Next month in Surf City, El Salvador, Saint Lucia will return to the global surfing stage. The Saint Lucia Surfing Association has named its three-member team for the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Junior Championship.
From September 4 to 13, over 400 athletes aged 17 and under from over 50 nations will compete at La Bocana and El Sunzal. Teams from Australia, South Africa and the Caribbean will also take part.
Saint Lucia’s team includes captain Sebastian Rambally-Ambler in the Under-18 category, Daniel Rambally-Ambler in both the Under-16 and Under-18 divisions, and William Verity in the Under-18 group.
This is Saint Lucia’s second time competing at the global junior surfing level. Last year, Sebastian and Daniel took part in the World Juniors in Peru but exited after the preliminary round. Since then, the national federation has worked hard to help the team improve.
In addition to training at home, Saint Lucia’s surfers have practised at Oz Surf School in Jacó, Costa Rica, Tubos in Lima, Peru, and the Trestles in California. Brett Prinz is now the head coach, and the team has increased their physical training, video analysis and focused surf practice.
“This journey represents more than competition; it is a celebration of perseverance, teamwork and the continued growth of surfing in Saint Lucia,” said Shaid Rambally, SLSA president and manager of the team to El Salvador.
“We are incredibly proud of our national team and wish them the very best as they compete against the world’s top junior surfers while flying the Saint Lucian flag with pride. Thank you to our coaches, families, sponsors, supporters and the entire surfing community for helping make this journey possible. Together, we continue to build the future of surfing in Saint Lucia.”
The team’s official motto is “Small Island. Big Dreams. One Team.”
