Team Member of the Month » November 2004

Name : Benacio "Nanche" Jose Quijada
Born : 1967
Team member since : 1995
Prior Club Mistral Destinations :

Right on time for the opening of our Club Mistral und Skyriders centre in El Yaque, Isla Margarita, in October, we would like to introduce to you a very loyal and reliable long-standing member of our team, Benacio Jose Quijada, who goes by the nickname of "Nanche".

Nanche has been with us since 1995, enriching the work of many teams over the years and helping us tremendously in establishing the name of Club Mistral on the island. With his many years of experience and his friendly, helpful and, above all, imposing appearance, he has even succeeded in gaining the respect of many of the locals (normally not easily impressed), notably Ricardo Campello, the reigning freestyle world champion whom Nanche already knew when he was a small boy. And the kiddies are not the only ones who love Nanche; rumour has it that he is very popular with the ladies, too. The story goes that a notice with a portrait of each individual team member was posted one day in order to introduce the centre team to the guests - and Nanche's picture had been pinched by the very next morning!

He has become virtually indispensable at our centre. During the summer months, when the centre is closed (July, August, and September), Nanche takes care of everything and keeps an eye on the centre. In October, he is the first to bring some life back into the centre on site, checking out the boards, applying a fresh coat of paint to the office and the board hall and, above all, making all the necessary preparations for the arrival of the instructors and guests.
Nanche has also a firm grip on the board repair department. Felix, the former El Yaque centre manager, admires him as the best "board restorer" in the entire Club Mistral universe.

In addition to his work at the surfing centre, Nanche has two more hobbies: his sticker-covered jeep, which he guards like the apple of his eye, and his artistic work. Nanche is a talented sculptor, and Felix was very moved when he received a beautiful statue from him, which Moni later "smuggled" into Germany, packed away in four board bags.

Nanche's fellow team members are all captivated by his lovable and unfailingly respectful and friendly manner. We are very happy to have him on our team and hope that he will remain our most important man and our pillar of strength in El Yaque for a long time to come. We wish Nanche and his family all the best for the future from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you for all the help and commitment you have shown towards Club Mistral!

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