Being a top kiteboarder isn’t only about being better than your opponents. One of the most challenging opponents can be yourself. In SKYWALKER, a Red Bull documentary, Lasse Walker gives us a look inside his mind. In this article, Lasse shares some insights behind the film, his fears, and his motivations. Dive into this IKSURFMAG article!

When you're underwater, there's almost always an anxious whisper in the back of your mind saying, "Hurry up! You need to breathe air again. Hurry. HURRY!" It gets louder and louder the longer you stay under. Freediving, in a way, breaks that thought pattern. Being able to exist under the surface and have a peaceful mind is almost an art form.

Freediving is about breathing and efficiency, trying to lower your heart rate and clear your mind of other thoughts. It starts with breathing exercises at the surface to prepare your body and mind for the world beneath. Underwater, it's about enjoying the experience, exploring the environment, and being in the moment. For me, many conflicts somehow work in harmony when I dive. I'm in control of my emotions and fears while accepting that I have enough air inside my body. I'm excited but extremely calm. When I've settled into that meditative state, it feels like pure silence and stillness.

That first breath when I reach the surface is always a relief, a renewal, in a sense. After a good dive, my first inhale fills me with positive emotions. Every dive and every time I reach the surface feels like a little victory.

I found freediving because I needed a way to manage my nerves. I have been working with my performance coach on different outlets and have practised breathwork and the Wim Hof (ice bath) method almost daily. Freediving was a natural next step because all of these practices are compatible. 

After a challenging King of the Air event, I went to Bonaire with my friend and KOTA Caddy, Bas van Duijvenbode. There, we attended a course by Carlos Coste, who holds countless world records, including being the first person to reach over 100m deep on a single breath. He was a wise, inspirational teacher who gave me a new, valuable tool to manage my stress.

When I started kiting, I was just a kid having a great time doing something I enjoyed. I was trying out different things on the water, and it was all coming together. I've been lucky to live a very safe and fun life, and I had the unequivocal support of my parents. From the start, they and my friends pushed me to keep improving. Then, quite suddenly, I became sponsored by the biggest and best brands in the kiting and extreme sports industries. Now, I had this new pressure to deliver. 

Nerves were never a significant part of my life, never in school, other sports, or even in public speaking situations. It only surfaced during kiteboarding competitions. On event days, I wasn't eating right or sleeping right. I wasn't in control. Furthermore, I was constantly setting goals for myself; small, big, short-term, and long-term; the list never stopped growing. I worked extremely hard on achieving them, to the point of obsession. It wasn't healthy.

Back then, I was "just dealing with it". My strategy was to hope it got better, but it never happened. Kiteboarding is on the small side when it comes to adrenaline sports. Getting help can be quite a struggle. In Formula 1, every driver has a team with multiple assistants and coaches. In professional kiteboarding, for the most part, you're on your own. It is changing slowly, with more riders and brands looking into systems that build up and support athletes, including on the mental health side. Now, I have a performance coach who is there to help me find solutions and manage that stress, which is something I wanted to share in Skywalker, my Red Bull documentary. 

The Skywalker film project, just released on Red Bull TV, has been one of the biggest projects I've worked on. I wasn't setting out to inspire the masses; I simply wanted to share my story. With filmmaker Floris Tils, we got to work on the project in Cape Town, South Africa. Mindset was always a central theme of the story, so we chose to incorporate freediving into the movie.

We captured the freediving shots in the film in Cape Town at a shipwreck called The Antipolis, an oil tanker that had sunk in 1977. As everyone that's been to Cape Town knows, the water can be cold… really cold! Divers are equipped with a thick wetsuit, gloves, boots, caps, and every possible neoprene accessory you can add. After two shots, Floris told me he couldn't recognise me in the footage, and I needed to take off the gloves and cap. It was BY FAR the coldest I've ever been, freediving in 10-degree water with constant brain freeze. I couldn't feel my fingers for hours, but, looking back, it was a great challenge.

Sharing my athletic journey and competition experiences on film felt pretty natural. But, sharing the more personal side left me unsure what other athletes, kiters, and people from the industry would think and say. But, there was no doubt for me whatsoever; I wanted to tell the story. We recorded one (of many) of my sessions with my performance coach. Seeing the result after everything had come together was beautiful. I was proud of myself for opening up and saw it as an important learning opportunity. Floris and I were confident and proud to share this project with the world.

I've always seen myself as a humble guy and not one to brag. So, I'll keep it simple. With Skywalker, I wanted to tell the story of what I've experienced. I do what I love, and I think I do it well and with great joy! But, somehow, with these competitions, all my love and passion for kiteboarding turned into nerves, making it so hard for me that I was on the edge of giving it all up. I'm glad I didn't; I owned it.

There are still tough days. I'm still obsessed with pushing myself to be better. And, sometimes, I still feel like I let myself down. There's no other way to say it, but losing sucks. I'm not a super competitive person, so it's not like losing is the worst feeling in the world, but I like to show what I do and give it my best. And losing means I didn't do that... which, yeah... it sucks!

Now, though, I feel like I can deal with it a bit differently. For example, I didn't perform well at the recent Cold Hawaii, which I'm disappointed about. On the other hand, I was feeling great, had fun and wasn't experiencing nerves. So, that was a huge and beautiful win for me! Now, I can see that I am taking that time to focus on the positives and grow from every experience. 

There's so much to enjoy about relaxing your mind in situations where you're stressed or impatient, even silly ones. I used to always hate traffic jams. To be honest, I still do. But, now I try to enjoy them, stay patient, and look for the positives, even while stuck in traffic!

I'm excited to be tackling life with this new mindset. I still have so much to learn and achieve. As we speak, I'm working on my submission video for the 2022 Red Bull King of the Air, which is approaching fast. My fingers are crossed, and I hope to be back competing against the best of the best at KOTA again. 

I've always been more on the extreme side. Jumping high and far, with explosive power, a low kite, and just going wild! Every year, I hope we get the same insane conditions we had in the 2016 event. A day like this in Cape Town will set new levels for Big Air kiteboarding. The younger and highly talented youth pushing the sport's technical side will make it an exciting year! 

To prepare, I'm doing the same thing I always do. I'm riding as well as I can, preparing everything I have control over, and focusing on having fun. I've been told, and I believe, that having fun brings out the best in me and everyone around me. I love flying high and far and am always aiming to go more radical and extreme than before. Pushing myself in extreme conditions is what I love and live for!

I'm no motivational speaker, and we've all seen more than enough inspirational Instagram quotes, but I can share what I learned and experienced. Insecurities are absolutely nothing to be ashamed of; everybody has their demons. We all experience our own challenges, big or small. Whether being shy, bad at math, afraid to jump from a cliff, speak in front of a big crowd, parallel park, or even walking up to someone new, we all have something. All I'd like to say is, just go for it. Don't be afraid of anything; put the work into making yourself the person you want to be. If you invest your time and energy into conquering your fears and achieving your goals, positives will flow!

 

By Lasse Walker

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