Well if you are on Maui right about now, it is so windy that you are almost complaining about it being TOO Windy.. What a wacky season we have had. We went from no wind for almost two weeks wich is pretty much unheard of here on Maui, to super windy, needing a 4.2...
Today I went out and did the last of the Slalom Starboard shots, which was really windy, and then went to Weiahu for some onshore training. It was pretty fun out there to be sailing just for fun and not contained to a photographers perameters!
Here is a shot from the photographers position.. I dont know which part I like being more a part of.. the shooting or the shooter...
Man, when the wind gets going,,, it just doesnt let up. Did the Starboard photoshoot again and this time it was with the Helicopter flying overhead. It is pretty cool to watch these pilots up there just manuvering around going backwards forwards... I like to see how close i can get to them ... Some of the jumps we do get pretty darn close and I think that gives the pilots a bit of fun to see how close they can get.. Anyhow the wind is up and I am out there!!
Yesterday was finally a good day of sailing. It wasnt the best but it was still was nice to get out in the sunny waves at hookipa! It was all new stuff that just came out to do the photos with and that is always a bit of fun but a little bit of a getting used to all the new stuff as well. I got to ride the Acid 74 which was really sweet along with some new Maui Sails Legend and Global. They seemed to be pretty good as well.
Today is another day of testing and sailing.. another day at the office.
Well It seems like I have been busy but maybe not.. Just grumpy!! The waves are here and the wind is here but it is junk conditions.. Kinda frustrating... We have had nice big waves and nice wind but for some reason it just didnt get good at Hookipa. I has some super fun sailing at Kanaha, but Kanaha you cant get any picts done and that is what our mission is these days. We have the starboard guys out here and we just cant seem to get it together for a great day of shooting.. Looks like today will be the day!!
Anyhow if you guy have time to check out my friends new site, it is going to be ramping up really soon. Right now it is just in Italian but it is getting set to go live in English really soon. It is www.surferworld.it and it has the latest and up to date windsurf news on the planet. One of my good longtime friends from Italy, Silvana, is working on the site and it is set to be one of the worlds best online extreme sites in years to come. Silvana could be one of the best news finders out there with a great detective eye for the latest and greatest news in the industry. So check it out!!
Finally a nice day! Easter Sunday brought some nice wind and waves to Maui and it was really fun to be out in the water. Was a tough day to call as to where to go but I ended up going to Kanaha with my brother and we had some really fun waves. It was a bit crowded but that make it even better because there were so many waves with so many people that you just had to go and share. Sharing is caring. I had one wave with Tatiana Howard that was one of the funest waves of the day. The wave just seemed to go forever and we were crossing over and over and it was really fun. Too bad I didn't have a helmet video cam on.. That would have been cool.
Had a great evening yesterday sitting on the cliff at Hookipa. The sunset was unreal as the waves came in. Still no real wind today but looks like tomorrow could be the day! We will see.
Just trying to get on the cover of Windsurfing Mag... But I need your help. Need to get all your votes in by the 12th... Vote for number 3!!! Check out this site... Click here Thanks for your help.. My sponsors will appreciate it!
Boy Maui has been beautiful these past two days. I love it.. So nice and calm and just stunning sights.. I would love to be a tourist for this past week,,,,, just not a windsurfing tourist. All the photoshoots are happening right now and the conditions are just miserable for that.I guess they have enough lifestyle shooting this year! Anyhow, the Starboard shoot is just kicking off today and with the no wind we got to try out the SUP... Stand Up Paddle, and I am not sure if I am hooked. I only got out there for a half hour so I couldnt really comment too much but i would have gone faster if I was just regular surfing a board like that.. I might get to try it out a bit more so we will see what happens..
So I didnt win the Laureus awards but what an expirience. This event was amazing. It would be cool if the organizers of this event was organizing the PWA World Cups. We managed to have an amazing time in Barcelona. We hung out with Robby quite a bit and it was cool to see how big up Robby really is. Everywhere we went somebody knew him.. From the German press to Valentino Rossi, Los Angeles Raiders running back Marcus Allen, to Tony Hawk.. Robby is pretty huge that is for sure and he definately gives the sport of windsurfing a good name and is a great ambassador for the sport of windsurfing.
Now we are on our long trip back home. It was nice to have a short little break from the windsurfing life and see how all the other sportsman of the world live it up. Now it is back to reality with the Starboard photoshoot kicking off and that goes on for 10 days of pretty much pure work..
We are here at the Laureus Sports awards and been having a great time. It is Barcelona and we are all set up. Today Robby Naish took us out to the race track and I got to suit up and go in a some sweet cars. I had a pro driver take me around the Barcelona cicuit and it was really fun. Robby was super cool and even gave me his slot to go in the full on race car! I was stoked as I have never been in something that fast! After that we got to go over and take the new C class Merc's around the race track and learn a bit how to drive. I have never driven on a race track before so it was super fun. Got the car going pretty fast around the corners!! Good Fun. Well we are off to the awards party tonight so wish me luck. I will let you know how I go!!
Just finished up with a very sucsessful TR 3 Launch with everyone in Holland really excited about what they felt in there hands. The wind was really nice with some great sailing conditions along with some nice warm (well kinda warm) weather. I went out on 7.0 and a 122 and was blasting around for an hour or so. It was great to hear the feedback and all the positive buzz around the new sails.
If you guys are going to be in Holland this Friday or Sat stop bye the shops and say high. I am there for 2 nights and then to Barcelona for the Laureus Sports awards. Should be a great time!! Lots of Flying but all good.
Maui has kicked into summer mode with Super winds this weekend. Was flat and windy and time to get out the small sails. I have been sailing around on slalom gear getting ready for the upcoming races and having some fun at the same time. We went over to Little Beach on the south side for some nice sunset action with some cool fire dancing only to get busted for having a beer in our hands in the state park. Got a citation and have to go to COURT for having a beer.. Guess I need to read the rules before we go out to the state parks these days. What a bummer to have on a Sunday just going to have a nice sunset watch.. Kinda ruined the moment that is for sure. Oh well so you learn a new life lesson.
Mauian nominated for 2007 Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year
Haiku resident and world champion windsurfer Kevin Pritchard has been nominated for the prestigious Laureus World Action Sportsman of the Year Award in Barcelona, Spain.
The Laureus World Sports Awards is the annual celebration of achievement, where superior athletes from across the sporting spectrum are judged by the worlds media and legends of the Laureus World Sports Academy. A glittering collection of the worlds greatest sports stars has been nominated for this years awards. The ballot closed on January 31, with a total of 1,068 members of the Laureus World Sports Awards Media Selection Panel from 128 countries casting their votes.
Pritchard faces some tough challengers in his category of World Action Sportsperson of the Year competing against Kelly Slater who has won 8 World Surfing Titles and Travis Pastrana who took home the Gold Medal at the Summer X Games. Pritchard can put up a good fight with his World Champion Wave World Title along with a 2nd in the Super X discipline and a 3rd in the Racing division for the Professional Windsurfing Associations World Tour. Pritchard and his guest are being flown to Barcelona to attend the event. Award winners will be announced during a televised Awards Ceremony in Barcelona, on the evening of Monday, April 2.
The full list of nominees for the 2007 Laureus World Sports Awards is: Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Fernando Alonso (Spain) second straight winner of the Formula One World Championship Fabio Cannavaro (Italy) captain of Italys FIFA World Cup winning team Roger Federer (Switzerland) winner of three Grand Slam tennis events Asafa Powell (Jamaica) fastest sprinter in the world Michael Schumacher (Germany) - retired after seven Formula One World Championships Tiger Woods (US) winner of Open Championship and US PGA golf majors
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Justine Henin (Belgium) winner of French Open Grand Slam tennis championship Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia) winner of European Championship pole vault gold medal Carolina Kluft (Sweden) winner of European Championship heptathlon gold medal Laure Manaudou (France) winner of four gold medals in European Swimming Championships Amélie Mauresmo (France) winner of Wimbledon Grand Slam tennis championship Maria Sharapova (Russia) winner of US Open Grand Slam tennis championship
Laureus World Team of the Year All Blacks Rugby Team (New Zealand) winners of record seventh Tri-Nations Championship FC Barcelona (Spain) winners of UEFA Champions League and Spanish League and Cup double European Ryder Cup Team record-equalling win over the United States at K Club, Dublin Italy Mens Football Team winners of the FIFA World Cup for the fourth time Renault Formula One Team (France) Constructors World Champions for second straight time Spanish Basketball Team won the basketball World Cup for the first time Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Xavier Carter (US) aged 20, ran second fastest 200 metres ever, and won four NCAA titles Ghana Mens Football Team qualified for FIFA World Cup finals and reached last 16 Lewis Hamilton (UK) - aged 22, became first black driver to compete in Formula One Amélie Mauresmo (France) won her first Grand Slam tennis tournaments after limited success Britta Steffen (Germany) won four gold medals in European Swimming Championships Mia Xiaoxu (China) aged 18, won Golden Ball and Shoe in FIFA Under 20 World Championship
Laureus World Comeback of the Year Drew Brees (US) led New Orleans Saints to NFC Championship game after serious injury Ben Curtis (US) winner of first golf tournament since 2003 Open Championship Roy Jones Jr (US) came back to ring at 37 to win NABO light-heavyweight title Miami Heat (US) fought back to win NBA Finals after losing first two games Serena Williams (US) slipped out of top 100 through injury, but came back to win Australian Open Zinedine Zidane (France) returned from retirement to captain France to final of FIFA World Cup
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Martin Braxenthaler (Germany) won three golds in Alpine mono-skiing in Winter Paralympics Kurt Fearnley (Australia) won New York Marathon wheelchair race, breaking course record Edith Hunkeler (Switzerland) won three golds in wheelchair racing at World Championships Javier Otxoa (Spain) Tour de France star who returned to cycle racing after car crash Kazem Rajabi Golojeh (Iran) broke two powerlifting world records in 2006 Esther Vergeer (Netherlands) wheelchair tennis player unbeaten in three years
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year
Aaron Hadlow (UK) aged 17, won PKRA kiteboarding world tour for third time Travis Pastrana (US) motocross star, won three Summer X Games gold medals Kevin Pritchard (US) won windsurfing Wave World Championship Gisela Pulido (Spain) aged 12, won a PKRA kiteboarding event, beating the world champion Kelly Slater (US) won an unprecedented eighth world surfing championship at 34 Hannah Teter (US) won ESPY award for Best Action Sports Female Athlete Shaun White (US) competed in and won 12 snowboarding events in 2006
The 2006 Awards Ceremony, held in the presence of His Majesty The King of Spain in Barcelona, was attended by global figures from sport, entertainment, business and fashion. Hollywood celebrities Teri Hatcher and Cuba Gooding Jr. hosted the Awards Ceremony. Guests from the world of entertainment included Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman. Among the winners present in Barcelona in 2006 to receive Laureus Awards were Roger Federer, Janica Kostelic, Renaults Flavio Briatore, Rafael Nadal, Johan Cruyff, Valentino Rossi and Ernst van Dyk. Laureus is a universal movement that celebrates the power of sport to bring people together as a force for good. Laureus is composed of three core elements - the Laureus World Sports Awards, the Laureus World Sports Academy and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation - which collectively celebrate sporting excellence and harness the power of sport to promote social change.
The Laureus World Sports Awards will be one of the first events to be staged in Barcelona during the Year of Sport which begins in March 2007 and which celebrates the 15th anniversary of the highly successful Olympic Games which were held in Barcelona in 1992. The main aim is to promote sport as a tool to improve health and social integration and to demonstrate the ability of Barcelona to host major international sports events. World tennis No.1 Roger Federer, seven-times Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher and the top golfer in the world, Tiger Woods - all two-time winners of the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award - have been nominated again, and there will be hot rivalry to see if one of them can be the first to make it three. In a very competitive category, up against them are Fernando Alonso, the current Formula One World Champion, Asafa Powell, the fastest man on Earth, and Fabio Cannavaro, captain of the Italian FIFA World Cup winning team. For Schumacher, who retired at the end of the 2006 Formula One season, it is a record seventh Laureus nomination.
French tennis star Amélie Mauresmo has been nominated for both Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year and Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Awards after finally breaking her hoodoo and winning two Grand Slam titles. In the Sportswoman category, Mauresmo is competing with two other Grand Slam winners Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova. Dutch wheelchair tennis champion Esther Vergeer, winner of the Laureus Disability Award in 2002, has been nominated for the fourth time after an unbeaten 2006. While Spains kiteboarder Gisela Pulido, who is short-listed for the Laureus Action Sports Award, becomes the youngest ever nominee at 12.
Well this year has to be one of the flattest wave season's I have ever had. The surfing has been non existant and it seems like summer time is already here. Today it was like a day in August with it so flat. Pretty crazy. Looks like there is a small bump coming tomorrow but we will have to wait and see.
Had a nice day today. Was out on the water early taking some nice shots of my brother then went sailing at Hookipa and that was pretty fun as well. My friend Jazz took a couple nice shots of me and I was pretty stoked with them. I also managed to crank out a nice 360 which made my session oh so much fun!
So just to throw it out there I am looking for a road bike sponsor if any of you out there has a contact or knows someone or is someone in charge of the marketing of a nice bike company like Trek or something like that. Would be great to pop me an email if you are interested!
Well finally a day to play back in the water. It seems like it was so long that I felt kinda wierd out there. Anyhow, nice day today at Hookipa, and I scored the session of the day too. Everyone was jammin out there early and it was packed. I came down and since all my gear is in Cabo Verde still I had to wait for Bogo to come down and bring a mast around. So I sat around and took some picts of the zoo out on the water. I then went out for a session and was ok, kinda fun, and came back in to watch the circus. I took a couple more shots and then waited for the NP shoot to finish up and then headed out for a sweet little afternoon session. I was stoked. Got some good waves and had some fun. Still got some cough in me but hey, it feels great to be out on the water again!!
I think I am ready to hit the water tomorrow. It has been a while and I still got a cough but I cant take it any longer. Took some shots at Hookipa today. Nothing special. Ok hope everyone had a nice weekend and ready for a big week!
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