The last day of the 2015 PWA Noumea World Cup marked the end of the competition season and what a year it has been for our riders. Their individual performances across various disciplines and competitions have allowed us to secure the PWA Constructors' title this year again.

"Windsurfing is all about inspiration from the wind and water. Our team of riders inspire us at Starboard to work harder to ensure that we are able to make the windsurfing experience better every year. It's unique to see 14 World Champions taking Tiki to the top of the world, can it ever be repeated by us or anyone else?

Thanks a lot to our dream team members Sarah-Quita Offringa, Philip Koster, Iballa Moreno, Dieter van der Eyken, Gonzalo Costa Hoevel, Maksymilian Wojcik, Daida Moreno, Kiri Thode, Oda Johanne Brodholt, Delphine Cousin, Maaike Huvermann, Moritz Mauch, Fulya Unlu and Ilona Grinberga."

- Svein Rasmussen

Following this great success, our dream team members sat down together and chatted about their accomplishments, exchanging about victory, training, memories and the future.

Philip Koster: Jaeger, do you think a third place is a good result for you, or can you still improve?Jaeger Stone: I feel like I can still improve. My goal is to be World Champion and I wouldn't be competing if I didn't think that was a possibility. I feel like I still have a way to go until I'm really happy with my sailing and until I feel as though I'm one of the best in all conditions so we'll see what happens.

Jaeger: And you Sarah, if you had the opportunity to win only one world title next year, in which discipline would you choose?Sarah-Quita Offringa: I would want to win the wave title!

Sarah-Quita: Dieter, what do they feed you in Belgium? You seem to be winning machines!Dieter van der Eyken: Belgium Frites! Haha. No, I don’t know, I think because we don’t have any thermal winds at home we are always motivated and hungry to go sailing so maybe that makes the difference.

Dieter: Philip, you have three world titles, and you’re only 21 years old. How many wins would you like to get, do you have a number in mind?Philip: It’s pretty hard to put a number of world titles in mind... The day I got the 3rd title on Maui, I thought "Alright, now I really want to have the 4th one!"

Philip: Maaike, how does it feel to be on the podium next to the likes of Sarah-Quita?Maaike Huvermann: It’s great to be on the podium next to Sarah-Quita, she’s an awesome person and sailor!

Maaike: Actually, Sarah, how do you keep yourself motivated after winning all these years?Sarah-Quita: Maybe because I’m more focused on progress. During the year, I always just want to improve. That’s what keeps me motivated. Then of course there are girls like you coming up, which is also a lot of motivation to keep doing my best.

Sarah-Quita: Iballa, who are the riders you looked up to, before you started competing and kicking butt?Iballa Moreno: I looked up to everyone. For sure, it was very impressive to see big Bjorn [Dunkerbeck] sailing in Pozo, we used to sit and watch with my sister. Now all the boys in Pozo Izquierdo are sailing amazingly well and we can learn a lot from them too.

Iballa: Philip, are there any new moves coming soon?Philip: I’ve got a few in mind which I really want to try... But need to wait for a very windy day.

Philip: Dieter, did you think about the title at the beginning of the year?Dieter: I didn’t think about the title at all at the beginning of the year and actually didn’t think about it until I was in first place after winning Fuerteventura which probably made me a lot more relaxed than the other guys.

Dieter: Oda, what is your best experience you ever had, related to windsurfing?Oda Johanne: Landing my first backloop during an evening session in Brazil. Perfect conditions with only a few friends on the water.

Oda: What about you Philip, which year on tour do you have the best memories from?Philip: It has already been quite a few years for me on tour since my first PWA World Cup in Pozo 10 years ago... I would say I’ve got my best memories from 2011, when I won my first world title and it has been an amazing moment to share with my family and specially with my father who was there with me at the PWA World Cup stop in Denmark.

Philip: And Dieter, are you going for the wave title too?Dieter: I would love to go for a wave title too, and want to keep growing in the waves as well the next couple of years. I don’t know if it’s possible but it’s definitely one of my bigger goals still in windsurfing!

Dieter: Daida, what is the biggest victory in your life?Daida Moreno: Biggest win for sure is my life. Ever since I was diagnosed with cancer, nothing has been the same. I changed as a person and in the way I see things. I realize it was the hardest “competition” of my life, to try to stay positive and believe. Thanks to what windsurfing had given me, I am still alive: patience, imagination and joy.

Daida: Jaeger, how would you combine physiotherapy and windsurfing in 2016?Jaeger: I like to have a balance between both windsurfing and physiotherapy. I don't think I would enjoy windsurfing as much as I do if I never had to work as a physiotherapist. It keeps me motivated and excited to go windsurfing at every opportunity I get. In 2016, I'll be working up until June when I'll go to the Canary Islands to get ready for the first event. During those 5 to 6 months of work I'll be in Western Australia and can windsurf most days after work over summer. Plus I'll go to Maui for the annual Starboard and Severne photoshoots so I'll be spending plenty of time on the water.

Jaeger: Do you and Daida ever yell support or abuse at each other on the water during a heat?Iballa: During a heat, I don’t have time to look at the opponent. Sometimes you can go behind and look at what she does so you try to improve it… but it’s hard to beat Daida this way! She is the best jumper in the World and no other girl can get close to the jumps she can do. In competition, you never sail at your best… At least not always. But being in a final with Daida is always fun! More relaxing as we know we are both on the top.

Jaeger: Daida, I know you were working on your doubles in the 2015 Pozo Wind and Waves Festival, how are you progressing now?Daida: At the moment I am trying to gain some strength in my legs... You can bet you will see more of those in 2016...! Hehe.

Iballa: Maaike, what are your short term goals in windsurfing?Maaike: My biggest short term goal definitely is becoming PWA Freestyle world champion

Maaike: Dieter, did you train a lot in waves this year and if so did wave-sailing help improve your freestyle skills?Dieter: I did put quite a bit more attention towards waves this year and I would definitely say it helped. Sometimes you are so focused on one thing that you are blind towards the other things you are good at. I probably trained less freestyle the past year but I sailed many more hours and was a lot more fit before the contest started! It definitely put off a bit of the pressure.

Dieter: Jaeger, what events do you want to win next year?Jaeger: I'm going to try and win all of them! Haha. I feel like Tenerife is an event on tour where there is more emphasis on wave riding so that would be a nice event to win. Winning in Pozo and Maui would be pretty cool too; those events showcase the best highlights and sailing in the world, plus they are the home spots of a bunch of guys on tour.

Jaeger: Oda, do you ever get nervous before heats, and what do you do to stay calm?Oda: Normally, I have good control on my nerves. Sometimes I get nervous, but it's a good thing! Nervous or not, I need to listen to music before heats.

Oda: Sarah, how do you prepare yourself for a competition in freestyle and slalom when people are saying you will win even before it starts?Sarah-Quita: I’ve been having a hard time with that yes, mostly in slalom. I feel like in slalom there are so many more variables that come into play than freestyle because of all the technicalities with your equipment. It makes me quite nervous when people say that I will win, because it’s actually not that easy to stay focused and finally win an event in slalom. At the same time it’s also a compliment that they say that. And often it’s out of support. So in that respect, it’s really nice that people say that!

Sarah-Quita: And you Jaeger, I imagine you’re in Australia most of the year and you’re probably the best rider on the water. Do you look up to other people to do better, or do you motivate yourself to improve?Jaeger: I do both. There are so many good sailors in Australia, particularly at wavesailing such as Hendrix my brother, Ben Severne and Scott McKercher. They influence and motivate me all season. We also get quite a few PWA sailors visiting throughout the season and Philip [Koster] often comes over twice a year as well so that definitely motivates me. Otherwise, I feel like I know what I want to work on and improve so I'm normally pretty motivated myself.

Jaeger: Dieter, did it take you long to get ready before your world title presentation in Sylt?Dieter: Not really, I think I only spent 3 hours in front of the mirror so that’s pretty average, haha. No, I didn’t really do anything special just made sure I had my sponsors’ stickers on and waited until they called my name... Your heart beats so fast just before they call your name!

Dieter: Do you think you always have such a big smile because you win all these world titles or is it because you have this amazing lifestyle?Sarah-Quita: I’d smile regardless of the titles... Yeah, I smile because life’s good. And if it’s not, a smile instantly makes you feel better.

Daida: Do you have a boyfriend?Sarah-Quita: Nahh... Maybe because I’m on the road all the time.

Sarah-Quita: Oda, it seems that freestylers are naturally talented slalom sailors! How did it feel to win a race in Alaçati, Turkey at your first slalom event?Oda: It was a cool feeling! Really satisfied my competitive instinct! Only problem is that I want more and more of that feeling and it's not easy to get there as there are so many talented and fast slalom sailors! Looking forward to more slalom!

Oda: Daida, which sailor is your biggest motivation on the water?Daida: I don't just take from one person; I try to absorb the best of each sailor on the water.

Oda: Sarah, if you would have to choose only one move to do the rest of your life, which move would it be?Sarah-Quita: I will say pushloop for now... because you still get that floaty feeling you get from shakas.

Sarah-Quita: Daida, you've been on tour for a while now. Has the feeling of competition changed for you from for example 10 years ago, to now?Daida: Totally changed, for better or for worse it depends how you look at it. Better as you are more mature and experienced, for worse because usually judges expect you to be always 100% and underscore you some times.

Sarah: Philip, I remember you started competing really young in Pozo. Was there one particular heat you won or person you beat, that made you think "Yeah I can do this!"?Philip: I think the first time I beat Ricardo Campello, I realized that I could actually go further in the competition as he is one of the toughest sailors to beat.

Dieter: And you Maaike, how long do you think you need before you can break through Sarah-Quita’s domination in freestyle windsurfing, seeing as you are the most technical competitor on tour?Maaike: I don’t know… I would have to ask someone who’s really good at predicting people’s results for an answer to that question… Dieter, how long do you think it would take me?! [Dieter usually predicts the PWA Freestyle rankings at the beginning of the year on Continent Seven and he's usually right.]

Dieter: Philip, of the events you haven’t won yet, which one would you like to win most?Philip: I would love to win the Aloha Classic because it’s a must on the win list but I got to spent bit more time there, testing equipment specific for Ho'okipa.

Sarah: Philip, I need help. I want to win a wave competition. But I think I need to double forward for that. What would be your main tips for me?Philip: Haha. Don’t go too crazy on the first try! Make sure you land the first forward full planing and then start trying it on a chop to see how it feels like to start getting into the second rotation so that it's not a big surprise anymore when you try it on a bigger wave... I will teach you the double in the summer!

Starboard: Alright, thanks to everyone for your time, congratulations to all once again and good luck to Sarah-Quita for her doubles... With Philip as a teacher, it shouldn't be too hard.

- Photo Credit: John Carter / PWA World Tour -