Cape Town
This winter I decided to come back to Cape Town to get some training done, it's been 2 yearssince I last came and everything is quite different, for my surprise so I am, the last winters I spent here I always had a hard time with the wind, never managed to learn anything new and ended up being frustrated, but this year has been different, I'm much more comfortable with the crazy Cape Town winds and my training is going much better. It's been really fun in general to be here, there's a bunch of riders around, good old days friends, and girls to ride with! Not any girls too, they are Jalou Langaree and Jo Wilson, rippers that unfortunately don't come to the competitions anymore but are still on the top of their game.
The other day we had a good session in Lagabeen with Aaron Hadlow and Rui Meira, the spot was nice and flat for a change and I managed to ride with my 7m before the wind got to strong and sand was blowing everywhere. Rob and Fiona Claisse from Progression were filming loads and taking shots, here are some of them.
Today is one of my rest days, it's been windy pretty much everyday and the days there was no wind I ended up either going to the cable park, surfing or running chores, so today will be a full day of doing absolutely nothing :)
For now the forecast doesn't look too good for the next days so hopefully the swell will pick up and there will be some epic South African surf to entertain us.
Results and Gala dinner
This is it!! the end of the PKRA Tour has arrived, we all live thru so much together, from moments of pure happiness to frustration and disappointment, the important thing is that we were a strong crew all the way, pursuing personal goals and at the same time working together to promote our sport and have a brighter future for it.
To celebrate such an important journey we had a gala dinner to present the winners of the event and the overall ranking, it was a beautiful ceremony, everyone was looking sharp on our gala outfits and most importantly we're all smiling and having a good time.
For myself I'm very happy with how this competition year finished for me, I won the event here at Gold Coast and with that result finished in 2nd on the overall ranking. When I look back to how this year started for me I can't believe I actually managed to have such a good outcome, I've been thru all kinds of obstacles, you name it, it happened to me this year! On the process I've learned a lot and I wouldn't have done it any other way, I'm happy to have been able to turn things around and pick it up towards the end of the year to finish in 2nd.
For my partners on this crazy world tour, thanks everyone, it's been a pleasure to do all of that in your company and see you next year!!
To celebrate such an important journey we had a gala dinner to present the winners of the event and the overall ranking, it was a beautiful ceremony, everyone was looking sharp on our gala outfits and most importantly we're all smiling and having a good time.
For myself I'm very happy with how this competition year finished for me, I won the event here at Gold Coast and with that result finished in 2nd on the overall ranking. When I look back to how this year started for me I can't believe I actually managed to have such a good outcome, I've been thru all kinds of obstacles, you name it, it happened to me this year! On the process I've learned a lot and I wouldn't have done it any other way, I'm happy to have been able to turn things around and pick it up towards the end of the year to finish in 2nd.
For my partners on this crazy world tour, thanks everyone, it's been a pleasure to do all of that in your company and see you next year!!
1st at the singles on the Gold Coast
After a long wait for the wind we had a real taste of Goal Coast's sick conditions, the wind started off early and slowly built up during the day until it was perfect for a 9m session, just add the kickers and we were set! The sun came out strong and lots of people that were complaining about the rain regretted, we all fried on the beach, it's amazing how much the sun burns here, no wander in every competitor pack there was a bottle of sunscreen! Without it it would've been catastrophe.
My first heat was against my friend and team mate Johara Sykes-Davies, I love to start off like that because we always have fun in our heats, then I met Jalou Langeree on the semi-finals, it's good to have hair back after her absence on tour, and her come back was quite impressive, she pulled out some powerful moves such as blind judges and s-bend passes. After Jalou I met Gisela Pulido for the finals, I started off with a blind judge 3 that came out pretty good and it just felt right, so the rest of the heat fell on track and I took the win.
Now we'll wait to see if there will be any wind for the doubles, since the beginning of the event the wind hasn't shown up very often, instead we had quite a lot of rain, but I've been having a great time here, even the rain didn't bother me… I've been surfing everyday and even got some session in sick spots like Snapper Rocks and South Stradie :)
My first heat was against my friend and team mate Johara Sykes-Davies, I love to start off like that because we always have fun in our heats, then I met Jalou Langeree on the semi-finals, it's good to have hair back after her absence on tour, and her come back was quite impressive, she pulled out some powerful moves such as blind judges and s-bend passes. After Jalou I met Gisela Pulido for the finals, I started off with a blind judge 3 that came out pretty good and it just felt right, so the rest of the heat fell on track and I took the win.
Now we'll wait to see if there will be any wind for the doubles, since the beginning of the event the wind hasn't shown up very often, instead we had quite a lot of rain, but I've been having a great time here, even the rain didn't bother me… I've been surfing everyday and even got some session in sick spots like Snapper Rocks and South Stradie :)
I just arrived on the Goald Coast yesterday after the event in New Caledonia, this year the amazing scenario of these Pacific Islands showed a different side to us, from last year's blue skies, turquoise water and nice winds to lots of rain, heavy clouds and strong winds, enough to have me over powered on my 5.5m, for a moment it felt like I was competing in Fuerteventura.
That was a shame since I was looking forward to the epic conditions of New Cal, we did have a little taste of it on the last day of competition, the only day that the wind was a bit lighter and I managed to ride with a 7m instead of a 5m.
This competition didn't go so well for me, I finished in 3rd place and ran over a drunk guy on the process, he was just hanging out inside the competition area and I was so concentrated that I didn't see him, next thing I know..Boom!! I ran straight into him! There's a video of it, check it out, it's funny :) It's the day 3 video from Extreme Elements : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QseTIMrSN0E
This is my latest trick, 313 to drunk guy! it's amazing that he just walked away, I ran into him board first, it must've hurt a lot, I guess all the wine he drank made it all good!
That was a shame since I was looking forward to the epic conditions of New Cal, we did have a little taste of it on the last day of competition, the only day that the wind was a bit lighter and I managed to ride with a 7m instead of a 5m.
This competition didn't go so well for me, I finished in 3rd place and ran over a drunk guy on the process, he was just hanging out inside the competition area and I was so concentrated that I didn't see him, next thing I know..Boom!! I ran straight into him! There's a video of it, check it out, it's funny :) It's the day 3 video from Extreme Elements : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QseTIMrSN0E
This is my latest trick, 313 to drunk guy! it's amazing that he just walked away, I ran into him board first, it must've hurt a lot, I guess all the wine he drank made it all good!
2010 Brazilian Champion!!
Yesterday we finished the last stop of the Brazilian tour in Rio de Janeiro, as unfortunate as it sounds the wind didn’t show up for the freestyle in any of the 6 days of event, so out of the 3 stops we only had wind in one.
The competition was meant to finish on Sunday but since we didn’t have results for freestyle nor wave the organization decided to extend the event until Monday on the hope that the wind would show up. Monday was another day of long wait and no wind, at least there were little waves for a fun surf session.
With the 1st place from the stop in Cumbuco I became 2010 Brazilian Champion adding up to 4 Brazilian Championship titles, it’s amazing to see these results and think back to when I started, when winning one Brazilian Championship seemed impossible.
Now I’m home for a day before heading up to New Cal and Australia, this day better have more then 24hrs, because I have tons of clothes to be washed, dried and packed! Lets not forget the boardbag!
The competition was meant to finish on Sunday but since we didn’t have results for freestyle nor wave the organization decided to extend the event until Monday on the hope that the wind would show up. Monday was another day of long wait and no wind, at least there were little waves for a fun surf session.
With the 1st place from the stop in Cumbuco I became 2010 Brazilian Champion adding up to 4 Brazilian Championship titles, it’s amazing to see these results and think back to when I started, when winning one Brazilian Championship seemed impossible.
Now I’m home for a day before heading up to New Cal and Australia, this day better have more then 24hrs, because I have tons of clothes to be washed, dried and packed! Lets not forget the boardbag!
Argentina
PKRA Argentina
If I had to pick a word to describe this event in Argentina it would be unusual, imagine a competition set up on a lake surrounded by snowed mountains, where you can't really figure it out where the wind comes from, a water that reaches 8 degrees celsius. To wrap it up while having lunch you look out of the window and it snowing, yep, full on snow/ice flakes falling from the sky.
No need to say the conditions were extreme, I would say the most extreme we had this year, such cold winds with freezing cold waters does not bring the best riding on you. All of that made it really interesting and challenging, that plus the amazing scenario and tow's exquisite chocolates made this event fun on it's own way.
I had a thought time riding, it all felt like a dream where I was drunk and had no control over my actions, I finished the competition in 2nd place and considering the extreme cold that made people see tricks where they weren't, made them obssed with chocolate and ride like it was their very first time, I'm happy with the result.
On the way back home I got mixed up with my flight, I thought it was at 22:30h and it was at 18:35, so imagine my surprise when I got to the check in ( which was a mess since the airport in Buenos Aires was on strike) and found out I had lost my flight.. But there was this angels of a person checking me in and she sorted us out, found 2 seats ( I was with Luna my sis) in an overbooked flight and we headed home with big smiles on our faces.
If I had to pick a word to describe this event in Argentina it would be unusual, imagine a competition set up on a lake surrounded by snowed mountains, where you can't really figure it out where the wind comes from, a water that reaches 8 degrees celsius. To wrap it up while having lunch you look out of the window and it snowing, yep, full on snow/ice flakes falling from the sky.
No need to say the conditions were extreme, I would say the most extreme we had this year, such cold winds with freezing cold waters does not bring the best riding on you. All of that made it really interesting and challenging, that plus the amazing scenario and tow's exquisite chocolates made this event fun on it's own way.
I had a thought time riding, it all felt like a dream where I was drunk and had no control over my actions, I finished the competition in 2nd place and considering the extreme cold that made people see tricks where they weren't, made them obssed with chocolate and ride like it was their very first time, I'm happy with the result.
On the way back home I got mixed up with my flight, I thought it was at 22:30h and it was at 18:35, so imagine my surprise when I got to the check in ( which was a mess since the airport in Buenos Aires was on strike) and found out I had lost my flight.. But there was this angels of a person checking me in and she sorted us out, found 2 seats ( I was with Luna my sis) in an overbooked flight and we headed home with big smiles on our faces.
Registration day in Argentina
Wow! Bariloche this time of year is amazing, I got in today to register for the competition and I'm amazed with how beautiful this place is. From snowed mountains, blue lakes and incredible sunsets, today I took some pics from my balcony and they look like postcards….enough of describing, I'll let the pics speak for themselves. Hopefully I'll have many more to share during my week of competition here. It's worth it to go full screen on this ones...Enjoy!
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