Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2014 | Page 13

INTERVIEW
into doing. There was no wave sailing or
doing all the tricks and I think back then,
it wasn’t so well funded. It’s very hard
to be an Olympian and it didn’t fit me. I
didn’t want to be told that I couldn’t go
surfing.”
He still feels the thrill of his World
Championship success, adding: “The
first person I told was my dad because
he was out there with me. Then I got on
the phone and told my mum and my
brothers. I love winning. Sometimes
the hunger to win gets even stronger,
depending on what is happening in
your life. It’s about having that killer
edge, trying to get out there and giving
one hundred percent without thinking
about anything else. You have to be
selfish and have to be in your own
zone. Professionally, winning the world

"I want to focus on
chillaxing this winter,
getting super fit and
having a real good
season in all the
disciplines next year."

title again gave me a great sense of
achievement. When I won it first time, I
had had such a great 2012. But then you
tend to fade a little bit, so it was great to
back it up and validate the fact I am not
just a flash in the pan.

“But my goals have shifted for the
moment – still be a pro windsurfer, still get
results and do the tours, but I want to focus
on my business and it’s been going good.
I want to focus on chillaxing this winter,
getting super fit and having a real good
season in all the disciplines next year.”
Ross admits that amid the intensity of
competition, there have been a few lighter
moments. he recalled: “About 10 years
ago I got rescued on the back of a jet ski
after surfing some big waves in Hawaii.
My shorts had been blown off and there
were all these people on the cliffs taking
photos and there I am, just butt naked.
The shorts were ripped apart and I was
holding the