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in a race. Also, if you train with boys it means you can
beat the rest of the women in the fleet because most of
the time they will not race as hard as the boys do.
Conditioning yourself to be able to match or almost
match the speed of the boys means you are not going to
struggle when it comes to racing against anyone.
Everyone knows that racing is for fun, however. it is
always good to beat the boys every now and again.
Do you think it’s harder windsurfing as a girl?
In some respects yes, however, generally it is an
advantage. Most of the time the female competitors
weigh less than the male competitors meaning we can
get planing in lighter wind and on smaller kit. This
means that in racing we are able to get away from the
start line or hit the gybe mark quicker.
Got any wind heroes? Who do you look up to?
At the National Watersports Festival 2012 I was
partnered with Nik Baker for the Turbo 15 floodlit night
race. We worked together well and we managed to win
the race and a big trophy. Because windsurfing is a
sport with so many different disciplines it is hard to pin
point one role model. All the pros at the top of their
discipline are looked up to by so many people and it’s
great to see such a wide range of people always willing
to help others up their game.
How is it being a female sailor? Do you feel you
have to prove yourself to the boys?
Being a female sailor is good because it allows you to
work hard to beat the boys. It’s always nice to beat them
What do you think could be done to make the
sport easier for ladies?
The development of kit has helped because it has
made things easier. This is everything from smaller
volume boards, smaller and lighter sails and well-fitting
wetsuits to keep us warm. The continued development
of this kit will help women into the sport.
How would you go about convincing your girly
mates to get involved?
I would ensure that the conditions are just right and
then take them for a taster session. As I am a qualified
Start Windsurfing Instructor I would offer to teach them
so they had a familiar face showing them the basics. I
would ensure the session has an emphasis on fun so
that they would want to give it another go in the future.
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SURFING