Having enjoyed the flavour of a Wingfoil competition with the world’s best riders in Tarifa in Dec’20, we cannot wait for this tour to hit the road! For the GWA to be serious about pushing this sport, its boundaries and the performance of the athletes with every single competition is massive for the sport.
Being an official partner of the fair BOOT DÜSSELDORF, which just happens to be the largest watersports exhibition in the world, shows they mean business. The GWA will also be supporting the first ever German Wingfoil Championship, which takes place in Kiel from the 29 July – 1 August 2021, which is another string to their bow. (globalwingsportsassociation.org)
There are two official disciplines for the GWA Wingfoil World Tour: Surf-Freestyle and Surf-Race, plus a possible third discipline called the Expression Session, which does not count towards world rankings, but can be added to the main two categories at the discretion of the respective event. Read on to find out what’s involved:
Surf-Freestyle
The Surf-Freestyle discipline includes the expression format where competitors surf waves or swells and perform air and surface tricks using the given water conditions. It is a mix of both wave riding and air tricks.
Surf-Race
In the Surf-Race discipline, multiple competitors ride around a course with a start and finish line that combines jibes, tacks and parts of pumping or surfing without wing assistance. The Race Director sets the course according to the given conditions in the competition area. It is called Surf-Race because it includes upwind racing with surfing/pumping downwind.
Expression session
In addition to the two official disciplines, an event may host an expression session format.
An expression session is a non-official show format that does not count towards the world ranking. During the expression session, the athletes compete in a special format that is chosen depending on the conditions to provide a spectacular show (for example Best Trick, Best Wave, Highest Jump, Team contest, etc.)
Woah, this guys is nuts – which some think is a slight understatement! Watching the Spanish Champion in Snowboarding Slopestyle, Jaime Castro, train and prepare for his next championship was insane. He is a FIS (International Ski Federation), as well as FADI (Andalusian Federation of Winter Sports), and so we hooked up with him in Livigno/ Italy, where one Europe’s best SB training parks is situated: Mottolino Fun Mountain!
The park was open to athletes and their coaches during this winter season, who came from all over the world, including countries like the UK, Germany, Argentina, Chile, Czech Republic and many more, other than native athletes from Italy and Spain. It was important for training to resume, as European championships and tournaments (carried out in their respective bubbles) were still taking place. The jumps at Mottolino are of Olympic standard, which is why we are not surprised that this sleepy, pretty little village will be hosting some of the ski and snowboard disciplines at the Winter Olympics in 2026! Exciting stuff…
Jaime’s home turf is actually the Sierra Nevada. He’s from Granada, the fabulous Spanish city steeped in history, situated in Andalusia and home to the world-famous Alhambra. So, popping up the hill to the Sulayr Snowpark is easy pickings for him. Watch him fly, twist and turn there, as there’s nothing safe from getting the ‘Jaime treatment’. Hence, when the heaviest snowfall in 40 years hit Madrid, Jaime hit the road. Board in the boot, he made his way to the Spanish capital, and delivered snowboarding performances the city has never seen before. You have to see it to believe it…you may peel your chin off the floor after!
Back at the Mottolino Fun Park, the new generation wasn’t sleeping though: junior athletes (also FADI members) were hard at work, training for the Campeonato de España Snowboarding Slopestyle, which was scheduled for the end of March. Bad weather moved to to the 10-11 April, and we can only congratulate Teiva Hamaini, Aida Castro & Kai Hamaini to have made it onto the podium in their respective categories – very well done, guys! But, it’s time to hit that start button now and see them perform…have fun 🙂
Gawd, were we pumped to find out that this brand new event has actually managed to pull off it’s first edition during covid-times and travel restrictions! And even more amazing was to see how committed these 23 athletes were to make it down to Southern Spain just before the new year – many of them having having competed at the SuperFoil Fortaleza in Brazil just a few weeks before!
They arrived from 9 different countries, including Switzerland (which was half the podium for each of the girls and the boys), France, Italy, Spain, Czech Republic and even Brazil. Amongst them 2 Foil World champions and the Swiss First Couple of Wingfoiling: Balz Mueller & Eva Wyss (watch our exclusive interview with Balz as well). Sunday, the 27th of December was a gorgeous sunny day with bright blue skies, and the city of Tarifa, as well as the event’s organisers, were ready for them to arrive on Balneario Beach, a super spot for this kind of waterspouts tournament. The camaraderie amongst the crowd was ever present, many of them having known each other, and competed against each other, for years. All the athletes, event organisers and press had a PCR test before entering the event bubble, so that everything was above board regarding covid regulations.
Once competition rules were explained to everybody on the first day, it was straight to business in the afternoon. The tournament was to be competed in three categories: Surf Race, Freestyle and the Expression Session. These kind of competitions are always depending on wind directions on the day, so more often than not, it’s wait and see! A strong Poniente wind coming from the Atlantic was most desirable, and as expected on day 1, the Levante wind of the morning changed to Poniente in the afternoon. That meant the heats were on – excellent!
Day 2 was a different ballgame altogether, so for the Freestyle part of the event, it meant to decamp the athletes to Playa Chica on the Mediterranean side of Tarifa, in less than comfortable conditions: a Southern wind of 35 knots bringing hefty waves, rain came too and it was properly cold. Hat off to all the guys who were just fierce out on the water. It was spectacular to see those backflips, jumps, spins and turns by a determined team of athletes, who were just not going to give in.
Day 3 saw the wind change yet again, so all back to Balneario Beach for what was a perfect day of Poniente wind and seriously choppy waters. Order of the day: the surf race and expression sessions were to be fought out. 19 Athletes took part in the surf race in total, amongst them Olivia Piana for the girls. She is literally fearless – competing against the guys, she managed to overcome landing in the water and actually finished 8th! Olivia, we salute you 🙂 The action on the water continues with the expression sessions. Heats out of the way, Titouan Galea and Olivia Piana shone the brightest and walked home with the 1st prize. Unbelievable what was these two pulled off out on the water, landing on the top spot of the podium for their relevant sexes in both the surf race and the expression session categories.
Day 4, and it’s time for the prize giving! The relief on the athletes’ faces was completely visible and so everybody was just totally pumped to pick up their trophy and celebrate into the New Year with friends and family, as well as a great sense of achievement. Congrats and a very well done to all the athletes who took part so impressively! The event organisers and the city of Tarifa produced a brilliant tournament, about which Jaime Herraiz, the man in charge, said, that there will be many to follow. And we cannot wait…see you in Tarifa next time round!
27 July – 1 Aug: Fuerteventura/ESP, Surf-Freestyle & Freefly-Slalom
20 – 25 Oct: Abi Dhabi/UAE, Freefly-Slalom
5 – 13 Nov: Ibiraquera/BRA – Wave
16 – 22 Nov: Taiba/BRA – Surf-Freestyle
7 – 10 Dec: Jericoacoara/BRA – Surf-Freestyle
Wingfoiling: The Latest in Board Sports
Wingfoiling, also known as windfoiling, is a brand-new sport and has to be one of the coolest surface water sports ever! It consists of a wing, that is not attached to a Hydrofoil board, being carried or held by the rider, whilst having to maintain their balance, steering the board with the wing. It is an exciting and demanding sport, requiring strength and stability. Although it can be practised on either land or water, not much wind is required for this sport, therefore its popularity has grown massively.
However, countries with great wind conditions, such as Hawaii, Brasil, Portugal and Spain, have seen the practice of this sport soar to lofty heights. Hence, the GWA (Global Wingsports Association) was born, with the aim to provide a safe and exciting community to globally promote wing sports. TA-DAH.TV sent their team to Southern Spain to cover the GWA’s first ever Tarifa Wing Pro event, staged on the city’s Atlantic side of the Strait of Gibraltar. The prospect of wingfoiling having been included in the Paris Olympics in 2024 promises as super exciting future for this sport on a global level – the only way is up!
Tarifa Wing Pro Event
Tarifa is known as the wind capital of Europe, a fantastic environment for wing sports. So, it is no surprise that the GWA decided to host their first ever Tarifa Wing Pro event on Balneario Beach on the beautiful Costa de la Luz – the first of many to come, they promise.
That the competition was even possible in the first place was utterly awesome, as it also drew a close to the end of a year troubled by many cancellations of sports events in general – and it was the perfect follow-up from the Superfoil Fortaleza 2020, the first event by the GWA Wingfoil World Tour held in Brazil. Riders were arriving from all over Europe (including Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Poland), as well as Brasil, and even the Southern Hemisphere was present with a participant from New Caledonia.
Staged from the 27th and 30th of December, the event was non-stop from day one, consisting of various competitions. With the Covid-19 pandemic having delayed their other events in 2020, this competition took place according to covid-19 guidelines, so all participants and press were asked to take tests before entering the secure bubble of event attendees. The competition saw a turnout of 19 men and 4 women from 9 countries battling it out head-to-head in the water, a turnout the organisers hail a great success, considering all the travel restrictions throughout the year.
Across 3 days, both groups of men and women went out onto the water to compete in the two disciplines of Wingfoiling; Surf-Freestyle and Surf-Race, as well as an additional Expression Session. On day 2, weather conditions were not that great on the Atlantic coast, requiring the organisers to change beach to the Levante side of Tarifa.
There, the strong wind conditions certainly made this event an artistic spectacle, with all athletes giving an exhilarating performance full of tricks, jumps, twists and turns, whilst displaying their ability in the water. Towards the end of the action packed few days the last day was designated for the prize giving. The mood amongst riders was one of total relief, an incredible sense of achievement, and well-earned pride!
It was really impressive to see the commitment by all participants to make it down South and be part of this historic event. The city of Tarifa was certainly an excellent host, committed to staging an unforgettable, but most of all, safe event on the Spanish shores.
Competitors included the current Foil Freestyle World Champions Balz Müller (men) and Eva Wyss (women), as well as Titouan Galea, Maxime Chabloz, Fernando Novaes, Halim Basri, Abel Lago and Francesco Cappuzzo, amongst many others.
Congratulations to all of the winners, as well as to the rest of the riders, who made the competition such an exciting one!
The event was a huge success and great fun for all involved! With the support of the Junta de Andalucia, the Diputacion de Cádiz, the Ayuntamiento de Tarifa, Duotone/Fanatic, Red Bull and Balneario beach Club, Tarifa has once again proved itself to be the perfect host city with a perfect location for wind and water sports. Why not plan your next beach holiday there?
Wing Foil World Tour
2021 was the first tour for international wing foil events and is not to be missed by lovers of wing sports! With 5 of the best locations across the world set in their events calendar, there is a lot to look forward to throughout the new year in this sport. From Portugal to Brazil, the GWA have gone all out in setting up this world tour to be a display of skills from the best pros around the world. They have stated the event is open to the public with limited spaces for pros to register. The event, unfortunately, will be subject to change in relation to the pandemic. We are looking forward to this event, and many others as the success and popularity of wingfoiling continues to grow across the world.
Foiling at the Paris Olympics 2024
Foiling as a branch of windsurfing is growing year on year, and just to prove it, it has been introduced as a new discipline for the Paris 2024 Olympics! Many see this a transition from windsurfing, as foiling beings to explode across Europe. Placing foiling onto a global stage such as the Olympics is a great way for this electrifying sport to be introduced to 100s and 1000s of fascinated young people interested in learning new sports. It will be thrilling for both lovers of wind sports and newbies to see this developing sport take centre stage in Paris.
Gosh, were we pumped in the office, when we found out that the GWA (Global Wingsports Association) and the city of Tarifa were actually going to stage the first ever Tarifa Wing Pro event after all. Wingfoiling is a brand-new sport discipline, and such an exciting surface water sport, that it became a massive hit for Tarifa, and for Spain, to be able to host their first event in this awesome board sport.
Of course, TA-DAH.TV wasn’t going to miss this exciting competition, in which 19 men and 4 women riders took part. Hugely impressive is also the fact, that participants made it all the way down South from all over Europe, including Brazil and New Caledonia (that’s the other side of the hemisphere, dear wingfoil fans)! So, RESPECT to all of them having been so committed to taking part.
Among them, naturally, was the First Couple of wingfoiling, the current Foil Freestyle World Champions: Balz Müller and his girlfriend Eva Wyss. Claudia Peifer grabbed Balz ahead of the competition for a great exclusive interview, in which Balz explains what the sport of wingfoiling means to him in technical terms, how they made it down to Spain and why he swapped windsurfing with wingfoiling – a sport he himself is massively excited about. So, hit that start button hard to listen in on what he had to say…
What is it that makes a committed kitesurfer equally excited to pick up another wind sport – so, we ask why winging? Balz explains quite clearly in his interview what drove him to switch. However, there’s no doubt that wind foiling has taken the wind world by storm. Windsurfers, surfers, kite boarders everywhere have been spotted diving into this new sport, which is simply spectacular to watch. Here we explain the two main disciplines for the wind foiling competitions organised by the Global Wingsports Association:
Surf-Freestyle
The Surf-Freestyle discipline includes the expression format where competitors surf waves or swells and perform air and surface tricks using the given water conditions. It is a mix of both wave riding and air tricks.
Surf-Race
In the Surf-Race discipline, multiple competitors ride around a course with a start and finish line that combines jibes, tacks and parts of pumping or surfing without wing assistance. The Race Director sets the course according to the given conditions in the competition area. It is called Surf-Race because it includes upwind racing with surfing/pumping downwind.
Expression session
In addition to the two official disciplines, an event may host an expression session format. An expression session is a non-official show format that does not count towards the world ranking. During the expression session, the athletes compete in a special format that is chosen depending on the conditions to provide a spectacular show (for example Best Trick, Best Wave, Highest Jump, Team contest, etc.)
HOW TO LEARN HOW TO WINGFOIL
Before anything else, you ought to assess your own abilities first: are you already board savvy in water sports? Got any idea how wind works on the water? If yes, then great, you’ve got a head start. If not, and you’re a total beginner’ then read on to wisen up about what you need to know about wing foiling and what you need to get kit-wise.
If you’re a Watersport virgin, meaning you’ve got no experience at all and starting from scratch, it is highly recommendable you start off with an instructor! Check your local or nearest possibility to train with a centre (try lakes or rivers as well, not just your nearest beach with open ocean), or maybe book a holiday according to where you can learn this fantastic new sports discipline with a local sports school. One thing to bear in mind: it would be good to check out places with either on-shore or side-shore winds so that where ever you’ll be taken out on the water, the wind will push you towards the shore. There should be no obstacles in the water (rocks, etc) in order to allow for a relatively easy launch, as well as an easy landing location.
If you’re already a board enthusiast, and might even be a wind surfer or kite surfer, things will indeed be a lot easier for you. You might give it a try, having read up about it prior to you starting it, or even a friend might help to ease you into it. Or a few private lessons might just get you going, rather than starting anew in a beginner’s course. However, getting it right from the start is paramount, as with every sports discipline really, so starting off with a qualified instructor is highly recommendable, whatever your level might be.
Finding the right wing-foiling school or sports centre is easier than you think, as the Global Wingfoil Association (GWA) can help you with up-to-date lists of qualified and recognised schools, as well as instructors, as safety standards are paramount when learning this exciting and somewhat crazy, new sport! It also helps to look up reviews and track records/certifications of any centre to make sure you’re in good hands when taken out on the water.
WHAT KIT DO YOU NEED TO WINGFOIL
If you decide to join a school or sports centre, they often can supply you with gear to start learning. However, if you’re serious about mastering this sport and want to get your own gear, here are some guidelines of how to get yourself sorted with the right kit when you’re more accustomed to the physical requirements when battling nature’s elements like wind, water and weather patterns.
Starting out as a beginner, you’ll probably need to learn to balance on a bigger board first, whilst getting to know what it feels like to control the wing with your body. Another reason why it’s smart to join a school to start off with, as you then don’t have to go through that extra expense of a bigger board that you might not need later on when you’re accustomed to riding a foil.
Choose your board: For beginners, as a general guideline regards the board, add 30-40 litres of volume to your body weight, so if you weigh 70kg/155lbs, choose a board of 110/120 litres.
As already mentioned, as a beginner you might feel more comfortable on a larger board. The more board-savvy and experienced you get, you might find going for a smaller board allows you to advance quicker. Lots of high-level wingfoil riders use a foil with a volume of less than 50L!
Choose your wing: A good guideline for a wing to start off with is around the 4m mark for anybody with a bodyweight of 70kg! Wing sizes range from about 2 – 7metres, so if your weight is 70kg+, you can try a 5m wing. Starting out, you might find a bigger wing more useful, to give you more power, but once you get the hang of it, you might find a slightly smaller wing may give you more agility.
How to use your body to steer the wing: This is where this sport offers a new experience, as your body will be the one connection between foil and wing. You might find training on dry land useful before you head out on the water. Balance is key, so train on dry as much as you can, even if you’ve gained some experience already. Try and focus on learning how to power up and power down the wing, which your instructor will help you master when out on the water. Once you’re more accustomed to how the wing works, you can then focus on mastering the foil.
Choose your foil: When looking for the right foil for you, consider that you’ll want a good glide, lots of stability and plenty of lift. Comprising of a mast, fuselage and wings, many schools use a taller mast of around 70cm+ is great for learning in order to give good height and helps prevent breaching in swell or indeed ocean chop. To begin with, choose a foil that gets you up without needing too much speed. Slow speed-foiling is safer and more effective when starting out. So, choosing a foil that allows for speeds of between 10-12km is advisable. Being able to ride in a wide range of wind conditions will also be important, so do bear that in mind too when looking for your perfect foil.
Once you’re acing it out there on the water and you’re more confident, you can then look for foils that allow you to accelerate faster, gaining more speed quicker and, very importantly, allow you to turn with increased capability. That’s when the fun really starts…
