The Cuban skater and surfer Yojany Pérez announced last Thursday his official joining of the YOW Surf team, one of the world's leading surfskate brands, with a presence in Europe, America, and Asia.
Pérez made the announcement through his Instagram account with a video in which he summarized his journey with a phrase that captures his story: "From Cuba to Barcelona, building step by step. No shortcuts. No noise. Only process. This is not a destination… it is the beginning."
The official YOW Surf site responded with a blog post titled "Welcome to the Team, Yojany," in which the brand highlighted that the Cuban has been "
The story of Pérez begins in Cuba, where he started with surfing and skateboarding under extremely precarious conditions, in a country where these sports lack infrastructure, access to equipment, and official recognition from the State.
After emigrating to Spain, he settled in Barcelona, a city that has become one of the world’s epicenters of skateboarding and urban sports, where he discovered surfskate, a discipline that combines skateboarding with surfing techniques to simulate the movement of waves on asphalt.
In Barcelona, Pérez not only developed a unique style characterized by fluidity, power, and creativity, but also worked as an instructor, built communities around the discipline, and collaborated with brands in the industry, including Long Island Boards, before making the leap to YOW Surf.
YOW Surf, whose full name is Your Own Wave, is a Spanish brand founded in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country around 2014, with the goal of bringing the feeling of surfing to the pavement through boards and axle systems designed and patented in-house.
The company offers three main axle systems —Meraki S5, Meraki S4, and Legasee— and a catalog of 33 models with premium prices ranging from 185 to 330 euros, which has established it as a technical benchmark within the industry on a global scale.
The international team of riders from YOW Surf includes names such as Mariona Pujol, Alex Pons, Yago Dominguez, Daniela Boldini, Jan Bein, and Hugo Cardoso, among others, and now adds Pérez as one of its representatives.
The signing represents an acknowledgment of the progress made by an athlete who went from training in precarious conditions on the Island to becoming a professional rider and a community figure within the European surfskate scene, all without the support of any Cuban state sports infrastructure.
"Proud to be part of the YOW Surf family," Pérez wrote when announcing the news, adding that this milestone does not represent a goal achieved, but rather the beginning of a new chapter.
Filed under: