46 PROFILE KUROSH KIANI
Opportunities
My current situation now allows me to focus on what
is good for me. Over the years I have worked hard to
please sponsors, and sometimes had my fingers
burned. I concentrate now on my performance, and
sharing my experience with others through my
passions for writing, teaching and being on the beach
in general. You never properly let off the gas, and will
always keep an eye out for opportunities, and keep
networking your way forward. Nevertheless, the
consensus now, unfortunately is, that you can have
cheap labour or advertising through riders, and I am
not interested in following that trend.
The people I work with are great, and our
understanding of each other is great. Moreover, if any
new opportunities should come up, I will welcome
them. In my opinion, it’s great to be involved in R&D. It
teaches you a lot about equipment. In addition, having
equipment that suits you is very important in our sport.
The potential for windsurfing to reach a wider
audience is there. The only thing I would recommend
is to break the typical 80s windsurfer stereotype, and
come up with more interesting angles. If you are
serious about it. You should do some research. Have
a look at your own personality, and what is different
about you, and try to build a story around that. Stay
open-minded and brainstorm every now and then.
And improve your networking skills.
Now I am training daily. I am trying to improve my
racing game, which has seen lots of weakness during
the last few seasons. I am focusing solely on these
points now, and eventually I will shift back to my gear,
making sure I I’ve got the board speed needed to be
at a top level.
I wave sail when I can and I’m trying to improve my
surfing, which I admit is not very good. Living in the
Canary Islands I have the opportunity to get better at
these things. I keep it all as fresh as possible!
I do a combination of rowing, biking, circuit training
and weights. I would like to be strong enough to sail
long days without my performance level suffering –
it’s not an easy task. I am not sure if I will reach my
goal anytime soon but I will do my best.
Having strong legs and back definitely benefits my
performance on the water in terms of speed. However,
my endurance level is getting higher which I really
enjoy. Being able to breathe and stay relaxed in racing
is something that your fitness level truly helps with.
I started working on my diet a few years ago. For me,
diet has been a life changer. I have introduced more
greens and root vegetables. More fruits as well. In
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general, I take greater care of what I put into my body.
I found out that diet was affecting me in many ways,
one of them being on the mental side. We are all
different, but staying healthy has done wonders for me
and thus helps me perform better in all aspects of life.
Pro athlete
Life as a pro athlete is hard regardless. Nevertheless,
we are so lucky that once you have gone through all
of these things, which might seem hard, you still get
to plant your feet in the sand on tropical beaches
many people only dream of visiting. You get to glide
effortlessly over blue/green waters and enjoy endless
Vitamin D. Sharing experiences with friends will
create memories that last a lifetime. Living a healthy
lifestyle, where you get to be close to nature, is
fantastic. While there is hard work involved, the
rewards are great.
I would categorise windsurfers as some of the best
party people on the planet! Most of us do love to cut
loose, and sure, in the older days, this was more
acceptable – in some cases expected. It’s part of our
sport and lifestyle. Today it’s on a more tempered
level. We do smash it sometimes but we are at a place
now where performance comes first with ‘athletes’ who
are hard working and have specific goals.
I admit it’s a bit boring at times, sure, but the focus is
on the water now. The need for socialising is not what
it was some years ago. I personally think there should
be a solution somewhere in between. Windsurfing is
a social activity after all. I am not saying we should
party hard, but I think we shouldn’t forget one of the
pillars of windsurfing, which in my opinion, is the
social aspect.