Kristin Boese is one of the top 10 Finalists in the “Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer 2012” competition!
Do you think Kristin should be crowned the most influential or most inspirational girl in kitesurfing this year? Read all about her in the interview below.
Interview with Kristin Boese
Where are you from?
I was born in Potsdam in former East Germany. My family still lives there and I travel to and from there when I’m in Europe, but now I feel a lot more like a world citizen even if this may sound a little cliché… I just never really get to spend more than a few weeks in one place.
Do you have any sponsors? Who are they?
I’ve been riding for Best Kiteboarding for 7 years now and I feel like I have really become part of the brand and vice versa. Without the support of Best Kiteboarding, I would not be able to do what I have been doing… whether it’s KB4girls, the KSP World Tour or the Olympic Campaign, they are by my side and support everything I do. In addition to Best, I’ve been riding for DaKine for 4 years, and the DaKine team has also been an important partner along the way.
Kristin Boese | Photo by Tracy Craft
How did you learn to kitesurf, who taught you and when did you start?
The first time I tried to fly a kite was in late 2001 and I then went to Fuerteventura in the beginning of 2002 to work at the Pro Center Rene Egli, and started kiting with the center gear in my lunch breaks… being a student and not having any money, this was the only way I could afford to get into the sport. Somehow there were always some great people around that I could ask for some tips, although I never had a propper kite lesson. I still really appreciate the advice from everyone who helped and motivated me along the way, amongst them Dirk Effler, Sven Anton, Jost Backhaus, Henning Nockel, Mark Ramseier, Sky Solbach, Davey Blair, Cindy Mosey, Ingrid Koellbichler, Petra Goeschl.
What is your proudest achievement?
This has changed quite a bit over the years. At first my proudest achievement was winning my first World Championship title in 2005, then it was winning the Guinnes World Record for holding the most World Championship titles won in 2009. However, lately the achievements that I’ve made personally have become less important. Now it makes me more proud if we manage to raise funds for women and children in need in one of our KB4girls events, or if we manage to pull off a great KSP event, as I know that these things are important not only to me, but we can support other people through them as well.
Video: KB4girls GLOBAL EL Gouna 2012
What are you doing for Kitesurfing?
That is a question that is hard to answer, as this is impossible to measure, however, I’m simply trying to help the sport to move forward in whatever way I can, no matter if it’s through the KB4girls foundation, the KSP, the Olympic Campaign or anything else. However, I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to work with some truly amazing people in each of these projects, and it is great to see such a passionate group of people really achieve so many positive things for our sport in only a few years. I really appreciate the guys from the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) (who I’m just sitting in the ISAF conference with right now), all the KB4girls ambassadors and board members and the incredibly determined KSP crew and their supporters – without each and every single one of them, the sport would not be moving forward in the same way it has been.
Video: Aer Lingus Kitesurf Pro – Day 10 WrapUp!
What do you think the future holds for kiteboarding / Kitesurfing and what can we do to improve our sport?
Kristin Boese | Photo by Gavin Buttler
In my opinion the sport will have a great future if everyone works together… it has the opportunity to develop further into the 3 main disciplines – feestyle, wave and race – with different target groups for each of them that allow for healthy growth. However, I think it would be important that more people (volunteers) and brands (other than the 3 or 4 that already do) actually support the idea of moving the sport forward, and not only themselves. At this point unfortunately, vested interests often stand in the way. I hope people will understand that listening and trying to understand the entire situation, and maybe even showing a bit more support, will bring a lot more positive change than simply complaining about their small problems.
How will the fact that kitesurfing is now an Olympic sport affect you personally, and what effect do you think this will have on the sport?
Well, let’s wait and see what happens on Saturday, and if Kiteboarding will actually still be an Olympic sport by then…
Video: Kiteboarding’s Healthy Rivalry
Update: Unfortunately we could not save Kiteboarding for Rio 2016 in the end… the Campaign will now go on and target the 2020 Olympic Games…
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