One of the best female strapless freestyle riders out there at the moment, Carla Herera gets the Female Focus treatment this issue.

Where did you grow up, when did you learn to kite, and what got you interested in the sport? 

I was born in the Dominican Republic, but later my family moved to Spain. When I was 12 years old, we moved to Conil in southern Spain, just one hour from Tarifa. Two years later, I flew a kite for the first time, and that’s when I got hooked. Ever since I have always kept one eye on the forecast and don’t see myself ever living away from the sea. What got me interested was the power of the kite, the adrenalin and Tarifa’s challenging conditions.

On the women’s side, you´ve been one of the pioneers in strapless freestyle. Has this always been your discipline of choice and what attracted you to it?

To begin with, I started with freestyle and achieved a pretty decent level! But two years ago I tried the surfboard and really enjoyed it. After a few sessions, I decided to move over to strapless freestyle. I guess I switched because I am a girl who likes action. Also, we don’t usually get nice waves for wave riding here!

How has living in Tarifa influenced you as a rider?

Tarifa is well known for its strong winds; almost every day we get great conditions for training strapless freestyle. Many of the riders here have a super high level, so I learn from them and get motivated to improve every time I ride.

Well done on a successful start to the season on the GKA World Tour. The women seem to be on fire! What have you done to prepare for the season?

Honestly, I thought that this year we would have some more freestyle events on the tour and the other women would be a bit more motivated and prepared for it.

Last winter, I moved to Brazil to train properly. There, I got more consistent and learnt how to go bigger. I was really close to landing my first strapless kite loops!

Sadly, this year most of the women’s events are wave-based with only a bit of freestyle, as most women don’t want to ride freestyle. At the moment, I am trying to train and improve my wave riding, although this is not the easiest in Tarifa. I really think with the right support and training I could be on top in the wave events. Wish me luck!

How do you balance competing, riding for fun, and shooting?

At the end of the day, the most important thing is being on the water. I don’t mind whether it is for competing or just for fun, but I always try to do my best.

What are your goals for 2018?

I have already reached one of my goals. This was to get proper support from a brand and be able to compete at all the GKA events. My other goal was to finish in the top three on the tour. But it looks like there won’t be any more women’s freestyle events, so I have to be realistic. I am happy with my performance so far, and I think I can do better at the next events. Just give me some time, and you will see!

You recently joined the Ocean Rodeo team – congrats! What prompted the change in equipment, what are you riding on these days, and do you like most about your gear?

Thank you! The gear is quite similar to what I’m used to, so it wasn’t a big deal. At the moment, the kite I use most is the Roam. I feel really comfortable with it because it is a fast kite and works pretty well in both waves and freestyle. As for boards, we are working with some new concepts and prototypes, but I can’t tell you any more at the moment!

Thank you again Ocean Rodeo for all the support!

Describe your dream session.

I love strong wind, I would say something like a 35-knot side-offshore wind and a good kicker to the right so I could go as big as possible. Since it is a dream, let’s add a glassy left wave and a lagoon at the end. And I would share it with my boy. There it is… the perfect session. Luckily, there are often strong winds here in Tarifa, so it get’s pretty close.

Do you find yourself riding with other female riders, are you generally on the water with a bunch of guys, or a good mix? How does the crew you ride with influence your session and your riding style?

I usually ride with guys, as sadly, there are few girls in the sport. Riding with girls is fun, but if I’m honest, I don’t mind kiting with guys. Especially when their level is higher than mine because then I get pushed and motivated. If they can do it, so can I. I always really enjoy the sessions after competitions. When the guys are riding for fun, and I get a lot of ideas and tips for improving.

When you aren´t kiting, what are you doing?

Since the beginning of this year, I have been trying to train every day, working on my overall fitness. Besides that, I work as an instructor. Basically, I spend my days at the beach! I also love going to the mountains with my dog.

What do you enjoy most about the GKA World Tour? What changes or improvements would you like to see? What is the vibe in the women´s fleet?

What I enjoy most is seeing the crew again. We all live in different places, so it is always good to see them. And of course, getting to travel the world and discover new locations to ride.

I would like to finally see the women’s division becoming a full tour, not only in the wave discipline but also in strapless freestyle. Last year, I competed against the guys in Tarifa, and I qualified for the men’s main event. Unfortunately, at the end of the year, those points did not count because I didn’t get them in a woman’s event. I don’t think it’s fair that one girl will be the GKA Wave and Strapless Freestyle World Champion at the end of the year when we had no freestyle events. For me, waves are not something I enjoy doing, but I know if I want to be the best, I have to do them. However, the rest of the competitors do not seem to see it this way, and they just refuse to compete in freestyle.

The atmosphere between the girls is really great, we are all friends and help each other during the competition. This wasn’t something I was expecting, so it was a very pleasant surprise.

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

Auto-inflatable kites!

If I had to choose just one thing, I would like all the brands to get more involved in bringing the sport to school kids. I live in Tarifa, but we see barely any local people riding. It is because they have never tried kitesurfing or maybe can’t afford to try. If we could see more initiatives that helped kids get into kiting that would be fantastic.

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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