shit and I wanted to be just like
them. Mike used to have this
great lime-green Volkswagen van
from the 60’s. I’m still looking for
one of my own.
In 2002 I got my first
sponsorship with Gaastra
Kiteboarding. I was 12 years
old and at the time could do
some backrolls, jumps with a
couple different grabs, and the
odd raley. In 2004, I won my first
event at the US Open Velocity
Games in the Junior Division.
As I progressed throughout the
years I moved from Gaastra to
Naish and Naish to Best, where I
was taken on as an international
team rider in 2009. Since then
I’ve worked to win the Canadian
National Championship four
times over as well as compete in
several events world wide.
SAUBLE
I grew up in Orillia, a suburb an
hour north of Toronto, but in 1996
my family bought a cottage in
Sauble Beach. Sauble is a huge
family destination for the summer
months. It offers one of the
largest fresh water beaches in
the country right along Lake
Huron and is one of the few
places you can go and not feel
as if you are in snowy Canada.
There is a quaint town centre
filled with surf shops, second
hand stores, and
restaurants only steps from the
main beach. And the beach is
wide enough that you can drive
right off the road and onto the
sand, go for a swim, or visit a
beachside restaurant. Sauble is
where our passion for wind and
Photography: Josh Pietras