4 X SLALOM WORLD CHAMPION: JENNA GIBSON

JENNA GIBSON

Duotone: ⁠Talk us through the week from your perspective.

Jenna: I had a bit of a hectic start to the trip: I forgot my passport, my van warning lights started flashing the night before leaving, and a stone chipped my windscreen on the way to get the ferry, so it seemed like the trip would be destined for failure. I arrived in Demark a little later than I normally would like to for a big event. It had been a very long drive which had left me feeling completely drained of energy, but I managed one training session in some light winds before the event. After that the wind didn’t play ball for the first few days of competition which worked in my favor; meaning I had time to rest up and regain my energy before the wind arrived. As always, competing makes the stress of traveling worthwhile. I was eager to get racing, especially on the bigger slalom kit for the first time this season. Winning the first race was a great start, but each time I got ahead, Justine would equalize! So as a result we had lots of back and forth for the event lead the whole event through a really wide spectrum of conditions. Normally I would have found such tight results stressful, but this event I actually just really embraced it, I just wished there would have been more racing.

Duotone: What equipment did you use this week and how did this differ from the PWA Slalom-X equipment?

Jenna: For this event we were limited to 2 boards and 4 sails, one sail more than for SlalomX on the PWA, the big difference was that for the IFCA we could race in everything over 10 knots, compared to the 25 knot lower wind limit for SlalomX. The forecast before the event was constantly changing, at times showing wind everyday with 5 days of 30+knot racing, and at other times the forecast looked like we would struggle to get any racing at all due to super light winds. I had 3 boards to choose from; 130, 116, 99 Falcon_Fin D/LAB and 5 WARP_FIN sails; 8.4, 7.8, 6.8, 5.8, 5.0. I ended up choosing the 99 and 116 boards and sail sizes from 8.4 to 5.8.

This was because I have been using the 116 Falcon_Fin D/LAB with 7.8 and 6.8 a lot this season, and have been super impressed with its early planning ability.

Until the second day of racing I had never tried the 116 in winds as low as 10 knots, and I had never tried it with an 8.4 either and actually I was pleasantly surprised - and I got the results to match! I could pump onto the plane in super light winds, gybe effortlessly and it meant i still had the 99 for the strong wind races- bonus!

Duotone: How does it feel to be undefeated since 2018 in IFCA?

Jenna: It’s pretty insane, each event has been so different,so every time has been a new challenge but of course it feels great to win again. But it’s been especially great this time round because I have missed competing in Denmark and really loved the competition Justine and I have had this year throughout the whole season. The tight battle gives me motivation to push hard in training for next year to keep up with the rising level of competition.

Duotone: Denmark has always been a special place for you, talk us through the years and your achievements at Hvide Sande.

Jenna: My first time in Hvide Sande was for my first ever PWA event in 2017, I then won my first IFCA World title there the year after, but up until this year I hadn't been there since 2019, so I was super excited to return this year. Anyone that has seen the photos or videos circulating will know it's an unbelievable place to sail with mostly uninterrupted winds with mostly nice flat water where you can stand while waiting for your heat, which just makes racing so much easier especially with such long days on the water . It’s similar to the conditions I’ve been sailing in the past few years in Poole and Portland harbour so I felt super comfortable and being confident in your setup really helps mentally with the racing.

Duotone: There were lots of talented youngsters in Denmark, what’s your advice for them as the next generation of female slalom riders?

Jenna: It was great to see such a big youth and junior crowd at Hvide Sande this year showing some immense bravery in some really challenging conditions at times, so that was really very special and a huge positive for the sport. My advice is to just keep going. It can be a really tough sport physically and mentally with sometimes what feels like quite limited returns. But windsurfing is so worth it if you just stick at it and work with a good team around you. You’ll get there in the end!!