Giovanni turned a corner and isn¡¯t looking back. In 2005, at 15 years old, Giovanni accepted an invitation to represent El Salvador in the World Surfing Games in Huntington Beach. He was a promising semi-pro soccer player and a talented athlete who liked to surf. He grew up surfing and had great style, but when he got invited to represent his country, surfing definitely wasn¡¯t his focus. First heat at Huntington he got shamed by the eventual junior champion. A lot of kids would have been shell shocked, but Giovanni returned home determined.
Since Huntington, when Giovanni¡¯s got a free minute you can¡¯t pull him out of the water. He regularly surfs past dark, and owns the title of the last man out. If national championships could be won on ¡°heart¡± alone, Giovanni would already have a couple of trophies. He finished 2007 as El Salvador¡¯s #2 ranked junior and #3 overall, and continues improving. It seems that working since age 10 has given this surfer an exceptional work ethic. As it stands, he continues to be one of the most driven surfers in El Salvador, and a motivational dynamo.
