April 30 07

Question- How long have you been windsurfing? Where did you begin? What is your age, length & weight?
Answer- I am 27 years old, 181 cm tall and 73 kg.
I started 5 years ago at the windsurf club in Hargen, at the North Sea near the village where I live. I borrowed some very old material that I nearly couldn’t carry (3.40 m board, cloth sail, epoxy mast and a boom that you had to tie on to the mast). I have been fighting in the shore break more than you can imagine. I was exhausted all the time but too excited to quit!

Q- Where is your favorite place to windsurf? Why? Where is your “local spot”?
A- At the moment I would say Ireland, because it’s beautiful there with usually lots of wind and swell, and it’s uncrowded. But I haven’t been to Australia, Maui, Cabo Verde and Mauritius yet.... I guess one of these warm countries will become my favorite place, I just have to go and check it out!
In Holland my favorite spots, where I go the most, are IJmuiden and Wijkaanzee.

Q- Are you a competitor? Where? When? Which events? Your best results?
A- I entered in my first competition in 2005; the Naish Wave Challenge at Wijk aan Zee and placed third. The second one was last year, the Dutch wave Championships in Zandvoort, where I placed second.

Q- What are your goals for the future?
A- To find a way to combine windsurfing and surfing in great conditions a lot and to find a nice job that combines with that. To stay inspired by people, nature and sports.

Q- Who are the windsurfers that you admire? What is your favorite windsurfing move?
A- Jason Polakow because of his courage and style and because he does what I would like to do. Arjon Hofman, a local here because he’s always going for it, I like his style and especially his enthusiasm. Rolf Vermin, another local, because he deeply enjoys all conditions, even when everyone is complaining.
My favorite move to see is a Goiter. To do myself is waveriding and trying tricks on the wave like a wave 360 and lipslides.

Q- What is it about windsurfing that inspires you to keep going? Please describe a
perfect windsurfing day.
A- I am addicted to these ultimate adrenaline rush kicks you can sometimes get on one of those perfect days. Generally I like windsurfing because of the dynamic characteristics of the ocean and the wind and I enjoy being in nature.
For me the swell conditions are more important than the wind. My perfect windsurfing day would now be 6-meter super clean waves, and a Loft 5.2 Lip. I hope I can get that a lot in the near future and eventually the perfect day would then be with double mast high waves…. So let’s practice ;-))

Q- Please tell us who your sponsors are?
A- My sponsors are Loftsails, D'light boards and Maui Fin Company.

Thanks Julia!