Report by Clyde Waite (All photos courtesy of PWA/Carter)
The PWA freestyle opened up with one hell of a competition at Costa Teguise, Lanzarote.
Previously, last year in fact, Ricardo Campello took his eye off the slippery freestyle ball and lost out to the Venezuelan sensation that is Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo. This year Ricardo is sailing better than ever. But there is a slight problem - so is Gollito. There is also an even slighter problem; the diminutive Kiri Thode is also sailing better than ever. The South American party continues, but it is a different Venezuelan leading the path.
| If the heat was on in the Men’s competition, it was burning in the Ladies as we witnessed the best freestyle finals ever! New rivals Sarah Quita Offringa and Daida Ruano Moreno are separated by a 12 year age gap; on the water there was much less to separate. Daida charged the finals with high jumps including one footed forwards, table top forwards and amazing air chachos combined with her excellent freestyle repertoire. Sarah Quita was really pushed, but then raised the bar with double moves and combo freestyle moves which put her score just out of reach of Daida. To really get a feel for the competition you'd better watch the video. Oh, and if you thought that freestyle was all about flat water, then think again as the conditions resemble standard wavey, choppy onshore mush – nice! |
|
| |
| Login accepted | |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
The Moves That Mattered
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Sailor: Ricardo Campello
Move: Pushloop Vulcan
Overall result: 3rd
Let’s start off with Mr Campello; creator and master of many of the modern freestyle moves. Ricardo was sailing really good and here we see him with yet another new move: the pushloop Vulcan. Many of you who were at the first London Boat Show might have remembered him doing a similar move by mistake when trying to do a pushie off the ramp. Well, here it is one step further, and you know what comes after a vulcan, and then after that? More combinations than a Barclays padlock!! |
|
| |
| Login accepted | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Login accepted | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sailor: Antxon Oteagui
Move: Air Flaka Central
Overall result: 6th
Spaniard Anxton Otaegui wowed the crowds in Fuerteventura last year with his power house freestyle. He then busted his ankle in the final – doh! Antxon doesn’t mess around when it comes to freestyle and carries off many of his moves in mid air. Watch his stylish air flakas in the clip. However he needs to be a bit more competition savvy to get those regular podium finishes. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Sailor: Marcilio Browne
Move: Double Flaka, look no hands.
Overall result: 5th
Finishing just ahead of Anxton was Marcilio ‘Brawzino’ Browne. Do you ever find that you are out having a jolly old windsurf with your buddies and double flakas are getting just too easy? No, thought not, that is unless you are South American and your buddies are in fact finding double flakas too easy. So what do you do? Take your hands off...marvellous! |
|
| |
| Login accepted | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Login accepted | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sailor: Kiri Thode
Move: Floating like a shaka
Overall result: 2nd
Kiri Thode pushed Ricardo Campello to the end to finish second overall. Here he is with three or so moves from his routine that include a nice, floaty shaka. Oh and don’t believe anyone (like us) if they tell you that Gollito never falls in, watch the background as Kiri’s rival stacks an ever so simple shaka. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Sailor: Anthony Reunes
Move: One handed shaka
Overall result: 9th
Watch the French boy Anthony Reunes pull off some of the most complicated moves amidst some seriously messy water. In conditions where sailing in just a straight line takes a bit of concentration, Antony is more concerned about just when he should pop in a cana brava mid-move. |
|
| |
| Login accepted | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Login accepted | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sailor: Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo
Move: Keeping his hair dry!
Overall result: Champion
If you have been keeping up with the PWA freestyle on Boardseeker then you will have seen this clip of the current world number one before. He makes one-handed burners look easy (one handed burners are a planing duck tack into a ponch, but with only one hand). He even does them as dry as possible. For full appreciation of this guy's style then watch the end of the main freestyle video. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Ladies
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Sailor: Laure Treboux
Move: Clew first/Switch Stance joy
Overall result: 3rd
Laure Treboux put her name on the freestyle map last year when she sailed one of the best freestyle heats ever against Daida Moreno. Here she shows some smooth clew first and switch stance stuff.
|
|
| |
| Login accepted | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Login accepted | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sailor: Nayra Alonso
Move: Grubbie
Overall Result: 4th
Nayra sailed a great competition to finish fourth overall, ahead of fellow Spaniard’s Silvia Alba and Iballa Ruano Moreno. Iballa, who was sailing with an injury, could not match Nayra’s consistency and range of moves. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Sailor: Daida Moreno
Move: Air Chacho
Overall result: 2nd
Daida sails with power and aggression. Her heats are exciting to watch because she spends most of the time in the air. Her flakas and spocks pretty much leave the water clean and she follows these with plenty of looping variants that leave legs and hands behind. |
|
| |
| Login accepted | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Login accepted | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sailor: Sara Quita-Offringa
Move: Double or quits.
Overall result: Champion
The only way to beat Daida Moreno’s powerful, exciting freestyle is to start spinning more than once. Here is Lanzarote champion Sarah Quita Offringa proving that the ladies can also spin it twice. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
And Finally
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Sailor: Tonky Frans
Move: Shaka on the Rocks
Overall result:
The Frans brothers finished lower than normal, due to a poor start and then the fact that anyone (other than Gollito) could lose in the first round as the fleet standard is so tight. But we still have to include this move; watch how Tonky comes from nowhere to shaka high above the rocks. |
|
| |
| Login accepted | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RESULTS MEN 1.Jose Estredo
2. Kiri Thode
3. Ricardo Campello
4. Thomas Traversa
5. Marcilio Browne
6. Antxon Otaegui
7. Normen Gunzlein
8. Nicolas Akgazciyan
9. Anthony Reunes
10. Taty FransWOMEN 1. Sarah-Quita Offringa
2. Daida Ruano Moreno
3. Laure Treboux
4. Nayra Alonso
5. Silva Alba Orozco
6. Iballa Ruano Moreno
7. Junko Nagoshi
8. Yoli Freites de Brendt
9. Evi Tsape
10. Emma Johansson |
The Winners at large |
|
All photos courtesy of PWA/Carter. |
|
