YOUNG GUNS CAMP PRASONISI

Day 7 (final)

Christof Kirschner from the Pro-Center Prasonisi reports:

Photos: Christof Kirschner / Pro Center Prasonisi


Day 7

A dream final!
About 150 spectators gathered on Prasonisi beach for the final competition of the 3rd international JP/NP Young Gun Camp and they witnessed a great show.
At wind force 7 the Young Guns pulled off great stunts on the water. Kauli, Yegor, Manuel and Jonas - the judges  - really didn't have an easy job. The competition has -as we all know- its own rules : some were in top form, others were a little bit stressed out. Heat after heat the best made it slowly up to the top. At about 4:00pm we were ready for the final and the top 4 riders put up a good fight as they were joyfully cheered by the crowd.
In their final heat the youngsters not only presented individual manoeuvres but also manoeuvre combinations! After all there was a JP board and a NP sail to win! And the winner is Loick Spicher from Switzerland, Valentin Boeckler (Germany) came in second, Marco Lufen (Germany) third and Alex Mitchell (UK) ranked fourth.
After the competition was over everybody rushed out on the water again as the wind conditions were still great and there was no time to be wasted.
When the kids finally finished sailing the BBQ fire in front of the Pro Center was already burning and more than 300 souvlakis were ready to be put on the grill. Time for partying with easy chill out with music, BBQ and still a force 7 bft.

YouTube: day 7

Day 6

All night long the Meltemi blew with force 8 bft over the Agean Sea. Big waves flooded Prasonisi beach - they created ankle deep lagoons and it didn't take long until the first fins were screwed off the boards and the beach turned into a huge playground. After such a night the wind had to take a rest and so the morning hours were perfect for light wind manoeuvre training - geckos, helitacks and switchstance exercises.
But the wind quickly came back and soon everybody felt the 'speed-fever'. The coaches borrowed 2 GPS speed-meters and a JP Slalom Board from our center and one kid after the other let themselves got intoxicated by the speed on the flat water side. 46km/h was the top speed reached by the Young Guns. Even 7 year old Alex from Australia reached an impressive speed of 27km/h! In the late afternoon the wind picked up again and brought along small sets of waves on the flat water side - a perfect playground for Kauli and the kids. Yegor took a break today as he harmed his ear yesterday.

Tonight there will be a product presentation of JP/Neilpryde's 2010 equipment and thereafter we will all go to bed early . Everybody wants to make sure be well rested and kicking as tomorrow is the day of the competition!

YouTube: day 6

Day 5 - windy, sunny, warm, and packed with Freestyle Action!

The forecast of force 8 bft finally turned out to be a stiff breeze of force 5-6 bft - perfect conditions for flat water and freestyle. Today was filled with intensive coaching.
As the day of the competition comes closer many are on the verge of achieving a significant breakthrough with their manoeuvres. More and more often you can hear joyful cheering on the water when a manoeuvre was done for the first time. Smiling faces everywhere - exhausted but happy - including those of the coaches. Even Kauli and Yegor show first signs of 'fatigue'.

This evening we will head for Lindos - a beautiful village around 40km away from Prasonisi. We will stroll around the historic narrow streets, have some ice cream and  just chill out!

YouTube: day 5

Day 4
Breathtaking - that's most likely the best description for this day!

Today's wind forecast is accurate "to the knot". Since the early morning Meltemi blows constantly and powerfully and you can literally feel how excited the kids are - this will be a day in the waves. While some fly over the flat water side others get prepared for the wave side and practise loop-rotation in the shallow water. Are you ready? Let's go to the wave side!
It is fascinating how the Young Guns fight the surf and go straight into the loop. After yesterday's freestyle session Prasonisi today is witness  of world-cup like wave action. And the wind won't give way - the sailors' sore hands will not be able to recover. For Tuesday we expect a 'big day' with a force 8-9 bft. So who knows - there might be even some time to take a rest on the beach and watch the stars in action
:-)

YouTube: day 4

Day 3
The first 2 days of the camp are over! Yesterday evening the wind came back with a force 6 bft and brought us a firework of freestyle action.
The kids were out on the water until the evening and on some faces you could detect first signs of 'happy' tiredness . Even our youngest participant - 7 year old Alex from Australia - was out on the water for the whole day.

Today Meltemi is blowing since the early morning - 18 knots on average with a maximum of 28 knots and it is getting stronger. Absolutely demanding conditions for the camp participants. Time and again the coaches take their groups back to the beach to demonstrate manoeuvres stages on the simulator.
Kauli and Yegor are totally in their element! Prasonisi has become witness of an incredible freestyle show - how easy that all looks! The kids are absolutely motivated and many are on the verge of their first big success.
The forecast for tomorrow looks very good.- possibly we will have some good waves on the windward side. We are all waiting to see Kauli performing in the Prasonisi waves - so check this out tomorrow!

YouTube: day 3