Every month we will crown 1 Big Air Kiter who's been crushing it! This prestigious award serves to acknowledge the qualities that we aspire to: COURAGE, AMBITION, and the desire to TEST YOUR METTLE in tough conditions.
The kiter of the month for August 2021 is the unstoppable Zara Hoogenraad!
Date of birth: 29/07/1993
Nationality: Dutch
When did you start kiting?
I started kiting in the summer of 2017. In december 2020 I got my sponsorship with Core and since that moment I decided to train Big Air as much as possible and travel the world to the most windy places.
Favorite size kite for Big Air?
The magical 8m XR7
Current tricks you're dreaming of / working on?
The only trick left on my list for 2021 is a kiteloop boardoff. I am already working on a new list with tricks I want to land before the end of 2022. The list will for sure include a boogie boardoff, a doobie and some contraloop stuff.
Favorite place to kite and why?
My favorite place to kite is Tarifa. When levante is nuking with left foot forward kickers this place is just pure magic. I haven’t been to Capetown yet. So I might change my mind after my first Capetown season this winter.
When you are not on the water, you can be found doing?
I like being active and doing outdoor activities. Also I really love spending time with my friends and family.
A non-kiting skill that you want to tell us about?
I am very passionate about cooking, because everybody loves food. Mastering cooking gives me the power to make myself and other people happy.
Any music that you like to listen to before a Big Air session?
I listen to music that hypes me up before a Big Air session, so I can pump up my mind.
What do you feel is your biggest challenge in life?
Personal growth and self-improvement. I can involve this in every area of my life. For now, I am focussing on improving in Big Air as much as possible. You become what you think about most, but you also attract what you think about most. Whether you think you can or you can’t, either way you are right. My goal is to use what I learn as I grow to become the best version of myself.
Tell us about your biggest crash!
Not a session goes by that I don’t crash. So believe me, I had plenty. A fin in the back of my head, sprained ankles, a lot of crashes landing on my board and my legs turning blue, purple, yellow and every other colour you can imagine. My biggest crash was during a kiteloop. It was more windy than usually when I was practising kiteloops, so I went for my highest one so far. That didn’t go the way I hoped. It resulted in a hard crash where it felt like my harnas went under my rib and I couldn’t breath for a few seconds. I wasn’t able to kite for a few weeks, because I ended up with a rib injury, but all good now!
Tell us something naughty you did that your parents never found out about
Good secrets are the best kept secrets 😜