To continue the growth of kitesurfing as a sport, we need to recognize and overcome the barriers to entry these newcomers are faced with, and amplify the existing kiting community’s voice at the same time. We asked a number of pros who didn’t let anything get in their way what barriers you might run into when learning to kitesurf professionally, how to overcome them and why it is all worth it in the end.

Helena Brochoka

“At a beginner level, I think a lot of it comes down to fear. People are scared of a big powerful kite that can pull them out of control. Understanding the wind and kite’s “power zone” is really important in order to feel comfortable with a kite. It may seem hard at first, but it just needs a bit of practice. In the end, it’s a relatively safe sport, as long as you don’t engage in risky actions (such as launching close to trees, buildings, or rocks etc). I think it is most important to be familiar with how the wind works, and how to control a trainer kite fully before you switch to the actual big kite.

At a more advanced level, kitesurfing is very dependent on the conditions. In many other sports once you learn a trick, you usually know how you do it, and you will probably land it nearly every time. In kitesurfing you often think you’ve nailed it, but it might not work the next day or at a different spot due to varying wind and water conditions. Learning a trick is a much longer process, and it takes years to gain consistency. As frustrating as this might be, the key to success is to not give up, and just to keep trying again and again.”

Alex Arseneault

“I would say that the biggest barrier when learning to kitesurf is probably our ability to make decisions. When starting the sport, we are not always aware of the danger or risks of a spot or wind conditions.

To overcome that barrier, surround yourself with experienced people. Don’t be afraid to ask questions at a kite spot. Many kiters are present anywhere there’s wind and water. Take your place in a community; even if you are a beginner, we’ve all been there before!”

“Kite schools and shops are also there for you. Find the best Kite School you can trust and continue to ask questions. Kiteboarding can be complex (kites, boards, bars, lines etc). We learn every day, that’s what makes this sport so special.”

Jessica Perigny

“I would say that for someone who has never participated in any wind sports, understanding how the wind works is really difficult. I remember when I was teaching at Real Watersports, I would spend so much time explaining the wind. The best way to overcome this, in my opinion, is to watch videos and spend LOTS of time flying a trainer kite. It’s so much easier for a coach when students arrive having watched videos because they at least have a basic idea of what to expect.”

Dom Granger and Annie Carrier

“I would say, and I think it’s different for men, but for women, aside from money and/or time, I would say fear is the biggest barrier. Fear of not to being able, fear of the water, fear of not being strong enough, and fear of not being able to afford it. The best way to overcome this fear? Just do it! It’s definitely possible if you want it to be.”

Jana Schader

“The biggest barrier in learning how to kiteboard for me was getting back on the board after your first huge crash. To overcome your fear, you have to start slowly and think back to something great that happened before the crash. Watching others crash and get back up helps too.”

Brandon Bowe and Brandon Cordina

“Time and dedication. Kiteboarding takes anywhere from 5-8 hours to learn the basics, and the first stages of learning to kitesurf are very difficult. Just stick with it and learn to stay up wind, which is the key to success. Oh and make sure to get proper instruction! It’ll save you a lot of frustration!”

Jake Kelsick

“Mastering the kite. I always tell people kiteboarding is 80% kite control and 20% being on the board. Once you master the kite, your kite life will be much easier. Aside from that, if you are persistent and motivated, you will be ripping it up in no time!”

These kitesurfers and so many others are passionate about working with new and experienced kiters to help keep this sport growing to the level that it deserves. You can check out our kiting community, what they can do and what they can teach you on MentorMob by clicking to their profiles above.

What barriers and challenges have you faced to get to the level you are at now, and how did you overcome them? What tips can you offer potential newcomers to our sport to keep them motivated? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

This article was contributed by MentorMob, a community for kiteboarders and various other interest groups, and a great place to get free online learning guides.

Overcoming Barriers to Become the Next Pro Kitesurfer was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Since many kiters are aspiring to be pro kitesurfers, and based on the response to an article I wrote last year “How to Get Sponsored”, I thought I would do a follow up article on becoming a sponsored rider. I feel it’s important to show the progress I’ve made since creating my profile on Hookit.com. Their platform for sponsorship was instrumental in me gaining confidence in pursuing kiteboarding as a career.

When I first started I had no idea how the business of sport worked, besides competing of course. I first heard about Hookit.com when a representative from Monster Energy drink told me to register on the site, and when a sponsorship opportunity opened up I could apply. Upon creating my profile I discovered many great opportunities for sponsorship with companies like GoPro, Fuel Clothing, Skull Candy, Dakine and more. I began to learn what companies were looking for in athletes and what I needed to work on. I ended up getting 8 different sponsorships in my first year. I began to promote myself within the industry using my sponsor’s brands to gain recognition.

Jessica Winkler (Epic Kites) | PKRA Mexico

The first media connection I made was with inMotion kitesurfing. Brendon provided a platform for me to gain the exposure and credibility required to attract bigger sponsorships and interest from the industry. He published articles I wrote, and promoted them tirelessly. Fortunately these articles were well received by the public and lead us to create the Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer competition (MIGK). The MIGK is an online competition intended to showcase female kiteboarder’s talents in our sport, as well as their commitment to the industry. The success from our first year was outstanding, so we intend running this competition on a yearly basis.

I realized people started believing in me when I began to believe in myself. This in turn made me spend more time on the water, really pushing myself to do more complicated tricks. Eventually when I could afford it, I hired a photographer to take good quality photos so I had something to present when applying for better sponsorship deals. In addition I set up fan pages on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and my own website www.jessicawinkler.com. At first it feels egotistical to do all this, but it’s important in order to establish your professionalism as an athlete. Once you see yourself as a professional, others will start to see you as one as well.

Jessica Winkler (Epic Kites)

Here is a list of steps you can take to become a pro kitesurfer, or to increase the value of your sponsorships.

5 Steps to Becoming a Sponsored Kitesurfer

#1 Register on Hookit

Register on Hookit and keep your profile up to date. Post all your sessions, photos and competition results (if you compete)

#2 Promote Yourself

Set up fan pages on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, My Space and any other sites you frequent.

#3 Post, post, post….

Content is very important, and helps get you the exposure required to attract quality sponsorships. Let people see what you are doing to pursue your career. Write interesting, unique articles and try and get them published on kitesurfing websites like inMotion Kitesurfing, or start your own blog.

#4 Train

Get in the water and push your boundaries as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to take a course or hire a private instructor to help you get to the next level.

#5 Fun

Always have fun and enjoy the ride!!

One year after embarking on this journey, I received the biggest sponsorship offer of my life, Epic Kites. Getting the opportunity to ride professionally for a big name kite company actually brought a tear to my eye. I felt completely overwhelmed with joy and a sense of accomplishment.

Jessica Winkler (Epic Kites) | PKRA Playa del Carmen

After the announcement of me joining the team, amazing opportunities keep presenting themselves. A local Mexican airline magazine contacted me for an interview, as they are writing an article about kitesurfing for their in flight magazine. In the July/August edition I will be featured representing the sport within the Yucatan. It’s a pretty big honor for me, and I’m very thankful. The second big thing is I was head hunted by an extreme sports agency, Viral Technologies, who wanted to represent me. They will now take care of all my future sponsorship and media deals giving me more time to concentrate on running my kite school and training for competitions.

Since the Epic sponsorship, I’ve been going through a lot of different emotions. The world changes a bit when you are looked at as a Pro all of a sudden. You realize you need to walk the walk. You’ve spent so much time and effort marketing yourself to get to this point and now it’s time to live it. It’s an interesting shift. The biggest thing I’ve learned on this journey is you have to believe in yourself. You can do it, but it takes hard work and patience.

Written by

Jessica Winkler

Jessica will be participating in the PKRA women’s freestyle and downwind competition on May 18th in Bucerias, Mexico. She also recently competed in the PKRA freestyle exhibition and big air comp in Playa del Carmen in the men’s category, as there wasn’t one for woman yet.

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Then Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

How to Increase your Sponsorship Deals was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

For those who don’t know about it yet (where have you been?) we are searching for the “Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer” for 2011.

Update: The 2012 MIGK competition is underway. Here’s the new competition page.

Why are we doing this?… well, not only do we want to do something positive to help grow kitesurfing and make our fantastic sport more accessible, but we want to shine the spotlight on the women who are already doing great things in the industry.

So far the response has been overwhelming! We have received nominations for so many really awesome girls doing really awesome things, and we are delighted to see how many women are pioneering kitesurfing in new areas around the world. This is very inspiring for us, and we are honoured to have you all on board.

Jemma Grobbelaar

We will feature an individual article on each of the top 10 finalists, and we are sure that you will enjoy each of their stories as much as we are enjoying putting them together. We can’t wait to share their stories about how hard they work and how much they are loved by the people around them. They are all winners in our minds!

Julia Brown | Kiteboarding Jamaica

Nominate Today

It isn’t too late to get in on the action though! We still have one week until the nomination round closes. So, if you are doing something extraordinary in kitesurfing, no matter how big or small, or you know someone who is, nominate yourself or a friend today. There are great sponsorships to be won… and who knows, this could be just the boost you need to empower you to achieve even more!

How you can Help

Even if you don’t have anyone to nominate, you can still help us make a difference in kitesurfing by spreading the word throughout your network. Share the competition page on Facebook, Twitter, your website / blog, or any other social network you engage in… We appreciate your support.

Competition Details

Nominations close on 6 October 2011 at 23:00 GMT. The top 10 nominees will be announced on 20 October 2011 and voting will open to the public from 20 October to 22 November 2011.

Click here to Enter Now!

Petra Goeschl

Thanks for Supporting #MIGK

A huge shout out to all our supporters! Thank you to Fuel Clothing, Litewave Kiteboards and Hookit for your generous sponsorships and to Jessica Winkler for all her hard work helping us to organize and promote this competition.

Also, thank you to Global Kiter Foundation, Kitesports, Tantrum kitesurfing, Constantly Kiting and Tropical Paradise for promoting the competition on your websites, and to all the kitesurfers out there who helped spread the word by tweeting and sharing… You guys rock!

As always, we love hearing from you guys, so let us know in the comments below, what you think of our campaign, or who you think deserves recognition for her work or achievements in kitesurfing.

Update: Voting closes on 22 November 2011. Click here to Vote Now!

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer: Last Chance to Nominate was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Nominate yourself or a friend who you think is doing great things in kitesurfing, or who is positively influencing others in your kiteboarding circles, for inMotion Kitesurfing’s “Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer 2011”.

Note: Voting closes on 22 November 2011. Click here to Vote Now!

Update: The 2012 MIGK competition is underway. Here’s the new competition page.

Kitesurf Girls Making a Difference

If you are this girl you already know the guy to girl ratio is a single girls dream, but as one of the fastest growing sports in the world we have a responsibility to influence more women to get involved in kitesurfing. For example, at the last spot I kited at in the USA, a girl came up to me on the beach and said she had never seen a girl kitesurf there before. Her boyfriend was trying to convince her to try but she was too scared… until she saw me outride most of the boys… She was really interested in knowing how I got my start and by the end of the conversation she was stoked to get a lesson. Let’s face it, sitting on a windy beach assisting guys launch and land their kites is not relaxing, so why not get out there and enjoy the fun as well?

Influential Kitesurf Girls

For you girls who are trying to make it in the kitesurfing world, and would like a little help getting the exposure you need, nominate yourself. Show the world that you are working hard paving your way. Being an influential kite girl doesn’t mean you have to be a pro. It means that you are stepping out, going your own way, or doing something positive in the industry. It’s a girl who is not afraid to stand out or fail. We are looking for an ordinary girl who is being “extraordinary” in the sport of kiteboarding.

Personal Story

Jessica Winkler

Over the past 9 months i have been pursuing a career in kitesurfing. I’ve managed to get sponsored by various great companies, but I still need to work on the PR myself. I spend countless hours on the internet blogging, tweeting, posting photos and writing articles. A few months ago I decided to write an article for inMotion kitesurfing and the response has been overwhelming. inMotion Kitesurfing has helped me get world wide exposure and recognition that I only could have got with months and months of hard work.

Be the Next Most Influential Girl!

The girl who wins this competition will receive sponsorships from Fuel Clothing and Litewave Kiteboards. The winner will also get a Premium Membership on Hookit.

For more information, and to nominate yourself, or someone else you think is doing extraordinary things in kitesurfing, visit the “Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer” competition page by clicking here.

Written by

Jessica Winkler

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer 2011 Launch was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

While my own road to sponsorship centres around kitesurfing, these tips are not just for kitesurfers, and can be applied to virtually any sport.

I should also mention that I am not claiming to be an expert in the field of getting sponsored. Instead, this is an account of my own experience in finding sponsorships, and of what worked and didn’t work for me.

My first encounter with sports sponsorship was when I was in high school. My best friend and I were one of the first girl snowboarders on the mountain (yes I’m that old) and she wanted to be in the Olympics when they decided to recognize snowboarding as a sport. She went down to the only snowboard shop in town and they worked on hooking her up. The sponsors got her the exposure she needed to start competing on a global scale and although she didn’t get into

Jessica Winkler for Oneill Eyewear

the Olympics she did capture 2nd in the world for women’s boardercross.

Getting Sponsored

Sponsorship is an important part of gaining exposure and progressing your career in a sport. When I first decided I wanted to start entering competitions and making a name for myself as a kitesurfer I started emailing companies like Red Bull, Monster and Roxy. Red Bull told me I needed to compete and place in order to be considered but Monster told me to register for a site called Hookit. They would only sponsor athletes who have profiles set up on this site.

Sponsorship Services

Hookit is a free service focused mainly on individual lifestyle sports, although anyone from any sport can sign up. The site is user friendly and full of potential sponsors. Athletes have the opportunity to showcase their talents via photo, video and competition results. It also allows you to register your riding spots and sessions. Once I had set up a full profile I began applying for sponsorships. The application process is simple and there are so many companies to choose from. I ended up getting 7 out of the 8 sponsorships I applied for which honestly really surprised me. The one company who denied my application allowed me to try again 6 months later to which I’m currently waiting a reply on my reapplication.

You can also set up a profile on SME. They recently redesigned their website to make it easier to use. They don’t have a section for kitesurfing yet but neither did Hookit 4 months ago. On SME you upload your best riding videos and you can win a sponsorship and $25K. Another website you can try is SponsorSpace. There are free basic level profiles you can set up to apply for sponsors. I like the site but out of 100 or so people, I’ve only seen 1 person who received a sponsorship so I’m not sure how effective it is. The other sure fire method is to ride hard and compete, sponsors will then approach you!

My Fuel Clothing Sponsorship

Having sponsors really gave me the confidence to write articles, find photographers to film me and to promote myself as an influential kiteboarder. One of the hardest things when you go from casual riding to starting a career in sports is confidence in yourself. I’ve struggled with feeling like I’m not good enough to be sponsored and not wanting to embarrass myself when people expect too much from me. These feeling are normal, but what I’ve learned is that for me it is not about being the best rider or competing, but rather being able to encourage and influence others to achieve their goals with hard work and dedication. Competing in kitesurfing to be well known is no longer my goal. Instead I want to use my support from my sponsors to encourage other athletes to give it a try, and to show other girls that you don’t have to be the best to be admired.

Get Started Today

Taking the first step and creating my profile changed my life because it gave me the confidence to pursue my passion and believe in myself. If you are looking to pursue a similar path, try setting up your own profile on one or all of the above mentioned websites, or nominate yourself on inMotion Kitesurfing’s upcoming “Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer” competition. The top ten girls will be profiled on inMotion Kitesurfing and the winner will receive great sponsorship’s (see competition page for details).

Jessica Winkler

It’s not easy to get recognition for all your hard work in the sports world, so take advantage of the opportunity to be profiled as a real athlete, not a bikini model. Leave a comment below if you want to be notified when the contest begins. Good luck ladies!

Feel free to share your own experiences finding sponsors in the comments, and if you have any questions please ask!

Written by

Jessica Winkler

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

How to Get Sponsored was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.