ESA All-Stars: Staying Connected Through COVID
Nearly two months ago the world seemingly came to a halt and with it many surfing communities around the globe. Those lucky enough to still find themselves in the ocean’s embrace, particularly on the East Coast, throughout the crisis were among the fortunate few.
The cast of ESA All-Stars, each hailing from up and down the diverse coastline, had to deal with the stages of quarantine and stay-at-home orders differently from state to state. Without events to contest, these young talents have been able to take a step back and enjoy the little things with family. We caught up with these All-Stars to reflect on better times, how they’ve been keeping up and motivational quirks that have kept them going.
The Viorel Siblings “Can’t Avoid Everything, Just to Avoid Something Bad Happening”
Surfer: Finn Viorel / Photo: Roy Toft – Toft Photo Safaris
A pair of North Carolina’s upcoming sibling duos of Finn and Gabby Viorel were among those fortunate surfers able to surf through quarantine with support from their father Jack taking them to secluded spots. Finn, 12, and Gabby, 17, both had notable performances throughout 2019 including some big wins and Finals appearances. The Viorel family has handled the recent tougher times together which brought them even closer because of it.
ESA: What we’re some memorable moments of 2019 you can reflect on?
Gabby: 2019 was a great year for me. I started to focus on my longboarding a little more. I had some big wins – 2019 Mid Atlantic Regionals Jr Women Longboard, The Sweetwater Pro AM in Open Women Longboard, Folly Beach Wahine Women’s Longboard, and The WBLA Longboard Pro Am Women’s Division. I was honored to make the ESA All-Star Team for my second year.
Surfer: Gabby Viorel / Photo: Richard Perry
Finn: It was my second year competing and the first season I competed beyond local events. I had a couple great finishes with my first ever Mid-Atlantic Regionals and I made the finals in my first ECSC event. I was also one slot away from making the Rip Curl Grom Search National Championships. Making the the ESA All Star Developmental Team and Billabong team were something I’m proud of. One of my proudest accomplishments has been playing my own ukulele music for my surf edits.
How have you and your family dealt with quarantine? Were you able to surf and keep to a somewhat normal routine?
Finn: We surfed a lot during the quarantine. Our dad took us to different beaches that were far from people and on boats to nearby islands. We surfed some sharky waters just so we could keep surfing. Because of my background in parkour I always do a lot of land/trampoline training, so I did a lot of that.
Surfer: Finn Viorel / Photo: Jack Viorel
Gabby: We found some off the beaten path beaches and islands to surf. As far as training, my dad set up a lot of land training sessions for us in our garage and driveway. I was able to meet one day a week with a land training coach here locally. Overall we were able to stay tuned up and in shape so our family maintained a routine. I like to paint so had a lot of time to do some art.
Gabby’s artwork
Finn: Our parents did not like the shutdown. Our dad almost went out of business and our mom worked at home. Since our dad wasn’t working he made sure we did our surfing, workouts, school and stuff and our mom always makes us eat healthy and that our immune system can fight off most things.
Gabby: One thing we always did as a family was spend evenings together from 6-10 pm. We cooked, ate dinner, and cleaned as a family every night. Then we would watch The Office, Parks and Rec or something fun together. 
Surfer: Gabby Viorel / Photo: Richard Perry
What’s something inspirational or motivational you’ve seen or heard during this time that you will remember and take with you?
Gabby: As a family we were not that thrilled about the Stay at Home orders, but my parents made the most of it for us. We try to live a healthy lifestyle and believe in eating well, being outdoors and being physically fit, so in some ways it cramped our style but our dad would often say, “You can’t avoid everything, just to avoid something bad happening!”
The Viorel family also work with the vision impaired to encourage ocean therapy for those who have never seen or been in the water. Check out their incredible work with Jax Indo Surf Charities
Pt. 2 will shine light on one of Ocean City, New Jersey’s, upcoming talents Cooper Jewell on Monday, May 18.