In 2002 one man did something that no one has topped to this day, he won 2 kiteboarding world titles in one year, he was KPWT World Champion and PKRA World Champion at the same time.
He then went on to create the iconic video FUNK, worked with Nobile to develop their kites and boards, setup his own kite centre and finally setup his own board company. So clearly he is not lazy.
Most recently he has just released two girl specific boards and recruited a kick ass team of girls consisting of Amy Strzalko, Katie Chandler and Jessica Winkler.
All of this whilst being one of the pioneers for advancement and change in the sport, writing a regular column for Kite World Magazine (which we are big fans of) and always maintaining a sense of fun and most importantly passion for the sport and doing it his way.
Most importantly he is also a fan of KiteSista.
Who is this man? He is of course Mark Shinn.
KSm: We wrote quite a complimentary little introduction for you there Mark, bring us back down to earth, what are you not very good at?
MS: That is indeed a pretty nice intro, I’m not sure I’m going to live up to the expectations you just made! I think the list of my failings might make a far longer list than my achievements. I can happily confess to being a pretty lousy bike racer, I’ve entered a lot and still measure my success by whether my placing is in 2 or 3 figures!!
KSm: Originally form Southampton in the UK You have been living out in Tenerife for over 12 years now and from what we hear you are a very happy man when you are there. What made you choose it as the place to call home?
MS: I first came to Tenerife to winter train for windsurf racing in the UK. I was looking for an inexpensive spot, not to far from home where the weather was good all year and the wind reasonably consistent. Tenerife fit the bill perfectly. As I’ve traveled I always declared that should another spot offer the same ingredients but better I would move. Till now though I simply haven’t found it and I enjoy my life here more than ever (maybe because I spend so much more time here recently!). The weather and wind have less of an influence on my life than they once did but this islands really does tick a lot of boxes still and honestly I don’t see myself leaving in the near future.
KSm: You have been very busy recently with a new range of boards and a shiny new website – www.shinnworld.com – are you still finding time to get out on the water as much as you want to?
One of the best parts about my job is being able to convince myself at any moment that going in the water is really “working”
MS: I certainly do. If the conditions are good I’m out there. I’m not 21 anymore though; I don’t need to kite 6 hours a day. I’ll pick my moment, when the tide is perfect or the wind the most stable and take my quality 60/90 mins. One of the best parts about my job is being able to convince myself at any moment that going in the water is really “working”. I’m not sure who I’m trying to fool but I do it anyway!
KSm: The design and graphics of your boards has always been very different to the other brands with bold colours and lots of stripes. Can you tell us a little bit more about this choice?
MS: Firstly I should say that I’m not the dominant voice when it comes to graphic choices. We have a designer in Belgium and my partner Jan liases with him all the time. They decide the direction of the brand and work through the 10,000 versions of a board it takes before we get to the one we put into production. Most of my input is on a yes, no, never or “I’m not sure we can do that technically” point of view.
When we started Shinn we made a clear choice on the direction of the brand and the vision of Toon our designer, it would be a mistake to then try to direct it myself. One thing we were very clear about from the beginning though was that Shinn had to have a unique look, when researching the market our designer (who is not a kiteboarder) commented to me that he found it hard to distinguish between some of the brands from their graphics and look. A Shinn should always look like a Shinn and should always stand out from the crowd!
KSm: Can you tell us a little more about your decision to push the focus towards the girls with 2 boards and your new team members all signed up in quick succession?
MS: We’ve had a ladies board in the range since our first year however this year we decided that we were not doing enough. Offering a token board is not really a commitment to ladies kiteboarding. At the time Katie Chandler was in the running to be named “most influential ladies kiteboarder” and was riding a Shinn from choice so she was our natural pick to join the team. From that we very quickly recruited Amy and Jessica too.
All 3 are standout riders of course but what caught our attention was their enthusiasm and love of the sport. It’s fun to work with them and from a purely “work” point of view the amount of media coverage they generate and photo/video material they generate is fantastic.
KSm: Is there a lady in your life at the moment other than your team of Angels? (sorry, images of Amy Katie and Jessica sitting around a speaker box with a crackling voice suddenly heard saying “Angels, this is Mark here” are hard to remove from my mind).
MS: Ah indeed there is. In June I have the privilege my marrying my partner Malwina. We met some years ago during a conference in Poland and she moved out to Tenerife around 18 months ago.
KSm: Marriage!, ..Congratulations. Is it sometimes hard balancing your demanding schedule and work load with relationships?, …and do you have any words of wisdom in this subject?
sometimes just the smallest of thoughts for others can make a huge difference
MS: Indeed it can be hard but everything is possible with some work! Malwina runs a logistics company in Poland and handles that side of things on our behalf. I won’t lie, working together can put some stress onto a relationship but if you set some ground rules it’s manageable! There are some benefits though, kiteboarding is and has been such a significant part of my life that it’s actually good to be able to share it.
The only piece of advice I’d give anyone and it’s not about relationships in particular is to be respectful of others. It seems that the world is becoming more and more egoistic, sometimes just the smallest of thoughts for others can make a huge difference.
KSm: You have had your fair share of injury problems and having knee brace sponsor is evidence of that. Is there a moment when you think you will have to calm down a bit, has that moment passed, or is it just a question of realising and riding within the capabilities of your body?
MS: I think I’ve been incredibly lucky in that respect. I have a long term knee injury that came about from a car accident when I was 18. It could have ended much worse than a few busted ligaments that’s for sure! Apart from this I’ve not really had more than a few cuts and bangs and I don’t really class them as injuries. If it doesn’t keep you off the water then it’s just a minor inconvenience really! IN recent years I’ve become more aware of how easy it is to take your health for granted.
I spend a lot more time in the gym and a lot more time biking to ensure my health and fitness is top notch, not just to be able to enjoy my time on the water more but also to be able to prevent injuries as much a possible.
For sure I’ve calmed down in the last 10 years and cut out some of the sports that seemed more likely to cause injury (like my non-budding half pipe skateboarding career, an activity that seemed to entail 30 mins on the ramp followed by 2 days in bed covered in bruises!) but I like to think that I am just saving myself for the things that really count – and for me that’s being in the water.
KSm: You have always pushed the many different disciplines of kiting from freestyle to free-ride to strapless to skim, …tell us about your motivations for looking at the sport from all angles and how important this should be to all us out there riding?
MS: I never intended to push anything to anyone I’ve always just done what felt right or fun at the time. One of the aspects I love so much about kiteboarding is the fact that it is so non-condition specific. You can have a great day pretty much anywhere there is water and wind.
Since I stopped competing and lost the necessity to train I look at the water in new ways. I started riding strapless when the conditions didn’t look much good for anything else but put me on glassy flat water and constant winds and the bindings will be on for sure. One of the most important things for me to maintain my motivation is to be constantly learning new things and varying the way I ride opens up so many possibilities that it’s impossible for me come off the water without a smile on my face!
KSm: Thank you Mark, …as is tradition we will let you close in your own words. The podium is your Mark, ..the girls are listening.
MS:Wow, normally I’m not aloud to talk to other girls (just kidding!). I’m not one for making deep meaningful comments but one thing I try to keep in mind is that it’s kiteboarding, it’s a hobby and it’s supposed to be FUN!
If it’s making you shout, or angry or post useless comments in chat forums then maybe you should consider doing something else and leave the fun to the rest of us!
Very wise words from Mr.Shinn. It has been an absolute pleasure to talk to you and we wish you all the best both professionally and personally and please keep us updated as to what happens next.