Duotone Mag 2024

WHY WHY Mindful There can’t be too much inner motivation to go kiting, windsurfing, wing foiling. When we finally stand at the beach after days or maybe weeks of abstinence, we really live in the moment. We are mindful of what is happening around us. Mindfulness means: you are in this moment, and what you feel there you just accept. All those sports are activities where I am forced to be in the moment. They make you appreciate the moment: I’m on the water and I’m embracing it. I’m not thinking about where I will be in three days, or in five years and that is the definition of mindfulness. Dr. Simon Senner Flexible For anyone practicing board water sports, thinking across boundaries is a basic principle, it’s part of this sport, the sport that we fully and whole-heartedly engage with. Board sports involves an experience that’s completely independent of skin color or language. Board sports enthusiasts are open-minded towards newexperiences, new contacts, fun and joy. What they experience varies with the constantly changing conditions of the weather, the surroundings, the people they’re with or meet … You need to be flexible – which spot will I pick today and how can I make the best of the conditions and everything that comes my way there. That’s one key principle of water sports: How to turn whatever conditions you find into a positive and exciting experience of fun, joy, exercise and sport. Walter Hommelsheim Lifestyle To enjoy life to the fullest is rightfully part of the image of surfers, kitesurfers, windsurfers, wing foilers. To celebrate life out in the ocean, to live out this passion for water sports is something that’s missing in other peoples’ lives, who don’t have this passion. Trying to meet the demands of daily life, family, job, to earn money isn’t easy, but that’s how life rolls and we all have to deal with these things. With a passion for board sports, this weight of life on your shoulders gets lifted. You can see this zest for life in the face of a happy board sports enthusiasts out on the water. They get hooked by this beautiful connection with the great outdoors. Being able to use the power of Mother Nature for your own pleasure and sporting experience is just something very special; the more extreme the conditions, the more exhilarating the experience. To enjoy this force of nature, and mastering the challenge of putting this force into motion instead of being crushed by it, is an invaluable lesson. Walter Hommelsheim All in Board sports enthusiasts generally have a positive outlook on life. They embrace life and they believe they are here on Earth for a good time. And they are used to the fact that this fun usually takes place outside the comfort zone like traveling abroad for their sports, to new spots or going out in scary, wild conditions. Board sports enthusiasts are prepared to take risks: big waves, strong wind, dodgy conditions ... There is always a risk involved and things can go wrong. That’s one of the keys to a happy life: The willingness to take risks and to step out of the comfort zone. Windsurfers, surfers, kitesurfers usually have this all-in mentality. They fully commit to the feeling they’re chasing, the kick, the stoke, to truly connect with themselves and life by happily taking chances. Walter Hommelsheim Strength There are various aspects that also strengthen board sports enthusiasts in their everyday life. Many people feel a certain pressure of expectation in their lives. What does society want fromme? What pressure do I put on myself in my job? What does my social environment expect fromme, my family, my partner? Am I fulfilling it? If these questions get out of hand, it can be that one no longer dares to enter certain situations and avoids themmore and more. Then the fear of these situations grows and grows. If you conserve your fears, you may develop an anxiety disorder. Wind sports are in many ways the exact opposite of that. I have to permanently face uncertainty and new situations. How much wind is there outside between the waves? What happens if I do not make the jump? Out on the water there are many things I can’t predict and that ultimately strengthens your approach to complex situations and decisionmaking, with less fear in other areas of life as well. It trains you to feel comfortable with uncertainty. If I trust myself to make decisions from 15 different parameters; wind, waves, gusts, when to jump, then when faced with a project with just five parameters; who do I have to inform, when is the deadline, it doesn’t challenge me as much at work. Then I can make clear decisions in these situations as well. So doing wind sports strengthens the ability to make decisions. Dr. Simon Senner Philosophy What matters is that you keep reminding yourself of this life philosophy and that it all can be over any moment. There’s no time to wait to be happy, one day in the future. Now is the time! And the present moment is the only time that’s real. In the end of the day, tomorrow is an illusion. There is no certainty in tomorrow. We don’t know if we will wake up tomorrow. And yesterday is already past, gone. All that we’re left with is right now – this very moment. And in this very moment, it’s our board sports enthusiast’s attitude to life that drives us to make the most of every moment. Walter Hommelsheim Inspiration The challenge when doing water board sports is immense – the nature, the wind, the waves. You need total concentration on the moment, and you can’t start thinking about projects to do with your work, arguments with friends, or what you’re planning on doing tonight. Studies show that positively activated people are not only happier, but they also get ill less often and they perform better in their jobs. If someone comes home positively activated, then they infect their family, friends, and surroundings with this positivity. Everyone is familiar with the saying ‘a little bit of what you fancy does you good’. But people who are good also try to do good for their community. Board sports men and women who collect rubbish on beaches, for example, are interested in wider contexts and share this interest beyond their community and take it to the wider public. Dr. Peter Lensker Photo  Ben Thouard D U O T O N E D U O T O N E 135 W H Y W H Y