KiteSista Meets: The Aaron Hadlow Interview

KiteSista Meets: The Aaron Hadlow Interview

Aaron Hadlow talks to us exclusively about getting older and wiser, life, love and shares his thoughts on his recent split from Flexifoil.

We warned you it was only a matter of time before we completed our UK crew foursome by lining up the missing mugshot in our collection. However the final piece of the puzzle took a little while longer to track down than we thought.

They say that the best things come to those who wait, but we preferred to ambush him over breakfast the day before the PKRA stage in Dakhla began (of course we waited until he had his customary three teas first). Our hard work paid off and we are honoured to sit down and get some girl time with the one and only Aaron Hadlow.

We will work on the assumption he does not really need an introduction, but there will always be a some people reading this who don’t know about the man who won quite a few world championships, …in a row (five of them to be precise), …when he was really quite young, then decided to take some time out to focus on developing his line of kites and board, pushing the sport and his riding in new directions on the sliders and kickers. He also found time to make the long running ‘On The Loose’ web TV show with Rueben Lenten, and ‘The Freeride Project’ with James Boulding, Tom Court and Sam Light, with the sequel ‘The Freeride Project 2’ just released.

Last year he rocked up at a couple of stages at the PKRA world tour and showed everyone he certainly has not lost any of his competitive edge or talent, and this year is fully committed to the world tour which at stage two in Morocco (after a well earned 4th place in Panama) is where we found ourselves.

However the world is not talking about Aaron and the PKRA right now after the recent announcement from Flexifoil that after 13 years they would be parting company and ending the Hadlow brand.

After possibly the longest interview introduction ever, it might be time to let Aaron get a word in.

KSm: Hi Aaron, hopefully we have given you a moment to catch your breath from your 4th place in the PKRA in Dakhla a few days ago. Other than training what have you been up to recently and where have you been?

AH: Since the end of last season (December 2013) I have only been in Cape Town, I spent the winter there keeping my head down and cracking on with some serious training for the 2014 PKRA. In the last few months I have kited more than ever before and got myself into a good routine to stay fit, healthy and injury free.

During the rehab for my knee I learnt a lot about the importance of managing my body and nutrition to perform as efficiently as possible. It’s pretty new to me all this hard work, so lets hope it pays off!!!

hadlow-in-competition

KSm: After the announcement last week regarding you parting company with Flexifoil, can you tell us a little bit more about how this came about and what positives and lessons you have taken from the building of the business over the years?

AH: With Flexifoil I learnt a lot and really got to understand the business and enjoyed the control and opportunity to create something that was my own. It’s really sad that it didn’t work out as it was so close to really succeeding but I can take a lot of positives out of the situation. I know the basics of the whole business and the ins and outs of certain divisions within it.

I always thought it would work out, our plan was to divide the company so that Hadlow would take over the water side of things. At the end of last year it became clear that the master plan was not going to pull through, the funding needed to stay invested in one company. ‘I came to a decision, after thinking long and hard about taking on Hadlow alone as its own entity and after months of talks with family, friends, investors, designers, factories and other brands, it became clear that this was not the time to take this huge project on. I am not ready to risk everything I own, and even the work, time and logistics of setting up the company under investment is quite a huge task to manage whilst still competing.

In the end I have an option or two with other brands of trying to create another Hadlow by […] or going back to being a team rider and focusing only on getting the right equipment and improving my riding. I always dream of creating the Brand but right now is not the time. I have a clear direction in my mind of where I am heading and I am really happy and positive about it but it won’t be unveiled until the summer.

aaron-hadlow-in-worthing

KSm: You are originally from the UK but have spent a huge amount of time in South Africa and in-between travelled to all corners of the world. With all the places you have seen, where do you think you would like to settle down and call home and why?

AH: There is no one place in the world that I can settle down for even a year at this point in my life, I constantly need change as I am so used to traveling, but a nice base in a few places around the world is what I am striving for.

England is always the place that I enjoy doing nothing the most, haha, but for my active lifestyle its hard to spend too much time there, it is also hard to leave as I have good friends there, but I am ready to spend some time in a place with more wind and sun. I have found a perfect place in Cape Town for the winter season so now I am just exploring the best place to be based for living and traveling during the summer. I’m going to give Tarifa a go this year and see how that works out.

hadlow-not-settling-down

KSm: We see a lot of parents taking the choice to home school their aspiring athletes (such as our favourite young champion british snowboarder Ayla Thidling) to give them the best chance at success. How did this choice come about for you and your parents …and now you are all grown up, how do you think this shaped you as a person?

AH: When I was four years old, my first year of early learning was with my mum. My parents took me with them around Europe in a van and then we went on an ‘around the world tour’, so you could say I was prepared at a young age. I think it takes a certain type of person and you need to be fully motivated in some way. My last year and a half of school was from home, I couldn’t go riding before I finished my school work so I did my best so I could spend more time on the water. I think traveling at a young age is the best form of learning, it makes you very independent and gives you a different outlook on life.

KSm: Red Bull is seen as the pinnacle of sponsorship in sports and you have been with them for a long time. Can you tell us a bit more about this relationship, how it came about and how it has helped your development as a professional athlete and person?

AH: RedBull have been behind me for years, back when I had a manager (Jason Furness) and when I was on the way up through the rankings he went to RedBull with a strong proposal as he strongly believed I would continue to succeed, you need someone like that who can speak passionately about their rider. They came on board as I had proved myself by winning the championship. Since then they have been amazing and allowed me to focus on whatever direction I decide to follow.

I noticed the support most during my injury, you really feel a part of the family there, instead of adding clauses or decreasing salary etc. they did their utmost to make sure I was back on the water the fastest way possible. They got me the one of the best knee surgeons in the world and I will be forever grateful for that and everything else they contribute to their athletes.

aaron-hadlow-in-action-for-red-bull-in-london

KSm: Before you go out for a session you can often be seen sprinting up and down the beach like a man who just realised he left the gas on at home. As sensible as this clearly is to stretch and prepare your body it is actually quite a rare site amongst professional kiters. Is this extra attention a result of past injuries or just age induced common sense?

AH: Everything has come about for me because of my injury which coincidently happened now I am older and I’d like to think wiser. I think that it’s very important to warm up and prepare, but unfortunately only an injury makes you realise how important it really is. Most pros these days are young and feel invincible just like I did, that is probably the reason why you don’t see them making a fool of themselves like I do before a session.

aaron-prepaaring

KSm: We have noticed you sneaking into the kitchen to brew up some home made porridge and avoiding the seafood platter. How important for you is diet and taking care of what you eat and is this a performance orientated choice, …or are you just a fussy eater?

AH: I’m not a fussy eater, but I am very conscious of what I eat whilst I am doing sport, I feel I have to refuel my body in the best way possible to keep my energy levels up, and recover my muscles as fast as possible. When I’m inactive I’m not so bothered and enjoy some good english delicacies. I love a good fry up now and again!

KSm: You are someone who has always demonstrated a strong personal style on the water, especially as freestyle kiting has progressed to the point we find ourselves currently, …but as so many of our readers and kiters these days are almost trying to tick off a pre-requisite trick list that they have seen in videos or magazines, how important do you think it is to add that personal touch and style to your riding?

AH: It’s incredible to see how many people can do every handle pass there is these days. It used to be about what you could do but now it’s all about how you can do it! Now that everyone aims to bring their kite down and pop their trick as hard as possible, in the end the only thing that is left is the ‘flair’ and personal touches. You can see it in the PKRA now, the level between riders is getting closer and closer and eventually it will be the small details that will set you apart from the rest.

aaron-hadlow-featured

KSm: Do you ever get tired of being “Aaron Hadlow” and just wish you could turn up at a spot with your mates and not feel everyones eyes on you …or do you secretly love every minute of it?

AH: Of course I like the attention, but I don’t crave the fame. If I didn’t have what I have I expect I would miss it. I don’t mind anything kiting related, but I like to keep myself to myself and don’t go out of my way to always be in the spotlight. If I had achieved five tittles in any mainstream sport I don’t think I could deal with it. I just want my kiting to be seen and respected for what it is.

KSm: Mr Hadlow, …girls. We researched this and for a very long time you had a habit of answering the girlfriend question with a simple “Nope” …however we have already met and spoken to your exceedingly lovely other half so we know this is no longer the case. What did it take for her to grab your attention and your heart?

AH: Good cooking and cleaning skills!!! Haha… No just kidding. I am really quite selfish in the way I like to do things so it takes a certain kind of women to deal with me. Emotionally I seem to go through a lot of ups and downs with competing and traveling to places that you can either love or hate, so it is really important for me to have strong support which I have always had from my family. It’s nice to be with someone that understands and that can calm you down and put things into perspective.

hadlow-relationships

KSm: How has being in a relationship changed you and your views on the kite, travel & party merry-go-round?

AH: Around the time we met, I was dwindling down from the stereotypical kiteboarding lifestyle as I was still recovering from injury. As the season went on I was focusing on doing well on the tour again, so naturally I had to change. I am surrounded by such good friends but time with them is not always the healthiest ;-) I managed to quit drinking but as a cold beer goes so well with a sunset at the beach at first it was really hard to deal with, especially around my mates.

Being able to share good times with her helps me balance myself out. I can enjoy a quiet night in without tempting myself to go out constantly like I used to.

KSm: Sorry if we sound a bit like your mother but what about the future Aaron, …little baby Hadlows? Business empire? Pack it all in and try your hand as a racing driver? …where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

AH: I’d love to be behind the wheel of the RedBull F1 car, but unfortunately I think it’s a bit late for that now. The thought of a family is nice but thats far into future. Right now I am focused on myself and my career, but the next stage in my life will probably involve some business. I still have a chance to stay at the top, but once the size of that window diminishes the thought of creating something to get stuck into is very appealing.

I actually think business and sport can be similar in many ways, you notice a lot of entrepreneurs enjoying extreme sports like kitesurfing and after getting involved with how Flexifoil ran its operation it turns out to  seem like a cool challenge and a way of keeping that feeling of accomplishment alive once you can no longer keep up with the new generation.

hadlow-future

KSm: Back to the immediate future, …what should be be looking out for next from you, …more tour stops? videos? or any other surprises you care to tell us about (and if you can’t will you promise to let us know when you can)?

AH: For now I will be working on my new plan and direction in-between competing and giving the championship my full attention this year. A new short video from Cape Town is on the go and in the summer there should be quite a media parade once I announce my news. Expect the year to involve some hype on new equipment, videos, competition wins, covers, etc, etc, :P

KSm: Thank you so much for talking to us and allowing us to add another notch to our interview bed-post, …as is tradition we will give you the freedom to finish with whatever words of wisdom or thank you wish.

AH: I think I have said too much already :P



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