Hhe was there and smashed straight into the semi-finals. There he came across Lasse Walker who was perhaps just as nervous. Such young talent. The experience was unforgettable and at the same time very promising. KitesurfPro took the opportunity to Jamie again to interview. Here is Jamie Overbeek's retrospective on Cold Hawaii Big Air.
What were your expectations when you heard that you could participate?
“For me it was already a success that I got an invite to Cold Hawaii Big Air. Of course I hoped. But I also knew that there are quite a lot of good riders who are older and have more experience. So I was very happy with my selection. I then decided to do my best and to sail as I always do. Also to land the tricks I knew I could land. I wanted to take more risk if I ended up in a heat with strong participants. ”
How did you prepare?
“When I was told that I could participate, I mainly tried to prepare myself mentally. There was not much time for real preparation. The event was planned in a relatively short time. Unfortunately, apart from storm Francis, we had not really had good conditions to train a lot on the big air. For me it was from zero race experience to such a big event with world top riders. ”
How was it once on the spot with heating up?
“We arrived the day before the match. Then I immediately started exploring the spot with my brother Sean. We had good conditions to get used to the spot and the waves. Vorupor is fantastic, the kickers are coming here nicely… We had a swell of 2,5 to 3 meters and the wind was 20-25 knots. Perfect for training. In the evening we had the riders meeting. Quite exciting with all riders. We received an explanation from the organization and jury. For example about the structure of the competition and the layout of the heats. ”
What was it like to hear the layout of the heats?
“Guess what… I was immediately in heat 1 with Tom Bridge and Marius Sanchez, in all other heats there was always one of the preselected riders and one of the video entry riders. I was happy with my heat and thought I would just go for it. Then to bed on time for a good night's sleep, because we had to get up early. We had skippers meeting at 8.00:8.30 am and the first possible start was at 10.30:XNUMX am. Eventually it was XNUMX am before we could start. Tom Bridge dropped out with a dislocated knee cap just before the start of the heat. Well, shit happens… ”
How did your heats go?
First heat
“The first heat went perfectly for me. I pulled a very thick high boogie loop and the jury and the audience were super enthusiastic. I also scored with a high late backroll, double kiteloop backroll and great high loops. I was straight through to round 3. ”
So straight on to round 3
“Round 3 I beat Lucas Gramstrup, who crashed hard and had to go to the side halfway through the heat. That meant progress to the semi-finals. That was my goal and in the pocket.
What an experience. After the game, people even came to me. They wanted an autograph and a picture with me. ”
Hoppa, on to the semi-finals
“Then I had to wait until it was my turn in heat 18 against Lasse Walker. That is quite a kick… That you have to compete against a rider like Lasse. Before the heat the wind dropped a bit and I had to decide to switch from a 7 meter Edge to an 8 meter. Unfortunately, that decision did not work out well. The wind came back on and I could have performed more and better with the 7 meters. Apparently I pulled the highest course of the event at 18,4 meters in that heat. But Lasse kitesurfed a class higher and was the rightful winner of the heat. ”
“Lasse told me after the heat that he had had a moment when he got nervous for a moment. What a compliment from such a topper. ”
Then it was game over. How was that?
“Game over, but with a good feeling. Everything I wanted to land I landed clean. I had no crashes and no board loss. That is why I am very satisfied with the progress. ”
What is your intention for the next match?
“What I bring for the next event is that I can go there just as relaxed as this time. I want to focus more on doing tricks close to the jury and the audience. Also go harder and higher with as much variation as possible. ”
Finally. How did you like the event in terms of organization?
“In the evening we had a meeting with the riders and crew to end the event in a pleasant way and that was great. A very good atmosphere. All in all, a unique experience, I will not soon forget this first major event. Also a compliment to the organization, it was all very well arranged. ”
What an experience Jamie. Well done! Very cool that you share it with us and for other kite surfers. We know that the King of The Air (KOTA) videos can now be submitted. One thing is for sure, you will have enough footage to submit your entry. Good luck with that! We'll keep in touch.
