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Kirsty Jones: Kitesurfer World Champion Reveals her Workout, Diet, Beauty and Success Story

Namita Nayyar (WF Team)

Kirsty Jones is a Welsh professional kitesurfer, the current British and 2008 Pro Kiteboard Riders’ Association (PKRA) World Championship. Born in Pembrokeshire, the Marloes based Jones made world headlines in 2002 after becoming the first kitesurfer to cross the Irish Sea, in a charity event raising over £5,000 for the Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice near Cardiff. She first became UK Women’s champion in 2001, and won the PKRA World Championship at the final 2008 event in Essaouira, Morocco.

Welsh Born Water women Kirsty Jones from the Carmarthenshire countryside was drawn to the sea as soon as she could walk. Kirsty started sailing dinghies with her Dad from the age of three whilst on holiday on the Pembrokeshire coast and then at the age of 16 she discovered windsurfing and surfing and became hooked on the energy of the wind and waves.

Kirsty knew straight away she wanted to follow her passion to base her life around the sea and had a far off ambition to become a professional windsurfer and travel the world.

Kirsty started working at a water sports Centre in West Wales during her school holidays so she could train as a windsurfing, sailing and surfing instructor.

After school and college she began teaching straight away at the water sports centre in Pembrokeshire to gain experience, then went on to run a watersports center on the west coast of Ireland. During the colder winter months Kirsty would travel to warmer waters around the world in search of wind and waves, hoping to fulfill her dream to become a professional windsurfer.

Since then Kirsty has turned her far off dream into reality and competed in the World Windsurfing Championships, surfed for the Welsh team in the Europeans and achieved much success at both sports on a national level. Her passion for windsurfing and surfing led her to try kitesurfing in 2001 whilst out in Hawaii training to do the windsurf world tour.

In her first few months of kitesurfing she began competing on the British circuit and at the end of her first year became Ladies British Kitesurfing Champion and set up a successful kitesurfing school in West Wales. In September 2002 Kirsty inspired a new trend in kitesurfing and became the first person ever to Kitesurf from Ireland to Wales, a journey of 85 miles. She did this solo, non-stop, and rose over £5000 for A Children’s hospice called Ty-Hafan.

In Kirsty’s first ever kitesurf world cup event she achieved 2nd place in the freestyle and then went on to win the PKRA Kitesurfing World Wave Championships in Brazil. She holds three British Champion Titles and won the Red Bull Master of the Ocean title in Dominican Republic where she competed against the men in surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing.

In November 2008 Kirsty won every stage of the KPWT Wave Masters World tour and became Kitesurf World Wave Champion, which she recently went on to claim again.

On May 13th 2007 Kirsty 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 nine hour’s, non -stop and she raised money and equipment for a disabled Charity in the Sahara. Kirsty also set up a small windsurfing and surfing club for the local people in this remote Saharan village, by donating equipment and teaching them to windsurf, surf and introducing them to kite flying and kitesurfing.

Kirsty is a fully qualified and highly experienced, kitesurf, windsurf,surf and yoga coach and In between her commitments and adventures as a full time professional kitesurfer, Kirsty offers kite, yoga and surf workshops and retreats in her favorite locations worldwide, as well as one to one kitesurf coaching and sport specific yoga sessions and programs.

Kirsty Jones Achievements in Kite Surfing

2009 Kitesurfing Results

2008 Kitesurfing Results

2007 Kitesurfing Results

2006 Kitesurfing Results

2005 Kitesurfing Results

2004 Kitesurfing Results

2003 Kitesurfing Results

2002 Kitesurfing Results

2001 Kitesurfing Results

Full Interview on Next Page!

All content on this site is copyright of Women Finess and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.

All Written Content Copyright © 2017 Women Fitness

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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Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?

Ms. Kirsty Jones:

Traveling a lot, and living in different countries and cultures, means its difficult to stick to a special diet, so i’m flexible with what I eat. As soon as I have choice, I choose fresh, organic, healthy whole foods, and I don’t eat meat unless its offered when I’m a guest somewhere. I listen to my body, what it needs, and wherever I am I try to eat local, seasonal produce. I have a big appetite, and want to eat every 2 hours, which I usually do, as well as eating a decent breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Kirsty Jones on WomenFitness: Actually, I only just discovered Womenfitness.net recently and now I’m hooked! Its full of really interesting articles, features and interviews.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You have glowing skin and gorgeous hairs. Do you take some kind of skin treatment to keep it young and glowing and secondly what you do to your hairs to make them look so stunning?

Ms. Kirsty Jones:

If you look closer at my hair its quite broken and damaged form the combination of salt water, sun and wind! The reason it hasn’t broken more is i’m sure because I eat and live very healthily , eating plenty of natural oils, fish and nuts, and I use a Redken treatment hair conditioner that is the only things that enables me to get the extreme tangles out! I have used Redken ‘All soft’ conditioning treatment for the last 8 years after every session in the sea, and its really saved my hair and time! As for my skin, I’m sure its quite damaged and wind beaten, but since I was about 20 I started using higher factor sunblocks, factor 50 + and now I always wear a hat and sunglasses when i’m teaching/coaching. I hardly ever sunbath so my body skin is ok.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Advice and motivational words to our inspiring and budding professional kitesurfing girls who all are your fans, what they should do for their climb to ladder of success in the field of kitesurfing ?

Ms. Kirsty Jones:

Shoot for the moon! Even if you miss you land among the stars! ‘ Thats a good way to start. Then, I would say to anyone wanting to be a professional kitesurfer, they should make sure they have work experience, skills and preferably a qualification, so they can work when needed to fund their training, traveling, and passion for their sport, because sponsorship can come, go and change like the wind! Being a professional kitesurfer, doing the World Tour and being sponsored full time, means making sacrifices, staying focused, and working hard on and off the water, physically and mentally.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You offers kite, yoga and surf workshops and retreats in your favorite locations worldwide, as well as one to one kitesurf coaching and sport specific yoga sessions and programs. Elaborate on this endeavor of yours?

Ms. Kirsty Jones:

I run my own KJ Experience courses in some of my favourite, more easily accessible places World wide. The locations for 2014 were Dakhla & Essaouira – Morocco, Lanzarote, and Mauritius, and there are 2 courses remaining for 2014 in Dakhla. The courses are aimed at kitersurfers who want to progress and step up to the next level with their riding, integrating daily yoga sessions, surf/SUP sessions, bespoke coaching, and exploring on and off the water!

Each course is specially designed and run by myself, and tailored to each persons aims, goals and kitesurf level. The next course dates are October 30th – November 6th and Nov 29th – December 6th at Ocean Vagabond, Dakhla. When i’m not running my courses I live and work in Dakhla, at the Club Mistral centre, were I run daily yoga sessions and personalised one to one, or group kitesurf, surf and SUP lessons for all levels.

I love being able to help others enjoy the sea as much as I do, and to progress, push their limits, and take care of their body and mind at the same time. Combining yoga, kitesurfing, surfing and nature is how I found my bliss and balance in life, so I want others to experience this also!I have some info on my website www.kirstyjones.com

Video

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You have in September 2002 inspired a new trend in kitesurfing and became the first person ever to Kitesurf from Ireland to Wales, a journey of 85 miles. You did this solo, non-stop, and rose over £5000 for A Children’s hospice called Ty-Hafan.You have been associated with number of other charities which are all dear to your heart, tell us how you have been able to achieve and quench your thirst of giving back to the society through this endeavor of your?

Ms. Kirsty Jones:

Through everything I do, I want to help others, in whatever way I can. This is my motivation in life and work. Doing competitions always made me feel slightly selfish, because you have to focus on YOU so much, and being better than others, so it didn’t fulfil my yearning to care and help. My main motivation to do the long distance kitesurf crossings was to raise awareness and money for various charities close to my heart, and to do something completely non competitive, alone with the elements. I wanted to find a way to use my profession as a Kitesurfer to help others and our oceans, which is why I did the long distance kitesurf crossings, and now also my KJ Experience kitesurf & yoga courses.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Who has been your greatest influence and motivator in your success in the field of kitesurfing ?

Ms. Kirsty Jones:

The people who influenced and motivated me the most, were the guys and girls who I first started competing with, on the British Kitesurf Tour. There are many names so I can’t name them all, but they would know what I mean and who they are. We had so much fun, the tour was really well run and organised, and it was the time I enjoyed competing the most. So it’s the UK Kitesurf crew who inspired me the most, and everyone out there who rides purely for the fun and love of it!

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?

Ms. Kirsty Jones:

Actually, I only just discovered Womenfitness.net recently and now I’m hooked! Its full of really interesting articles, features and interviews.

To know more about Kirsty Jones, check her out at: http://www.kirstyjones.com

To know the latest about her check her out at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kirsty-Jones-Professional-Kite-Surfer/262458402841

Women Fitness Team thanks Kirsty Jones for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and made this interview happen.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ozvQjaoek

 

All content on this site is copyright of Women Finess and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.

All Written Content Copyright © 2017 Women Fitness
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