My journey into kitesurfing started when I made contact with Christophe Martin in France. Christophe is one of the pioneers in the development of disabled kitesurfing, and he has a wealth of information about getting started in the sport. We talked a lot, and I soon realized that learning the sport with proper training and using special equipment would be expensive- the only way for me to access the sport would be through a sponsor.

 

I wasn’t put off! The first thing I needed to do was to take some lessons. I contacted kiteclub.gr in Greece who recommended I get in touch with the Global Kiter Foundation, who were just setting up. I was one of the first participants in their workshop- in fact, I was the first one on the beach waiting for it to start! It was a really fantastic experience and now, with GKF, I am closer to my objective- to kitesurf!

 

I have always been interested in sport. Before my accident, I practiced dirt biking, snowboarding, windsurfing and sailing. I particularly loved dirt biking; it’s a sport that gave me the most adrenaline. But I always loved watching kitesurfers out on the beach.

I had a bad road accident in June 2009, which took me 1 and a half years to recover from. Being in a wheelchair made my sporting activities impossible and I didn’t know what to do other than wheelchair basketball. So you can imagine my excitement when I realized kiting was actually a possibility! Knowing how to kite will bring me back the sense of freedom I had before the accident.
I have really enjoyed each of the workshops with GKF- playing with the wind, learning how to fly a kite have been an amazing opportunity. I am very excited about the idea of getting into the water. I am also very impatient! Every time we meet and I fly the kite, I just want to be at the point where I can get into the water. At least I know there are a few more hours of fun and practice before we get there!  

The group is great, it’s always fun to be around nice people, there’s always a lot of laughing and it’s a great way to be involved.
I also didn’t expect there would be so many volunteers… it’s really welcoming to to see so many people turn up to help during the workshops.

 

I’m really looking forward to learning how to kite and I am super thankful GKF is giving me the opportunity to learn!

A big thank you to all.