Profiles
Getting To Know Rita Pires
Additional Info
Share This Article
Rita Pires is a professional athlete who dedicates her career competing and promoting the wave sports. Rita is a big fan of the Sea and loves the contact with the Ocean, her passion for bodyboard has born at the tender age of 10. With 13 Portuguese Champion Titles, 6 European Champion Titles, Rita is the athlete most awarded in Portugal. At 28 years old she opts for a full time sports career, putting aside her work as an architect.
Currently, she is recognized as a reference in the wave sports, not just for her results in competitions but also for her work in the promotion of these sports. The project ‘A Onda da Rita’ began in 2009 and is a TV Show where Rita Pires shares experiences with other athletes of different kind of sport such as Surf, Bodyboard, Longboard and Stand-up Paddleboard, in the National and International scenery.
SurfSister got the chance to connect with Rita in a Q & A session:
Where do you live now?
I live in Portugal, in a town named 'Costa da Caparica', near the capital 'Lisboa'.
Where is your home town and what is it famous for?
My home town is composed for a 15kms of sand beaches, and is one of the most beautiful places near Lisboa, to spend holidays. Here there's a wave very known worldwide, there is a wedge, perfect for bodyboarding. This place frequently appears in different magazine, including Australian Bodyboarding Magazines. The name of the wave is 'Cova do Vapor'.
How did you start you TV Show and can you tell us about your favourite episode?
I started the TV show 3 years ago, just for fun and to show to the people my life as an athlete. The first season was shoot around the world, in some of the best waves in the world. The second season was shoot in Portugal, and I was a big pleasure for me to explore the best waves of my country, and share it with a big community of water sport lovers.
You have had such consistent competition results over quiet a few years what is your secret?
I think my secret is doing what I most love, no meter of the results. My passion is the waves and the sea, and every days I try to do better in the sport. That is my secret!
Have you been to Australia?
I have been in Australia once, at Gold Coast. But I would like to visit Australia again and have chance to surf different spots.
Does surfing different equipment give you a competitive edge?
For sure! My skills in the water increases when I try different equipment and different ways of ride a wave. My main focus is the Bodyboarding, but I frequently surf with a Longboard or a Stand Up Paddleboard.
What do you want form the future?
I just want to keep doing what I most love, and had chance to work in my projects and promote the wave sport in a feminine way!
Anything else you would like to add?
Just do what you love, is the most important in life!
If you would like to check out more of Rita this is her website and facebook
Share This Article
