You may have noticed that we have been talking quite a bit about the Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer 2012 competition so we thought it was about time to meet one of the creators. Her name is Jessica Winkler and if you haven’t heard of her already she is the third fastest girl in the world on a kite and also one of the top three mexican freestylers.
KSm: Hi Jessica… You are the kind of girl who doesn’t seem to take a break or slow down (excuse the pun)… is it true?
Jessica: I have been known to have too much energy and never stop but i’m so excited about life I can’t get enough! When you are doing what you love and you are working for yourself there is nothing more motivating!
KSm: As we mentioned, you are one of the the creators of the MIGK competition that you run with inMotion online kitesurf mag… can you tell us a little bit more about how this idea did came about?
Jessica: When I first began searching for a serious career in kiteboarding, I was constantly hitting road blocks with getting more exposure, until I met Brendon at inMotion. He was interested in what I was doing and thought my story would be unique to his audience. We ended up putting an article together on how to get sponsored, which was really well received (still the most popular article on the site). So, I suggested to Brendon that we create a platform for other women to do the same thing,and over plenty of lengthy skype calls, the MIGK competition was born.
KSm: How do you see the MIGK competition from your point helping girls who are really passionate about kitesurfing?
Jessica: As just one example, last year one of our top 10 girls, Michelle Smith, who placed 4th overall, is now in the process of signing with a sports agent, and Mystic SA has approached her for a sponsorship due to the exposure she received from the MIGK competition. Also, as a direct result of the competition, Michelle has been elected by Sport and Recreation South Africa for their “little green book” which features the top 100 most influential people in sport during the period of January to December 2011, and she received a lot of media exposure, including newspaper and radio interviews.
Brendon and I were so excited to see our hard work pay off and accomplish what we set out to do. We feel the girl’s profiles give them the opportunity to share their goals, motivations and how they are working to achieve them, with the world. And for the girls who already have public profiles, we give them additional exposure and the opportunity to reach a wider audience.
KSm: Do you see yourself as someone who has dedicated their direction in the kitesurfing industry towards helping specifically girls, and was this a conscious decision ?
Jessica: I feel my social media focus has been directed towards women however my school Kite Beach Yucatan (KBY) has a variety of clients. Over 50% of our clients are local Mexicans. We have begun to develop a bit of a reputation for teaching young children as well as mature adults. We also host a variety of kite camps for beginner, intermediate and advanced riders. My main goal is a achieve balance and take great pride in seeing women, children and men of all ages coming together to enjoy this amazing sport at the KBY villa.
KSm: You compete as a pro kitesurfer, travel the world for the competitions and run a kite centre in Yucatan, Mexico as well… do you ever find the time to ride just for yourself and relax a little bit?
Jessica: I can’t deny it is tough to find the balance between all these things and lately I have been focusing a lot more on getting my school up and running for our second season. We have a lot of changes this year such as opening a retail shop & a restaurant. I also am working on programming my personal website and an online store so I have not had much time to train lately. My plan for next month is to hire my own personal instructor to work with me to nail some more complicated tricks so I can hopefully win many of the competitions starting this spring.
KSm: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Jessica: I hope to be like a proud mama looking at all the amazing people who have been through my school(s). I hope I’ve influenced people along the way in using kiteboarding as a tool to gain confidence and strength to tackle many of life’s challenges or they took on the sport and became successful competing. I also hope to have a success sports clothing line which i’m working on developing next year.
KSm: Do you have other passions other than kitesurfing?
Jessica: Honestly I used to but since starting my kite school & vacation center I have not had a moment to do anything else. I’m looking forward to creating more balance and rediscovering my other passions in life.
KSm: What advice would you give to the Sistas who would, like you, work in the kitesurf industry?
Jessica: The biggest thing I can say is be passionate and have fun! People always tell me they enjoyed my lessons because they can see I really care about them. It is important to live each and every day to the fullest and share that with your clients.
KSm: Do you have any future project that we should be looking out for?
Jessica: Yes….. a few…… we will be announcing them on our website shortly… they will be EPIC!!!!!
KSm: A few words to close…
Jessica: I just want to congratulate Sophie Chevalier, your editor, for doing such an amazing job in the Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer competition. She is truly one amazing girl. inMotion kitesurfing and I enjoy seeing all the nominations come in and hear what incredible things people are doing in the kite industry. Keep being the best person you can be. People do notice!
KSm: Jessica thank you so much for this wonderful interview and of course for your kinds words and encouragement for Sophie and KiteSista. We look forward to your updates and we wish you all the best for your future.
