Lisbeth Vindas will be looking to defend her lead in the Costa Rica Surf Circuit 2008.

The current leader in the Open Category, Gilbert Brown, could be one step away from clinching the title in the National Surf Circuit 2008 Championship. The second to last event in the entire circuit, the Banco Nacional Tournament, will be held in Playa Dominical this weekend April 5 and 6.

Brown has been the only surfer to place in the top 4 in each event, including two first place wins in Playa Hermosa and Tamarindo. Jason Torres and Matias Braun are in second and third place respectively, but due to inconsistent performances, both have let Brown run away with a solid 1135 point lead that will likely allow him an easy overall victory.

Brown’s current score is 5115, followed by Torres with 3980, Braun in third with 3931 and Jairo Perez in fourth with 3780. However, the final ranking at the end of the Circuit will be determined by averaging out each surfer’s top four out of seven performances. This weekend’s event is ranked 4 stars and jeans 1500 points for the winner. That means, if any of the top four messes up, there is the possibility that one of the runner ups could jump to the finalist board with two consistently strong performances in the final two events.

One of the surfers tailing behind the top four is Luis Vindas who, after winning the last event in Playa Carmen and last year’s Dominical tournament, is likely to prove to be a fierce competitor straight to the end of the Circuit.

On the women’s side, Lisbeth Vindas has come in first place for each event, making her a likely shoe-in for the gold medal. However, after defeating her mentor Vindas to take the Central American Women’s Championship, current National Women’s Champion Nataly Bernold will be fighting to the end for her chance to steal the win.

In the Junior’s category, Jairo Perez has a delicate hold on first place after giving up some crucial points at the Circuit’s 4-star events.

This important event will take place at a beach break known for consistent waves in front of the Hotel Tortilla Flats in the center of Dominical. Surfing will start at 7am, however, during high tide, which is scheduled for the afternoon, the waves take the form of a tube, which will make this the optimal viewing time for some crafty maneuvers by the competitors.

Sign ups will take place on Friday, April 4th from 5pm to 7pm. For more information, call the National Surf Federation at 2235-6400.

The final event in this year’s National Surf Circuit will take place at the end of the month in Playa Hermosa just south of Jaco in front of the Terrazas del Pacifico.

Photo couresty of Shifi Surf Shots.

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Filed under: Surf on April 3rd, 2008