Cristina Ortiz Vivas is the focus of this week’s story on High-Performance athletes who train at Vallarta Yacht Club. Many of you may remember Cris from her days sailing in the Junior Sailing Program here at VYC. I think Cris paints a good picture of the emotional roller coaster these athletes find themselves on as they compete with the top sailors in the world. Here’s her story.
When did you start sailing and what class where you sailing in.
I started sailing when I was 7 years old, in the optimist class. My parents and my brother also sail so it was in my blood to become a sailor. And, of course, my twin sister Andrea was the biggest part of my early sailing years. We were training partners from the beginning. That made us so big in so many ways. We were able to train together and improve so fast; it was amazing how much we could push each other. It also made everything exciting and fun. On the other hand, it also made us learn how to deal with the competition we always had between each other. In the end, we were training partners but in regattas we were competitors.
This was probably what made our relationship grow even more. We learned to be happy with each other’s results. We were proud of our work and our strengths and this bond made us so good at a very early stage. It is definitely one of the greatest things sailing has given me, so many lessons with my sister and such a strong relationship with her.
She is a really big part of what I am today. Although she retired from sailing, she is the person I always call first when I have a bad or a tough day and she always has the right words to get me back on track.
I used to live in Mexico City, so our family getaway was to go every weekend to a lake near the city called Valle de Bravo. In this lake I learned so many things and made so many friends, but the most important thing is that I fell in love with the sport of sailing. Today I’m still amazed at this sport. Every single time I go practice or race, it feels like I’m that little kid having fun and learning as much as possible.
What has been your biggest accomplishment in the past 2 years?
I just came back from Palma de Mallorca, Spain where I competed in a really big event called Princess Sofia. I finished 16 overall, so it was a big deal for me.
But apart from that race I think this year has been a year with so much progress. I set some really big goals for myself and I am really happy with the results.
I qualified for the Central American Games May 2018. Unfortunately, due to political issues I was not able to go and compete. This was extremely sad and tough as I had imagined since I was 9 years old, walking through that opening ceremony, living in the athletes’ villa and wearing the country uniform. And because of things that were out of my control I did not have the chance. They say hard times only make people stronger, so I kept focused and went for the next goal, The Pan am Games.
Three weeks before our qualifier for Pan am Games, we had the first World Cup of the year on January 19, I performed really well. I knew my hard work and dedication was paying off. It was the first time in 10 years that any other Mexican athlete had finished before Demita Vega, a highly talented competitor and veteran of windsurfing. I was really happy that I managed to do this, but at the same time I knew there is still so much more to do. Weeks later we had the qualifier, and I lost - again a really big punch. I had worked very hard for this result and I knew it was possible, I had just done it before. At the end that is what makes this sport amazing - it pushes you and it makes you be the very best that you can be. You learn from your mistakes and you come back stronger.
What are your goals for the next 2 years?
My main goal is to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
It is a long journey but for now it is my main focus. In order to make it to the Games we need to qualify the country first in the World Championship 2019 in Garda Lake, Italy during the month of September. After this, all eyes will be on who gets that spot, as it’s only one competitor per country.
Why do you train at Vallarta Yacht Club?
10 years ago, my parents told me we were moving from Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta. I was 13 years old and for me it was shocking at the beginning. They told me they were looking for a better quality of life. At that point in life I had no idea what they meant, I just knew I was going to leave all my friends in Mexico and had to start looking for new ones. I have to say I am a very shy person, so this was probably the scariest and toughest task for me, but I agreed to give it a try and give it my very best.
My mom, since day one started working at the VYC, coaching the Junior Sailing Program. I was going with her for lessons, sailing every single day after school! It was something that was just not possible in the city. And not just that, I discovered what sailing with dolphins, whales, waves, current, and wind was like and if that was not enough, after every training we would wrap up with lovely sunsets. By this point in my life I loved sailing, but this was when I learned and fell in love with the beauty of nature.
The VYC has given me so much more that I can say. It gave me the opportunity to discover new horizons in my sailing career because it literally has everything, good weather all year, good wind and amazing people that are always willing to help and do their very best.