Body boarding champ Fran J. Castro says that surfing and training helps him face his fears head on.
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Francisco J. Castro is a small man in stature, but that shouldn’t mean that he doesn’t command any room he walks into. His positive energy is extremely contagious, and he makes sure to warmly greet anyone around him. Whether he knows them or not – he always says hi with a hug and a giant smile. A husband and father, his seven year old daughter Mailany has recently started surfing and he couldn’t me more proud.
“She’s my inspiration,” he says beaming of his only child who is clearly following in her Daddy’s footsteps.
Native to Vega Baja, Castro is one of those rare people that are always eager to learn and share what they know with others. He teaches surfing and body boarding in seasonal clinics and year-round training sessions. More importantly, he tells it how it is when he sees a young athlete throw away their opportunity to be one of the greatest.
“You have to stay focused, you have to do something that takes you off the streets,” he stressed.
But, why is he so worried? With a population of 3.615 million people according to the Census of 2013, Puerto Rico has been plagued with crime – mostly homicides, which contributes to the dwindling figures of Puerto Rican’s who actually live in the island. According to the PEW Hispanic Trends Project the population in the island went down an estimated 200,000 from the year 2000 to 2013.
The harsh economy that is causing professionals to leave the island by the thousands each month, paired with the increasing homicide rates each year – there is no surprise why Castro is stresses focus on sports. The first five days of 2014 saw 13 murders, four of which happened in one day. Puerto Rico’s homicide rate is frankly out of control with an average of 26.2 murders for every 100,000 residents – athletes like Castro are hoping that including sports and training as a mandatory way of education and subsequent lifestyle may decrease these numbers and change the island for the better.
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We first met Castro in the Got Swells? Will Ride, where I wrote about how his abilities to rip waves as a body boarder led him to earn first place in his category. But local events aren’t the end goal for him. With a recent news about professional surfers and body boarders requesting that the sports be included in the Olympic games in 2016 – which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Castro is looking towards South America to fulfill a dream that he’s had for quite some time now.
Castro recently sat down with me, and over coffee we spoke about his goals, his motivation and his next step in both his personal and body boarding life.
Tell me about the first time you got into the water – how was that like?
I started body boarding when I was a young kid, about 10 years old, I’ve been practicing for 20 years now. Body boarding truly is my passion.
What was your motivation to practice body boarding?
I started surfing, then I switched to body boarding – it was the ability to do all these tricks in body boarding that kept me riding that way. In surfing things are limited compared to body boarding. The ability to almost fly, was what really made me stick to body boarding. It’s an indescribable feeling, there are really no words.
How was your first experience in both body boarding and surfing?
It’s a unique feeling, be it tubing it, being able to complete a difficult maneuver – it’s something that words fail to describe. Something that you have to experience for yourself really, that’s why we’re always doing these clinics and workshops so that the kids can experience it for themselves, the positive feeling of being in the water. What it does to and for you. No matter their physical limitations we’ll help them get in the water in some way. Just so they can feel the waves, the ocean. I’m sure they’re going to want to come back to the water where it feels so great, so free.
What keeps you going back to the water?
Mostly, the physical conditioning it gives my body. Since I don’t practice any other sport – even though we (a small group of body boarders and drop knee riders) are getting together to do these workouts to be in even better physical condition; the water gives an ultimate full body workout that you can’t get in any other place. It’s also a way of getting away from the bad influences of society. We see that things are getting worse by the day, crime increasing, and when I’m in the water, it’s like all of that goes away – it’s like the polar opposite of what’s happening in the island, once you hit that ocean it’s as if everything else just went away, even if it’s for a brief moment. I take advantage of that moment to enjoy myself, to focus on the now. Since we really don’t know what can happen – every moment that I’m in the ocean or with my family I enjoy it completely.
Does it give you a sense of peace?
I combine the peace that I have with my family, as well as divide it. The peace I have with my family, my daughter is something that is important to me. They are my life, my heart, my other passion, and body boarding is what keeps me solid and able to be there for them as both a husband and father. Body boarding is what keeps me focused – I’ve thankfully had the support of my sponsors to be able to concentrate on this sport the way that I’ve had.
Since this is the only sport that you practice, tell me about your motivation to keep on body boarding?
I’ve found as a motive of inspiration is facing the larger waves. To be able to ride a huge wave, to know you’re capable of doing such a thing is motivation enough, at least for me. When the waters are choppy, and conditions are critical, when you’re afraid of something that’s when you are really tested as a body boarder. If there is no fear in what you’re facing you might not be able to achieve it, fear is a fuel to me. Training is also very important; it prepares you mentally, physically to be able to conquer the challenges, to face those 10feet swells.
Talking about large swells, how can you prepare yourself as a surfer to face something like the Nazaré in Portugal where the swells can go up to almost 100feet?
Oh man! Nazaré is its own breed for sure, as a body boarder, no, that’s never going to happen – but as a surfer, man I’d jump on that for sure. Of course training has a lot to do with being able to conquer something like that. One can’t just go and wing it, training, lots of training has to be a part of getting ready. Mental, physical, even emotional training to face waves like that. I see something like that as a goal – but it’s also important to know your limit.
Let’s bring it back home, the recent competition at Los Tubos proved to be tricky for some of the competitors, the water conditions weren’t the best, with rip currents that almost swept one of the guys away, combined with a lack of life guards at the scene made competing that much more risky, how do you prepare yourself for something like that?
Well, in that case, since Los Tubos is one of the beaches I’ve always gone to since being a kid, it was easy for me. The rip currents were easy to spot for because of the familiarity I have with the beach. I was okay, but I can see how it can be challenging to a person who doesn’t frequent it – that’s why training is so important as well as educating yourself about rip currents and sea/wave behavior. Thank God the rip currents weren’t as strong as in Margara (Barceloneta) or Arecibo, where it can really get bad, that’s when you have to be truly ready. Mentally, physically, it’s important, I can’t stress it enough.
When you get into the water, do you feel you’re swimming to or from anything at all?
Depends on how things are, when the waters are in good conditions I do it to have fun, to clear my head. But when things are a bit more challenging, when the swells are higher I focus more on conquering fears, on pushing myself. That helps me to test my limits and practice a lot more, to be able to do more radical maneuvers. When the waves are really large, that’s the only way you can combine it.
You talk about reaching and knowing your limits, what do you find are yours? And how do you surpass them?
The size of the wave, the ability to catch that huge wave at a specific moment, that’s the only way that I truly challenge myself. To catch that moment, those seconds, to be able to do that. It’s truly amazing. How do I surpass them? I prepare myself. You have to be ready. Stick to the training, clear your head. If you don’t prepare yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally – although it can seem like they’re divisive, they’re not, everything is connected.
What sort of lifestyle has worked for you to achieve what you have as an athlete?
My lifestyle is a very spiritual one. I’m really close to my family. I lost my father a few years back, but I regularly visit my mom. To have that mental peace that family can give you is a great help. I keep myself training, in order to be physically and mentally fit and healthy as well.
Changing the subject a little towards Olympic dreams, what do you think of the recent petition of Brazilian surfers to include surfing and body boarding in Rio 2016?
That is a goal, we’re trying to get there, it’s a solid goal and we’re working towards that. Body boarding has been ignored a lot more than surfing has. I mean surfing has this huge global recognition, whereas body boarding has very little compared to it. In body boarding it’s harder to get more sponsors and such, but it is more demanding physically and it should be considered as an Olympic sport. It’s an opportunity that we’re looking forward to have.
What are both your personal and professional goals for the next few years?
To continue with the training, to be able to reach Rio in 2016, as a person to be the best person I can be, the best father, husband to be able to continue moving forward.
Any advice you’d like to give?
The advice that I’d give to new comers is to practice and train, it’s really important to physically condition yourself to take on these waves, without training you won’t even get past the first hit. For all others, that they seek out their alternatives.
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Photos provided by the Author.