A Tribute to
GABRIEL MEDINA(BRA)2014 World Champion -2015 Triple Crown Champion of Surfing - 2016 Top 3-World Surf League
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I am from RS, the Southern state of Brazil, 1500 km -918 miles- from Rio de Janeiro,I started working with surfing in Imbituba Santa catarina in 2008 WCT -World Championship Tour when Bede Durbidge(AUS)overcamed Jeremy flores(FRA) in the Final and clinched the title of the stage.This time I worked with a celular Nokia 5225i, with the minimum resolution, and "only" 25 seconds of filming.
In 2010, I bought a new Celular Motorola with 1.3 Mb of resolution, when Jadson andre(BRA)overcame Kelly Slater(USA) in the final.
In 2011, the World Tour of Surfing moved to Rio de Janeiro and I came for this huge town for the first time.. I came by Azul airlines, went to Barra da Tijuca posto 4 -Sheraton, when Adriano overcamed Taj burrow (AUS)-check the overview of this great Australian surfer in the blog -in the final in Arpoador beach. So I came back to the south by Penha buslines.It was a long day trip of 24 hrs. I used to take pictures and filmed.
In 2012, I boutght a Nokia 500 with 5 Mb of resolutotion and work in WCTs 2012, 2013.
In May of 2014 during the stage in Postinho of Barra da Tijuca I had the pleasure to know Gabriel Medina(BRA) and "shake" his hand. In final stage of 2014 WCT, Gabriel Medina(BRA)clinched the World Champion of surfing in Pipeline, Hawaii. He was the first Brazilian to be World Champion. So the newspapers in Rio de Janeiro, released much material of the conquest of Gabriel Medina(BRA)than I started to prepare versions in English of Newspapers: Extra, O Globo, Lance, Metro.,so it was an upgrade for my small blog of surfing.
In 2015, the biggest event of surfing in Brazil, OI Rio Pro, Felipe Toledo(BRA)clinched the championship in Barra da Tijuca, and I decided to prepare an Overview of "Filipinho", I worked a lot in this Overview, and later on, my blog receive an Award of a Foreign blog -as the best post of Brazilians blogs in sports -I became so happy, because I did all the work that I love for myself.
Than after this, I started to stay much time in Rio de Janeiro,in a simple hotel in downtown.This year, Adriano de Souza(BRA)was the second Brazilian the clinched the World Champion of Surfing, in final stage in Pipeline, Oahu, Hawaii. So I decide to buy a camera for filming better the events.
My dream was a Sony camera with power zoom. Fortunetelly I found the camera in Shopping Central, av. Rio Branco, downtown of Rio de Janeiro and I bought it in January 16, 2016 - 1/6/16...
I bought the camera and in February I came back to my hometown. My camera has many resources, and I studied them, and I still have to learn more about, and only tested it when a strong wind arrived in my town, I filmed some coconut trees in the farmhouse of my family.. because the coconut trees reminded me "beaches", nature, and so on.
Than in May I came back to Rio de Janeiro to the stage in Brazil - the stage had two structures, the biggest in Barra da Tijuca, and the alternative one in Grumari beach. Unfortunately The biggest structure of a surf event of all times in Brazil was reached by the strenght of the waves -sea hangover -.
I arrived in Rio de Janeiro on the weekend before the event by Gol Airlines and was worry about how to go to Grumari, because there is farway and has no public tranportation to there. But fortunatelly the WSL -World Surf League- provided a Microbus to Grumari with departures from Recreio Shopping. Recreio dos Bandeirantes is faraway from downtown -around 40 km-25 miles- I will never forget this day.
I woke up at 4:00 am and took the bus 316 through the Linha Amarela -yellow line - and the trip took 90 minutes -an hour and a half. So I caught the first Microbus trip to Grumari beach with some surfers and fans of the "most beautiful sport" -around 7:30 am we arrived in Grumari beach in the round 1, heat 2 - so I choose a strategic position to "debut" my dreamed camera. I did not know how to use that strenght "zoom"- 60x- but when I focused the lens to the sea the "first" surfer that I filmed was nothig less than our "great" World Champion of Surfing,
GABRIEL MEDINA(BRA)one of the most talentous surfers of nowadays, perhaps of all times!!!The Champion of 2015 Triple Crow of Surfing in Hawaii. He was paddling, searching a wave in the heat, but this moment the sea did not had good condiction, little waves...
The structure in Barra da Tijuca was rebuilded and Gabriel reached the Semifinal, but unfortunatelly was defeated by Jack Freestone(AUS), that was surfing very well in this event.However John John Florence(HAW) overcame Jack Freestone(AUS)in the Final and won the 2016 Oi Rio Pro - check the Video "A tribute to John John Florence(HAW)2016 World Champion--posted in January of 2017...
GABRIEL MEDINA(BRA)is always ahead: he was the first surfer to perform the maneuver "Backflip" in the World Circuit of Surfing in all times.
I filmed his historical "backflip" but I will keep it to my upcoming surf channel on Youtube. I was on the shore in Postinho, my water was over, but a "voice" said for me-
-Stay for while because is Gabriel on the water, so...
I decided to prepared this tribute to
GABRIEL MEDINA(BRA)because he deserves it as nobody else.
At night right after the stage finished in Barra da Tijuca, my premolar tooth broke and bled so I came back to my hometown to go the dentist, and came back again to Rio de Janeiro in August to Olimpic Games - In this moment
GABRIEL MEDINA(BRA)and John hohn were disputing the Title, so in October 13th I bought a ticket to Los angeles, to go to Hawaii. Because John John Florence(HAW)might be "early champion" in Portugal only if
GABRIEL MEDINA(BRA)did not pass the Round 3, and the Hawaiian surfer reached the Final. I thought to myself, one of the two situations might happen but not both. But in October 25th, J.J Florence(HAW)cliched the World title of surfing, I prepared a video to John John Florence(HAW)and posted in January of 2017, in this month my blog reached a record of 8,169 accesses.I stayed in Rio till the Carnival, and came back to the South on March.
In 2017 May I returned to Rio de Janeiro to work in my 10th WCT, in Saquarema beach. I stayed in downtown, used to wake up at 4:00 am and went to the Bus station and caught the 1001 bus lines at 6:00 am, direct to Saquarema. I arrived on the shore around 8:30, so I missed the first heats in the morning, and could film only two heats of
GABRIEL MEDINA(BRA)in Round 4, and the Recap, Round 5. Next year I will stay in Saquarema during the event.
Finally thanks God for giving me "health", strenght to keep doing my work, everything by "myself"...
surf - "the most beautiful sport"
*The text above and the video were prepared by Paulo Piqueres - Postgraduated in Advanced English by PUC - Pontifície Universidade Católica -Porto Alegre - RS - Brazil
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