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Julien is certainly one of the ‘characters’ on the PWA Tour complete with his wake boarders style of dress (pants around his ankles, oversize specs), apparently very cool in the south of France! In 2007 he had his best result at Pozo ever finishing 3 rd and wowing the crowds with his signature table top forwards. With new sponsors for last season, he seems to now be really enjoying his windsurfing and his results show that. Julien is a crazy Frenchman with an infectious ability to bring life to any situation on and off the water. Get ready for wesh wesh! |
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Why did you change sponsors (from JP/NeilPryde to F2/Naish)?
My sponsors allowed me to do what I wanted to do, just have fun, for the spirit and Naish pushed me to do that. It’s cool when you can do what you want!
I didn’t expect to change sponsors actually, but I liked the way F2 was going especially with the custom graphics and it felt like the right time |
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Are you helping with the design of the F2 boards?
Yes. I work with Patrik Diethelm and he is a really good shaper and the boards really ride well. But also Kauli has changed the way we look at wave riding, we need to get those boards right inside the curve of the wave and this has change how we shape them. |
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**Has Kauli really affected future board design so much?
Yes! He rides really good, he turns so short on his boards. Yes, he dances like the wave, just like some Brazilian. |
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What’s the most scared you’ve been windsurfing?
The most scared I have been? I don’t know, sometimes I get scared when getting washed onto rocks or when you sail at dusk and if you break something you think what would happen? But I try not to think about things like that. I take care of myself! |
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What move have you found the hardest to learn?
I don’t know; the forward loop was my first step, then the backloop. I did a lot of backloop attempts before I knew I could land them in a contest. I do so many one-handed backloops, table top forwards (in practise) so when it came to Pozo last year I did good! All the moves are hard to learn, you’ve just got to go with the feeling. |
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Have you ever been injured windsurfing?
I broke my two knees, my ankles, and my hand. In skate boarding and snowboarding I also broke my shoulder and my leg. I now have big braces on my right knee. I do more wave riding now. With jumping I go for it in the competitions but I’m more careful the rest of the time. |
Rumour has it you have bought a house in Cape Verde. True?
Yes, it’s true! I love Africa – Cape Verde is not quite Africa but the spirit is very similar. I was trying to find a house with my girlfriend Caroline and we found Cape Verde to be the perfect place to spend the winter windsurfing, surfing and teaching wave riding for the school so we are going to make our life there. With my place in Leucate we can switch between the two, which is cool! |
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Would you like to be PWA Wave Champion?
I don’t think anymore about that. When I was younger; yes, but now I don’t care as much. I know in ‘big conditions’ that I can do good, for sure I can get on the podium but the difference between say 9 th and 15 th is so close because the level is so high. I go now just to have fun – for the spirit! |
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If windsurfing still ‘big’ in France?
Yes. There are more young people getting into the sport and we have some good guys at the top of the sport like Thomas Traversa in waves and freestyle and we are pushing the younger generation. I really believe windsurfing can get bigger. The magazines are pushing it forward; a lot of French guys are now really good. I believe in the market, its getting way bigger. |
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Finally, why do you wear your shorts so far down your backside?!
It’s just for style! I do a lot of wakeboarding and that’s where it comes from. Perhaps I wanted to be a strip teaser! But I Iike everyone’s style – rock n’ roll!! |
Julien is sponsored by Naish Sails, Micro Fin, F2, Leucate, Bolle and Rip-Curl. |
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