Marc Cafero is the star of our ten questions this issue; the young wakeboarder turned kiter is lucky enough to call the Turks and Caicos home, and he shreds!

The young wakeboarder turned kiter from the Turks and Caicos is the subject of our ten questions this issue! 

Describe your childhood, and how you were introduced to kiteboarding.

Before moving to Turks and Caicos at age 13, I had never even heard of kiteboarding. One day while wakeboarding, my friend Kit Griffiths told me about kiteboarding. He had been doing it for a little while and introduced me to an instructor. From there, I took a few lessons and off I went, addicted to the sport!

You’ve been on the road a lot this year. Where have you travelled and where are you heading next?

This year has been an amazing one! I was in Florida for most of the winter, kiting and riding at my local cable park, Ski Rixen USA. Then, as soon as I finished school, I was off to Cape Hatteras, NC for a week, Peru for a month, and Hood River, Oregon for three weeks. At the end of August, I will be back in Jupiter, Florida to start up school again.

What do you like most about being part of the Slingshot team?

I love everything about being on the team, but my favourite part is how much they involve me in their R&D process. It's awesome to be able to work with the team to create awesome products. Everyone there is always motivated to innovate and create something new.

What are your kiteboarding goals, both short term and long term?

My primary goal is to score a wildcard spot into the Triple S Invitational. This is the event that I admire the most and would love to be a part of! In the future, I would like to push my riding as much as possible but also involve myself as much as possible with the R&D team at Slingshot. I am currently a product tester and would love to keep growing in this area as well.

How do you find a balance between riding to progress, producing media and competing?

Finding a balance can be tricky. I try to capitalise on any chances I have to deliver media because it takes a motivated team to create cool videos and images, which doesn't happen a lot. Whenever I’m not filming, I’m crashing a lot! This is when I progress by trying new tricks to get ready for the handful of competitions that I do each year. Lately, I have been pushing to compete in the Kite Park League competitions. The Hood Jam and Triple S are my main focuses at the moment.

Who do you look up to in kiteboarding, and where do you find the motivation to keep pushing your limits?

I look up to anyone who is pushing the sport, especially in the direction of style, perfect execution and park riding. Sam Light and Ewan Jaspan are at the forefront of this right now. I enjoy watching them ride, and I like incorporating elements of their style; grabs, smooth tricks and not “spinning to win”, into my riding.

The Turks and Caicos look like a great place to visit; do you have any advice for someone who is thinking about planning a kite trip to TCI?

Turks and Caicos is an extraordinary place to kite. My advice is to bring big kites, load up on sunscreen, and get your cameras ready! The trade winds are usually on the lighter side, so my main kite used there is my 13m Slingshot Fuel. But, keep an eye on the forecast a few days before you go because there are some days where you will break out a 9m. The secluded islands and turquoise waters just off the mainland are by far the most beautiful places I have ever kited. Butter flat water, mangrove islands and private white sandy beaches are all accessible by kite or boat.

If you could change one thing about kiteboarding, what would you change and why?

I wish there were kite parks all over the world. This is my favourite aspect of kiteboarding, and I think it would be great if it were accessible to more people around the world. Not many people have the opportunity to ride features on a kite because it can be quite difficult to manage a park. The Slider Project in Hood River has done an excellent job building and maintaining a park in The Gorge. Now that the KPL is hosting events in different countries, this aspect of the sport is gaining more exposure and growing rapidly.

How have your friends and family supported and influenced your riding?

My family has been amazing in supporting me throughout my kiteboarding journey. They have allowed me to travel, and they have given me the freedom and support to go to the beach every day and dedicate my life to this awesome sport!

How do you think that your generation will change the sport?

My generation is at the forefront of progression, and I believe that we will only drive the sport forward as time goes on. We are the first generation to have a full generation of kiters come before us. We can watch and learn to see how the current pro athletes ride and handle tough situations.

Videos

En Route NE - Kiteboarding Cape Hatteras
Mark Cafero - JUSTIFIED
By Lindsay McClure
Lindsay is a pro rider from Hood River in the USA, she works for IKSURFMAG as our Features Editor and is an integral part of the team. Lindsay is really into wakestyle riding and can be found in the Hood River Slider Park during the summer months, she also travels all over the world with the World Class Academy helping younger riders develop through kiteboarding!

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