Sjoukje interview
What made you want to start kiting in the first place?
My Dad Started kiting when it just came into South Africa. I spent weekends being a beach monkey to him and his friends who were all learning to kite,
I would pump they’re kites, launch them , watch them ,and rescue them when
things went wrong. I learned a lot from those days, when I got my turn to start
kiting, I was into it immediately. I’ve never looked back.
Advice for other women out there wanting to kitesurf?
The biggest thing to remember is that you should do it for yourself, you have
to really want to do it, not because a boyfriend or friend or parent wants you
to do it. Secondly, when you’re learning you will get beaten up a few times,
don’t give up, you need to go through those situations to learn, from then on
it’s much less hardcore. The longer you keep going the easier it will get.
When you are starting ,remember that women have a different center of
gravity to men, so don’t try and have the same position to the guys, just
play around and find your own balance.Girls tend to go upwind easier when learning; it’s also cool to be a girl in this sport because the guys are always willing to help out.
What’s your favorite wind speed and kite size?
20+ Knots on my new Naish 10m Torch 2
What do you do when you aren’t kiting?
Usually Filming the boys or editing kiteboarding movies, cooking, travelling, writing, painting, exploring, going mad, praying for wind, laughing & enjoy life..to me it’s all about good memories , and making the best of every moment while it lasts.