54PROFILEKEITH ATKINSON
BACK IN THE GAME!
KEITH
ATKINSON
WORDS: KEITH ATKINSON
PHOTOS: WINDSURFING SHOTS: ANDY STALLMAN.
FITSIX LIFESTYLE SHOTS: ROCKY AND ROAD PHOTOGRAPHY
KEITH ATKINSON HAS HAD HIS FAIR SHARE OF
SUCCESS BOTH INTERNATIONALLY AND
DOMESTICALLY. A recognisable face on the formula
race scene for years he’s now back on a slalom tip
for 2018 with a new board sponsor and clothing
brand in tow. We caught up with Keith to see how
things are.
Tell us where it all began for with regards to windsurfing.
I was actually on the beach pretty much from birth. My dad started
windsurfing one month after I was born, and so my mum and I used to just
watch him. As soon as I was big enough to lift a kiddy rig he got me out
there, I was only six years old at that point.
Do you still frequent the same spot you did as a newbie or have you
moved on?
The first time on the water for me was at a place called Laybourne Lake in
Kent. It’s pretty small but super easy to get to for us from where we lived as
a family. As I started to improve we started going to Bewl Valley, which is
where I continued to sail regularly until I was about 16. It’s a really
beautiful place but I needed a bigger area of water to train on as I was
starting to sail internationally at events on the sea. I keep meaning to go
back to Bewl and get a group of old friends together for a weekend, I really
love the place, it’s very picturesque.
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WIND
SURFING