Nollie: Nollie interview: Turbulence Angel Zoe Burgess

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August 10, 2007 11:14 AM

Nollie interview: Turbulence Angel Zoe Burgess

We recently told you about the awesome Turbulence Angels website, and now we've had a chat with one of the kite-angels themselves, here's what kitesurfer and kiteboarder Zoe Burgess had to say about her favourite sport and how you can get into it too...

How did you get into kite surfing?
I was driving along the coast one Sunday afternoon, when I saw a man ripping along on the sea and flying through the air, I was amazed and needed to know what he was doing, so I asked him when he came off the water. He gave me a Turbulence card and I contacted them for lessons - that's where it all began!

Where's your favourite place to kite surf?
West Shore in Llandudno. It has lots of flat water sections which I love to do tricks on and there are a great bunch of kitesurfers there who always watch out for one another. We all regularly have a BBQs on the beach there after sunny session. It also has the most female kitesurfers in the UK!

Favourite trick? My current favourite trick is to do a high backloops, the feeling of rotating high in the air is awesome!

Who do you look up to in the sport? My team mate Johara!

Why should more girls get into kite surfing? There are so many reasons why we promote kitesurfing for girls. In the beginning it was due to the fact that the sport was very male dominated and we wanted to kite with more girls as it gives you much more confidence when your kiting with other girls and you encourage one an other to push your limits. It's a fun way to keep fit and get outdoors!

Hot tip for beginners just getting started? Get proper lessons as your boyfriend will want to be out himself when the conditions are good. It is worth investing in one decent kite with a good wind range, the best size usually being around 9m depowerable kite. Several cheap e-bay specials will just hinder your progression. A decent board which gets planing quickly will also help.

Any sponsors/events/anything else you want to mention?Our sponsors have supported us so much and we are really lucky! Thank you to Turbulence for basically everything, Flexifoil for the best kites a girl can possibly want from our Ion2's to out pink 'Punk' trainer kites, Jimmy Lewis for making the board that has enabled me to nail tricks I have been trying to do for months and Protest for making cool boardwear clothing! Xx

Thanks Zoe!

Don't forget to check out the Turbulence Angels site for blogs from the girls, kiting tips and everything a wind girl could possibly want! Have a watch of the new video of their recent trip to Egypt.

Like that? Try this: Tips from top extreme sports women | More interviews

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