ED’S NOTE 3
WIND
SURFING
uk
TEZ PLAVENIEKS
SEPTEMBER 2018
NO STRESS!
I think back to when I REALLY
got bug bitten by windsurfing
which was during my first (of
many) Neilson seasons. I'd
been windsurfing for a while,
on and off, but hadn't really
got it. In fact, I actually didn't
care too much for the sport
at all if I’m honest. Why was I
working in a windsurf centre?
To get some sun, party and
chase girls (I was only
young).
It was my beach manager that
gave myself and one other that
much needed kick up the arse.
He practically forced us to go
sailing every time the wind
kicked in – which was daily.
During the first two weeks of
set up, with no guests around, I
learnt more about windsurfing
than I'd ever done. I also
improved quickly, in part helped
Photo: James Jagger
by the fact our venue was the
waist deep waters of SE Spain's Mar Menor, but also the
consistency of the breeze, having access to top notch kit and
great coaching (thanks Owen Beacock!). Before long I was
trying carve gybes, ducks, learning to jump and generally
having a blast.
But why am I telling you this?
Regular readers will have seen our extensive coverage of
foiling - in particular across our test reports and on WSUK’s
website. With flying being a key talking point within the
industry as well as more and more riders taking it up it's
something we're keen to cover and continue doing so.
I started foiling about 18 months ago (give or take) and while
I enjoyed it to a certain extent I wouldn't say I loved it until
recently.
I'm now at a level which is similar to my skill set in Mar
Menor. The difference being jumps, gybes and ducks have
come quicker with foiling due to already having these
windsurf skills on lock.
Twitter:
@tezwoz
Instagram:
@tez_plavenieks_sup_wind
For me it's a breath of fresh air to
be in that position again. I went
through a period with standard
windsurfing of trying to improve and
beating myself up when
progression didn't come quick
enough. It's therefore refreshing to
know that I can do a few things
whilst out sailing and have found
transferring these skills to foiling
has been much more efficient - relatively. Things still don't
happen overnight and there's a long way to. But I'm enjoying
the process immensely. The current great UK 2018 summer
weather, consistent sea breezes, warm water and superior kit
(to that of 18 months ago) also help.
The main thing though is that I'm not heaping pressure on
myself as I did with regular sailing. I know at any time I can
go back to that and do my thing. Foiling is therefore not a
stress which could be another reason for rapid success.
Being more mature is also another contributing factor I'm
sure.
My point is: if you've been toying with the idea of windfoiling
then now's the time. Equipment is way more user friendly,
there's much more info and knowledge out there as far as
dos and don'ts go, but most importantly you already have the
base skill set because you already ride. For anyone
competent using harness and footstraps foiling is a logical
progression. So bite the bullet, get involved and add another
arm to your windsurfing - you'll be glad you did.
uk
WIND
SURFING