The Lanzarote athlete Ricardo Luzardo highlights the importance of the two Canary Islands events of the European Tour of Bodyboard (ETB) 2025 for dropknee, the bodyboard modality that is practiced by sliding on the wave with one knee bent on the board. "The European champion of 'dropknee' comes from the Canary Islands." He emphasizes when recalling that "this way of surfing is only contemplated in the competitive phase in the two ETB events that are held this year in the archipelago: the one in El Socorro, in Tenerife, and the one in La Cícer, in Gran Canaria".
Luzardo, born and residing in Lanzarote, is passionately dedicated to bodyboarding and surfing in general. He manages to organize himself so that, after taking care of his family and his work in the management team of the public hospital on his island, he still has time to attend to the three facets to which he dedicates himself in this sport: his practice as an athlete, his role as president of the Octopus Surf Sports Club, the training he imparts at the Octopus Surf and Bodyboard School, which he directs, and his role as a judge.
The first thing is "not to get distracted with obligations", he says in reference to what is not sports in his life. And, once these are taken care of, it is a matter of organizing time: "If time is controlled, you have it for everything". That's right: he trains Saturdays and Sundays in the morning until 12:00 and, during the week, two or three afternoons he goes straight from work to the beach and trains for a little less than three hours. At 6:00 p.m. he is already back. "Here, in Lanzarote, moving from one place to another is very fast. I am in the center of the island, half an hour from the wave I want", he explains.
With 47 years completed, and after starting in bodyboarding as a child, Luzardo had abandoned the competition 12 years ago when in 2024 he felt called by the call for the ETB El Socorro event. He could not miss the opportunity to compete in the complete dropknee cycle of the European tour and in two thirds in the open category. This year he plans to repeat in both modalities, both in Tenerife and in Gran Canaria.
"It is very good for the Canary Islands that the ETB event in El Socorro is strengthened, because, in addition, in the dropknee discipline there are fewer opportunities lately and, with this type of event, you are giving the riders a plus, because the European championship is played here. This is an incentive and it was demonstrated last year, which attracted people from all over the world", he says.
His decision to return to competition last year has led him to join the Brisa League, which is organized in Gran Canaria. "I take it as a pre-season training". In this event, Luzardo participates in the dropknee and master categories, designed for people over 40 years old. His presence is also usually common in the Spanish Surf League, although this year he had to be absent to attend to tasks at his sports school. "Now I go to competitions a little more aware, I prepare myself physically with my personal trainer, Aitor González Arocha (Z2 Performance), I train in the water and, in addition, I practice when I go to the sea with the students; they also motivate me", he points out.
The ETB 2025 El Socorro event is held from September 24 to 28 and is open to athletes from all over the world, who are invited to participate in the Open, Women, Junior and Dropknee modalities. People who wish to do so can formalize their request through the Internet on the registration gateway of the website.
It is organized by the Canary Islands Surf Federation –with the support of the European Surfing Federation and the Spanish Surfing Federation– and has the collaboration of the Los Realejos City Council, the sponsorship of the Cabildo de Tenerife, through its public company Ideco, and the General Directorate of Physical Activity and Sports of the Government of the Canary Islands, in addition to various private sponsors. It is an official event and scores for the European Tour of Bodyboard and the Canary Islands Bodyboard Circuit.