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Meet Agustín Cedeño

We interviewed Agustín about his journey on Longboard Surfing and how he’s shaping his future on the sport he loves.

How did it all start?

My mom worked at the beach. We went almost every day when I was a kid, but I would stay in the car sleeping until one of the business owners paid for a lesson for me. I was seven years old.  Got on the board, I stood up on the first try but fell, swallowed water, and didn’t try again out of fear. Then, at twelve years old, I tried again and did well.

At fourteen, I competed for the first time. That first year was tough, and I told my mom I needed a coach to represent Panama in the best way. I got one in Costa Rica, improved a lot, and I’m still working with him.

At fifteen, I started seriously participating in full circuits, not just one or two events a year. By that age, I had to make the most of my free time and decide whether to stay at a party, rest, or go to the beach to train. My friends gradually stopped inviting me because I was always training or competing. Every afternoon, as soon as I finished school, I looked for someone to take me to Venao, and I had to surf in whatever conditions there were. At eighteen, I moved to the beach to train full-time until the pandemic hit.

Photo: @agus.cedeno instagram

What was it like moving to the beach and training daily?

The first year was tough. I gave surf lessons, bought my first board, and even started an AirBnB experience that helped me become independent. After the pandemic, I partnered with a friend to open a surf school. He had to leave, and I was left with the academy, now called Surf Factory. Thanks to this, I can support myself, help at home, fund my competitions, and pay for my courses. Today, I am a certified coach and instructor by the ISA, and I apply what I learn to myself and my students.

Shortboard or Longboard?

I was a national junior shortboard champion and Central American runner-up, but in 2022, due to health issues, I had to reduce my activities and started longboarding. Compared to shortboarding, longboarding has a different intensity and vibe when competing or practicing. Shortboarding requires much more intensity and effort, causing stress and pressure, and I was no longer enjoying the love for the sport with which I started. Longboarding gives me a different approach to competing and having fun without losing the essence. I would like to keep competing in longboarding and shortboarding for fun.
Photo: @agus.cedeno instagram

How did you meet Blue Skies?

I met Blue Skies during some national roadblocks when I needed to compete. I had to take a charter flight, and while waiting in the hangar, we started talking, and they decided to help me with flights and support for competitions. I get along very well with the sponsors and always look for a mutually beneficial arrangement, like a business. It took some time for the sponsors in Panama to see my potential since they were initially from abroad.

Would you change anything about the path you took?

Surfing is a beautiful and interesting path, but one is human, and sometimes you feel lonely for doing something uncommon, like having a crazy dream. Here, the norm is to graduate, go to university, party, get a job, and repeat the same thing every week. Despite people, friends, and teachers saying that you couldn’t make a living from surfing, I kept training and going to bed early to compete. Now, those same people have changed their minds and respect it.

The support of my friends helped me stay focused. They are good friends, but I can count them on one hand. Sometimes I think I should have stuck with baseball for economic reasons, but I don’t regret my decisions. I have a good life and I am happy. There are things that money can’t buy.


And what about your current and future surfing?

I have different types of goals, but my main objective is to surf better and have fun, and let the results come naturally. I stopped enjoying shortboarding because of the pressure I put on myself, and I don’t want that to happen with longboarding. This year, I managed to finish in 8th place in the ALAS tour and plan to work to improve this result and aim higher next year.

I am also in the WSL world tour qualifiers for the North America region. In the first event, I reached the semifinals, in the second the quarterfinals, and now I am ranked 12th out of 38. I am happy because I know I can achieve things. The harder the goal, the greater the satisfaction.

Photo: @agus.cedeno instagram