Meet Poland’s Malgorzata Kolacz, Margaret for short. Malgorzata seems to be good at everything she tries: kiteboarding, snowboarding, running a small business. Find out what drives her in this inspiring interview!

Malgorzata Kolacz is a shredder from Poland; with a passion for board sports and a penchant for the Brazilian Acai berry she juggles her time around her growing business. As soon as she isn’t working though, she loves to get out on her kiteboarding gear!

Hi Malgorzata! For starters, can you share a bit about your background, where you grew up, and how you were introduced to kiteboarding?

Hello everybody! I grew up in Wroclaw in southwest Poland. Since my parents were always very active, I was raised in a sports-filled atmosphere. I spent my summer holidays at the lake playing on my father’s windsurfing board, and my winter holidays were always spent in the mountains. I started skiing when I was three years old and windsurfing when I was 9. The first sport that I fell in love with was freestyle snowboarding. I trained as a member of our Polish National Team and had a few achievements, such as being Polish Junior and Senior Champion. The second sport that took over my heart was windsurfing. I spent several vacations in Prasonisi, Greece. After the wind started getting too light for windsurfing, I started kitesurfing. That’s how my third big passion began.

When did you start your acai business, where did that idea come from, and how do you balance your business with your riding?

Since I was 18 years old, I spent every winter training and working as a snowboard instructor. Spending 12-15 weeks in the Alps teaching people is hard work, and I usually didn’t have much power to shred for fun. So, after a few years of such a life, I needed a change. When I went on my first trip to Brazil, at the beginning of 2015, I fell in love with the acai berry. I was in need of a change and in love with the Brazilian fruit, so that’s how the idea of my business started. I bought an old Volkswagen T3, renovated it, and transformed it into Poland’s first acai food truck.

Now, I run three food trucks, all of them are old-time VW T3 and are open from May until the end of September. During the summer season, I barely have time to sleep, so it is even harder to find time to go kitesurfing. I run the business in the south of Poland, and the closest kite spot is 550 km north. Nevertheless, I always find a couple of days to take part in competitions, visit the Polish coast, and spend time with my boyfriend who lives there.

It is autumn and winter, after the acai business is closed when I have time to go on kitesurfing and snowboarding trips. Although, in winter, I still work as an instructor for few weeks during the snow season, and I also organise snowboard trips for heli-boarding in Georgia.

Nobile introduced a beautiful line of products this year! What do you ride, how do you choose, and what do you like best about your kit?

I am in love with Nobile’s 50/Fifty board! It performs great for women’s freestyle, and the 131 size fits me perfectly. It can be hard to find gear that fits me well because I am light and small. My kites are also Nobile 50/Fifty, and my favourite size is 7m. I choose the gear that’s designed for freestyle. My boots are Slingshot Jewel’s. They are excellent quality and fit my small foot size (35/36 EU).

What have been the biggest highs and lows in your kiteboarding career?

Before I started my business, I had a lot of time to go kitesurfing. So, now I am having a harder time. During the summer, when it is warm and windy, everybody goes kiting when I have to work. On the other hand, between those busy days during the past summer, I found time to take part in competitions. I won the Polish Cup and became the Polish Champion in freestyle.

We’re seeing the population of female kiteboarders continue to grow. What do you think the kiteboarding community can do to help encourage female participation?

Yes, it is great that there are so many women kiteboarders! Even today, in the Taiba lagoon in Brazil, we were a group of six women talking about how ladies are taking over the sport! I think kitesurfing is a very feminine sport, especially because in warm places all you need are your equipment, a bikini, and a smile.

Do you focus on one discipline, or do you practice many different styles?

I don’t have much time to practice, so I focus on freestyle because it’s the most fun for me.

Outside of kiteboarding, what are your passions?

All year round, I love spending time in the mountains hiking, biking and getting outside. Riding fresh powder on my snowboard during the winter brings me so much joy — my second huge passion is snowboarding!

Could you describe life and kiteboarding in Poland for those of us who haven’t been to your home country before?

Life in Poland is not much different than in other European countries. We have electricity, and there are no polar bears on the streets, as many people used to think!

Poland is a beautiful and diverse country. We have mountains, forests, lakes and the sea. In the north, there is the 34 km long Hel Peninsula and Pucka Bay. The bay is a perfect playground for kitesurfing, with flat and shallow water. In the summertime, there are plenty of kite schools, and it is very crowded. There’s a massive interest in kitesurfing in Poland. Even though we have to put on a thick wetsuit, the wind blows nearly every day. Even when it rains, people come to Hel from all over the country.

What are you most excited about; what gets you out of bed each day?

I’m most excited about all sorts of travel. I love going on short hiking trips to the Polish mountains or spending whole days riding a bike and exploring the surroundings. Instead of getting homesick, I get travel sick if I have to spend too much time in one place!

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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