Salsa Brava is known as the best wave in the country, attracting many to the Caribbean to surf it. Although surfing is popular on both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, I have noticed much more surf culture on the Caribbean side of the country. One of the most famous surfers from Costa Rica currently is Brisa Hennessy, who was ranked 15th in the world in 2021 and competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics representing Costa Rica.
In middle school and high school, students play basketball, soccer and volleyball. Basketball is surprisingly popular here, with many courts in local parks. With plenty of sunny beaches in Costa Rica, volleyball is popular for organized teams, and also as a fun pastime. I love going to La Parque Sabana in San Jose on the weekends and watching what looks like hundreds of kids and adults playing soccer. The park has a huge track which is full of people, including me, running and racing each other for fun.
As a huge baseball fan, I was surprised to learn that, unlike many other Latin American countries, Costa Rica is not into baseball, and only has a national team that plays for fun against neighboring countries. Despite this, the official Rawling baseballs of the MLB are manufactured in Costa Rica. Last week, however, my friends and I were able to watch the World Series games at 'American style' sports bars in San Jose.
The culture in Costa Rica may be very different than in the U.S., but one thing for sure is that both countries love their sports! I can't wait to chat with you all again, and I hope that you enjoyed learning about sports here in Costa Rica. Chao (Bye)!
