We are Family

I recently spent six weeks training in Tarifa and Portugal, and took part in the Surfboard discipline of the GKA Big Air Kite World Championships in Tarifa. The conditions were really tough and unfortunately I couldn’t perform my tricks properly, but the truth is I had no expectations. It was something completely new for me – I am a wave guy but working hard to improve my freestyle game. I just wanted to have fun and gain more competition experience for what I’m actually aiming for – every athlete’s dream is to win, and to do it at my favorite place in the world, Ponta Preta, at home in front of my family and friends… well that is the ultimate goal…

I had a great time in Tarifa. It’s a place I look forward to visiting every year. There’s delicious food, it’s a happy and relaxed town, and it’s one of the only places you get to see all the kite pros in one place. This trip was full of laughs! I was staying with James Carew at a house just five minutes’ walk from the old town. It was really nice because I got to know his routine and he would always motivate and push me to workout with him. The funniest part was when we were out at Balneario training and I’d jump to perform a trick and in the middle of the rotation I would hear Airton or James screaming with joy so I’d start laughing and crash so hard! We’d do that all session long to each other. During a competition the only thing every athlete wants is to win, so then there is definitely more tension between us. But competing against Airton or James I feel more relaxed, less pressure, and I actually perform my best. They are the best guys out there, and the day I get to win against one of them, the feeling will almost be like winning a world title I believe. And that day is coming…!

So, thank you to Cabrinha for adding me to their team. I’m looking forward to getting to know all the Cabrinha family over the coming months. I’ll be doing some demos with them, and maybe some trips with Airton and James to train and search for some perfect waves. My goal is to do all the GKA competitions this year. I want to get better as a person and athlete and the best place to do that is on the biggest stage of kitesurfing…

James Boulding, Cabrinha Marketing Manager: With more and more incredibly talented youngsters getting into kiting (and winging) we’re really seeing the sports progressing at such a fast pace. Every genre of riding in these water sports seems to have had an injection of excitement, and the competition scene is full of new tricks and new athletes stepping up, hungry to take away the mantle from some of the older guard. As a brand we’ve really focused on the product development with some of these exciting new riders inputting into our test program. They’re dedicated, insanely committed, and seem ready to take on the world, while spending every possible hour on the water honing their craft! It’s incredible seeing the development team fired up watching what our team are doing with the products they put their heart and soul into, and it drives them on faster to work on new materials and technology that can help push the limits.