Motivation – some say you are born with it, others acquire it, but almost everyone needs it to be successful in windsurfing. So what are the secret ingredients of the ‘m-word’?, what motivates the world’s best? John Carter asks the great and the good for their thoughts.

Words & Photos  John Carter

Originally published within the September ’17 edition.

ROBBY NAISH
“Finding motivation to hit the water has seldom been a problem for me. Finding motivation to sit down and do emails or take on other real life obligations is where I have often come up short. For me the never-ending quest to improve, to go play in the surf, and to simply have fun doing the sports that I love and somehow continue to get paid for it was motivation enough to keep me frothing most of the time. As time slowly takes its toll on my quest to keep the universe around me simple, the inevitable complexities of life and the burdens (real work responsibilities outside of riding wind and waves for a living) and joys (spending time with family, tinkering on project cars) that come with it slowly tarnish the total focus to want to be in the water at any cost and above all else. I used to put absolutely everything on the “back burner” if the conditions were good so that I could be out there and not miss a good session on the water. These days I still don’t like missing a good day at Ho’okipa, but I realized not too long ago that life still goes on if I do miss a few sessions. In fact, right now I find that I have so many incredible days at Ho’okipa under my belt, and so many incredible moments on and around the water from decades of riding around the world…. and so many priceless memories of events, sessions, photo shoots, wipe-outs, generations of windsurf friends, new equipment, old equipment etc. etc., that I am honestly finding an unfamiliar satisfaction in occasionally doing other things now. I have had an incredibly lucky life. I have lived with passion, purpose, commitment, and an undying love and appreciation for the work and life that I have. I am still pretty selfish and self-centred. I would still rather go and ride waves more than I want to do most other things most of the time…. no lack of motivation there. I just realized at 54 years old that there is still life between waves…and there is still time enough to enjoy both.

But to answer your question, when times get tough… there is nothing that helps settle them back down better than some good time on the water.”

When times get tough… there is nothing that helps settle them back down better than some good time on the water.

MATTEO IACHINO
“I won the PWA slalom world championship last year and the dream I had since I was a child came true. But thinking about it in another way, my original dream was different. I was dreaming about living every single day in touch with the sea, doing what I love. Being a professional windsurfer looked to me the only way to achieve that. Once in 2013 I broke into the top 10 in the world, I understood I was doing a decent job while also having fun on the water. That year for the first time I also understood my potential and my goal went higher. It wasn’t enough staying where I was as a top ten guy, I wanted more, I wanted to be on the podium and I could see it was something I could do. I pushed harder and in 2014 I got 8th, then in 2015 I won my first event ever and I led the ranking until the last event ending the season in 3rd. In the end after 2 years I was again where I wanted to be, on the podium. But to win is something different and that became an obsession to me. Last year, after a lot of training and with the experience gained the years before, I won my first world title. The real problem is that human beings are never really happy one hundred per cent of the time. Now that I won in 2016, I want the same feeling again, I want to win again and I want to win events I’ve never been able to win. You never can have enough of this. This sport is a true addiction from every angle and competing for me is the worst one because you just cannot stop wanting more of this!”

This sport is a true addiction.

GRAHAM EZZY
“Motivation grows with newness. Feed motivation something fresh every day and it will grow and grow. When I’m apathetic about windsurfing, I focus on falling. Intentionally falling is another name for the learning process. Try a new move. Or, get silly. I catch waves with my friends and try to criss-cross down the line. Why not try that wave ride clew first? Or water start with the fins facing forward? Do a double duck jibe? Wave riding back winded? None of those moves are particularly difficult. I challenge myself to learn something new and unusual. And when that fails to motivate, I watch a windsurfing DVD. Polakow’s “About Time” is my personal favourite. Watching windsurfing is a kind of windsurfing. Whenever I’m injured, I go to the beach often just to watch, and I come back to the water more motivated and actually a better sailor than before the injury.”

Feed motivation something fresh every day and it will grow and grow.

KAI LENNY

“My motivation stems from the reason why I started doing water sports in the beginning. It’s of course because I love to do it, but now at this point in my life it has become who I am and I could not imagine not surrounding everything I do with water. It’s honestly unimaginable. So while I’m traveling the world, training, doing all the things required of a professional athlete I stay stoked and happy because it usually always involves being in the water or going to it. Robby Naish was a mentor of mine and he helped install a focus towards my goals and the art of staying grounded along the way. To stay motivated I believe you can’t forget why you started it. If you have a good foundation it’s easy to build upon it. One thing I love that’s not only about riding waves is pushing myself to new goals because the satisfaction of accomplishing them feels so good. I hope everyone can find something in their lives that can do that for them.”

To stay motivated I believe you can’t forget why you started it. If you have a good foundation, it’s easy to build upon it.

ROSS WILLIAMS
“What keeps me motivated is my drive to be at the top of my game. Not just during competition, but also while I am free sailing. I think it’s hard to sometimes be fully on it when competing but when you are free sailing it’s easier. For me it’s especially when I am wave sailing, I love that feeling of landing a nice move and hacking into a thick turn and sending spray everywhere. Then when I come off the water I am stoked on windsurfing and get driven again. I want to keep competing so I can continue to have these moments when I am free sailing. I want to free that rush again, I want to win and beat everyone and feel super blessed that I am continually doing what I love.”

What keeps me motivated is my drive to be at the top of my game.

DAIDA MORENO
“To me motivation is the key to success. Without motivation there are no achievements, you cannot set goals and work had to get to the top. There are different ways to motivate yourself, but mostly setting achievable goals. My main goals in windsurfing are to keep learning new moves, to be blessed just to be in the water and especially to have fun. Windsurfing is more than a sport, it’s a full lifestyle. You go to bed and wake up every day thinking about what’s next. Personally I get motivated staying active, organizing my business (rentals), helping people to stay healthy (physiotherapy), organizing events with my sports club, staying fit and training in and out of the water almost every day… I don’t have time to get bored.”

Motivation is the key to success.

IBALLA MORENO
“I’m proud and happy to live the life I choose, therefore I don’t take it for granted. I’m grateful to my family who drive my life to windsurf and have ocean adventures and more than happy to say that the ocean is my office and where I stay out of stress and problems you can have in normal life off the water. Without motivation you can´t learn anything in life in general. And with motivation you will be happier in the water too!”

Without motivation you can´t learn anything in life.

KEVIN PRITCHARD
“For me the motivation just comes. I see wind and waves and I am on it. I have to say that I think I still sail more than almost any pro on Maui when I am there. I really can’t help it, I just love it so much. I think the hardest time to keep motivated is when the conditions are bad, but even then I still seem to be able to make it. I think that one of the keys is trying to keep doing new moves. I don’t really do many new moves but from time to time trying something new. I think the thing about windsurfing is that the conditions are so hard to get good that you are always trying to find those perfect conditions. It keeps you motivated to go down to the beach and check it out and usually I end up going sailing anyways. I really just can’t help myself!”

For me the motivation just comes. I see wind and waves and I am on it.

JEM HALL
“To motivate myself, I think how I can move forward every day to help me reach my targets and this actually starts with setting targets and forming a strategy to get to them. I am grateful for the opportunity to do the job that I do every day and know that every session is my chance to learn, improve and have fun. This has gone even further now I am a Dad! A main motivator is definitely that I want to set a good standard for my ‘people’ on my clinics and to achieve this I sail with passion, focus and power. As for my clients I impress upon them that this is their opportunity to move forward and that I am a facilitator, an agent for change, but it is them that must take the big steps by focussing on skills, setting targets, self-coaching and doing drills. I empower them to be the pilots and not the passengers. We also work on their internal self-dialogue, starting statements with ‘I can, I shall, I will,’ be it loop, plane, gybe or waterstart. The clients also get motivated as I use them as examples of great sailing during video feedback and then this goes a stage further when they coach each other; peer group coaching is very powerful. With my clinics selling so early I can also tap into them developing before they come by embracing stepping up their fitness, practicing key skills before a clinic and watching videos or reading Tricktionary 3 in order to visualise what they are looking to understand and achieve.”

To motivate myself, I think how I can move forward every day.

SVIEN RASMUSSEN
“My motivation has never been higher! I love windsurfing, paddle boarding and also to develop all that great gear which we test every week. On top of that I love the ocean and I love my 10 year old daughter! We need to ensure that those who come next can live such amazing lives and enjoy the oceans and the planet the way we have. That is not yet the direction the world is moving and my motivation is now evolving around the creation of projects and alliances to protect the oceans, accelerating change. We will step by step bring our sport, our brand, our riders and our employees on a journey of engagement, so we all can find ways to become useful in turning the tide. How can we do that? First of all we need to run a better business by always making better products so we can afford to invest resources into futuristic eco innovations. We need to create benchmark eco innovative products and quickly turn around our company to be become a leading global trendsetter in sustainability. It is indeed symbolic as we obviously are in one of the world’s tiniest industries, thus a drop in the ocean. We however will interact with other industries to move forward and also connect with governments for policy making. These projects are very exciting and motivational as it is a new journey within the current one. I am motivated to help accelerate a positive development where we all strive to be champions in sustainability and making a better tomorrow for those who come next, and yes. I would like to be with them for some time! Purpose is the new luxury!”

My motivation is now evolving around the creation of projects and alliances to protect the oceans.

VICTOR FERNANDEZ
“I love windsurfing and competing keeps me in top shape as I continue to push myself every season. During competition I have to go for it 100% because the level every year is moving up and I want to be up there at the highest level sailing with the best guys and of course nailing all the latest moves. After winning my first world title I immediately wanted another one. It took me six years of hard work to clinch my second title so if I have to train another 6 years to get a 3rd one I will train to compete as hard as I can. This constant goal keeps me motivated to keep pushing the limits!”

CRAIG GERTENBACH
“Keeping motivated is fairly easy, I just go windsurfing as often as possible, on almost every holiday, many weekends and test trips. This already makes me want to improve the products that I use, or that my kids, wife, team riders, friends and windsurf centres I visit use. Being in touch with your products and end users is the key to actually knowing their strengths and weaknesses. And the motivation comes automatically then to me, as I´m a fairly competitive person in whatever I do. I don´t like to lose and I love to see our riders or customers enjoying our products. Hearing that we have extended an older windsurfer’s career who wanted to stop, by developing the super easy to use Gecko, gives me as much motivation as seeing our team riders winning World Championships. I think that is also something I have learnt over the years to appreciate, that windsurfing is not only about wave sailing or slalom at the highest level – the older I get, the more I really enjoy each sailing session, regardless of the equipment I use, conditions or the location.

Working at a brand with such a rich history “since 81” here at Fanatic, is also quite a responsibility, customers see us as an icon in the industry, especially in terms of constructions and quality – so we don`t take that lightly and feel the pressure to constantly innovate, improve and offer the best service. Our forum is a great way to not only gain input from our customers and interact, but also is perfect for getting motivated, as customers often leave a message about products they have finally bought and positively tested, based on our input – that is a great motivator as it underlines our competence in giving the right advice on the right products. Lastly being part of a perfect team is the best motivation, working and sailing together with the younger generation of Klaas Voget and Daniel Aeberli, keeping Sebastian, myself and Karin fully motivated!”

Being part of a perfect team is the best motivation.

TIMO MULLEN
“Well getting motivated to go windsurfing for me takes not much effort, I’m always ready to go at the drop of a hat! I think living in the UK helps that motivation a lot as it is not always 100% guaranteed conditions here so you really have to make the most of even the weakest forecasts and sometimes mediocre conditions. I have been to Maui before and seen guys who have been there a while and turned their nose up at conditions that quite honestly I would have given my left nut up for! I must admit some of the missions I embark on are pretty crazy, but I think the crazy ones are the guys who stay at home and don’t follow what to me looks like a no brainer epic forecast! I think local knowledge helps in making those decisions, as all my crazy missions are pretty well thought out, I’m not going all those miles for a picnic! I think that previous knowledge of the spot helps the motivation as I know what to expect when I get there, and trust me it is usually worth it. I also balance my life as a pro windsurfer with a full time job, so my time off is pretty valuable, sitting in a windowless showroom for five months of the year keeps my mind focussed on being motivated to go windsurfing I can assure you! Ultimately the biggest motivation is the fact I love windsurfing!”

The biggest motivation is the fact I love windsurfing!

RICARDO CAMPELLO
“Well, honestly, my only motivation lately has been myself, I have been fighting for years and years and I have just been through two disappointing years on tour with both bad results and a few niggling injuries. On the other hand these past years I have been feeling like I am sailing my best out on the water. Now that I do not have a board sponsor my personal goal is still to become world champion in waves, so this is my own personal motivation! I will do it for myself and no one else!”

My personal goal is still to become world champion in waves

ARNON DAGAN
“The main motivation in life for me is the understanding and belief I can still improve and do better. The moment this is gone then I’ll have to stop, however at this point in my career, I feel it is very much alive. Surprisingly even after all these years there are new cool things to learn all the time alongside aspects of the sport I am already an expert with. It is the excitement of learning together with the confidence of – ‘I know how to do this, I am good at this and I can still get better and better’ which motivates me the most. In Costa Brava I was on top after the first round, it has been a long time since I won every single heat and then the final as well. This is motivating me like crazy! Costa Brava was an explosion after three weeks of no wind and horrible conditions in Korea and Japan and that brought back the fire for me. Obviously achieving strong results help keep the dream alive and also the beautiful places you get to see and experience and my love for the sport also keeps me motivated.”

The main motivation in life for me is the understanding and belief I can still improve.

ROBBY SWIFT
“I have 2 different feelings on motivation and both of them are probably equally strong. The first and most obvious one is that when it is epic, I can’t even sleep the night before because I am so excited to go sailing. When the conditions are firing, I can’t think about anything else and I think I have more fun now than I ever had. My wife Heidy always teases me because when I come back from an epic session I always say “that was the best session ever” but it’s really true as it’s normal that you improve as you gain more experience and the better I sail, the more fun I have so every epic session I have tends to be better than the last one as I have slightly better wave knowledge and have (hopefully) improved my technique since the last epic session I had!

The second form of motivation I have is a harder one, it is to really train, but it’s almost as strong as the first one now. I love training for the contests, so no matter how bad the conditions are, I try to find 1 or 2 things that are useful to work on in those conditions and that will give me a better chance of winning heats. That way, no matter how crap it is out there, I can always have something interesting and exciting to do that makes me feel like I am progressing. That one has been getting more and more fun for me since I have learned how useful it is! I love going to Gran Canaria every year. When the conditions are good here, it’s unlike anywhere else in the world. You can jump so high and get so many opportunities to do moves that you just dream about the rest of the year that it’s always exciting. Unfortunately, those epic days are quite few and far between. When I dream about going to Gran Canaria, it’s those half-mast to logo high days with wind for full power 3.7 that I think of but the reality is that every year we only get about 4 or 5 of those days from at least 6-8 weeks spent here. We are always able to sail almost every day though in some kind of semi-decent conditions and that’s when the second type of motivation comes in. I work on trying to do doubles off the tiniest ramps possible or on shakas and takas on the way in, doing 1 hand, 1 foot back loops off more difficult ramps and in more difficult wind conditions so that when the heat comes, I have more ammunition in the bag in a wider variety of conditions to hopefully give me the best possible chance of making it through my heats!”

When it is epic, I can’t even sleep the night before because I am so excited to go sailing.

FARREL O’SHEA
I think you have to separate motivation in terms of work and play, so let’s start with the nasty “work” stuff first – although both may actually be driven from the same place? Work related drive always comes back to the same conundrum – can we improve our product. It never ceases to amaze me at times the shallow job some of the companies we know and love in our industry do product wise. We always look at our competitor’s product hard – yet at our own even harder! We spend many an hour assassinating our own product with the view to try and take it ahead of the rest. As a small player in the global market I know we will never compete marketing wise with the bigger fishes, so I always aim to make a better and higher quality product through more extensive testing – you have to put the benefit of all those years spent arsing about on the water to some good use – right??

Windsurfing is a very frustrating sport, it takes time to hone those tricky skills….however I find those misspent hours very rewarding and therefore it doesn’t take a lot of motivation to keep going! Wave sailing in the 80s was a very progressive time, and it was great to be on the cutting edge during those fast evolving years. However now I’ve been reborn as a pie eating speed sailor the rules of engagement change. No longer are we in the subjective world of wave sailing, with speed the only thing that matters is the time – a much simpler concept to grasp. I’ve never been one to live in the rose tinted glory of the past; the only thing that matters is your last ride! Is enough ever enough? I had a real struggle moment at the 40-knot barrier, which seems almost laughable now, only to revisit that same dark moment in the 49-knot hurdle – completely stuck for a few years. During that contemplative moment I remember talking to Chris Bertish (the Transatlantic SUP man) a person for whom motivation is a speciality. Over a beer he said re: 50 knots “See it, dream it, believe it – do it !!” Perhaps in hindsight I’d had trouble believing it? Is enough ever enough? No – the goal posts just move right in front of your eyes. Forever windsurfing – forever speed ….”

Is enough ever enough? No – the goal posts just move right in front of your eyes.

BRIAN TALMA
“I train and organize for failure, and anything after this is a success. I put myself on the line, on and off the water! As a professional windsurfer, there is nothing better than being paid to play and with the BCWT World Championships and IWA it has been about scoring pictures and competing. I love that, being in the water all the time means my windsurfing was improving during the competition. Also in 2016 at the Aloha Classic, I qualified from the International Windsurfing Tour pros into the Professional Windsurfing Association main event after almost 12 years off the tour. As I said, I train for failure and any success is a win!

As a successful professional windsurfer through 1990 to 2014, as you get older you’re putting your past achievement on the line whenever you compete. And since being a professional windsurfer still plays a very informative function on how I generate money it is important to find a path to keep my profile high. It gives me such a rush to continue competing and doing well. It also helps keep me fit and I am still continuously learning. This is how I came up with the saying, “The brain smiles and life sings…happy rings and we dance to the music.” I work extremely hard and keep my focus during the hard times, which represents part of my saying, “The brain smiles”. Although I might not be smiling, my brain is happy working on a vision. This is when the competition might think they have me beaten. Then once the successes start coming in, this is when the second part of the saying comes to life, “Life is singing” and my face has a smile.

This year I’ve pushed myself to the next level, and it is working and my biggest move for 2016 was “Giving is living”. This year so far the coverage is coming in and we did a BCWT World Championships in Los Roques too, which was a huge success…”

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