Kirsty Jones is Kitesurfer World Champion. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar President Women Fitness.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You started sailing dinghies with your Dad from the age of three whilst on holiday on the Pembrokeshire coast and later you reached the pinnacle of success in 2008, when you won every stage of the KPWT Wave Masters World tour and became Kitesurf World Wave Champion. What factors you consider were responsible that made you achieve that?
Ms. Kirsty Jones:
From an early age, when I would go on the weekends with my Dad sailing, and later windsurfing, he taught me about discipline and commitment if I wanted to progress in windsurfing, which meant being ready to leave the house at 7am on Saturday and sunday, with all my equipment ready and tied on the roof of the car! I knew he was serious about the time he wanted to leave as it was a 1 and half hour drive to the coast and he wanted to go sailing!
If I wanted a ride, I had to be ready and organised, which meant no late nights with friends! This showed me that to achieve success in a sport you have to be dedicated, disciplined and you have to make sacrifices, and sometimes miss out on other things. I’m sure these factors helped me achieve success in windsurfing, surfing and later kitesurfing.
As for the competition success, this I put down to my passion for being in the sea, in the elements and competing. Thanks to discovering yoga, around the same time I started competing , this helped me to understand and connect my body, mind, breath and spirit, and how this can have a powerful effect on the sport we are doing. Yoga also taught me that sometimes you have to let go of results in order to achieve the best results, which is not necessarily winning!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You have career in competitive kitesurfing, windsurfing and surfing starting from 2001 whilst out in Hawaii training to do the windsurf world tour and till 2009 you went on to win numerous competitions with finally winning Kitesurfing World Wave Championship 2009. You are nothing short of a phenomenon. Tell us how you are able to achieve the tenacity, perseverance and discipline over such a long number of years?
Ms. Kirsty Jones:
You have to really just love what you are doing, and be doing it for the right reasons. Not to win, not to impress, not to be the best, not to achieve results, not to look good or cool. My sessions in the sea are like playing with the elements and nature, totally immersed in the present moment and completely disconnected and detached from anything else.
I can’t remember many times when I went on the water to actually ‘train’ for a competition. It was always to push my limits, ride more powerfully, and most importantly just feel the amazing power of being amongst the elements with a kite, board or sail. For sure there were times when I got caught up with the marketing, sponsorship, media pressure, and image of how we ‘should’ look and ride, etc. etc. but thankfully, the years of sponsorship and exposure to the marketing world did’nt change my inner, true self. I still have the same feeling when I go in the sea as when I was 16 and riding my first boards and first waves, and when I forget this it just takes a few minutes of mindfulness before I get it back 🙂
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You on May 13th 2007 pushed the limits of kitesurfing to a new level and completed a world first epic kitesurf crossing of 140 miles from the Canaries to the Western Sahara, Morocco, land to land, Solo. It took you nine hour’s, non -stop and you raised money and equipment for a disabled Charity in the Sahara. Elaborate your experience on this endeavor of yours?
Ms. Kirsty Jones:
I’ve always loved the endurance and exploration side of kitesurfing, surfing and windsurfing and It’s what attracts many others to the sport also. This kitesurfing crossing and long distance challenge was something I wanted to do to connect the Island (Lanzarote where I first started and developed my love of windsurfing and watersports), to another continent, another culture, the Western Sahara. I had sailed to the little of village of Tarfaya in the Western Saharan desert many times from Lanzarote, and we would take windsurf and surf equipment to help introduce the village people to watersports, and the ocean.
The community and people of Tarfaya showed us so much kindness and hospitality every time we returned, so I decided I wanted to try to kitesurf there, solo, and raise money and equipment for a charity that helped disabled people in the area. The crossing took much longer than expected as the wind changed half way through, meaning I had to do more miles in order to reach the village of Tarfaya, where I wanted to arrive. I kite surfed in a direct line as the ‘crow flies’ the crossing would of only been 85 miles, but as the wind changed and I still wanted to arrive in Tarfaya where the villages were waiting, it meant I had to kitesurf another route, 140 miles, which took 9 hours non stop!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you shall like to share?
Ms. Kirsty Jones:
I like to be outside in the elements when I exercise, and the only time I went to a gym was when I was injured and needed to target certain areas of my body to strengthen and stabilise. The main exercise that I combine with kitesurfing, surfing and windsurfing is running (preferably hills, cross country or sand) and Yoga. This is something I can do wherever I travel to and all I need is my yoga mat and running shoes! Running and yoga is what has helped my body and mind the most since I was 16, so I stick to it!
At the moment i’m living and working in the Western Saharan desert next to the Atlantic ocean and a big lagoon so i’m in the sea and doing yoga everyday, as part of my work and in my free time. Some days I’m teaching yoga from 8.30am – 10am, then on the water coaching kitesurfing all day and in between busy at the water sports centre where I work or running my kitesurf and yoga courses.. At the moment i’m doing physical work from 8.30 am – 8.30pm, so I listen to what my body and mind wants and needs at the end of a day, and it’s usually just some restorative yoga and bed!
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