Rick Randall:  Where are you from originally, and how did you end up in Texas?

Pieter Botha:  I was born in South Africa, and came to Texas so my dad could get degree counseling.

 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 Portugal, then just been going to almost all of the Nationals  and the U.S. Opens since 03. I went to Midwinters in 04, and small events around Texas, and the Gorge.

 RR:  How did you like comming to Miami to race?

 PB: Miami was awesome, the weather was perfect, the people were nice, and it just had a great atmoshpere. It's great to see that Formula is going strong down there, and that the Team Miami  is doing their best to promote it.     

RR:  When will you be back in Florida to race again? 

 PB: I'm hopefully going to Midwinters this year, but will probably not be able to make the 48 hour race down in Miami because of school.

 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!

Nancy Rios   USA-323    olympic dream                               interview by Rick Randall 

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

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One of the faces we see at the beach here in Florida all the time is that of  Ron Kern.  He was 2005 US Windsurfing Tour National Champion, and is the organizer of the Inlet to Inlet windsurfing race.  He is affectionately known around here as Uncle Ron, due to his being one of  the "elders" of Formula sailing in Florida.  We wanted to gain some insight, so here are a few questions:

How long have you been windsurfing?

    I first tried windsurfing in December 1978.  I tried it on Ft. Lauderdale Beach in 5 mile per hour offshore wind.  The ocean was like a swimming pool.  I sailed for an hour and never got wet!

What sort of equipment did you start out on?