31.01.2020

Women power in kitesurfing and the King of the Air 2020

Eight leading women in kitesurfing

We all have the feeling that there are much more men kitesurfing than women. That’s what we see often during competitions, but also when we go down to our home spots. However, this does not mean that the women have sat completely still. Actually the opposite is true and this year, for the first time in a quite a while, Angely Bouillot is carrying the torch for female riders and taking part in the most extreme big air kite event of the year – the Red Bull King of the Air 2020.
But don´t be fooled, this is not the first time that a woman has taken part in the competition. Back in the days when the event was first organized on Maui, female rider Susi Mai even did a triple, so she won the title three years in a row… bow down to her as she is not only winning titles on the big stage, but also one of the pioneers of the sport. So, we are pretty excited to see how Angely will perform in this years event.

What’s your opinion? Who will make the podium at the King of the Air 2020 this year? Let us know here and have a chance to win a Mystic Majestic X with Stealth bar!

Interview with SHE FLIES: Female focus

We have talked with Josie West, founder of SHE FLIES, about the differences between guys and girls in kitesurfing and this years KOTA competition. Josie founded SHE FLIES to grow and strengthen the global wave of women in extreme sports.

SHE FLIES: Well - if you were at a She Flies event, women take over the spot! Really, I think it’s a combination of many things. Maybe it can be an intimidating world to step into, maybe there’s a perception that it’s hard or a perception that it’s not friendly and maybe women have a lot more life commitments that halt progression like growing our new generation of kite babies, I’m not sure. One thing is for sure, there are more and more female focused schools, lessons, instructors and welcoming spots than ever before – the challenge now is to get that message out to encourage the uptake and continued growth. For me really whilst the world is becoming accepting of women in sport, it just takes time for the cultural change to set in. We’re coming, trust me.

SHE FLIES: I think the subtle difference, and sometimes it really is subtle, is the manifestation of fear. It’s so funny when I teach guys the safety bit, so often they glaze over while they watch someone rip on the water behind me! When they ride, they pull the bar hard, crash, get back up and try again. For a women it’s slightly different, she’ll be listening to the safety bit intently, asking questions, double checking and when we get the kite in the air she’s a little more gentle, a little more observant and a lot more analytical – every time I hear “are you sure I’m ready for the kite” I have a little giggle to myself - it’s normally the 3rd time that day that I’ve heard it. The fear thing is real though, I always wonder if guys can channel it into ambition a bit easier than us whereas we take a step back and try to take control of that fear by being more observant and in control of the situation. What I will say is that when we get riding, that analytical approach that the ladies take, results in this incredible flow like style and finesse that can’t be gained from power and force alone, it’s beautiful.

SHE FLIES: Similar to so many industries these days, the Kiteboarding industry is taking some big steps to support women. It’s awesome to see the movement and it’s going the right way, it is welcoming, open, honest; though it’s not quite there yet. It’s hard to suggest how the industry should change but at She Flies, we focus much more on changing the perception of women in their own ability, their own strength and their own acceptance to be in the running for success. Changing the mindset of a woman that they can do it means they will do it and they will love it when they do. Ultimately, ‘the industry’ is a bunch of businesses trying to make money, right? If there is no money in it, it’s likely that the change won’t stick. We need to make sure there are women standing in line when the change hits, bringing the right attention and the right media with them that will inspire the wave that follows.

SHE FLIES: It’s important to remember that inclusion doesn’t mean equality. I was so stoked to hear KOTA was open for women, a massive push from the right people, for the right people and the right step has been taken – but we must remember that it is just that, it’s a step. The whole world is doing everything to convince each other that men and women are equal in so many ways – but genetically, we’re not. Men are bigger, stronger, faster. Women are smaller, agile, supple. Our determination is the same, our commitment, ambition, it’s all the same but our riding is slightly different. For me, a women riding in any discipline is beautiful and it’s the same in Wakeboarding, Skating, Surfing; there’s a divine femininity and it should be singled out and celebrated.

SHE FLIES: TEAM ANGELLY! Seriously though, I am so excited and proud that she’s in. And she’s not sitting at the bottom of the pile, she hasn’t been ‘allowed’ in, she has fought, battled and trained for her place and it gives me shivers thinking about how she belongs in this competition. For next year, I have a big girl crush on Gabby Pioraite, sponsored by Core she is an awesome rider – she just made the female record on WOO for height just recently and she’s got a really sick style to her big air. She’s a legend and I’d love to see her in the running as another Queen.

Big thank you to Josie West, founder of SHE FLIES to answer our questions. Josie founded SHE FLIES in 2019 and it has quickly become one of the big female communities in extreme sports, featuring in all the big Kite magazines and on the Kitesurf 365 podcast. She’s growing and strengthening the global wave of women in extreme sports via kite camps with pro riders, events and creating inspiring footage like SHE FLIES – The Movie on YouTube.

Big Air by women - Queen is born contest 2019

The event ‘Queen is born’ was organized by Angely and her friends last year. The event is a grassroot version of King of the Air only for women. Together with her friends Tereza Simonova, Jasmin Wukitsevitsto and Aniek Duyverman and her biggest sponsor Aneo, she organized this competition a few days before the King of the Air, as no female rider had received an invitation. The event was organized with little to no budget. Nobody sponsored the competition and no prize money could be won. The jury consisted of a few King of the Air riders: Steven Akkersdijk, Aurelien Petreau, Antonin Rangin and Joshua Emanuel. Everyone was blown away by the performance and show the women put together... high jumps, cool tricks and radical kite loops – you name it! Angely won the competition with her super large megaloops and her one-footed loop.

The power women in kitesurfing

Besides, Susi and Angely there are a lot of female athletes out there pushing the limits. We have chosen eight women who managed to stand out in recent years: Bruna Kajiya, Mikaili Sol, Jalou Langeree, Hannah Whiteley, Pippa van Iersel, Gabby Pioraite and Angely Bouillot. These women have all raised the level of women kitesurfing.

Angely Bouillot

Angely Bouillot will be the only woman to compete in the Red Bull King of the Air competition for years. She also has not been on the kite surf radar for very long. She started kiting when she was fifteen years old, but she only started competing in her twenties. In 2016 she became the female kitespeed world champion. After she had pulled her first kiteloop, she decided to focused entirely on big air and from that moment on she wanted to participate in the biggest big air competition Red Bull King of the Air. In 2017 she sent in her first wildcard video with the hope of an invitation. Unfortunately, she did not receive it, so she trained even harder and tried again in 2018. Again this year, she received no invitation. When the Red Bull King of the Air event received multiple videos from women in 2019, they decided to organize an expression session for the women. The women could not win any prize money or podium place. Angely organized the Queen is born competition a few days before the King of the Air event 2019 with a few friends. She won this competition with her impressive megaloops and big air tricks. This year, King of the Air again received a video from Angely and this year she finally received an invitation to compete against the men in the big air competition.

Bruna Kajiya

Bruna Kajiya is the four-time world champion freestyle queen. She has been vice world champion for three consecutive years before claiming the title of freestyle world champion. Bruna is known for her powerful and stylish tricks that she lands during the competitions. She was born in Brazil on February 25, 1987. She started kitesurfing in 2002 and started kiting in competitions in 2005. Since then she has claimed quite a few podium places. She became world champion in 2009, 2016 and 2017. Bruna is the first woman to land a Backside 315 in 2015. Since the beginning of her career, she has been committed to bringing as many women as possible in contact with this fantastic sport.

Mikaili Sol

Mikaili Sol is one of the youngest female athletes who has appeared on stage in recent years. She was born on October 30, 2004 in Brazil. Mikaili started kiting when she was only eight and a half years old. She started competing 5 years ago and has already conquered quite a few podium places. The fifteen-year-old kiter has so far won the GKA world champion twice in 2018 and 2019. She became freestyle world youth champion in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. On top, she is now also competing in strapless freestyle on a really high level. Mikaili has only just begun, so we will certainly see much more spectacular things about her.

Jalou Langeree

Jalou Langeree was born in the Netherlands on April 27, 1990. When Jalou was twelve years old, she followed her brother Kevin Langeree and started kitesurfing. Jalou Langeree has been the Dutch kite champion eight times. No wave is too high for this Dutch woman. In 2012, 2015 and 2019, Jalou became the GKA Kite-Surf world champion. Jalou shows other women that kitesurfing is not only for men and that women can also master this amazing sport. Jalou is also committing time to help the ocean together with her brother Kevin. Together they are ocean ambassadors for IFAW-International Fund for Animal Welfare. They put focus on the critical conditions that the ocean is facing.

Hannah Whiteley

Hannah Whiteley was born on March 1, 1992 in England. When she was ten years old she started kitesurfing. At the age of 15 she started competing in the British championships. She rides both freestyle and big air. In 2009, 2010 and in 2011 she became the British freestyle champion. In 2012 she was named Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer. She has been vice world champion for big air in 2015 and freestyle in 2016. In 2016 she was named best female kiter by IKSURF Magazine. In 2017 she became world speedkiting champion. In 2019 she sent in a video hoping to get an invitation to the big air event King of the Air. Unfortunately, that year women were not allowed to participate and she was not admitted. That year she did participate in the female expression session that was held before the main King of the Air event in 2019.

Pippa van Iersel

Pippa van Iersel was born in the Netherlands and started kiting when she was fourteen years old. From an early age, Pippa knew that she wanted to participate in competitions. She mainly rides freestyle, but occasionally also does big air. She is a Dutch freestyle champion and became second in the World Youth Championships. In 2018 she became third in the Airgames and third in the world championships in Brazil. Pippa also participated in the Queen is born in Cape Town and became second in that competition. Pippa, too, had sent in a video hoping for an invitation to the King of the Air in 2018. Unfortunately, she too was not allowed to participate, but did receive an invitation for the women's expression session that was being held before the King of the Air 2019.

Gabby Pioraite

Gabby Pioraite has only just appeared on the kite radar. On January 18, 2020 she broke the female world record with a mega jump. She jumped a whopping 23.6 meters high. The old record was the 23 meter jump from Angely Bouillot. She participated in the Queen is born in 2019 and won third place in this competition. Gabby also received an invitation from the King of the Air event to participate in the female expression session that took place before the official event. In 2020, Gabby had sent in a video to compete for the title of King of the Air, but unfortunately she received no invitation.

Giveaway Mystic Majestic X + Stealthbar

Do you think Angely will win the title of King of the Air this year? Let us know who you think will win the title and have a chance to win a Mystic Majestic X + Stealth bar! Click hereto predict your top 3.



Click on this link to follow the event live: https://www.redbull.com/za-en/events/red-bull-king-of-the-air