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Antoine Albeau Interview:
It was great to sit down with Antoine for a few minutes before racing on Sunday at the Midwinters. Here is what he had to say!
Rick Randall: So Antoine, tell me about when and where you started to windsurf...
AA: Well it was when I was 5, in the small island where I live in
RR: Early huh? So did you start competing early on also?
AA: Not too soon, but not long after I began to compete and win in the youth races in
RR: When did you begin to compete in the PWA?
AA: I entered my first race at Almanarre soon after winning the Nationals in
RR: So did you begin full time on the Tour then?
AA: No, I did the full Tour starting in 1994, at age 20.
RR: Back then did you do all the disciplines?
AA: Yes all 3, racing, slalom, and wave.
RR: What motivated you at that time to be a professional?
AA: My father was the one who really pushed for me to compete on the Tour full time.
RR: What was it like on the Tour at the time?
AA: It was very hard at the time to get into the top 20. I had a great sponsor who supported me which was Gaastra at the time, and my family too. The money on the Tour was already starting to decrease at the time, so it was a lot of pressure.
RR: How soon did you start to win races? Bjorn was the man to beat at the time right?
AA: Yes he was. And I did soon after, I won two times against him in slalom.
RR: So, you seem to really enjoy speed now. Is it something recent you have discovered?
AA: No, I have been doing speed for a long time. I have been vice champion on the speed tour 2 times already, starting in 1996.
RR: I understand you are leaving right after the Midwinters to go directly to the Canal to try for the record?
AA: Yes Tuesday and Wednesday look like a very good chance.
RR: So the last time, you beat Finian. What sort of board were you riding? Were the conditions at the canal difficult or easy for it?
AA: The board was the smallest one I ever used, about 37 cm, like the size of your foot almost. In the second session I did 47.69. The canal it is really easy to go over 40, but to go more than 45 is not so easy.
(apparently not so hard as Antoine is now the new world record holder!)
RR: You enjoy Formula a lot it seems. You always make it to the Midwinters.
AA: Yes Formula is good. The Midwinters usually always is a windy race, except this year. But I have come here about 6 times, and it is a lot of fun, a good race.
RR: Do you see a chance for a Formula pro Tour? A race Tour in
AA: Well in
RR: You seem to always be at the top of each type of windsurfing you do, and you are doing them all! What is the secret.
AA: I love windsurf! I never get bored as long as I do each kind a bit, and always am on the water. Windsurf, surf, paddle board, just keep doing it, it is great fun.
RR: So do you see yourself ever retiring? What would you do? Doesn't it get boring always winning?
AA: Someday maybe, not soon though. I would probably take over the family business, my father's windsurf school. Never does it get boring winning! (with a huge smile)
RR: Thanks a lot Antoine, great to talk with you, good luck on the Canal!
AA: Thank you. See you on the water later.
Pieter Botha USA 060 Interview
Rick Randall: Where are you from originally, and how did you end up in
Pieter Botha: I was born in
RR: Pieter, how long have you been windsurfing, and how did you get started?
PB: I have been windsurfing a little more than 5 years now. I went fishing with my buddy and saw Charles Ivey teaching someone, so I asked him if he could teach me, and since that day I have been addicted to it!
RR: So, when did you first try Formula windsurfing?
PB: Well, I was lucky enough to start windsurfing when Formula first came out. I learned on the first GO board, and the summer of 2003 I tried the 187, and then 175.
RR: What do you find exciting about Formula sailing?
PB: I love Formula sailing, its just so comfortable and just plain fun! You can sail it when the wind is blowing 40, which is not always fun!!!! You can also sail when its 8 plaining past your buddyis on short boards.
RR: Is Formula sailing as difficult as many people believe it is?
PB: I honestly believe Formula is a lot easier than many other forms starting out. It's wider which forgives bad footwork so you don't step off the side, and it helps with jibes because it doesn't sink if you screw up! It is really just time on the water, which Formula provides because you can sail any day of the year, so I think it's a lot more accessible and easier to learn!
RR: How do you think we can get more people, especially young people to take up Formula windsurfing? Many younger sailors seem to be more attracted to freestyle....
PB: Companies need to stop producing new gear, and just come down to earth and help the everyday sailor, and back them with cheaper more efficient gear. I admit looking through the windsurfing magazines, the freestyle and wave pics are impressive but that's not helping the Formula scene. We need the magazines to put pics of Formula in there, and create an attitude and an atmosphere about Formula so that kids will say wow that's cool, and that's actually something I could do, not like freestyle and wave which is probably 40% of windsurfing.
RR: How many big Formula events have you been to? Which ones were the most exciting and why?
PB: I went to the Formula Experience European Championships in '03 in
RR: How did you like comming to
PB:
RR: When will you be back in
PB: I'm hopefully going to Midwinters this year, but will probably not be able to make the 48 hour race down in
RR: Any goals to race professionally?
PB: Ever since I started it has always been a dream, and I am planning on finishing college and then I will follow my dream of going professional!
RR: Thanks for answering these questions, see you soon!
PB: Thanks for the opportunity, and I can't wait to see you guys on the water at Midwinters!
Beauty and the Beach
by Rick Randall 01-05-2008
On yet another lovely day here in
So, afterwards I sat down with her to get some answers!
RR: What is your name?
Natalie Luczynska
RR: How long have you been windsurfing?
NL: 7 years, and Formula since 2006 my sail number is
RR: Where do you live?
NL: In
RR: So how long is the season in
NL: Well some people sail all year even when it is freezing. But really the racing starts with our national holiday weekend May 1 - 3. We have races about every two weeks. Then the Formula Nationals are in September,
followed by the Slalom Nationals. I usually start training with a trip to
RR: So do you like Formula sailing more than other stypes of windsurfing?
NL: I just started slalom competition this year and it is fun, but I enjoy Formula because it is so stable. You just lean back and go!
RR: And you enjoy competing?
NL: Yes, it is really just you and your equipment against nature. If you train and focus on what you are doing you will do well. It is better not to focus on the others around you.
RR: So what is your favorite place for windsurfing, it seems like you travel quite a bit.
NL:
RR: So, how do you like
NL: It is nice here, great weather, would be nice if there was some more wind!
RR: Wait until Wednesday! It will be plenty windy then! Thanks a lot for the interview, hopefully you will stick around for a while and get to do some of our local races!
NL: I am going to try
by Rick Randall
I took a few minutes to get some insight from current the PWA Chairman:
RR: So Jimmy, how long have you been sailing and what captured your interest in the sport?
JD: Well it was about 27 years ago in the
RR: Do you still get the same thrill from the sport that you did back then?
JD: Wow, thats, hmmmm I would say it is different. Definitely not the same thrill, then it was that feeling you get when you first experience the sensation of speed. Also, the thrill of overcomming each hurdle as you learn something new.
Now, there are different things, like the involvement in developing new equipment, travelling to different places, but it is not the same.
RR: So how has the PWA evolved since you first turned pro?
JD: It has experienced a lot of ups and downs. Back then the industry was really healthy and there were really big budgets. Then it dropped off and was not so good, as the whole industry saw a decline. Now though, it is really comming back as the sport is seeing a real ressurgence. There is interest from many new places like
RR: What do you see for the future of Formula worldwide?
JD: It is not going to dissappear that is for sure! I personnaly would like to see a 3 - 5 event pro tour in some spots such as
RR: How do you rate
JD: It is a great place. The scene here is really healthy, it is a fun placxe to hang out. The weather is amazing, it is a real metropolis, and it is perfect for Formula sailing.
RR: You got out today on the new F2 2008 Formula in some really light conditions, what did you feel was different vs the 2007?
JD: Well it was difficult as the conditions were difficult for sure. But the two thing that definitely stick out are: it planes quicker and it is steadier in the groove. By that I mean that it sets the rail going upwind much better, and is easier to keep it there. Downwind, hard to say as it was too light to push it much, but it was not much different, better to wait for more wind on that one though!
RR: So Jimmy, I have one final question....what is the real story behind that van you sold Finian in
JD: (smiling) How did you know about that?
RR: Yeah, I was there and Finian came back and had to show us all the inside of that one!
JD: Yep, I pimped that one myself!
RR: Right on Jimmy, thanks a lot for comming to the race. Will you be back?
JD: Yeah, I will be back in January for the race and again for the Midwinters and 48 Hours regatta too.
RR: Thanks a lot.
RR: So, how does it feel to achieve the result you did at the Olympic Class Trials?
It feels great. It's nice to see all the hard work pay off. I went into trials expecting some tough competition and that is exactly what I got. It wasnʼt easy.
RR: How, long have you been pursuing this goal?
I have been pursuing this goal seriously since the fall of 2005 when I got the opportunity to sail the new Olympic class board. I decided it was a good opportunity to see what I was capable of.
RR: What do you feel was the real key to you eventual success?
Training and racing in challenging venues this summer was definitely a big help. However, I think the key to succeeding at trials was staying focused and taking one day at a time.As far as training for the event, I always focused on peaking at trials, making it the most important race of the season.
RR: What is a day in the life of Nancy like?
Right now my training days look like this in cocoa beach.
7:00am Wake up
8-9am Eat breakfast
10:00am Workout with a trainer for an hour.
11:00am Have a snack
12:00pm Sail for two hours, no wind? Surf
2:00pmEat some lunch, get some errands done
3:30pm Sail for another two hours.
5-7pm Rest, cook dinner.
7:-7:30pm Eat dinner
8-9pm Relax, make a plan for tomorrow.
10:00pm Sleep
Pretty much eat, train and sleep.
RR: It seems that there are a lot fewer women than guys who are very serious about windsurf racing. What would you say to all the ladies out there to get them out on the race course?
First I would say that is a very rewarding experience to enter the racing world of windsurfing. It does take a lot of work, but it is an incredible adrenaline rush. Itʼs fun to push yourself to new limits. Racing windsurfers is a sport where you are in charge of everything, and I think thatʼs what I love about it the most. Racing Olympic class has done so many good things for me. Iʼve made many new friends and have traveled to some beautiful places. Itʼs a great sport and we need more women on the water!
RR: Who do you feel were your biggest supporters?
I have had a good amount of support during my campaign, but I have to say that my biggest supporters have been my coaches Beth and Greg Winkler. They have supported me since the time I stepped on a Mistral Board in 2001. I am very lucky to have crossed paths with Beth and Greg. They believed in me since the beginning and always pushed me to do my best.
RR: What do you think about Formula sailing? Slalom?
Iʼve only sailed formula a couple of times but it was so much fun. As far as slalom I canʼt say I have done much of it.
RR: How is Miami for windsurfing, you live there now right?
Iʼve lived in Miami since March of this year. For the type of sailing that I do Miami is a great place to sail. Although I am not crazy about living in such a large city, I have learned to like the positives. I love sailing in the bay, the water is beautiful and itʼs a fairly large area to sail in.
RR: Any parting words?
Thank you to every one of you who have supported my campaign. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be on the Olympic Team!
Thanks and good luck on the next step!
Rick Randall
US 089
How long have you been windsurfing?_Resize.jpg)
What sort of equipment did you start out on?
When did you begin racing?