Whatever sport you look at, there is no doubt youths are the future. They will ensure the survival and the development of a discipline, especially in windsurfing. In the past, perhaps this was forgotten in terms of specially adapted and efficient equipment for youngsters. Today though, kids can finally find boards and rigs that will boost their progress. All they have to do is to spend time together in the water, because kids loving being with other kids and pushing themselves to progress. So ignoring the rule of never work with children or animals, I organised a mega trip for a bunch of talented kids in their school holidays, with the aim to get everyone on the water as much as possible, this is the story of how my ‘Water Academy’ went down!
Most parents know that for children to have fun, they have to be with their friends. Putting a kid on the water with windsurfing equipment and wind will not be enough to get him hooked. But if he finds himself spending this same day with friends of his age, the magic will happen!
Therefore we gathered a team of kids for a journey that would take shape according to the weather conditions. Not all of them were windsurfers, but we wanted to make them discover all the board sports available and learn from each other. Today, there are so many different ways to have fun with boards, that I did not plan a single second of rest for the whole two weeks! Our trailer was filled with sails, boards, foils, surfboards, SUPs, skateboards and some surprises! Manu Morel, our faithful photographer, came with us to immortalize our sessions, but also to help me manage the team! Two weeks with a bunch of kids - we must be mad!
KIDS ON TOUR
The message sent to each kid was clear! Meeting at my place in Carro in the south of France with a towel, warm clothes, a wetsuit and a toothbrush - everything must fit in a small backpack to ensure mobility! Our itinerary will be decided by the weather forecast on the day of departure. This does not really reassure parents, who usually need to know precisely where their kids are, and I am surprised that everyone trusts me with their kids! Besides the homework, which is not really our specialty, Manu and I are ready to manage these five young water athletes.
LET’S GO!
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