#course racing

We took the chance to interview last year's kitesurfing course racing world champion and this year's vice world champion Adam Koch. Adam is one of the pioneers of early kitesurfing. In 1998 a lot of Germans will remember his 13-second flight during the world cup at Fehmarn, and some years later he jumped of a aircraft carrier. In the last few years he concentrated on pushing the course racing discipline in kitesurfing. Adam rides Ozone Kites, Mike's Lab boards and Rista fins. 

First of all congratulations for becoming vice-world champion in Sylt one week ago! What was your impression about the contest in general? 

Thank you... I've worked very hard to get top 5 this year. That was my goal going into the worlds anyways... I knew the competition would be up several notches from the year before in Texas. 

The conditions on Sylt were pretty gnarly with winds from 25+ knots and 3m+ waves.. Did you expect that? Did you train specifically for these conditions? 

The first few days of training pre event in Sylt it was light 15 and 17 meter... The conditions we had all expected. Sloppy seas and moderate. Seems mother nature saw it differently because we ended up getting straight off shore conditions the first day. The Ozone team all group together and decide to rig the same size. Off shore and light... Hot! In fact I went out with just board shorts! We chose 13's and regretted it all around the race course. Lit up like roman candals we completed two races and rushed in to switch down to 11's. We had a comfy next two races. The condition turned the following days.. The wind switched to straight onshore and the seas just began to change from smooth to angry and confused. With the wind never backing down we only watched the swell increase by the day. With breaking waves at often times shoulder high... The committee boat could not stay anchored... Sometimes you would see it jump completely out of the water... Crazy stuff. Some of the craziest racing conditions I've ever experienced. For sure sail boats couldn't handle these conditions. When approaching the starting line often times breakers would wipe out the guy next to you. Up wind it was common to jump on accident and free fall hoping you don't buckle into the face of the next wave. Down wind was pretty interesting... I almost snapped my neck on one Downloop windward mark rounding. I've never crashed so hard before in kite boarding or felt the water feel like concrete just from going so fast. I somehow managed to break the nose of my board with my harness buckles- with both feet still in the straps. The worst part of a crash like that is you have do the bare away all over again right after and continue the race... 

Speaking of training: the whole American team showed a great performance during the championships. How did you become so fast? How often you train together? 

Team America is really just a group of old sailing buddies... we all grew up racing at very young ages and we simply apply all we have learned in training and tuning to the kite racing program. Share everything... always tune with someone. If someone is slow and someone is fast... the faster guy shares his secrete to success. We are open books... the days of covering your board up and hiding your fins are over. We also play fun games on the water like one guy has to duck the other if he's faster... or do 360's if you're faster... reverse the order of finishing during training... we always use marks here in the bay area... even at the river there are channel marks everywhere. I guess you could say if you want to be the best... you have to train and sail with the best. I would even go so far as you need to hang out with the best. The entire world of kiteracers are invited to come play with us here in The Bay and The River (Sherman Island). In fact most of our training sessions (unless there is an official regatta) are on The River. In fact I have been living at Sherman Lake Marina since last February. I love it there. A trailer park/marina with a bunch of kiteboarders, A true paradise! 

I remember you from the early days of kiting using mutant-style boards and going high and big. How did you get into racing? Do you still ride freestyle and/or wave boards or do you focus on racing only? 

Back in my jumping days and wave riding days I did some really stupid stuff... like the aircraft carrier huck and cliff hucks... jumping higher than the equipment is safe to. After a while it got a bit old I guess you could say. I still jump on a small strapped Doyle surfboard and crank out some skate style board off stuff and some interesting grabs... but there is nothing like the adrenaline of a race board. In fact most pro kiteboarders make fun of what we do... that's easy if you have never tried one. I challenge those who think racing is stupid to run the race course on my gear! I know you will be humbled. I am every time I load up my fins.... That's why I do it. Oh and thats just riding the board around the course... now try to compete on one. To become a great racer is a lifetime achievement. We will never be finished. All and all after the North Americans in Puerto Rico this week. I see myself getting back into jumping.... I've tried a ton of different kites out there and I know I will still use the Ozone Edge for jumping. It has the smooth personality that I need to jump the way I see jumping should be. 

In the last years in racing we have seen big changes in board design. Now that we have a box rule limiting the board specs, how do you think the racing gear will evolve during the next years? Do you think the boards will change as fast as during the last few years? 

I think racing technology has come to a cross roads... we are all on 70 cm boards and 42cm fins.. Kites could for sure improve, boards are pretty much there with thanks to Mike Zajicek. Fins are going to constantly evolve, in fact fins will be the one thing that will never stop evolving. I am very fortunate that Paolo Rista picked me up and has supported my every effort in progression. Without him making thousands of fins I would not be in the comfort zone i am today.. With everything I have experienced... don't buy an old board, buy a new dialed in one with the proper fins... You wont regret it. It's the difference between having fun and getting your butt kicked. And I'm not talking about the race... just riding the equipment. 

What are your thoughts on kiteboarding getting to the Olympics? Would you like to join? 

It has always been my dream to represent my country in the Olympics for sailing... but I'm just not sure our sport is mature enough yet to go there. I'm for sure not against it. Although if it means do anything it takes to get kiteboarding in. I think that is the wrong route. We need to build our fleets and sport up first... I do see raceboarding as a completely different sport than kiteboarding. It's high performance sailing in it's purest form. No rudders, masts or anything complicated. You can travel the globe without loading a container or towing a trailer. I guess you could say that I'm all for course racing going into the Olympics, but I'm not a fan of Boarder X or slalom. There isn't the chess factor that course racing has. Course racing you can choose to go left or right both upwind and downwind. Johnny Heineken and I often go the same speed around the course. Most of the time he beats me in tactics. There is just not the same tactics in slalom and Boarder X as course racing. Besides Boarder X is old school. We tried that many years ago and it failed. Why go down that road again. Course Racing has amazing momentum right now.... why not throw more fuel on the fire that's blazing... why start more small fires and spread our tiny sport thin? Besides I can't afford to train for all those different catagories and then travel with 4 boards around the world. I can barley afford to travel with one board. This industry isn't the strongest. Lets focus on one thing instead of skipping to the next song before the first one has finished.... so to speak. 

I heard you focused a lot on photography recently. Where do you spend more time, in front of the lens or behind the lens? 

I picked up photography when I had my first boy, I have two now... Cruz and Carter (Carr). 6 and 2 years old. It was the same time I retired from being a pro athlete.... now I'm back only for the course racing scene.... I hardly ever shoot anymore, only for work and when I'm feeling artistic. I'm not the type of photographer that is always shooting everything. I do love it, but It's really just a job that supports my raceboard training. 

What are your plans for the next year? 

I'm forming a plan to begin a tour of Raceboard clinics globally. First one could be next month at Sherman Island with Johnny Heineken. It would be limited to 20 participants and we will give all our secrets away. It will be advertised through my facebook page so stay tuned and let me know if you think you have enough interest in your area. I know the Spanish team is interested.... hit me up and we will go from there...

Thanks Adam for the interview - if you want to see him in action, just have a look at this video:

Just three days to go before the warning signal comes up for the largest and best skilled fleet in kiteboard racing ever. More than 140 competitors from 28 nations representing all continents have registered to find their champion on Germany's most prestigious island Sylt, located in the North Sea which produces challenging conditions with strong winds and waves.

The Kiteboard Racing World Championship is coming to Europe for the first time in history, and the strong European fleet led by Masters World Champion Bjorn Rune Jensen (DEN), current world ranking leader Olivier Dansin and last years overall world cup winner Bruno Sroka (both France) are keen to steel the title from the Americans who were keeping them in their rows for the past two years. Reigning World Champion Adam Koch is on the US team as well as two times Olympic medallist Mike Gebhardt. South America is represented by continental champion Pedro Montenegro as well as Asia is by continental champion Yo Pudla.

Same situation in the womens fleet: in absence of reigning world champion Kari Schivebaag (NOR, injured), last years overall world cup winner and European Champion Steph Bridge (GBR) is facing strong competition from North American Champion Melissa Gil (CRC) and South American Champion Nayara Licariao (BRA).

Besides the battle for the course racing world championship, also the freestylers will have their say on the water during the first stage of the European Championship Tour, which is held at the same time and attracts some of the finest freestylers in the world.

Sylt is not only known for the action on the water but also for the parties on land, and thus several ten thousand spectators are expected to follow the races and the beach and night life.

For more information visit www.kitesurf-worldcup.com and www.internationalkiteboarding.org

Live updates from the racing days will be available at the IKA facebook and twitter channels:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/International-Kiteboarding-Association/288650139061

Twitter: www.twitter.com/IKAclass

25000 fans travelled to Skt. Peter-Ording on Saturday night to witness the free concert of the German rock band Silbermond at the PKRA Kitesurf World Cup. After the concert the crowd went on to party until dawn.

The morning greeted the riders with sun, 8 Knots and side offshore wind form SSE. But the wind soon picked up so 4 course races were sailed with wins for Olivier Dansin (France), Bruno Sroka (France) and 2 wins for Dirk Hanel (Germany). The general classification after 11 races is as follows:

1. Bruno Sroka (France)

2. Olivier Dansin (France)

3. Dirk Hanel (Germany)

In the women's course racing Kristin Boese started with a win but then Steph Bridge regained her dominance by finishing 1st 3 times in a row. Overall standings after 11 races:

1. Steph Bridge (United Kingdom)

2. Kristin Boese (Germany)

3. Fabienne d'Ortoli (France)

The 5th day of the PKRA Kitesurf World Cup Skt. Peter-Ording/Germany started with side offshore winds at around 8 knots and a cloudy sky but the wind built up quickly so race officer Olaf van Tol scheduled the start in the course racing for 12 o'clock. Bruno Sroka (France) pulled in 2 more wins. Olivier Dansin moved into 2nd overall with 2 finishes in 2nd position. Dirk Hanel dropped back to 3rd. In the women's course race Kristin Boese reached her first win, climbing to 2nd overall. Steph Bridges is still clearly leading the women's fleet after 7 races with 6 wins. After 2 course races the wind seemed strong enough for the freestylers.

The PKRA Kitesurfing World Tour stop at Portimao / Portugal was held in light wind conditions, but nevertheless the crowd on the beach saw a thrilling event with a lot of action both on and off the water.

Unfortunately, the freestyle competition could not be finished, but during the contests we saw thrilling action by Sebastian Garat, Kevin Langeree and Abel Lago as well as Karolina Winkowska, Steph Bridge, Jalou Langeree and Pauline Boussard.

The main part of the event was the course racing championship. With eleven races completed, there was really much action on the water. Best racer was Bruno Sroka, who won nearly every race. There was a hard fight for the next places between Charles Deleau, Renaud Madier and Sylvan Hoceini. The women's competition was dominated by Steph Bridge who won every single race, finishing ahead of Fabienne D'Ortoli and Nacara Licariao.

The SEAT <!-- @page { size: 8.27in 11.69in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -->Kitesurf World Cup takes place from the 16th until the 21st of June on Sylt island in Germany.

60 men and 11 female professional riders from across the globe have arrived and registered for this World Cup event, sanctioned by ISAF/IKA.The event will host four disciplines: Freestyle, Wave Masters, Kite loop and Course racing, boasting an overall prize money of 50 000 €.

We are all looking forward to paying close attention to how world champion in Freestyle Gisela Pulido from Spain performs amongst some tough competition. Kirsty Jones (Wave-Master Champion 2008), Kristin Boese (World Champion 2007) and Ainhoa Garcia (Spain) have all arrived and are eager to impress once more. Amongst the men: Leander Vyvey (Belgium), Antoine Auriol (France), Jesse Richman (KPWT World Champion 2008), Mito Monteiro (Wave-Master Champion 2008) Jose Luengo (Spain) all looked energized to be back competing.The German riders Mario Rodwald, Stefan Permien, Sebastian Bubmann, Rick Jensen (all SKBUe team members), Tim Kummerfeld, Philipp Brückmann, Nils Wesch, and Florian Gruber are representing their country and are ager to perform well in the Freestyle discipline! The organizers are pleased to announce that 3 wild cards have been granted to Armin Loose, Henning Nockel and Roy Rodwald for their contribution to the sport.

We talked to Kristin Boese from Germany, who won kiteboarding world championships in Freestyle, Wave riding and course racing. Kristin is sponsored by Best Kiteboarding, Rial, Air Berlin and Maui Magic. Kristin has published 2 books and a DVD about kitesurfing which can be ordered on Kristin's website. The wavekiting book and the kitesurfing DVD will also be available in English later this year. If you wanna know Kristin's story then read on:

Olli: I think you started kitesurfing in 2002 at age 24. In 2005 you won the PKRA kitesurf world cup, a very impressive achievement in such a short  period of time! What was the key to your sucess?

Kristin: Yeah, thats right... I was kind of surprised myself that things went so quickly. I was kind of lucky too as when I started competing the level in the competition was not so high yet and that gave me the chance to somehow develop together with the sport. I really enjoyed getting into the sport when it was still so young and I would say it was a big part of my key to success.

Olli: When did you decide that you wanted to become world champion in kiteboarding?

Kristin: I straight away fell in love with the sport when I first had a kite in my hands and gave up everything else for the chance to kite whenever possible. Then competing gave me the chance to kite together with so many great girls and also pushed me to learn more and more moves, so at first I did not even  realize where this all is going. Only when I became 2nd in the world in 2004 the idea to become world champion really  developed in my mind and I just went to try...

Olli: Did you always believe that you would achieve this goal (given the fact that you were already 24 years old when you started and there were already some girls way ahead of you)?

Kristin: From the point where I had decided to try I thought my chances were quite good. The sport took quite a drastic change back then and in competitions it now did not count anymore to show the most and best board offs but new school tricks were scored high. Back then I was actually one of the younger girls on tour and knew I had a lot of energy and motivation but I was never sure that I would really get the title until the minute that I actually had enough ranking points to secure it.

Olli: Did your kiteboarding career change your personaility/chacacter? If so, in which way?

Kristin: Oh, I am sure all the traveling that came with the kite-boarding changed me quite a bit. It is kind of hard to say in which way exactly as I also got older and would have changed anyways but I am probably more liberal-minded and easy going than I would

have been living in working in an office.

Olli: The younger girls are getting stronger and stronger in Freestyle. How do you deal with that? What keeps you motivated?

Kristin: I basically just compete in other disciplines now. I really fell in love with wave riding and course racing about 2 years ago and that probably came at a good time for me and really motivated me . My muscles were always sore from free-styling and I was seriously hurt, not recovering nearly as quickly as the younger Freestyle riders and not learning as fast. But now I really enjoy competing in other disciplines and think it is great that our sport develops into different directions. Now nobody is too old to compete anymore!

Olli: What are your plans for the next years? Will you continue to  compete? Could  you live without kiteboarding?

Kristin: For this year I found a great compromise with my sponsors and am going to compete in 4 events only. That will leave me enough time to do girls camps and other promotional events and also gives me the chance to work with organizations and media closely. I am very happy with this possibility and could not imagine to not do any of that, at least for now! :)

Olli: What do you recommend to girls that are interested in kiteboarding?

Kristin: Well, look for a kite-school close to you (or on your next holiday)  and book lessons straight away. You should really try it as kitesurfing is a great sport for girls and much easier to learn than you might  think!  If you are able to find a female instructor or even a girls  clinic somewhere you will probably really enjoy being taught by a  girl because they usually can understand your needs better.

Olli: Would you recommend young girls to try to pursue a professional career in kiteboarding? If yes, what should they consider? What does it take to make it to the top in kiteboarding?

Kristin: I would always support young girls getting into the sport, on a  professional basis or just for fun! However, becoming a professional kite-surfer is not easy and a few things other than just the love to the sport are necessary in order to go into this direction:

supportive parents and a good financial background are probably as important these days as a home close to the beach with good conditions for practicing, the motivation to learn as much as possible in a short time and the desire to do this for a long time. In general I would just recommend that you follow your heart and live your dream.

Olli: Has being a pro kiteboarder always been fun? Or is there also a lot  of work and pain involved? Do you believe you missed out on certain things by pursuing a pro kiteboarding career?

Kristin: There has definitely always been fun and especially my love to the sport involved but it surely has not always been easy. Every goal or every dream has to be worked for and only then you can really appreciate when you reach it. I am very glad it was the way it was for me as now I can look back and know that I manage to make it to where I am with my own hands and because of that I don't think I missed out on anything but have gained way more than I could ever in any other way.

Olli:  What do you want to do in 10 years from now?

Kristin: Uhhh, it is really difficult to plan the future... things just keep coming up on the way. I could probably picture myself with a beautiflul family in a house somewhere in nature and running some kind of business, but  who knows... we will just wait and see!

At the PKRA Kitesurf Worldcup in Skt. Peter-Ording the North Kiteboarding teamriders Sean Farley, Sky Solbach and Dirk Hanel were equipped with a new raceboard which will we released as a production board to the market in September. The board is designed for course racing and light wind.

The board is 163 cm long, 45 cm wide and very ligth due to the Custom Epoxy Sandwich construction.. The board has 15 cm G10 fins and sharp edges to give you maximum upwind performance. We compared the board to a 2008 North Phantom 145 Twintip and noticed a huge advantage going upwind which is very important in course racing or light wind.