Sophie Mathews - Blog Page

2009-06-30T09:10:00.002+01:00

Competition Time

kpwt, Tarifa

The competition season has started again, and although I missed the first stop in Germany due to the Nobile photoshoot in Egypt, I will be kicking off my season with the second stop of the KPWT kiteboard pro World Tour here in Tarifa. It is set to be a huge event and there will be great riders from all over the world, not to mention the hot locals and the Women´s world champion.

Today is registration day, so i will keep you up to date over the coming week.

Movistar, Arnette, Havaianas, Mini and Andalucia are the main sponsors of the event.

2009-06-30T08:47:00.002+01:00

Nobile Photoshoot

Hurghada

I have just spent a fantastic 2 weeks in Egypt with "TEAM NOBILE". We were there for the 2010 product shoot, testing the new kites and boards, and training together.

It is really motivating when we all get together and push each other to try new tricks. The guys are always eager that us ladies push ourselves to go higher, faster and more powered. I learnt a few moves when i was there, and thanks to Asia giving me a few technical tips i was able to nail the moves that i have been stuck on for a while.

We were based at Colona Watersports, but we went of on a boat trip to capture some film and kite in a magical spot. The water was as warm as a bath crystal clear and incredible flat. It is always much easier in conditions like this, but it also an absolute pleasure. Moments like this make me realise how lucky I am.

The equipment for next year is looking great. With a bigger range of kites and boards Nobile is proving to be making very positive developments. It is exciting to be part of such and innovative and fun team.

Many thanks to Colona Watersports who made everything so easy during our stay, and keep an eye out for the up and coming film from our trip.

2009-06-03T10:07:00.003+01:00

Renault for RipCurl Photoshoot

Renault has joined forces with the renowned surf and activity clothing speciaist Rip Curl to produce a special edition Clio that should appeal to the younger car buyer with an active lifestyle.

Last week Jo Ciastula (fellow kiter and Tarifa resident) and I took part in the photo shoot for the advert, which will be shown internationally in the next few months.

It was extremely exciting to work with a large and talented group of people. With the director of the project coming from Barcelona, the photographer from England and others from France, it was a very enjoyable experience.

Keep your eyes open for the advert coming this summer, and check out the new car www.renaultbyripcurl.com

Ankle Operation

2009-01-09T10:34:00.005Z

A complex therapeutic arthroscopy of the ankle, with multiple bony, joint surface, and soft tissue procedures. Also a full reconstruction of the Lateral collateral ligament complex.

After returning from Brazil In October 08 with what I thought was a simple sprain to the Ankle Joint, it became evident that it was more complicated than anticipated. If i ever wanted to compete or Kitesurf at a high level again, surgery was the only way to fix the problem.

Taking a decision that puts all your future plans on hold can be very disheartening. When told that it would be 6 months from start to finish I felt disappointed. Thinking about it, I realised it was my only option and I had to see the positive in what seemed a bleak situation.

I was told that once the operation was done I had to be 100% commited to extensive Physiotherapy. Only a small percentage is down to the surgeon. The rest would be up to me.

James Calder, a top Orthopaedic Surgeon who specialises in Sports injuries of the foot and ankle, carried out the following procedure, to repair the damage that had been done during a heavy crash in Brazil.

Entry sites for the Arthroscopy.

I had the operation done just over 2 weeks ago. Yesterday I had my cast off and stitches out. The surgeon was very happy with how it has healed, and said the joint is a lot more stable. The ankle itself feels much better although the exterior is painful due to cuts and bruises.

Sport Babe of the Week

2008-12-17T06:41:00.005Z

This week I did an interview with Sport.co.uk. They have a weekly feature called "Sport Babe of the Week".

I am pleased that I took part, as it is another oppourtunity to promote the sport, which is still fairly unknown amongst the masses, and as some of the past "Babes" include Olympic Athletes such as Gold medalist Victoria Pendleton.

To have a look please click on the link.

www.sport.co.uk

Back to Tarifa

2008-11-17T17:33:00.005Z

After 3 weeks of intense physiotherapy I decided to head back to Tarifa, to recuperate from my ankle injury.

Tarifa is the perfect place for this. It is still beautifully sunny every day, which is great as I can be on the beach doing the long list of exercises set for me by the physios. Although it is very frustrating, as the strong Levante wind is here and everyone is out on the water.....but not me.

Me and Angela Peral.

It is great to be back and see familiar faces after such a long season. The World Tour has run from March untill now, not leaving much time to catch up. At least now I have time to do this.

Balneario (my local spot)

Today I was in Balneario, my local spot, watching people training. It was actually great to be watching, as you can learn so much. The wind was incredibly strong and the guys were riding kites from as small as 5m, but the level was extremely high and very pleasurable to watch. Who wouldn´t enjoy being in this spot. Just looking at the photo above, it is obviously paradise.

I will keep you posted on my progress.

2009 NOBILE VIDEO TRAILER

2008-10-27T12:22:00.004Z

check out the trailer for the new 2009

NOBILE KITEBOARDING VIDEO

The Nobile Kiteboarding Team is let loose in Egypt on a luxury yacht, with mountains of equipment and perfect conditions.

The full version with be available in the next issue of Stance.

www.vimeo.com/1976042

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GpM2HCeMPY

KPWT - Brazil

2008-10-24T12:17:00.005+01:00

The Kpwt Super Kite was held in Cumbuco, Brazil.

Cumbuco is a small village in the region of Ceara, north west Brazil.

Having become one of the most popular destinations for Kiters over the last few year due to the consistent winds and warm waters, I was really looking forward to the competition.

Unfortunately, during my heat in the Quarter finals in the Single elimination I had a heavy crash which left me unable to finish the competition.

To Find out more information about the event visit the KPWT homepage.

www.kiteboardpro.com

England to Brazil - Sept 08

2008-09-03T20:06:00.003+01:00

4 days to go and I am off to one of my favorite kite spots in the world.

Cumbuco will be hosting the 6th stage of the KPWT world tour, and I am ecstatic to be taking part. A beautiful place, familiar faces, great Brazilian hospitality and fantastic music to dance the evenings away.

Not only am I there to compete, but I am looking forward to working with my one of my sponsors. Brazilian born Greenish Clothing

After the competition I will be staying on a couple of weeks to train with some of the elite and catch up with local friends.

Stay in touch as this is sure to be a good 'un !

IKSURFMAG.COM INTERVIEW

2008-08-17T21:15:00.004+01:00

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

Interview with Kite Movement

2008-08-17T21:00:00.004+01:00

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

HOME IN TARIFA

2008-08-13T20:27:00.005+01:00

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

WAVE MASTERS

2008-07-25T19:47:00.005+01:00

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

2008-07-08T18:42:00.004+01:00

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

2008-07-01T15:47:00.005+01:00

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

2008-05-27T12:33:00.007+01:00

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

2008-05-19T12:14:00.004+01:00

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

2008-05-19T11:33:00.002+01:00

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

2008-05-08T10:55:00.004+01:00

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

2008-04-18T20:25:00.000+01:00

Test posting

2008-04-13T16:07:00.002+01:00

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

2008-04-11T03:02:00.000+01:00

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

2008-04-05T03:01:00.000+01:00

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

2008-04-05T02:59:00.000+01:00

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

2008-04-03T02:58:00.000+01:00

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 !!