In this edition of Insight, we're honouring each of the women that have graced the cover of IKSURFMAG since our inception in 2006! Some still regularly appear in this magazine, while others have taken steps in different directions. We caught up with these talented ladies to discover how kiting has impacted their lives and continues to shape who they are today. Join the Cover Girls of IKSURFMAG in this Issue #100 special feature!

Issue 17 - October 2009 - Kristin (Boese) Solbach

The first time I tried to kite was in September 2001 at the Baltic Sea in the North of Germany. I ended up drifting through a (little used) shipping lane and got my legs all tangled up in the lines, but got hooked nevertheless. Soon after, I left everything behind in Germany to work and kite in Fuerteventura. I started competing on the PKRA world tour in June 2002, following the tour and getting more sponsorship contracts as I climbed the rankings. 

It was a big deal for any girl to end up on a cover back in 2009, and I would think it's the same today. I was stoked about the cover, stoked about any coverage any of us girls got, really. When that cover came out in 2009, I had already won all 9 of my World Championship titles and found myself being by far the oldest female competitor in the field. 

It had always been important to me to spread the love for kiteboarding far and wide, and I started the KB4girls foundation (now the Women's Kiteboarding Collective), collaborating with other female kiters to organise non-profit events all over the world to get women involved in the sport. I also got involved with Kiteboarding in the Olympics Campaign with the IKA and did some work with the World Sailing Federation. When I found myself amongst a group of other world champion wave kiters that all saw the need for a wave world tour, I agreed to join forces, entirely without the intent to be the main force. Looking back, I have always had a hard time saying no. I always felt the need to support where support was needed, and ultimately, I ended up burning myself out. When I passed the KSP World Tour and the KB4girls foundation on to different leaders, I needed a long break from kiting and some time to recover. 

I retired from kiting ten years ago and settled on Maui with my then long-term boyfriend, now husband, Sky Solbach. We built a house and life together here in Maui and now have an almost 4-year-old son that makes our lives oh so busy and fun! I enjoy yoga, barre classes, hiking with my pup or walking at the beach. I also enjoy building things and using my two hands; creating things brings me much joy. What was difficult to beat or meet was the passion I had for kiteboarding. I had turned my biggest passion into my job, and when I retired from kiting, it was difficult to find something I could feel this passion for again and pour all my heart and soul into. Duotone's Ken Winner suggested that I work with dogs because I had always loved them. He didn't need to say that twice. Now, I'm a CCPDT certified dog trainer. While I was teaching classes and private lessons for Ohana Pet, I also started to board dogs here at our place and set up Happy Dogs Maui LLC in 2018, and there is never a dull moment around here with a full house of dogs.

Kiteboarding is now creeping back into my life again as my almost 4-year-old son started to ride on my harness hook with me; he absolutely loves it and wants to go to the beach as much as possible. What truly excites me the most about kiteboarding this year is the possibility of taking my little guy out on the water with me. As for life goals or career goals, I am trying to find the right work/family/me time balance, which isn't always easy to do when you have a crowd of pups and a team of 5 employees to manage, plus a toddler that would love all your attention, but I don't give up easily. 😉

Issue 26 - April 2011 - Niki Rudd

I started kiting when I was 23, so 15 years ago. Wow, time flies! In 2008, I lived in Exmouth and started teaching windsurfing for Steph and Eric Bridge at Edge Watersports. It wasn't long before I dropped windsurfing for kitesurfing and never looked back. I then sailed the Atlantic with my twin brother and a few others and spent the winter doing my instructors and teaching kiting in the Dominican Republic before joining the British Kite Tour. Looking back, I could have started in the amateur division, but I just jumped straight in; that was my kinda style!

After my 2011 cover, I did the BKSA tour for a few years and the European Tour in 2012, where I was 3rd overall in the women's freestyle. It was such a blast. I started wakeboarding alongside kiting in 2013 and did a Red Bull event in Wales, where I placed 1st. I was so hooked on riding rails and kickers!

I lived and breathed kiting! I had about ten endless summers where I would compete during the summer and then travel and teach kiting in the winter. We often went to the same places, so it was like hanging out in one big family. I have so many unforgettable memories from those times. I remember kiting on a lake in Switzerland which felt unreal, surrounded by mountains in freshwater. I went to Venezuela with Hannah Whiteley for the winter that year, where we had so much fun, and I also teamed up with Slingshot and did some filming. More recently, I hung out with Hannah in Tenerife doing a film for VW, which was super fun! I also had some epic trips to Barbados, wave riding and surfing, and running a yoga retreat with friends who ran a kite school.

A few years ago, I moved from freestyle to waves, and after living in Cornwall for a while, I have gradually become more of a surfer and have let my kites go for now. Surfing, art, cooking, and yoga are my main passions now! I am currently in the UK helping run a yoga retreat centre/community, growing veggies and exploring healing modalities, from sound baths to yoga and singing. I have always been passionate about health and wellness. Last year, I had a very impromptu forced break from life, taking a huge knock physically and mentally. I am grateful now; it has made me realise how strong we truly can be and that there is much to learn and be grateful for. The things that shake us the most often uncover many hidden treasures and allow us to connect more deeply to what really matters. I am continually inspired by others who have been through tough times, and that is why I feel I should share this aspect of my life. It is refreshing when people share vulnerability because within this lies deep strength and empowerment. 

Of course, my dream for 2023 and beyond is to be on the water as much as possible, riding waves and enjoying time in nature. In a slightly hippie-sounding way, now more than ever, I feel drawn to connecting people back to the earth! On a personal level, I want to support the health of our oceans and earth through what I do, be that making art, growing food, cooking and sharing whole natural food, as well as yoga and other practises that enhance people's lives. I would love to get involved with projects around the world that support and empower people to live to their fullest potential in alignment with nature. I am excited about the future, so stay tuned on social media (@nrmovement @niki_r_art). My love for the ocean continues, and I can't wait for the next chapter of my life to continue exploring and caring more for the beautiful waters that cover our planet. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share!

Issue 36 - December 2012 - Kirsty Jones

What excites me most about kitesurfing in 2023 is that I've got a newfound motivation and appreciation for kiting again! I've just finished a 2-year stint running Richard Branson's Watersports Centre on Necker Island in the BVI and didn't kite much as I focused on work and winging in my free time. 

Now, I'm back coaching on Namotu island in Fiji, where there are pumping waves, and I'm loving kiting in the waves again! Sometimes it's good to change the focus to get a newfound appreciation for the things we start to take for granted, like the wind and putting on a harness! 

My plans for 2023 and 2024 are to start running Kite & Wing Retreats again at my favourite locations and continue coaching for Ben Wilsons' Unlimited weeks on Namotu Island. I'll also be running some Yoga & Pilates Retreats at my favourite locations too. 

Issue 43 - February 2014 - Gisela Pulido

I started to fly kites in the sand when I was six years old and went on the water for the first time two years later. I started competing in 2003 and did my first World Tour the year after. It all started quite fast; I was competing in swimming as a kid, and I always loved to be the best at something, or at least try! I could say my career started when I was 10 years old. I'm almost 30 now… time flies!

I always competed in freestyle; it was what I loved the most. After becoming 10 times World Champion, my team and I decided to take a break and explore other sports and disciplines. Right now, I'm back in the competition but in the Olympic world. Formula Kite will be in the Olympics for the first time in 2024, and I'm currently campaigning to represent my country! It has been my dream since I was a kid. 

Coming from freestyle, one of the most technical disciplines, it didn't take much time to get going on the foil. But doing tricks is one thing, and racing is another. It's much more demanding, physical and also mental. You have so much more than going fast on the water with the tactics, strategy, race starts, mindset, and gear trimming; you have to perform a 10 in all of them. Otherwise, it's impossible to be at the top. Also, to have a chance, I had to gain some weight; the heavier you are, the faster you go. I'm currently 62 kg and aiming for 70 kg.

As you can see, it's quite different from freestyle, but I love the challenge. My training partner, Annelous Lammerts, competed with me in freestyle; now, we both train together and push each other; it's super nice. We have the Worlds in The Hague in August (14th-21st), where the first 8 spots for the Olympics will be given. So I'm super excited about it. I will push full on! 

I don't know my plans for the future; I love to compete, but doing an Olympic campaign is quite demanding. But I'm sure my life will be linked to the competition somehow. I like the Sail GP and America's Cup, and I would love to jump in one of those and explore this way. When I stop competing at a professional level, I would like to get some time for myself, too, finish my uni, play piano, get on a wingsuit, and many other "to-do's" on my list. I'm also lucky because together with my dad, we made some good future plans, a kite shop and school in Tarifa, and some good investments… so there will be time for myself!

Issue 56 - April 2016 - Bruna Kajiya

I started kiting around 2003 and turned pro about a year later. A lot has changed since then, but my core values remain the same. I've matured as a person and as an athlete, but I love kiteboarding to my core, and I love freestyling and competing, so all of those things remain the same. But, me, Bruna, my personality has grown and changed a lot in these years. 

One of my big career goals was to show that women can perform as well as men because when I started, it was mainly a male-dominated sport. Women had very little attention; if they did, it was to pose in bikinis or look pretty kiting, but not as a performance athlete. In the beginning, I had more of a Rambo attitude towards it; I'm gonna prove them wrong! Today, my goals remain the same, but it's more about having more space for women in the sport, more inclusiveness, and to inspire them, even to pursue kiting as a hobby. 

I've been kiting for a long time, but I'm not someone that plans my future. I believe we all have a passion in life, and I follow my heart and follow my instincts, which has led me to where I am today. That's how I live my life. I'm very passionate about kiting, and today I feel like I'm in the best phase of my career. Everything feels really good. So, for now, I'm just enjoying this and seeing where it takes me. 

Outside kiteboarding, I love real estate. I've invested in a few places worldwide, and I run those places on Airbnb. I like looking for land, and I love construction and renovation, which may be strange. Because I've moved so much and don't have a real home base, I feel like things like architecture and finding good spots bring me closer to it. I'm truly passionate about that. I am also really passionate about well-being in general. I research a lot of training methods but also good eating habits and the mental aspect of well-being. And that's a very big passion of mine. 

What excites me the most this year is that I now have C kites again. The more I ride them, the stronger I feel. It's like I'm rediscovering my riding, and then suddenly, all of these possibilities open up, so I'm just really enjoying that and having fun with that. Wave riding also really excites me. I recently started to compete in some of the wave events, and I've been having a blast. I've been a surfer since a young age, so the wave part comes naturally to me. I love to compete, and this year, we have quite a few events, which I'm super excited about. Those things have been really making my smile grow bigger every time I go in the water!

Issue 68 - April 2018 - Colleen Carroll

I first tried kiteboarding in the early 2000s, when I was in high school, and kites looked very different! Needless to say, shackling into a kite seemed a little sketchy at the time, especially as a 15/16-year-old, so it was a few years before my family and I really gave it a go. I picked my learning back up around the time I graduated from university in 2008, and since then, I've been completely hooked. I worked for kite shops and schools and started chasing wind year-round. I went pro when North Kiteboarding (the original Duotone) picked me up around 2012 after I had some good competition results and started publishing some articles. I still remember the 2018 shoot where we shot the cover photo. At that time, I would spend every spring in Cape Hatteras for at least a few months enjoying the epic kite conditions there. 

Since then, everything has changed! Something I am very proud of from that time was that, with the support of Duotone, I was able to organise and produce two women's photoshoots which gave us the content to showcase our women's team much more than in years prior. Now, I am still just as passionate about our sport, but I am quite a bit more in the background. I do what I can to stay involved with Duotone and the industry in general, but my career as a competitive athlete has come to an end. I'm still working on finding the right balance because I will forever consider myself an athlete, but it is no longer my job. In a way, it's made me love the sport even more. 

I had a son in July of 2022, and my husband and I have been figuring out how to do this parenting thing ever since. We're learning that it's just like everyone says - it's the best, hardest thing you will ever do. So it's definitely been a lot of focus on family over the past year or so. I also had a difficult pregnancy, so I had to slow down more than I thought I would early on. I'm not spending even close to as much time on the water, but we are finding our groove again, and I'm slowly able to spend more and more time back on the board. When I get the time to be out there - I soak in every second! I just competed in the Kiteboard 4 Cancer 6-hour endurance race, which was probably the most physically challenging thing I've ever done.

Looking forward, I'm excited to simply be on the water. I love kiteboarding so much, and the fondness only seems to grow. As for goals, I am looking forward to a successful women's kite camp (or two?) with Sensi Graves and Strut Kiteboarding this year, and I also hope to coach for Adrenajen's Snowkite Camps, which are one of my favourite things. I also want to get enough time on the water to feel strong in my body again. It's an amazing transformation to have a child, and it takes time to regain that strength, something I have a newfound respect for.  

Issue 87 - June 2021 - Hannah Whiteley

Kitesurfing properly started for me in 2007. I had tried some years earlier, but after a few "kite-mares", I decided kitesurfing was not for me. Little did I know in 2007, I would try again and be totally hooked. In 2011 I could call kitesurfing my job. Today, I feel extremely grateful to still travel around this beautiful world doing my biggest passion in life. I have joined the Cabrinha family, which I'm very proud to be part of; it's such a warm feeling to be part of a brand which is so passionate about what they do and driven to innovate. I have travelled to many new countries and immersed myself in creating more content than ever. YouTube vlogs have been a new project; I wanted to give a slightly deeper insight into my trips. 

Besides kitesurfing, I'm driven to renovate property, which is the background I had before kitesurfing took over. I love being hands-on and learning different skills. My master plan is to have some projects going on in the background so I'll always be able to continue kitesurfing. Outside of kitesurfing, I love moving my body in nature and challenging myself to other sports, whether snowboarding, climbing, wild swimming, skating or hiking. We are here for such a short time when you think about it. It would be a shame not to experience all you can. 

One thing is certain: kitesurfing will always be a part of my life; I like the idea of being a kitesurfing granny. My goals are to push other disciplines in kitesurfing, for example foiling big air. If you mix it up within your sport, the passion and drive will always be strong. I want to learn to pump foil and wing too. So 2023 and beyond is about exploring new avenues and gaining new skills.

Issue 96 - December 2022 - Zara Hoogenraad

I started kiting in 2017, but the big change came with a kite trip to Brazil two years ago, where I improved my skills and got my first sponsorship with CORE, making me want to train even harder. The same year, the Big Air Kite League started to host competitions, which was my opportunity to start competing. Everything started moving really fast. Now, I look back and can't believe how far I've come since starting kiting in 2017. I'm excited to see where my journey will go next!

Seeing myself on the cover of Issue 96 was like a dream come true! It was my first time on a cover, making me feel really proud. It was a big reward for all my hard work and marked a huge step in my kitesurfing career. The photo was taken by Antonio Herrera Trujillo, someone I really like working with. Having this cover shot taken by him made it extra special. 

This year, my biggest highlight was winning the Women's Move of the Year at the GKA Awards. The happiness and pride I felt at that moment is hard to describe. But I also had a tough time dealing with two injuries that kept me away from the water this year. While it's been hard physically and mentally, I've stayed positive and focused on getting better. I'm not 100% yet, but I can get back on the water, and that's the best part for me right now. The good times and the tough times are part of my journey in this sport.

In my career to date, winning Full Power Tarifa in 2022 holds a special place in my heart, not only because of the win but also because my boyfriend, Giel, won in the men's event on the same day. What made this event even more memorable was the situation with our friend Janek, who had broken both of his legs the day before, leading us to spend the entire day at the hospital. This brought Giel and me closer, and we were determined to win for Janek. Achieving our goal and sharing this victory is an unforgettable experience that we'll always cherish. 

My life currently revolves completely around kitesurfing, which I absolutely love. I've dedicated my entire life to this sport, and it has become a part of who I am. I spend most of my time travelling the world in search of the perfect wind conditions, training hard for upcoming competitions and continuously striving to improve my skills. I'm not planning on leaving competitive kiteboarding anytime soon; I see myself competing for a few more years. After that, I'm open to possibilities. I'm close to the CORE team and hope to stay in the kitesurfing world with them. So, while my athletic career isn't ending soon, I'm excited about what the future might bring.

Outside of kitesurfing, I have a passion for fitness and food. I might explore these areas and see if I can help people lead healthier lives. Maybe combine it with Big Air coaching for women to help the next generation. By pushing my limits and reaching my goals, I hope to motivate other women to join the sport and feel the thrill and fun of kiteboarding. More than just the sport, I want to inspire women to step out of their comfort zones. It's about moving your body, challenging yourself and striving to be the best version of yourself. Kiteboarding has taught me these values, and I hope to share them with others.

 

By Crystal Veness
Editor at IKSURFMAG, Crystal Veness hails from Canada but is based in South Africa. When she isn't busy kitesurfing or reporting on the latest industry news for the mag, she is kicking back somewhere at a windy kite beach or working on creative media projects.

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