Girls on Tour
Caterina Stenta (RRD / RRD / Maui Ultra Fins), made her debut on the PWA Wave Tour in 2013 and finished the 2015 season in 10th place overall. The 28 year old from Italy, finished in 6th place in Pozo, Gran Canaria, last year and now has her sights on progressing further up the rankings ladder. Read our interview with Caterina below:
PWA: Hey Caterina, firstly can you tell us a little bit about yourself… where you're from, how old you are, what you enjoy?
CS: “Hello, I am from the north east of Italy, Trieste, a nice city between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea. I am 28 years old and I am fully focused on windsurfing, it's what I enjoy most now. Cannot think about something that would give me the same adrenaline and energy as wave riding and sailing.”.
PWA: What first made you want to get into windsurfing?
CS: “After a few summers windsurfing in Greece with my family I decided I wanted to move to Gran Canaria and live there for one year; after that year I organised and I am still trying to organise my life around windsurfing.”
PWA: How long have you been windsurfing?
CS: “I started at 16 during the summer holiday, but I only have been so obsessed with it for 8 years more or less.”
PWA: Who has been you biggest influence on your sailing?
CS: “I always sail with friends with whom I travel and I try to learn from them, I like to compare myself with the boys and I always ask for tips and teaching. In Pozo I have good friends that help me and they influence my sailing. At the beginning and still now a good influence in wave riding has been my brother.”
PWA: What would you be doing if you weren’t windsurfing?
CS: “I think as my hometown is close to the Alps I would do a lot of ski mountaineering and maybe compete there. I love it and it was my first sport. Lately I did some SUP race and I like it as well, I think I like and I am used to fight hard to achieve something and these types of sports suit me. I definitely would train and compete because I like competitions.”
PWA: Where is your favorite place to windsurf and why?
CS: “At the moment I would say South Africa because there are many different spots and different conditions and you can train everyday wave riding and jumping, light wind or strong wind.”
PWA: What is your favorite move and why?
CS: “A nice turn on the wave, with an aerial on it. I love the feeling of a nice turn, and to feel the board slashing under the feet.”
PWA: What move did you find the hardest to learn and why?
CS: “Backloop, it's still hard to understand the landing and once you land one it can take a long while after landing others.”
PWA: What new moves are you currently learning?
CS: “Aerials, Backloops and tabletop forwards.”
PWA: How do you learn your moves? Videos? Watching others?
CS: “Watching others, asking good riders and getting filmed.”
PWA: What do you do when you’re not windsurfing?
CS: “I train out of the water, I need to work as well sometimes, unfortunately, and when I am not traveling or working I go back to Italy to ski and feel at home for a bit.”
PWA: What are your goals for 2016?
CS: “To do as good as I know I can in the PWA, I want to do better than last year on the tour. And keep sailing the whole year, that's my biggest goal.”
PWA: Where are you at the moment?
CS: “In Cape Town for few more days. Then I will go back to Spain and to Fuerteventura for a while for SUP and Windsurf training.”
PWA: Favourite film?
CS: “Beautiful mind.”
PWA: If you were on a desert island what 3 items would you choose to take with you?
CS: “If there were waves, my windsurf kit if it counts as one item, my ebook and a good boyfriend.”
PWA: If you could pick a super power, what would it be?
CS: “To create good waves wherever I am, so I could train much more and not wait for my travels to wave ride.”
PWA: Thanks Caterina.