Girls on Tour

Nimet Tulumen (KA Sail) may have only started windsurfing in 2010, but the Turk is already battling it out with the best women in the business on the PWA Slalom World Tour. Last year the 27 year old finished in 16th place overall and after a winter full of training in El Medano, Tenerife, she’ll be hoping there’s even more to come in what is becoming a fiercely contest women’s slalom tour, with the number of girls racing flourishing — In Alacati a total of 31 women registered to race. We recently caught up with Nimet for an interview, which you can read below:

PWA: Hey Nimet, firstly can you tell us a little bit about yourself… where your from, how old you are, what you enjoy?

NT: “I am from Istanbul and 27 years old. Any new knowledge and experiences that I gained each day with family and my friends makes me enjoy life.” 

PWA: What first made you want to get into windsurfing and how long have you been sailing?

NT: “I had my first windsurfing experience in 2010. Before that I was a professional swimmer for a very long time and I was training the whole year. So I didn’t have much chance to try any other sports. I always spend my summers in Alacatı so after I quit swimming I started to learn windsurfing with the support of my uncle. Suddenly I was in love with it! Windsurfing is really not similar to any other sports that I did before ! You can always feel freedom and nature. It always gives me positive energy and power.”

PWA: Who has been the biggest influence on your sailing?

NT: “Everybody around me always influences my sailing. I learned windsurfing in Alacatı where there are many professional and great windsurfers. So it is easy to progress your sailing there. Then at my home in Istanbul we also have really good windsurfers so I can always train with them and progress.

This year in Tenerife many riders helped me a lot too. At the races you always meet different people and you can always learn something new from them. So everybody has a role and influences me. Beside that KA Sail and the team always support me and help me, which I am always grateful for.”

PWA: What would you be doing if you weren’t windsurfing?

NT: “Now it is really hard for me to imagine life without windsurfing. I really have no idea!”  

PWA: Where is your favorite place to windsurf and why? 

NT: “Alacatı for sure! It ıs warm, windy with beautiful people and the water is flat — what else can you ask for, for a good slalom session…"

PWA: What is your favourite aspect of racing and why?

NT: “Racing always gives so much adrenaline. I like it because when you are sailing or training with friends it is totally different! You are always relaxed. However in racing you can really feel the tension!”  

PWA: What aspect of racing do you think is the most difficult and why? 

NT: “Decision making and making as a few mistakes as possible. What I mean by that is that in slalom racing there are many variables that can affect your performance. Even if you are a really good sailor you can always make some mistakes or make the wrong decision, which has a massive affect on your performance and ultimately your results. I think being truly professional for me means you make nearly no mistakes and always make the correct decision.”

PWA: You spent some time over in Tenerife this winter training — how did that go and what do you think it helped you improve the most?

NT: “It was a wonderful time! I really enjoyed training and spending time with great people. The training was really intense. I improved everything! Starting, racing , gybing, sailing in very windy and difficult conditions, learning more about tuning your stuff… Everybody in the training was so helpful, Thanks to them I made huge progress with my windsurfing. I also learned how to cook some Dutch, Austrian and Italian dishes :).” 

PWA: There’s a lot of Turkish girls competing on the tour — do you train together and why do you think racing is so popular in Turkey?

NT: “I started to learn windsurfing in Alacatı. When I started I remember that I was always seeing many girls and not just men windsurfing and training together. That motivated me a lot and I think that’s the reason why! Because you always have great and experienced windsurf girls (of course also men) in front of you and it influences and motivates you a lot. In Alacatı there is always incredible windsurf spirit. You can always find someone to train with you on the water.” 

PWA: What are your goals for 2016 and the future?

NT: “My goal is firstly to windsurf as much as possible in many different locations with different people. I really enjoy going to different spots so I want to travel more. Beside that I will try to do my best while competing on the PWA this season and also in the Turkish Championship.” 

PWA: What do you do when you’re not windsurfing? 

NT: “I am currently studying my master degree in theoretical physics. Right now I am writing my thesis. When I am not windsurfing, I am always busy with it.”

PWA: Away from windsurfing… Favourite film? 

NT: “The Godfather series

James Bond movies with Daniel Craig (I am a huge fan of him)

Little Miss Sunshine 

Once up on a time in Anatolia (Turkish movie)”

PWA: Favourite food and drink?

NT: “I lived for 5 years in Italy so I really like Italian food especially Italian pizza! However being Turkish I can never say no to a good Turkish kebab and meat. Favorite drink is coffee.”

PWA: Favourite music? And do you listen to certain songs before heats?

NT: “I listen to everything, I don’t have any favourite genre. I am always to lazy about music so I always download playlists from my friends. I don’t have any certain songs.”

PWA: If you were on a desert island what 3 items would you choose to take with you?

NT: “My sister because she can always decide more wisely than me. My windsurf equipment so I can sail around the island or maybe discover new islands. Finally there is a machine which turns salt water into drinking water using solar power — definitely that one! So with these 3 things I think I can survive!”

PWA: If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?

NT: “Richard Feynman. He is of the most popular theoretical physicist and greatest minds. For me he is really unique also about his life and thoughts. So I really want to know him.”

PWA: If you could pick a super power, what would it be and why?

NT: “A body that doesn’t need sleep and never gets tired! So all the 24 hours of the day will be mine and I can learn, do and improve more things.”

PWA: Any pet hates? 

NT: “All bird types  like chickens, ducks, turkeys… I cannot touch them.”

PWA: Thanks a lot, Nimet. Good luck with the rest of your master thesis and for the coming season.