It's a Family Affair! Meet the Pritchards...

Whilst in Lanzarote last month, Clyde Waite got a chance to sail amongst the worlds best, observe some spectacular freestyle competition and witness Super X for the first time. He also caught up with probably the most successful family act on the World Tour to date: Matt and Kevin Pritchard. These two fairly quiet and approachable guys have been challenging for the top spots at PWA events for the last 10 years. So Boardseeker thought it was time to catch up with them as Matt was on the verge of winning the Super X 2004 World Title whilst Kevin was having his first go at this new discipline.

ON SUPER X

Kevin, why have you decided to do the Super X, three events into the Series?

Kevin: My sponsors made me! (Starboard) They have a really good board and wanted someone to promote it and they selected me as the man to do the job. I think that the board is a little bit better than I am!

I could do spocks but that was like 5 years ago as I haven’t really put much focus on the freestyle so it was quite a mission for me to get ready for this event. I practised freestyle lots and tried different boards, even my brother’s one, (Tabou) just to make sure that it wasn’t the board. Unfortunately it wasn’t, it was me!

What do you think of Super X?

Kevin: I really enjoy it.

Matt: I even enjoy watching it which says a lot as I am hard to please. A wave event at Hookipa: you watch! But other wave and freestyle events can be boring. If it is attracting my interest then it is certainly attracting the interest of people who don’t know anything about windsurfing. I can see it replacing a lot of the freestyle events.

Are you using production boards?

Kevin: I’m using the new Starboard S type. (check out the review in sailor reviews).

Matt: Nope, I’m on custom.

ON FREESTYLE

What about freestyle? Matt: Well it just got to a point where these young guys are doing stuff that my body doesn’t want to do. My ankles are pretty much frozen to the point where if I do want to do the stuff, the next day I have a hard time walking! Although, with the conditions out here in Lanzarote (super windy and big waves) I think I might have been alright as the actual freestyle wasn’t so impressive and it turned into a jumping contest. But if I can’t win it or at least be in the top five, then I don’t see the point and I don’t want to be a hurting mess!

Matt spocking into Kevin!

Kevin: You can only do so much. Antoine Albeau is probably the only one that does them all. He did the freestyle here (Lanzarote) but he won’t do it when it is light winds. For me I would rather win the wave or the racing.

What is the future of freestyle?

Matt: In my opinion, freestyle has gone into its own little world where there are only so many young kids and teenagers that can do it. Then there are not that many 15 year olds that have the opportunity to live in Venezuela and Bonaire and have the ideal conditions all year long. The US hopefuls are Nick Warmuth and Riley Coon but they are 17 so maybe they are starting to get too old!

ON WAVES

What are your preparations for the Gran Canarian events (wave, freestyle and racing, 10-22 Aug)?

Matt: None for me as I’m not going! I’m not doing the freestyle and I’m gambling on the wave event not happening as in the middle of August, Pozo is usually flat. But that’s just a gamble because I have got some promotional stuff to do at the same time in the Gorge. I can only be spread so far! But Kevin will be there to hold the Gaastra flag up in the waves along with Jonas Ceballos and the Frans brothers (Tonky and Taty).

Could Ricardo Campello win a PWA wave title?

Kevin: Definitely, especially with only two European events to count (Pozo and Sylt), which is a sad state of affairs really. Hopefully we will get some more events at places known for down the line wave riding conditions like Hookipa and Ireland.

Matt: Ricardo can throw doubles when he wants to and he can do Taka’s off the lip and all that stuff so yeah, I would put him as one of those guys who could win the event at Pozo if he wanted too. He doesn’t seem to care too much about the waves at the moment and he is certainly not ready for starboard tack wave riding at Hookipa which is why he didn’t enter the Maui event.

Kevin: It’s also all about style. In Gran Canaria he can come in, do a spock down the wave, which will look really good and this has got to help. Sailors like Ricardo could turn freestyle and wave into one discipline because it is getting so radical. But if you look at it from a competitors view, that is not what we want. We want a wave tour and a freestyle tour, all with good prize money, not just one or two events a year for everything.

Can you guys keep winning?

Kevin: I broke my foot at the beginning of last season (2003) but then I won Sylt at the end of the season which was really rewarding. It is good to see new talent emerging in freestyle but it takes a lot more experience to win in the waves so I hope to be up there for some years to come.

Matt: My Super X career has only just started and I’m determined to keep winning!

ON FORMULA

Kevin, how do you keep yourself motivated to race train in Maui with those waves crashing near by?

Kevin: I think the motivation comes from the fact that I don’t like to lose! But in the right conditions Formula is fun. In 8 to 10 knots of breeze I really enjoy it. You can get out there and race with your mates no matter what their level is. Twenty knots plus, I don’t enjoy it, hanging on there for dear life….nah!

Matt and Formula? Ummm….

Matt: Formula for me pretty much became a game of physics. I’m not that big and don’t have the leverage that the bigger guys have got. I simply can’t hold on to 12m sails on those big, wide boards. I’ve never been much of a course racer but when I was doing the world tour we had the equipment advantages. We had super light boards and kit that was faster than everyone else and spent thousands of dollars developing it. When Formula went production it took away all my advantages and flushed them down the toilet and I just plain slow. There was no point and to be honest I didn’t really enjoy it!

If you are not capable of getting into the top 10 and just play follow the leader year after year then it’s not worth it. I am happier to rig and caddy for the Gasstra Team!

The PWA Formula Tour is looking pretty healthy this season .

Kevin: Well we have a race tour sponsor: Nestea. I think the PWA wanted them to sponsor all the disciplines but racing is the one most likely to happen, wind wise.

We have four race events in 2004: Gran Canaries in August, Hungary and Sylt in September and Almanarre in October. The wave tour is not so good with only Pozo and Sylt left as Ireland has been cancelled. The wave tour needs a sponsor.

ON WORLD TITLES

Do you think that there will ever be an overall title again? Kevin: Other than Antoine (Albeau) there is nobody else doing all 4 disciplines (wave, freestyle, racing and super X) and it would have to be all 4 of these to count or nothing. It is a shame as there are so many titles at the moment. I guess you have to judge a sailor’s victory by who was at the event. Unless the regular PWA sailors go, they are not going to be worth anything. Matt: Simple answer: no!

Matt practicing on his own before the Lanzarote contest started

Which world title would you like to win the most?

Kevin: Oh definitely the waves as I have won quite a few of the racing ones and only one wave. To win at Hookipa in Maui is more prestigious now than to win the overall world title. It’s the spectacle of the sport and people have the most respect for the winner of that event.

What’s your view on the UK’s Ross Williams, has he got a chance of winning a Formula world title?

Kevin: Yeah he definitely has a chance because he is fast and young. But we will find out if he has the right head for it. It takes a lot of time. Look at Micah (Buzianis), he was working at it for fifteen years to finally win the PWA Racing Title last year (2003).

ON SAILS, BOARDS AND TESTING

You are both on different boards (Kevin on Starboard & Matt on Tabou) yet you test alongside each other. Does this influence the design?

Matt: Not really as both brands have their own unique design team with their own ideas and we go forward from there.

Kevin: I found it really easy to come into Starboard as they were open to all my ideas. We have been working really hard on the Formula board and that has been winning around the world. I also gave them input into the slalom board and won the Slalom Champs on it in 2003. As for wave and freestyle, where I can help out I do.

Do you use the same Gaastra sails for each event?

Matt: The sails that I am using for Super X are the prototypes for what Kevin is using which are the production ones. We are always developing our equipment which is part of the game. For wave sailing I use the Manics whereas Kevin uses the Poisons which have more juice in them for all round conditions.

Do you test against other brands?

Matt: If there is something extra special about a board then we get it, try it out and learn from it and put it into our development. You have to know where you are at and what you have done but you can’t just copy someone else. We try to test against everything, especially with sails.

Do all brands do that?

Matt: I think that they are getting more into it because of the magazine tests.

Ahh…magazine tests. How important are they?

Matt: Very important! I mean they are the key because a lot of people read them and take them as the bible. They read them and think oh wow, this test winner is the sail for me! It’s hard for us because we want to get a good test, obviously, so we have to go and test all the other sails to make sure that our sails are the best.

What happens when another sail gets a better test even if you know it’s not as good?

Kevin: That happens a lot! But you have to do what you think is best and go from there.

Matt: Another thing that is hard from magazine tests is that in the UK you might get a stunning test and in Germany you might get a awful test, so what do you do? The answer is, don’t believe the tests! Ha Ha!

Kevin: I always try to figure out what makes me buy a product. When I bought my sunglasses it was brand awareness and image that mattered to me. But then I had a Sony computer which worked great for three years, so my brother goes and buys one and he really likes it. Reputation and word of mouth are fundamental in selling windsurfing kit.

Matt: You should try something out and see if you like it, it is very important that the equipment suits you.

Where do Gaastra lie in the world of sail sales?

Matt: I think we are pretty much second with Neilpryde in first. They make a good sail, no doubt about that, but we make a good sail as well.

Do you think that the “double luff”, on the Neilpryde and North race sails, makes a difference to performance?

Kevin: I don’t think it matters but it helps in marketing as it’s something new and innovative. We have tested it out and it didn’t really make any difference.

Matt: I couldn’t waterstart it too save my life! I am the back up tester guy and I am real sensitive. If something doesn’t work out for me then I hate it! Forgetting the double luff design, they are nice sails but a whole lot of money.

Are Gaastra interested in the Speed Record?

Kevin: I haven’t really been interested in it yet as we can only do so much.

AND FINALLY…

Any advice to sailors wanting to get into your position?

Kevin: Work hard and keep working at it. I think a lot of the top guys are not professional enough and I think that I am NOT the most talented person out there. But I think that a lot of my titles came from working hard and being mentally ready to win.

Matt: Some of the “professional windsurfers” out there are hopeless. They turn up ten minutes before the skippers meeting and fool around like a bunch of idiots trying to get ready for what is supposed to be the most important event of their calendar. Maybe it’s because there is less money so there is not so much at stake.

I’d say definitely finish school but try and get on the water as much as possible. We were out there all day everyday, windsurfing our guts out. In fact we still are!

Matt and Kevin Pritchard are amazingly talented, all round windsurfers. Between them they seem to be able to finish in the top 5 of the world no matter what discipline.

It is clear that they approach competing professionally and really work as a team. Whether it is training together, development or caddying for the younger members of the Gaastra Team. It is this focus and raw natural talent that has got them to the top of their game and will no doubt keep them there for years to come.

Interview done by Clyde Waite. Clyde is sponsored by Naish Sails, AHD Boards, Reef, O’Neill, Flying Objects, Skisurf.