Up soon on Boards we will also have a full report from the weekend, so stay tuned!

UKWA West Wittering from Ben Page on Vimeo.

Pro top three: 1st Andy Bubble Chambers, 2nd Max Rowe, joint 3rd Oscar Carmichael and Nic Hibdige.

Ollie Acton, competing in West Wittering

Boards will have a full report for you very soon, but first of all we catch up with second placed amateur Ollie Acton. 

This was by far the best conditions I’ve ever competed in! 2XS at West Witterings provided the venue for the second event in the UKWA Freestyle calendar, and what a location to hold a competition in.

Max Rowe, image credit PWA/John Carter

Name: Max Rowe

Sail no: K 20

Previous best PWA result: 9th Austria 2011

Result at this event: 13th

Did you prepare any differently for this event? Not especially! I have been in Maui for the 5 weeks before so I’ve had plenty of time on the water. Also, sailing with Gollito everyday for those 5 weeks might of been helpful.

Were you feeling confident going into it? I was feeling pretty confident especially as it was looking we would get some strong wind. Once you’ve registered though and have a look through the elimination ladder its easy to get a bit nervous as the fleet is at such a high level at the moment.

Where were you aiming to finish? I didn’t really have an aim but getting in the Top 16 is always nice.

Who’s your biggest rival? Bubble!

What moves did you land that you think saw you through a few heats? Burners and air funnels were probably my stand out moves I did in every heat. I’ve been training them really hard so it was good to see that pay off.

Did you almost beat Gollito? Mmm I didn’t check the score sheets but I seriously doubt it. He was on fire!

Who’s your money on for the title this year? Steven? Gollito? Well, now that Gollito’s won the first event it’s pretty easy to stick with him.

Max in action in Podersdorf

What was the best move you saw landed and by who? Relatively simple but one of the Shakas I saw Gollito do was just ridiculous!

Worst crash you saw? Balz Muller always has the worst crashes. One pasko crash he had looked savage!

Who had a tantrum after they lost a heat? Scheffers wasn’t too happy after Beholz kicked him out of the single early on, he did go on to fight back to 5th in the double which was pretty impressive.

Who won beer pong on the last night? There’s never a winner in beer pong because if you win a game you have to stay on and play another game and carry on drinking… haha. Yeh the last night of any event is always pretty wild.

As well as competing on the PWA and UKWA tour Max will be coaching this summer at Club Vass, for more info on getting coaching from the world’s best head to clubvass.com

Colin Dixon, flaka! Credit Richard Keaney

What are the top moves being performed at the moment: in UK competitions, in the EFPT and in PWA? 

COLIN DIXON: Air moves are the key, doing the whole move in the air is what’s winning! The higher you go and more you rotate the better.

ADAM SIMS: In the UK competitions I think we have seen air funnel into funnel, burner funnels, culos, skopus and regular konos (maybe some of those moves have only been done in tow-in). On the EFPT it is the same as the PWA pretty much, double and triple moves, push loops, etc… Maybe the PWA it is perhaps a tiny bit higher when Gollito gets in the zone in Fuerte, ridiculous one handed air chachoos, we’ve seen double forwards from Koester there before, I’ve seen Steven VB and Martin VO doing doubles and air chachoos outside of heats.

JOHN PALMER: UK Comps – Kono’s, Culos, Burners (By the looks of the footage I’ve seen of Max I’m sure it’ll be super high this year!) EFPT isn’t far off the PWA in standard. Best moves in the PWA at the moment for me are Kabikuchis, and Gollitos massive double air flakas and double burners.

MAX ROWE: The top moves at the moment are mostly combinations such as burner into burner or Culo into Spock. The PWA format allows more top moves to be performed as you get the chance to crash a few times so that makes a big difference. There a still a lot of top moves performed on the EFPT and UK competitions but you will never see them as frequently as on the PWA because of the format.

DANIELLE LUCAS: In the UK events there is a very high standard of freestyle, with some really talented younger riders coming up too.  Top moves I would say are Kulos and Skopu’s, whereas the top moves on the PWA are more like double or triple anything, huge ‘air’ moves. and combinations such as spock kulo’s and so much more!

PHIL RICHARDS: Biggest moves I have seen in heats.

UK: Burners, Culos, Konos and Skopus

PWA: Bonkas, Kabikuchis, Double Burners plus lots of combo moves.

The big difference between the two competitions is consistency, in the UK you see the big moves but the conditions play a big part in what you can and cant do. In the PWA although the conditions play a part in the moves that are seen, the best guys do all their stuff in all conditions light or strong.

Andy Chambers in Weymouth.

ANDY CHAMBERS: The top moves at the moment are being done all over the world.  A lot of the PWA competitors compete on the EFPT and also a few of us compete on the UK circuit.  The big move mainly are the combo moves like Spock into Culo or Burner into Funnel.  Also some no handed power moves aswell.  When the stunt ramps kick up like in Fuerte or Sylt then some of the older moves are being done fully in the air like double rotations, the ‘Pasko’ for example is an air flak into shaka.

JAMIE DRUMMOND: I didn’t do any of the UKWA events last year so can’t comment on the moves being done there. The move skill difference between the EFPT and PWA has narrowed slightly, but in the EFPT you are going to see a lot more moves per heat and this is due to the judging formats. The overall impression format means it helps to get down some Grubbies, Flakas, Spock and Forwards before smashing out a Burner or Skopu. Whereas the PWA Best Move format will see most heats being opened with Burners and Skopus and the more basic moves only performed if the wind is light.

How good do need to be to enter a UK amateur competition? 

COLIN DIXON: Don’t do what I did and wait too long! Every time you enter a competition it will give you experience .

JO WRIGHT: Ladies – seriously, if you can duck gybe you will be well up there!

ADAM SIMS: There is competition at the events for any level, just head along and get involved. You’ll leave the event knowing what you need to practice for the next one.

JOHN PALMER: Come a long no matter how good you are! You will learn something!

MAX ROWE: The UK amateur competitions are a great way to improve as you’ll be pushed by people of a similar standard. Even if you’re not fussed about competing it’s a great way to learn a lot and also have a load of fun.

DANIELLE LUCAS: You should just be up for going out and trying your best! Even if you cannot yet land anything getting out with other freestylers to train, and have a laugh is really helpful in pushing you forward, inspiring you and showing you its worth the learning process!

Danielle Lucas on the water.

PHIL RICHARDS: Freestyle can be anything, from sailing along with one hand, to a heli-tack , a duck gybe, a jump, vulcans, flakas and much more. Ability is not so important, as we all realise that we all have to start somewhere.

As long as you turn up and give it a go, you might not win, however, you will learn lots from it and be inspired to improve.

ANDY CHAMBERS: If you can do any kind of freestyle then you will be welcome at any Uk event.  The more events you attend then the more you will learn as well.  There plenty of people and Pro’s around to give tips on moves and how to sail heats.  As long as you can put a few moves together in a bit of a routine then you’re all good.  A Vulcan with some old school freestyle thrown in will be fine.

What is the best approach going into a heat?

COLIN DIXON: With moves that you can do, not moves you can land one out of ten, All the guys I have coached in the past for competitions I have told them to build the points up first then try the moves you can only land now and again.

JO WRIGHT: With a big grin on your face!

ADAM SIMS: I think the best thing is to do something the I learnt from watching the ASP pro-surfing events, build a house (not literally). Start at the foundations, do the moves you know you will sail away from then add the bricks, the moves you can land but a bit less frequent, then finally if you do all that and have time, throw a roof on and bust out something you may have only landed a couple times. If you still have time then I find competition is a really good motivator for new moves…

JOHN PALMER: Look at it like a timed free sail, and try not to think about the other sailor.

MAX ROWE: You should just go out there thinking about having fun as you’ve got nothing to loose. That’s what I did and then from there you’ll learn about yourself and how you need to prepare. I’m really enjoying the commentating for the live stream on the PWA tour at the moment as I can just jump straight out of the box and on to the water without over thinking before.

DANIELLE LUCAS: Just go out and enjoy it, think about what you do best and try to get it done first, then try your other stuff once you have something in the bag!  Also, try to stay upwind and in the area, this can take some getting used to in short heats!  It depends on how the competition is being run as to an exact way to approach it, but best to just try to enjoy it and take it as something to learn from however it goes!

John Palmer

PHIL RICHARDS: Go out try what you know you can do consistently first, If that goes well try some of the more tricky stuff.

Try not to be nervous, and remember why you windsurf in the first place. Because it’s fun!

ANDY CHAMBERS:  Main thing I think is to have fun with it and just go and sail like you would do normally for the allocated time.  Don’t panic or watch the other person as this will make you loose time and get you flustered when you see them bust out something good.  Sail your own heat and just concentrate on what your doing.  The better you get at heat sailing the more you will understand what you need to do to win.

JAMIE DRUMMOND: Make sure you are powered up, make sure you are in the correct heat and make sure your watch is set to the right time! Give yourself plenty of time to get upwind before the heat starts – if you’re in position in plenty of time you’ll be a lot more confident going into the heat.

It’s always a good idea to start out with some of your more basic or ‘safe’ moves. I try to avoid watching my competitor and just focus on my own thing. Play to what the conditions offer. For example if you really want a double jumping move where a good patch of flat water is ideal, don’t force it in a choppy patch – us the chop to boost a higher air or power move.

Check out parts one to three of the Freestyle Secrets series in the Boards Technique section here. 

First up Boards caught up with one of the Team15 teams to watch out for, The Kielder Kestrels as well as BWA youth competitor looking to mix it up with the amateurs this year,Liam Ellis.

Of course the big news this week is that you can now pre-order the Boards Spring Summer 2013 edition – which will hit shelves, or your doorstep, on the 28th March.

We also had the latest edition of the Freestyle Secrets: part three – remember you can also check out parts one and two in the technique section of the website here.

Victor Fernandez in Shoreham - in the news this week one of the World’s top wave sailors, some say the one man that could take the title from Koester, was on British shores hanging out with Nik Baker.

Hayling Island slalom is starting very soon, a little further afield Fanatic have announced further coaching dates in Lanzarote. Another option if you’re looking to head away is to take the ferry, with routes to Ireland and more Stena Line are a great travel option, particularly as at the moment they are running a kids travel for free package!

Boards also has a new video only section on the homepage – currently located just below the news, all videos will appear in this separate section, so if you’re looking for the latest videos to hit the windsurfing world make sure you continue down past the news! Top videos this week are: Ant Baker showing his slalom style and up and coming racer Tom Wells going full speed ahead.

Until next week….

BSA racing

If you haven’t entered an event before, why not make this year your first? Check out the calendar of events below and head on over to the UKWA events section here for full information. 

Kieren Ronan

Name: Kieren Roan

DOB: 17/08/1979

Years competing: Two

Best previous results: None

Title you have won this year: UKWA 1st Amateur Freestyle

Why and when did you first start competing? How did you get involved in competition?

I started competing in 2010 at a UKWA freestyle event held at my home spot of Hunstanton, on the Norfolk coast. As it was on my doorstep I thought I had to give it a try! I was pleased to see events held on the east coast and hope to see more come to Norfolk in the future.

As a kid did you dream of becoming a champion?

Of course. Everyone dreams of that don’t they?

Did you love competition straight away? What has helped you progress from learning how to compete to winning a title?

I enjoyed it and felt it would help me to improve my level so I’ve carried on. What’s helped me progress is understanding that the best way to get through heats is to land a variety of moves. I’ve tried to work on my consistency and I practice in a variety of sea states.

Kieren at the UKWA Freestyle in Wittering

What equipment have you used on the tour this year?

Hot Sails Maui Bolts from 3.7 to 5.6 and a Tabou Freestyle 90

Why do you use this equipment?

I’ve used Hot Sails for a number of years and have always been impressed by their build quality and performance. I’m just about to get the Hot Sails Freestyle Pro’s, which look awesome and will hopefully help me to do well in 2013. I’ve had the board for three years now so I know exactly how it behaves in all conditions which helped for the events.

Kieren Ronan

How and where did you train for the series last year?

I had a sneaky year and managed to fit in Fuerteventura and Vass on Bubble’s clinic, but mainly train at my perfect home spot of Hunstanton and all along the Norfolk coast up to East Runton.

Have you just trained on the water or what do you do off the water too?

My training is purely on the water. I work full-time shifts as an engineer and have an 18 month old little boy (my bit for the future of windsurfing) so I don’t get much spare time!

What are your plans for the winter? Sailing here in the UK? Or heading abroad anywhere?

I’ll be sailing as much as possible at home and hoping it’s not too cold.

What are you aims for competition in 2013? UK and International events?

I’ll be doing the freestyle events again this year. My aim is to sail well and keep pushing my level forward. I hope the freestyle tour continues to grow as it’s a great way to improve and also a good excuse to go away windsurfing for the weekend. For those of you thinking freestyle is just for kids, take a look at my DOB!

I feel I’ve improved more in my thirties than I did all through my twenties through competition and focusing on my sailing.

First of all we look at what moves to start out with, whether to go carving or aerial and the next moves to progress onto.

Max Rowe. Image credit Global Shots.

How can I get started in freestyle? What move would you advise I try first?

ANDY CHAMBERS: The first thing you need to do is get yourself on a freestyle board.  This will make a huge difference when learning new moves.  They are designed to give you lots of pop and rotate easily, also the footstrap positions are inboard which keeps you on top of the board, this is important for all freestyle. If you have the wrong board or equipment set up it would be like trying to drive a bus around a rally course!

Andy 'Bubble' Chambers

The first move to learn is the actual pop itself, as you need to be able to pop into all freestyle moves.  Once you have mastered the pop so you can do it without thinking about it then it will open up a whole heap of moves to learn.  The vulcan is usually the first but as well as that you can try grubbies, flakas and forward loops in the beginning.  Don’t just get stuck on trying to learn one move.

PHIL RICHARDS: Just go out and have fun, for me freestyle is all about pushing yourself further in your abilities but it’s important to just try new stuff and make it enjoyable. It really helps to have some friends to get into it with.

I would recommend trying vulcans as they’re a good move to learn first of all and lead easily into others. I also suggest learning to loop, it’s easier than it looks and conquering this move will give you lots of confidence in your windsurfing.

It’s really important to keep improving all your skills, for example if you want to improve your freestyle, start nailing those heli tacks, up wind 360′s and other non-aerial freestyle as it will help massively with understanding the moves and make you a far better sailor.

DANIELLE LUCAS: Get out on the water and try new stuff, whether you start with a body drag, duck gybe, upwind 360 or straight in to a vulcan; the best way to get into it is just to go out and try something new! If you want to learn aerial tricks such as spocks, flakas and switch moves, learn the upwind 360 on both tacks and nail it, then once you get the jump and slide the end of the move, which is often an upwind 360 should be easy!

MAX ROWE: Have a good look around the internet for some inspiration or a video of something you’d like to learn. The vulcan is the first step for aerial freestyle but you don’t have to start there, even messing around on a big board in light winds is great practice for freestyle moves.

John Palmer at Baby Bay

JOHN PALMER: The best thing about freestyle is you can start anywhere, in any wind conditions. The first freestyle moves I learnt were body drags and heli tacks. I think heli tacks are a great place to start because they start you learning the skills you need for loads of moves – flakas, punetas, skopus, anything with a slidey upwind 360 bit in it.

ADAM SIMS: Most people will say to get on a wide board with a small sail and start spinning in light winds, but if you are already planing then yeh for sure do this also but just start chop hopping and then pick a move you like from the following and go for it (try it on both sides): vulcan, flaka, shuv-it or forward loop.

Also, if you are really serious about freestyle then I would suggest practicing the sail duck from the very early stages, basically when you are on that wide board with the small sail in light winds. On top of that the UK freestyle circuit is a great place to meet like minded freestylers and you learn a lot at each event, I still do and I’ve done a few of them now!

Adam Sims

JO WRIGHT: I think if you have been windsurfing for a while, it’s important to see freestyle windsurfing as a new, achievable challenge that will help you improve all aspects of your windsurfing.  My best tip for getting started, would be to sail around others who are freestyling, whether that be going on an overseas holiday, or heading down to popular freestyle spots such as Poole, Weymouth, Hayling etc. Ask other people for help and advice, set yourself achievable goals and remember falling is learning! Also, never forget the skills that can be learnt from going out in light-winds on a big board and small sail. Nailing heli-tacks, upwind 360′s, sailing switch stance, sailing clew first and many other moves will play dividends when trying to learn freestyle moves in strong winds.

For me, once I become a competent ‘freerider’ e.g. blasting up and down water-starting and carve gybing. I felt that my first freestyle move was learning to duck gybe; this gave me the confidence to try more ‘old school’ moves including the body drag, downwind 360′s and heli-tacks. Aerial moves had always looked to scary for me to try, but on a trip out to Dahab, seeing a variety of people going for vulcans and with the support of other windsurfers around me. I finally mustered up the courage to start trying vulcans and quickly realised they do not result in death! From there found my freestyle windsurfing really started to improve. Try whatever you feel comfortable with and build from there!

COLIN DIXON: Getting started….you already have! Freestyle is anything from sailing one handed to a chop hop, body drag or a forward loop, right up to a flaka. The vulcan opens the doors to new school sliding freestyle once you believe that it can happen (sliding), then its all becomes easy after that – remember keep your head over the mast foot!

Is it better to start with the old school or carving moves, or can I go straight onto trying aerial stuff?

ANDY CHAMBERS: I don’t think the old school carving moves help too much for the new aerial freestyle, except maybe for the Upwind 360.  Instead, I think it’s better to train some lightwind freestyle moves as this will give you more rig control for the planing freestyle moves.  As soon as it’s windy then start learning the aerial stuff!

Phil Richards, enjoying a chop hop!

PHIL RICHARDS: You can go straight in to the aerial stuff, but like I said above learning the non-aerial moves will help you progress and give you a better understanding of the moves.

DANIELLE LUCAS: As I said above you could go either way.  Carving tricks can seem less daunting and they feel great to learn, so may be a good place to start, but there are no rules.  Skills overlap though from carving tricks to aerial tricks and so it’s definitely worth learning both.  It’s also really worth learning moves on both tacks!

MAX ROWE: Personally I jumped straight in at the deep end and started learning aerial manoeuvres, coming from a skateboarding background made that a lot easier. Carving moves didn’t interest me at all back then but they are great fun and a really good way to build up confidence and learn skills that will help you with aerial moves later on.

JOHN PALMER: I think start with what you want to learn, or what you feel confident learning. At the start I’d been watching Harty’s ‘Turn for the Better’ and wanted to learn heli tacks and vulcans. I didn’t think I was good enough for vulcans so went with easier moves for a while until a few mates and I decided we wanted to learn them. There are some people (tend to be the freestyle kids) that can vulcan, spock and everything before they can tack, so it really is down to the individual.

ADAM SIMS: Aerial, that really is what freestyle is about so why not start when you can. If you are not at the point of wanting to take off then yeh try carving for a bit and keep working on those chop hops.

Jo Wright, enjoying the old school.

JO WRIGHT: There is no harm with trying a few old school moves to build confidence (and lets not forget they look very cool!) and then from there learning the vulcan will provide the key to the rest of the freestyle windsurfing world. In between all that, don’t forget to head out in light winds too!

COLIN DIXON: It’s your call really, some kids just learn to vulcan before they can gybe; what I would say is try everything, do not get stuck in a rut, everyone does that!! Keep trying everything and what ever feels more natural go for it!!! Don’t give up; if a move is making you mad then have a break, go for a sail and do stuff you can do, that will remind you what windsurfing is all about. Then, when you’re feeling refreshed go back to it.

I’ve got to grips with vulcans, spocks and that kind of thing, what’s the next move you would recommend I learn?

ANDY CHAMBERS: To be honest whatever moves that you can watch and see other people doing that you can understand in your head are usually the easiest ones to start learning.

The first switch move I learnt was a switch one handed flaka; I guess this was becuase I could already do normal flakas and when I was sailing along switch stance it felt like the more natual and easiest thing to try.  Switch stance moves open up a whole new variety of the moves you can already do.

Also, try small variations on the normal stance moves like one handed or ducking the sail at the end (diablo/cana brava).  Another big piece of advice is make sure you learn the moves on both sides, don’t be a one side wonder!

PHIL RICHARDS: Try some flakas, grubbies, some clew first vulcans and spocks and dabble in some switch stance moves like e-sliders and clew first puneta (switch spock).

If you can vulcan and spock make sure you learn it on both tacks (this is much easier to do as you are just getting in to freestyle and not set in your ways). Plus if you can’t already, learn to loop!

Danielle Lucas

DANIELLE LUCAS: The forward loop is always a crowd pleaser!  It really depends where you are learning and your learning style, but people usually go for flakas and switch-stance moves after the vulcans and spocks, most have been trying them at the same time as the spocks.  It can really vary depending on confidence levels too!

MAX ROWE: I think it’s really important to learn the grubby and flaka as these will open the door to switch stance moves. If you jump straight into switch moves from here you’ll be missing some really important skills that will make your life a lot easier.

JOHN PALMER: Start learning to shaka! They are a cool move and feel awesome. Probably a good time to start learning to duck the rig too for konos as it’s tough to learn.

Colin Dixon, flaka! Credit Richard Keaney

ADAM SIMS: Shuv-its and forwards, they are probably two of my favourite moves but also a move that I’ve been doing the longest. If you are passed that then try switch and then looking at ducking the sail for switch konos or air funnels.

JO WRIGHT: Variations such as spock 540′s, one-handed spocks then I guess grubbies, flakas etc.

COLIN DIXON: Go switch! People can get put off doing this; the hardest part is to learn to keep your speed when in switch. Once you have mastered this and the popping, or should I say catapulting, and can then land sliding normal stance will feel so much easier!

Check out more in the Boards technique section here and coming up in the next part of freestyle secrets we look at equipment advice and strategies for learning new moves. 

The rider with the most Likes and/or Shares will be awarded EFPT SAILOR OF THE YEAR 2012.

Dieter van der Eyken

Check out this new vid focusing on North Sails/Fanatic freestyle maestro Gollito Estredo.

This first thing that caught our eye this week was the awesome video released from the King of the Wind in Weymouth; it was a hugely successful event and brilliant to have such a great show on British shores as you can see!

The records continue to fall in Ludertiz, first we caught up with Zara Davis and then Antoine Albeau smashed the record again taking it over 52knots!

Boards also heard that Olympic silver medalist Nick Dempsey will be campaigning once more, for the 2016 Games in Rio now it is confirmed that windsurfing has retained its place.

Christmas is coming up quickly now, which means fantastic offers are around from many shops. Robin Hood Watersports and Zero Gravity both have fab offers on in the lead up to the festive season, whilst Club Vass have announced they’ll be running a competition to win a holiday for two! Plus, Boardwise have a Black Friday deal running for today only!

Andy Chambers in Weymouth. Credit Hanna Poschinger EFPT.

Name:  Andy Bubble Chambers

DOB:   30/06/1983

Sail number:  K540

Years competing:  14

Best previous results:  5th PWA Sylt, 9th PWA Aruba, 3rd BWA Waves 2011, 2nd Tiree Wave classic 2011, Multiple British Freestyle Champion

Title you have won this year:  British Freestyle Champion 2012

Why and when did you first start competing?

I first started competing in Cyprus when I was pretty young.  My parents were living there for a while and our local club had a weekly series and annual championships.  I started doing it because everyone else did!  It was the natural thing to do, back then everyone used to get involved.   It was so much fun to take part and the more events you do the more you want do as well.

As a kid did you dream of becoming a champion?

Definitely!! Surely it’s every kids dream!  I used to watch and read all the mags and videos and could see myself doing the same thing.

Did you love competition straight away?  

It was super fun, which is why I liked it; it also helps if you do well though!

Andy Chambers in Weymouth. Image credit Global Shots.

What has helped you progress from learning how to compete to winning a title?

I think theres a very important mindset that you get from doing any kind of competition for a long time.  You learn what you need to do to win.   You learn to be prepared and be in the right place at the right time and concentrate on what you are doing and not the other person.

What equipment have you used on the UK tour this year?

I have been using the new Neil Pryde Wizard freestyle sails and the new JP Freestyle boards with the K4 Bubble Freestyle fins.  The combo of the new gear, the sails in particular have really helped me to be able to do all the new power freestyle moves with confidence.

Why do you use this equipment?

Obviously I am sponsored by them but I have also had a small hand in the development, so I know exactly how it all feels and what sizes to use depending on conditions.  It’s really important to feel comfortable and happy with your gear and I do with JP/Pryde and K4, therefore it’s the best gear for me to use (and everyone else!).

Andy Chambers heading out at Weymouth. Image credit Global Shots.

What is it about your set up in particular that you like?

It’s all like an extension of your body really! I feel like it does whatever I want it to do.  I can duck the sail when I want and how I want knowing that the board will come with me too.  You almost don’t have to think about popping the board, it’s just attached to your feet.  The super light K4 freestyle fin makes things a lot easier as well.

Who else would you recommend a set up like this?

Anyone wanting to either learn freestyle or get better at it from total beginner all the way through to the most advanced freestyler.  It makes it a whole lot easier trust me!  I can do things now that I didn’t think I would be able to do before.  Usually you get worse at learning new things as you get older and I had that for a couple of years, but now I’m getting better!! It’s epic!

Andy Chambers taking on the night tow-in! Image credit Global Shots.

How and where have you trained for the series this year?

My winter off season training is always in Cape Town, it has everything you need; like a skate park basically!! Choppy warm water lake, flat water, small waves, big waves, side off, side, side on etc etc what more could you want!  It’s a great place to improve your overall sailing skills, waves, jumping and freestyle.  During the summer when i’m not at events i am usually out in Club Vass which combines great freestyle conditions with a great atmosphere on and off the water.  I have also been spending more time around the UK and realising that it too ofers some great allround freestyle spots, West Wittering trench is unreal for flat water!! Also the Esso gargarge at Hayling and Weymouth.

Have you just trained on the water, or what do you do off the water too?

To be fair, I spend a lot of time on the water and usually in windy places so there’s not much time for off the water activities.  This summer I have been doing circuit training with my sister Amy (Army) Chambers!!  In the morning before working at Club Vass.  I would like to do more gym stuff though and hopefully next year I will be spending more time in the UK and settling a bit so I can join one!  Any recommendations??

Bubble in Vass. Image credit Global Shots.

What are your plans for winter? Sailing here in the UK? Or heading abroad anywhere?

I have literally just booked my flights to Cape Town again!! Happy days!! £523!! Epic! I will be there until mid feb and then back to the UK for a bit before starting the photoshoots for JP/Pryde in Dahab and Maui.  I am trying to get some winter UK sailing in though!!  In fact as I am writing this it is windy, so I’m typing fast!

What are you aims for competitions in 2013? UK and international events?  

In 2013 I really want to get inside the top 10 for PWA freestyle, maybe even higher but the level is going nuts!  Also, I would love to win the UK wave title, keep my UK freestyle title and have a go at the PWA Waves.  Possibly some European freestyle events as well.

Follow more on the UK freestyle competition right here on Boards, and for more news and features on Andy Bubble Chambers click right here!

Check out the other Champions of 2012 features:

Ollie Acton

Ollie Started windsurfing aged 15 and was instantly hooked, practising at his home spot in Emsworth. These days he mainly windsurfs at Esso on Hayling Island or West Wittering.  Ollie is also an intermediate windsurf and SUP instructor.

Ollie first started competing at the National Windsurf festival in 2010 where he won the amateur fleet. The following year he competed at the national freestyle championships at Poole Windfest and won the men’s amateurs, after that event he was picked up by Andy Biggs Watersports and bought a quiver of Tushingham Edges.

He is currently a student at Southampton Solent University where he has helped to set up and run the windsurf team there.  Although they are a small team they have been doing very well at the SWA events since the teams inception. In the 2011-2012 season Ollie was crowned the student freestyle champion and won BUCS Gold in the mens team racing along with fellow Tushingham rider Sam Sills and Adam ‘Chubbsy’ Chubbock.

Ollie Action at Wet Dream 4

Following the immense SWA festival Aussie Kiss, the freestyle, wave and race series is now underway where select Universities around the country host the ‘Core’ event series.

Last weekend was BrUWE’s (Bristol University and UWE) turn at hosting the first event in the core series…Bristol’s Wet Dream 4!  Although not on the same scale as Aussie Kiss, the SWA and the Bristol Universities put on an epic weekend of beginner tuition, off-the-scale parties, freestyle and racing competition.

The forecast for the weekend wasn’t great so a light wind freestyle contest was held on the Saturday.  I rigged my 4.2 Edge and a massive floaty board to spin around and get very dizzy on.  Ducking manoeuvres, strimmers and jumping body and sail 360’s were being pulled off in every heat but I just managed to win the contest, with some close competition from fellow Solent University student Adam Chubbock.

Next event in the core freestyle series is in Liverpool, which is on the 23^rd – 25^th November. See you all there!

Check out this video from Ollie’s time in Fuerte this summer too!

For more news from Ollie and the rest of the Tushingham team head to their website here.

You might also like to read:

Ladies at the EFPT. Image credit Slackography.

Thanks to Amy Carter and Flow – For Ladies Of Windsurfing, there is a very positive feeling surrounding women’s windsurfing in the UK at the moment; we are certainly growing in force!

A few weeks ago I headed to Gwithian for the BWA event where we had 16 female competitors, which was great to be a part of! I then travelled down to Weymouth for the Queen of the Wind EFPT event. Adam Sims and Sam Burnett of XPLG decided to run a ladies competition too, securing sponsorship from Austrian clothing company ‘Femipleasure’.

In the week before the event we only had four female competitors, but some last minute facebook and email rallying, brought the number up to seven by Saturday morning. Unfortunately wind and light limitations meant a full female event couldn’t be run but we did sneak out for a cheeky expression session on Sunday, which we all came in smiling from.

Jo Wright

Jo Wright. Image credit Global Shots.

The biggest thing that struck me in the run up to and during this event, is that as a female windsurf competitor you do not need to be pulling off aerial moves; far from it. There are many ladies out there that are more than capable of giving freestyle competition a cheeky dabble, (Yes I mean you!).

So the idea behind this article is to break down some of the common misconceptions associated with female freestyle competition and talk about future opportunities to get involved in.

Firstly lets take a look at the ladies who competed at the Queen of the Wind.

The facts:

• Seven female competitors
• Aged from from 14 – 28
• Local spots including Hayling Island, Exmouth, Torpoint and Notts county.

• Occupations ranging from student to Events manger.

Danielle Lucas. Image credit Get Windsurfing.

Danielle Lucas. Image credit Get Windsurfing.

Ladies what freestyle moves are you pulling off at the moment?

Lara: Heli-tacks, downwind 360s, duck gybes, carve gybes, chop hops and seriously comedy vulcan attempts!

Alex: Chop hop, carve/duck gybes, heli-tack and body drag.

Danielle: Spock variations, grubby, switch chaco, clew first puneta, downwind 360, upwind 360, jumps, duck gybe, push tack, heli-tack.

Ina: Carve gybe, duck gybe, chop hop, tack, heli-tack (in light winds on big gear), sail 360, splits haha, switch stands, clew first, 3/4 of a downwind 360…so maybe a 240?

And what are we aiming to crack in the near future?

Ina: Proper downwind 360, backwind gybe, duck tack, forward loop, vulcan (probably further future!).

Emily: Hopefully by the end of next year I will have got the vulcan and begun trying some geckos

Julia: Downwind 360s in the straps and vulcans!

Julia Slack

Julia Slack

Why did you enter the EFPT at Weymouth?

Julia: To support the girls and to show you don’t have to be a top freestyler to enter, carving moves are enough or just trying new moves gets you points! Plus, it’s great to get on the water with more girls

Emily: It looked like a fun event and an amazing opportunity to me.

Why do you think other women should enter UK freestyle events next year?

Lara: It’s great fun, with lots of support and competing makes you push yourself and try nutty moves harder than you have done before. You meet some great people and I guarantee you will come in from your heat smiling – no matter how it went!

Alex: All the girlies are super friendly and nice. It’s a great opportunity to get some hints and tips from the others and it really will improve your windsurfing. And the parties are always really good fun…

Ina: Because I want to get to know you all! The best part about the weekend was to get to know more women who are keen on windsurfing. So now we can go for a sail together, which is great, as you normally always only meet guys at windsurf spots. I really love the atmosphere amongst all the windsurf ladies down here in the UK! Everyone is so keen to just get on the water together and have a fun time windsurfing. Competition sounds quite serious, but it really is totally relaxed and more about just meeting more girls, go for a sail together and learn from each other. So get involved!

Danielle: Freestyle is not only for boys but so many girls are put off thinking they are not good enough, freestyle to me is about messing about, trying something different; whether it’s sailing on one leg, clew first, jumping, or just carving it up, it’s about trying new stuff and having a good time.  The aerial moves are hard to achieve but it’s not impossible and by getting out and trying new stuff you can work towards it if you want to, but the carving tricks look just as cool if not better.  By getting girls out together it’s more encouraging to try new stuff, and you have others around to ask questions if you are not sure where to start or what to do next!

Lara Johnston

Lara Johnston

Biggest tip for improving your windsurfing:

Danielle: Sail with others, ask for advice when trying new skills and locations, and don’t be afraid to go and get some coaching.  Sometimes the simplest tip can change everything for the better.  Coaching helps you learn new things, it can help you to learn to self-assess your mistakes, and also gets you sailing with others who may be better than you or may be passionate to be as good as you, which can help push you and allows you to help encourage others too.

Emily: Enjoy it and get out on the water whenever you can

Ina: Always try. Ignore these (really reasonable seeming) thoughts that you could not possibly do a certain move. You don’t know until you have tried. And if you do fail you still make a step forward! Because now you know what you have done wrong so you can work on it and do it better next time.

Julia: Don’t be afraid to try something new and make the most of whatever the conditions are, every time you go out you WILL improve!

Ina Gross

Alex Powell

Emily Hall

The biggest message we all want to portray across to other female windsurfers out there is that female freestyle events are FUN, relaxed and a great way to improve. From the events I have been a part of, the ladies tend to decide how and when our heats are run (would we want it any other way!?).  Another problem that all competitors are faced with is when a job involves nine hour days, five days a week, which means it is hard to then commit to spending the whole weekend at an event. However, as my boyfriend, Josh put it very aptly: “Spending the weekend on a beach, blasted by fresh air and having a great time with lots of like minded people definitely gives you the best chance of turning up to work on Monday morning with a big smile on your face!”

Ladies at the EFPT. Image credit Josh Wilmot.

Just incase you needed any more persuasion, remember UK female windsurfing competitions are:

- Fun

- Inclusive

- Have a great social side, whether that be laughing about the days events at the pub or partying away.

- You don’t need to be pulling off lots of moves: a carve gybe and a tack will do nicely!

- They make Monday mornings much more bearable.

- And finally we can’t wait to meet you all and make women’s competitions bigger and better in 2013!

Excitingly in 2013 Sam Ross is also planning to hold some Ladies freestyle weekends aimed at getting lots of females on the water, improving their windsurfing and having a good laugh (he leads a hard life!)! So stay tuned to www.sam-ross.co.uk for more information as these weekends will provide the perfect stepping-stone to competing at an event!

I look forward to seeing you on the water and hopefully at an event soon!

Jo is sponsored by Tushingham/Starboard, Sam Ross Windsurfing and Exeter University.

If you have any questions please email jowright12@hotmail.com

For more information on the events stay tuned to www.boards.co.uk plus head on over to:

www.ukwindsurfing.com

www.studentwindsurfing.co.uk

www.britishwavesailingassociation.com

www.flowatersports.com