Sophie Mathews Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:15:00 +0000

IKSURFMAG.COM INTERVIEW

Another riders profile interview with the UK based online kiting magazine www.iksurfmag.com

Things are really going good at the moment. I hope they continue to do so !!!!

please check out the interview in issue 10 . www.iksurfmag.com

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Interview with Kite Movement

When I was in Portugal Santa Cruz I met up with Capi from Kite Movement online magazine to do an interview.

Please check it out online. www kitemovement.com

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:27:00 +0000

HOME IN TARIFA

It´s so good to be back home in Tarifa. The conditions have been perfect every day for more than 1 week. There is a reason why this place is famous for its winds. We have had a mixture of poniente and levante, which is great for training.

Since being away and going from one competition to the next I have returned with more motivation than ever to train hard and improve before we go to Brazil.

One thing I have learned is that i need to be a bit more technical and consistent in my riding if i want to go up in the rankings. So I have been training everything to switch with a surface pass, and now to blind.

Today I focused soley on Blind. Railey to Blind, slowly increasing the power each time as I started to feel more confident with the move. I really felt happy with the results and started with the S bend to blind.

Kiting is a progressive sport so one tricks leads on to the next. Trying to run before you walk will mean improvement will be slow.

I will be starting on a video next week with Thomas Auriol who is the KPWT official video man. To check out some of the stuff he has done with his brother Antoine go to;

www.riders-contest.fr/site/member/?id=190

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:47:00 +0000

WAVE MASTERS

Santa Cruz

Portugal

I am now here in Santa Cruz, Portugal for the KPWT wave masters. The spot is renowned for its good winds and swells.

The last few days have been with zero wind, which has tested everyones patience. However, the waves have been excellent so we have been surfing all day everyday.

Today I did something new. Tow in surfing behind a jetski which was great fun. It is an amazing sensation to glide full speed into the wave. It is defiantly something that I will be doing again sometime.

We also had around 10 knts of wind, which was not enough to run the competition, but after 4 days of no kiting all the riders went to the water, catching waves but then walking back up wind.

The conditions were not ideal for testing, but I am loving my new "Shinn" wave board. It allows you to cut back on the waves aggressively, planes early, and is super maneuverable.

The forecast is looking better over the next few days, so i hope we can run the competition

ITALY - KPWT comes to an end

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:42:00 +0000

Results

9th Freestyle

7th Course racing

The competition in Italy, Lake Como has come to an end. After a frustrating start to the week due to light wind, the conditions improved for the last few days and we were able to finish the freestyle and course racing, although we didn´t get a chance to do a double elimination.

I had some bad luck just before my freestyle heat, as a huge music speak fell on my hand. Unable to move my little finger, but with some good strapping and sheer stubbornness I went on the water.

The week was great fun, with the main sponsor, FIAT organising a freestyle motorcross show. This display of true madness was of course the highlight of the week, with two of thier riders performing mind blowing tricks such as back flips and the flying superman off the ramps.

Congratulations to Ania Grzelinska and Leander Vvyvey who were the Freestyle winners.

For more information on the competition, photos and videos, please visit the official KPWT website - www.kiteboardpro.com

I am now sitting in Athens airport en route to Istanbul for the next stop on the tour. The competition will be starting on the 12th and the main sponsor is JIM BEAM.

Hopefully there will be some good wind so I can train before the comp and get used to the spot.

KPWT - ITALY

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:47:00 +0000

Day 1 on the third leg of the KPWT and the competition has kicked off here in Italy in a spot called Colico, Lake Como. With beautiful surrounding landscape it truly is a magical spot to hold a competition.

The wind has let us down a bit so far and the singles of the mens freestyle had to be post-phoned as the conditions were not quite strong enough. The rules say that the heats can only be run if there is a minimum of 12 consistent knots.

So we are all here playing the waiting game. I will keep you up to date with how it goes!

TARIFA

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:33:00 +0000

After a fantastic trip to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura I am back home in Tarifa. The water is not quite as warm and crystal clear, but the wind has been great so far, with text book Poniente. I have been on the water everyday with my 7m or 9m Nobile 666 training hard. I am still absolutely loving the kites.

I am going to Egypt in June for the Nobile 2009 equipment photoshoot, so I am really excited to see where the development for next years kites are going.

Other things that I have been working on are travel and competition articles for VIDA magazine. They are online, so please have a look. www tarifadirect.com/en/kite-surfing

Yesterday I partook in a Fashion photo-shoot for VIDA magazines up and coming summer issue. The theme was "Whats hot in Tarifa this summer" and included a variety of styles, ranging from surf beach wear, to more elegant evening wear.

I am going to be here for the next few weeks working on a few other projects I have in the pipe line, and training hard for the competitions, which are just around the corner.

Fuerteventura

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:14:00 +0000

Fuerteventura

After Lanzarote we went to Fuerteventura. The first two days were very light and offshore but I managed to get some good hours on the water, training some new moves on my 12 m 666 Nobile which I am loving. The kite is so stable that I never have to worry about where it is.

I am now feeling much more confident landing my moves blind, after sailing in perfect glass flat water. So hopefully now this will be something that I can pull off during the competitions.

The wind picked up a lot on the third day, with the wind being strong enough to use my 7m. This meant that the water state changed becoming choppier and a little more challenging. However I feel that since being here and in Lanzarote I have improved a lot. So I am feeling very encouraged.

For those who are not familiar with Fuerteventura the landscape is dramatic with dry desert land and crystal clear turquoise waters. It is unlike any other place I have ever been. I recommend it to all.

Tomorrow evening I will be heading back to Lanzarote for a couple more days training there.

Lanzarote

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:33:00 +0000

LANZAROTE

I am in Lanzarote for a few days training. After the competition in France I am extremely motivated to up the level of my game, and improve on my last result. As a competitor, I think it is very important to be able to sail in all conditions and make all my moves consistently.

Since training in a different place I am trying new tricks, as in you local spot it is very easy to get into a routine, and only do the moves you know. So taking myself out of my comfort zone has done wonders for my improvement.

The pictures are from Famara Beach on the North side of the island. Tomorrow I am heading off to Fuerteventura, so I will keep you all posted.

First Stop on the KiteBoardPro World Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:55:00 +0000

France - St Gilles Croix de Vie 28th April - 4th May 2008

My results

5th Freestyle

8th Overall

I travelled from Tarifa to St Gilles Croix de Vie by car with Soufiane Hamaini and Ania Grzelinska both from the North Team and both very experienced competition riders. I had plenty of time to ask a mountain of questions and gain as many tips as possible in the 23 hour drive.

This competition was the first leg of the Kite board Pro World Tour which is celebrating its tenth year. Held in St Gilles Croix de Vie, four hours north of Bordeaux on the west coast of France, it was a great road trip from southern Spain. We left at 5am and arrived many miles later the next day at 3.30am.

After a few hours sleep we were greeted by beautiful blue skies and the right wind for my 9 m. So this was it - the day before the competition, the time when the riders arrive from all corners of the world and get on the water to test the conditions.

The tour seemed very international with riders coming from far and wide, Australia, Hawaii, Cabarete, Cape Verde and many other exotic and warm places as well as some chillier ones. The boys from the Dominican Republic ventured out without wetsuits as there was a bit of sun, and left all other riders shivering in our 5mm suits. Not good as a starter ! They were certainly in for a shock the following day.

After Testing the wind and water, I felt fairly happy with how I was sailing. It was my first competition as I only started in Jan 07, I felt very inexperienced amongst the other 49 riders. However there is a fantastic attitude and outlook coming from everyone who is always more than happy to share their past experiences and advice. This came through more than ever with the girls, and I felt warmly welcomed into the group of competitors.

The alarm was set for 6.00 am so we could have breakfast and be ready for the skippers meeting at 7 am. The wind was forecasted for 3 days, and on the KPWT tour there are many disciplines to get thgough. Freestyle, Waves, Racing, and Big Air.

Walking out of the hotel we were hit by 30 knots of freezing cold onshore wind, and rain. I had to resist not to run back into the hotel and dive into bed. During the meeting we were explained the rules and general running of the competition. There would be a draw of the heats and we would get started with the girls asap. The first heat was to start at 8.15am ; thankfully I was in the second heat - 15 minutes later. The wind looked fairly stable, but then dropped very quickly so in my heat all the riders were left underpowered and struggling to stay in the competition area - so very frustrating.

I went through with fairly simple, but solid moves. The water conditions were very difficult. The onshore wind brought waves but not in any organised form, making it a bit tricky to time my moves. The wind picked up for the next rounds leaving me with more power to do my moves. My confidence built gradually through the heats and I was happy with my performance, but crashed a Kite Loop right at the end of my heat - Shame.

I made it through the first two rounds and then in the quarter finals got knocked out by Marine Sudre from Australia, but I loved every minute of the week and can´t wait for the next competition.

For photos, videos and information for up and coming events check out the KPWT official website - www.kiteboardpro.com

Back To Tarifa

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 19:25:00 +0000

Test posting

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:07:00 +0000

Hey,

I am testing the new access to my website. It seems to be working.

Thanks Simon for all your hard work, you are a legend !!

Road to Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 02:02:00 +0000

I AM ON THE MEND. YIPEEE!!
A stint in hospital Pneumonia as patient number 1444, and then banished to my bed by mum with a bucket load of antibiotics and pain killers I have finally turned a corner and am defiantly on the mend.

For those of you who didn´t know i am a certified Personal Trainer, Sports masseur and nutritionist. I studied for this Diploma over two years ago in the UK, and use all my knowledge and apply it to my kiting in order to perform to the highest of my ability at all times.

So when i learned that I had an illness that potentially could affect my performance as an athlete I took an interest to look deeper into the condition, to help me understand what caused it, how to prevent it, and how to get better as quickly as possible. In brief this is what i found out.
Pneumonia is a serious lung condition where the lungs fill up with fluid and create severe difficulty breathing. It is the inflammation of the lung typically caused by infection (either viral or bacterial).

Pneumonia can start as a common cold and develop into an illness that if not diagnosed can potentially kill you.

With antibiotics the infection in the lungs can be cleared although it takes longer for the liquid to drain. Depending on the severity of the illness the lung tissue recovery time differs, but in my case i will be 6 weeks from today.

I was lucky that the doctors spotted it in time for it not to do too much damage to my right lung. I am the first to admit that letting it get to this stage could have been prevented had I listened to my body in the first place, and not kept on training as I really felt the pressure of the competition season fast approaching. As a result the expression "shooting yourself in the foot" applies to me !!!!!!!

This however will not stop me from getting back to my normal life of working, training and competing, and hopefully in a few more days I will be allowed out of the "Dog House" and mum will let me go back to Tarifa. I am under strict doctors orders to take it easy and to never ever get cold standing around in my wetsuit with dripping hair!!! - - after the doctors "Harsh " words - and the theory of practice what you preach, they handed me more pills and wished me good luck with the competitions............ and the lung !

Looks like i will be in my winter suit well into august!!!!

Back in England

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 02:01:00 +0000

I have come back to the Uk for a bit as i have pneumonia. I had a cold when i was in Morocco and didn´t take anytime off the water in order for it to clear up. Last week i felt really bad but was busy with training and preparing myself for the competition in France which is at the end of the month. But i have gone and shot myself in the foot as i will be off the water and in bed for at least 1 week - 10 days!! I have defiantly learnt my lesson now. Hoping for a quick recovery!!

The EFPT

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:59:00 +0000

For those of you who didn´t know i love to windsurf as well and spent years traveling around the world teaching windsurfing. So i was really excited when the EFPT tour came to Tarifa for The Toro Andaluz competition. It seemed to be a great start to the season for the boys who have all been training hard over the winter. It was great to see old friends who i hadn´t seen for a while. I would like to say well done to Colin Dixon ( GBR, K99 sponsored by tabu /Gaastra) who finished in 17th place, which was amazing as it was his first competition on the tour. He was a little unlucky with the riders he was drawn against but showed that he has the level to put the pressure on even some of the best. Congratulations to Norman Gunzlein (GER G186 , JP/NP) for taking first place. A great performance from Antxon Otaegui (ESP, E169 sponsored by Jp /NP) who finished in third place showing that he is ready for the season ahead. Also well done to Andre Paskowski GER and Rafael Cervero ESP. Good luck boys for the up and coming season!

The Uk University Kiters

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:58:00 +0000

Wow! I am truly exhausted after an action packed week. We have had 80 students out from the Uk. Some who have never kited in their lives...(who did an amazing job - i saw some chicks seriously giving it some out there)...and some who had a pretty high level, which was highly motivating and great to watch. The SKA was organizing the event, although there was some other events organized by Dwarf 8, Lazyblueskies photography, Jeri, and myself. At one of the competitions the crowed was wowed by the unique and fluid style of Abel Lago, who whilst carrying a lost board back to the beach did the most stylish backroll one handed. The crowds were cheering, clapping and talking about his style of riding for the rest of the evening. There is a reason why this guy is World Champion! Also there was a breathtaking display of NewSkool freestyle from a group of young riders from Holland an Belgium. There were two that stood out from the rest. Christoph (slingshot) - who was called "crazy" by many due to the sheer size of his Kiteloops that only made me laugh. The other who was pulling off huge powered maneuvers with a great style was Dutch rider Lex Dekker from Ozone. A pleasure to watch on the water, he is one to keep an eye on for the future. A Series of parties throughout the week were organized for the guys and they really did a good job, partying till the early hours of the morning pretty much every night. WELL DONE GUYS!!!!!!!! Saturday night was the big one. We started with a dinner at BANTI for about 100 (great food -thank you) followed by a party at Cafe Del Mar. Well what a night. Also the windsurfers had their party held in the same place so it was carnage!!! I danced the night away with the girls Angela Peral and Ania Grzelinska and we never stopped laughing!!!! The week came an end so quickly. and Tarifa had done it again. Perfect conditions everyday meant that we were all able to get out there!!! We finished the week off with a party in El Carpe diem, where we did a prize giving for the competitions that had been held throughout the week. The Ultimate prize being a signed board from Abel Lago !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wow! Now that is serious. The night was a great laugh, and everyone seemed to enjoy it, including the windsurfers who i had snuck in !! hehe I would just like to thank all of those who put in all their hard work in order to make this week work out. Dr Beat from Dwarf 8 for sponsoring the event with his delicious and refreshing drinks. Chris and his Team from Lazyblueskies.com photography. Jeri for organizing the events, and Abel Lago for being there, giving advice and promoting the sport to the max!!! cheers guys it was a great week !!

My First Comp!

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 02:57:00 +0000

"Oh my God I have just won my first competition! I must tell you about my incredible day! Five British girls here in Tarifa on holiday were watching me out riding on my new NOBILE 666, the white one, and when I got back to the beach they came up to me and said that I was like a 'pretty sun flower' and that I always turned my face towards the sun and smiled! How lovely is that. They said they wanted to get into kitesurfing so I hooked them up with Eduardo at The Kite Pro Centre and all of them are going on lessons today. BUT thats not the best bit. I was so happy and full of fun that I entered The Bunker Event sponsored by Dwarf 8, Aquapac and Flexifoil.....and I won!!! My first ever win - WAHOOOOO. In a very steady but firm force 7 I chucked a mixed bag of Sbends, railey to blind and kiteloops right to the horn! I WON!!! I WON!!! Then we finished off with a beach party with hundreds of cans of Dwarf 8 mixed with Vodka and Gin. What a great day. Thanks to all the events staff and crew and sponsors, oh and The Student Kitesurfing Association of Great Britain who were here to watch and party.

Back from Morocco

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:56:00 +0000

'Oh my god Essaouira was just incredible. I have never experienced waves and wind like it before. The trip there was long but so much fun and the trip back was full of incredible memories. Keep an eye out for the Stance Magazine DVD. I am in the process of writing up all my exciting stories about the trip. I’m hoping that one of my and Soufiane's articles will appear in magazines in over 9 different countries.....woooooah that’s scary. I am really busy, I never realised that being a Pro Kitesurfer involved doing so much!! It is just incredible to be getting emails from all over the world and next Im off to Egypt with Mark Shinn and the guys from NOBILE to shoot the 2009 catalogue. I am trying to get into the R&D side of NOBILE and if I have my way there will be a specific girlie board, yes maybe even PINK, with small foot straps, lightweight new chick boards soon, well eventually, well maybe before I’m 30!! My PR Team in the UK are busy behind the scenes doing just so much work and I’d like to say thanks to SWNS.com for all that they are doing. Oh, I stuck my 7m 666 through a fence.... I’m really sorry Mark but it was very, very wind. Dock 11 and the Pro Centre to the rescue once again. Keep watching as I have a few BIG announcements to make real soon about where I will be appearing next..... I’m so excited!!!!#'

Essaouira, Morroco

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 02:54:00 +0000

Hi everyone, I'm Essaouira at the moment, having just recived my new equipment it is the perfect place to test my new kites and board. So what have i got?...NOBILE board 666 129x39 and the Nobile NHP kites, 7 , 9, 10 and 12. The equipment is fantastic...(will do an equipment report very soon) Soufiane Hamaini invited me to Morocco with him as he was going to be working with Stance magazine. I have now been included in the project which is great so we are filming and doing photos everyday! The condition here have been pretty extreme, 2 days of no wind so we went surfing; then 25 knots and 4 meter waves with the last two days being good for 7m kites which is strong but at least a more consistent wind. I will be posting a full report when i get back with photos and hopefullly some video!

Session in Balneario

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie Mathews) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 02:53:00 +0000

The afternoon bought strong levante, once seeing the kites up in Balneario (Tarifa town) i thought i had better go and have a look. with only 4 people in the water it looked so inviting. I pumped up my 7m and hit the water. For those of you who are not familiar with this spot, it is dirctly offshore often acompanied with small, but perfectly formed sets of waves, held up for longer than usual due to the levante wind going against them. It was a real laugh playing on the waves, riding them right into the beach, and also using them as ramps to practice my freestyle manauevers. Suprsingly the only other two people on the water were chicks, so it was really motivating, and enjoyable. After one and half hours of hardcore sailing (it got windier as ime went on) i decided it was time to come in after a good crash!!! another fantastic session in Tarifa, everyday different condititons, different spots, the ultimate playground for any kiter.