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In 1997 I moved from Florida to Hawaii after I saw a picture of Manu Bertin riding on his surfboard with a kite. I knew right away that this was what I wanted to do. What I have achieved since than through Kiteboarding is way beyond my wildest dreams. I would not just call it success but rather a special "quality of life" - a rich lifestyle that is! Through Kiteboarding I get to travel all over the world, get to meet all types of different people and see various cultures. I have the opportunity to do the things that other people will most likely not be able to do before they retire from their jobs. It is very valuable to be able to lead your life in that direction when you are young and not just when you are old. For me it is a simple life but very rich in experience!
Kiteboarding for me is beyond definition. It is the most dynamic sport and from the spirit it is right there where snowboarding, freeskiing, etc. are. You need to do it to totally understand it.
What I have achieved so far in Kiteboarding is to one half a gift of nature and on the other half it is earned through hard work. In order to be successful in whatever you are doing you need to work hard on yourself. I compare my career to a crazy train that is going faster and faster and is totally out of control. It is a wonderful lifestyle that I am living that forces you to proof yourself every single day and that is very hard to maintain. From April to August (Kiteboarding season) I am moving every two weeks. That means every two weeks I get to another time zone, spend plenty of time in cars, airplanes, airports, etc., sleep in a different bed, pack up my stuff, unpack my stuff and all that without going home for at least a couple of days. And besides that you need to follow your diet, get enough sleep, stretch, take your time-off, practice and work for your sponsors. And in between you have to give your best in the contests.
My personal future can be compared to the stock market! Nobody knows what is going to happen tomorrow. But unlike the stock market it is a pretty calculated risk that I am taking each day. Because I know what I am doing and I am always in control of myself. People see the sport as a trend at the moment, but I have been in the sport before all the marketing and different business interests kicked in. So for me it is not a bandwagon that I jumped on - it is my life. So far I did not suffer any major injuries and that is because I constantly work on my body, slowly building up muscles. Actually I am a pretty small person but the muscles that I build up over the years protect me from getting hurt badly. As long as you are active all your life you will live healthy until you are old. In Maui we have many 60 or 70 year old guys still riding their kites. A strong body recovers much faster from injuries or small damages. I don't live the "be here gone tomorrow" life that the media likes so much.
Like in any other active sport accidents occur and in Kiteboarding, too. Every serious accident shakes me at the core, it affects me deeply and especially in the few but tragic fatal cases I feel a profound sense of loss. It is devastating to my soul. It sometimes seems like naïve children playing at life when I see some people riding out there. After any accident that I hear about it is very difficult for me to go out there to practice or compete. But everybody who is taking his kite and board out to go riding is aware of the risk that is left when you go play with nature's forces. Especially the media handle accidents in Kiteboarding like dirty laundry. They are not interested in the beauty of the sport and the amazing feeling of riding.
Safety is a serious aspect of Kiteboarding. We have now achieved a certain standard that guarantees a safe release from the kite when the rider is in danger. In particular Naish recently came out with a knew safety-release that does not unable you to do certain tricks. That was one of the reasons why some pro-riders in the past did not use such safety-gear. But any safety-tool is only useful when it is actually used. All top-riders should use a safety-release because one day they are going to need it.
Every location within the World Tour has it's very own characteristics and is special and beautiful in it's very own way.
Podersdorf (Austria)is unique when it comes to the crazy people and the parties that they are setting up. California is famous for the powerful winds. Margarita (Venezuela) is an unexplored paradise. Cabarete (Dominican Republic) has the perfect combination between Kiteboarding during the day and chill out or party all night long - it`s a fit! In Fuerteventura (Spain) you have strong winds but the landscape makes you think you are in a desert and that shows you how small you actually are compared to nature. Silvaplana (Switzerland) is like Fuerte because it can be very beautiful with the lake and the mountains straight ahead when the sun is shining but also very dark and powerful when it is cloudy and raining. Hood River (USA) is diverse because you can go Kiteboarding in the morning than jump in the car and an half hour later you are on the skiing slopes of the Rockies.
Maui has probably the most constant conditions which makes it very popular. But no spot is better or worse than another.
Travelling is what I do most of my time. Of course my sponsors (US40 and Naish) support me a lot in terms of giving me a special travelling-budget. I love travelling but it sometimes slows you down. Different time zones and long flights are giving me a hard time. And in particular places like Silvaplana with a high altitude in combination with a jet-lag are knocking me out for almost two days straight. Being away from home for almost five to six months gives me the feeling of what I like to call "travel-fatigue". It is sometimes hard to get enough sleep and it is extremely tough to follow your diet while you are travelling. You simply don't get to eat the right food which has an impact on your performance as an athlete.
Kiteboarding-Fashion is characterized through easy fitted pants or shorts and mostly lycra tops. This special fashion has helped to set it apart from being a mimic of windsurfing. Some sort of visual benchmark so to say! Kiteboarding today has it's very own style. Kitepants with special features are available from my sponsor US40 and are popular with the pros as well as with the beginners. I am involved in the development of the US40 kitewear, this unique opportunity allows me to work on the perfect technical and fashionable clothing for my riding. It's for me personally as well as for anybody out there who is into Kiteboarding. It's radical!
