Cover photo: ISA/Tweddle

Last Friday, one of Latin America's most accomplished and successful surfers, Argentinean Martín Passeri, announced his departure from Reef, the brand that sponsored him for 25 years, almost his entire career.

That he is one of the most successful professionals with more years, at 43 he is top 5 in ALAS, and top 15 in the South American QS and that a farewell message with an emotional video, perhaps confused and was interpreted as a farewell to professional surfing. It is not known. The fact is that Martin had to clarify in his Instagram stories that he was not going anywhere, simply that he was saying goodbye to the brand.

-On Friday, a video caused a huge stir and also confusion. As we understand it, you are leaving Reef after 25 years of an excellent relationship, is that correct?
My intention was to thank Reef for all the support I received, to tell the story of how it all began and that my departure from this brand, which was the one that boosted my entire career, was on excellent terms. I left of my own free will, feeling that I suddenly want to continue expanding my career a little in another way. I wanted to make a formal thank you.

I have a training center, I have a lot of athletes, but the passion for competing has not diminished in intensity yet.

But you're not retiring from professional surfing. Are you still "a la Kelly" facing the kids you saw being born and growing up?
As long as I continue to have fun, enjoy it and can physically bear competing, I will continue doing it. I always say that I am a born competitor, because I like to compete, not because I always want to win, because I know that in life you lose much more than you win; but I like it when you win, especially in everyday life, overcoming laziness, comfort and daring to take on challenges that scare you... Competition in some way is putting yourself in a situation like that and therefore I think it is a good element to stay alive.

Why did you leave Reef?
I left because I felt that our relationship was stagnant and that personal projects related to the training center and even my competitive career were not aligned with the brand, or maybe the brand was not focused on the development of competitive surfing. But basically the training center is the trigger for this change in habits… It's not that they don't support me, but it seems to me that the company is going in the other direction and I am perhaps aligned with another type of company.

Will we find out in a few days that you are signing a contract with another major brand?
Definitely. I am working on being able to form an alliance with other companies and I think that this week or the next will be decisive in this. There is nothing yet but I hope it happens soon. And if not, we will continue looking.

We know that you are a coach and that you are a professional, how is your professional career going?
I'm facing the last round of the Latin American circuit, I have an invitation to race the Search in Chile and I'm going to prepare to race the national circuit, and, with the good points I got on the South American WSL circuit, I'll surely face some bigger stages. There are waves on the South American and Latin American circuits that you can't avoid going to, so we're going to focus on these because I really like them.

And how is your coaching career going?
My career as a coach has a pressing need, which is training, which is what I am very focused on lately. I want to nurture my experience with academic knowledge. It takes time and energy, but it is definitely the way to go because with the experience that those of us who have competed for so long have, today sports training in surfing is necessary, as is creating athletes and systems so that surfers can reach their careers well.

As a coach I am very focused and continue to seek to better understand the activity and teaching.

Going back to the message on social media, why did you have to clarify that you were not retiring? What messages did you receive?
I had to clarify it because people started commenting on it. I posted and went to train with the boys, and after about two hours I looked back and said: “Holy crap, dude”… And a moment of stress arose and I told myself that I better clarify it.

Especially because I saw references, people I appreciate who made comments saying: “Impeccable career, man”… I felt the need to tell the truth about what happened, as always.

If I had retired, I would have had to thank people, and here I told a story that had to do with my career, that Reef was present in 80-85% of my career. It has to do with it, but I wasn't retiring from competitive surfing, but rather stepping aside from one of the brands that had the most to do with my career.

 

See this post on Instagram

 

Today I say goodbye and thank you very much REEF. It was an incredible 25 years that I only have to thank. The love and support of all this time was something that words would not be enough to fully express. It all started as an unattainable dream from the perspective of that summer of '93 when @santiago_aguerre gave me the first convertibles talking to me about how I could improve my surfing. Those goals were impossible for the time in which we lived and I reached unthinkable heights in a country where competing was a matter of summers, the world circuit was something we saw in magazines and a ranking was always made up of others. With @reef I learned to be a professional, I had my first salary, my first award for sports performance, my first trip to real waves and my first American Quiver when RATON showed me the incredible waves of Tahiti in 97 (for the first time). After a great devaluation of our country, @reefargentina trusted me again, fully dressed me with its brand and supported me with a regional salary, thanks to ALE AZPIAZU and PEDRO RANIERI, which allowed me to continue aiming for the international competition where in 2006 I was able to achieve the first @alaslatintour TITLE. REEF LATINOAMERICA became a large family that was gaining ground in the region, and the only brand that created a LATINO program, which dared to tell the story of each of its protagonists in two FILMS without waste: BROTHERS. The ups and downs of the economy forced to slow down that great work, but in my case I was one of the few who continued supporting to this day. In my country I saw a great number of changes, both at a structural and communication level, despite the difficulties that the company has had, they have always supported me throughout my career. Today I can only thank each one of those who are part of this great relationship, each one who formed a great team, a great family. To those who remain today like Tincho Sunblad and Nachito Nahon, who are the ones who will continue fighting to bring the brand forward and will continue supporting other surfers, I wish them the best and thank you ? @gravedadzerotv

A publication shared by MARTIN PASSERI (@martinpasseri) the 19's 2018 11 20: XNUMX PDT