started surfing with a surfboard and then I went to the bodyboard, although the bodyboard blood has been in me since I was born. My brothers are both bodyboarders and the city where I was born everyone bodyboards.
For several years I travelled to different places with my surfboard until in 2017 in Puerto Escondido I got on a bodyboard again and there everything changed, as many say "roots never die" and so it was.
I remember that Zicatela was small and a friend lent me her boogie. On the first wave that I caught, I could not believe it. Luckily, there was a friend watching me that started screaming "you were getting barreled " and I exploded with happiness. I returned to Argentina a few days later and borrowed a bodyboard and since then I have not stopped using it.
My childhood heroes are my brothers and my grandmothers, they taught me everything that is good in this life and they gave me the best childhood I could have ever asked for.
My local break is called "the breakwater." and it is in Necochea, just five minutes from my house.
It is certainly my favourite place to surf in Argentina as it is the best wave in the country. It is not very consistant but when conditions are perfect it is only surfed by locals. I really like surfing there because there is nothing better than being local, but my favourite beachbreak so far is Puerto Escondido, for its quality of waves, consistancy and weather.
My first board was a science 42.75 bat tail, a giant board for me but it was what they had lent me. Unfortunately in Argentina more in my town, the female bodyboarding sport does not get much exposure. There are very few women who go into the water in Necochea, so my water crew was always men, something that was often difficult for me but I think it was what drove me to be so strong in the water.
Until now I never competed and sometimes I feel like doing it and maybe I feel I should, but I love freesurfing! I am not a pro rider and I work very hard for eight months of the year to enjoy the other four months travelling and surfing. I am aware of how fortunate I am to be able to do this, so I take advantage of it and enjoy what I can do most.
Now I am running with a Jared Gibson size 38.5 board, it is a bit old but it gave me many joys. The fins and leash that I use are made by Hedgehogs. So far they are the best I have used, I suffered a lot with the fins because for a long time I did not want to wear socks, I came out of the water with my feet bleeding, full of blisters until I started wearing socks and changed my fins for some of the Hedgehogs.
The truth is that I don't have any strong sponsors, only two local Puerto Escondido brands "investment project" and "mexican store hedgehogs" they have helped me with equiptment, which I really appreciate. I would love to have more sponsors to support and help me.
It is not easy to travel and cover all expenses, here in Mexico the equiptment costs so much, especially the leashes, especially with the waves here sometimes they get stretched straight like a surf board leash haha.
I also feel that it would be a great push, I am also super motivated and focused imagine with a sponsor that motivates me more! I have many favourite brands and I would love to have many boards, but if I have to choose between all brands I really like science, nmd and foundboards. Before going into the water I have my rituals, I always try to do a short stretching session and it depends on the day sometimes I watch videos before entering or I listen to very loud music that motivates me, it can vary a lot the genre as it will depend on my mood that day but I usually listen to electronic music, hip hop, rock or I can even listen to reggae haha (im sorry im a latin girl) My favourite memories of growing up are on the beach.
All my life I lived five blocks from the beach and spent all my life there. I close my eyes and many memories come to me: surfing on telgopor boards with my brothers, sweeping waves to the chest, competing to see who was going further, making sandcastles and thousands more. I was growing and my love for the sea was getting stronger, when I started surfing I was little and my mother was very afraid to go to the water in winter, since there was no lifeguard and there was no one on the beach. For a long time I had to sneak out until she realised and began to hide my suit but I always had a friend who lent me one haha there are many memories that come to mind, I will never forget the winter days, I came out of the cold dead water with my hands frozen at the level that it was difficult for me to take off my suit and had to go back home by bicycle, praying that it would not start raining so as not to arrive so cold.
Thanks to life I am fortunate to have been born in a beautiful, small place but with a lot of nature that always gives us incredible moments. I have seen sunrises and sunsets in the water that I will never forget.
In the summer season, at dawn the sun rises in the sea and at sunset it falls into the sea, it is something incredible but true! I'm just a woman who always fought for what she wanted, I'm passionate about my hobbies at a level that this year I left everything, the comforts, the love of family and friends, feeling at home, everything to come to fulfill my dreams to continue surfing and improving. It seems easy and sounds incredible, it is, but sometimes being alone and away from home is not easy, but everything is to fulfill my dreams.
Since I arrived in Mexico in April, the only thing I do is surf or train out of the water. I wake up every day before the sun rises, I drink a litre of water, a coffee I do a little streching and stay in the water until noon.
I get home prepare my breakfast and then cook again for noon (if I leave the water very hungry haha). In the afternoon I rest, I am with friends or I visit some beach. When the heat goes down a little, I go back to the water to surf or go running (at least four times a week). Then I return home after sunset, I do some stretching again, I prepare dinner and sleep very early and this I do every day. In addition to surfing, I'm always doing something. I love sports, now I am running and doing stretching but I also like to swim and ride a bike. I also like to cook, eat delicious and healthy, take pictures, listen to music, look at the sea and spend time with my friends and family. I want to thank my family and friends who always support me and all the people who always throw good energy at me especially those who help me in and out of the water and to you who gave me this space to tell a little of my story. with love vicky! 🤙🏻😎"
Photo credits include:
Alvaro Andino
Felipe Fatiga Concha
Oscar Rodriguez Arregui
Miguel Diaz West Side
PetroniFilms
Gabriela Madrigal
Vicky Thank you for taking time to share your story, it's always inspiring to read about people that follow there dreams and just go for it........
And Just like that another year has passed and "MOVEMBER" has arrived, show a brother some support click on the link below to make a donation, help me reach my target...
Just in time for Christmas we have teamed up with the guys at SENNOSEN, click on the link below and use coupon code KRISTIANMARTIN for 10% off wetsuits as worn by Andre Botha, super warm, super comfy with flex and colours to boot!
Join Female charger and absolute legend Valentina Diaz May 13th-18th on the exclusive All Female Bodyboard trip down in Mexico, not to be missed, just hit the pic to head over to www.thepuertoexperience.com for booking details....
Details soon to be released for Augusts trip to Mexico with our boy Heriberto of The Puerto Experience just click below to check them out....
If you haven't been yet check out Stevie Maher's All Bodyboard Charters to the Mentawais 2020 dates released soon.....
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