As we are already in the new 2018 season and there are developments on the team front at Point-7, we wanted to keep everyone up to date with what is happening for this year regarding out slalom team. The mission at Point-7 has always been to work with key windsurfing athletes from around the globe who share our passion, develop talent at the youth level and design the best equipment to give our team riders the best tools available to ply their skills on the Pro Tour.
The way our BLACK TEAM works as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual talents in the world, but if they don’t bring the right spirit to the team, their effort won’t be worth what we are looking for. To win the game, you don’t have to be the most athletic or talented. To win, you must have passion for the sport, determination and complete faith in yourself and your team.
We had realised this with Josh Angulo. His message to us was ‘Thanks for bringing back the passion’ in 2012. This massage to us was very clear. Josh needed a team and support to have a real result in slalom. We brought him to top 5 in slalom with our AC-ONE. His best slalom overall result in the PWA. We were rigging and tuning his sails, carrying the gear in and out of the water, caddying him on the water, even washing his sail window to make sure he had perfect visibility in the jibes. We were there as a whole team to make sure he felt confident and supported. It was pure fact that a team behind a pro windsurfer was going to make a difference.
“Our riders work as a team, train as a team and enjoy success as a team. Our unique approach to training and preparation gives our riders the best possible chance out on the water when they compete. Our task is to give the right support at the right moment. It’s an individual sport, where the ego often comes into play. A sport where you are not only fighting with the other competitors, but with nature too and lots of experience is needed. You need to be knowing your opponents, think fast and feel at home in big variety of conditions. Who came in our Point-7 Black Team proving dedication and wanting to act as a real team managed the 0.7 results.”
Andrea Cucchi
From there we took the initial concept and philosophy we always had. Let’s develop young talents and bring them up with our AC-One to success.
The easy solution would be to pay a champion the money he needs to prove, that with his ability, the product works, as most brands do. But this is not where our hearts lie. We believe that our time, energy and passion we put into our products can be proven on several dimensions. Its simply not exciting for us to move along traditional paths.
We invested our resources in creating the first and unique winter training in Tenerife where the riders for the first time had the chance to train together and push each other. We have now moved the training to Lanzarote to offer even more training services to push one step ahead the concept.
Our team manager travels to all the PWA tour events to support the team, race himself to understand the requirements of the team, keeping them united and pushing them to help and motivate each other.
Alberto Menegatti was the first hero of the new generation from the Point-7 Black Team. He took our AC-One and with the team concept, went from 15th to 2nd in one year. He left everybody speechless. It was the first time that a new name had made a podium after many years, and challenged the big names of the PWA. Especially someone so young. Pascal Toselli from France after finishing his university came on board and after few years obtained an amazing top 5 result: his best career result till now!
Last year we interrupted something which was going on for years. Something that only few brands can say to have. We brought our racing AC-One to be the PWA world champion thanks to another young talent, Matteo Iachino. Point-7 is now able to put the PWA Slalom Sail Constructor World Title in its hall of fame.
After bringing up all these young talents to their best results, who will be next?
Gabriel Browne
Gabriel Browne BRA: 23yrs old. Tired of being the brother of the Wave World Champion Marcillo, Gabriel will he put 100% energy to get to the top rankings in the PWA slalom? He now moved to Maui to focus on his professional windsurfing career. Gabriel had shown already the talent when he started his first year on tour at the age of 16. Now being 23 and finishing his studies, he is more than ready to make a strong come back. This year he had his first adjustment year in the PWA, with some top 10 results, so we are ready to back him up with all his needs.
Bruno Martini
Bruno Martini ITA: Same age from Gabriel, Bruno is coming from a young skiing academy career. His father being a personal trainer thought him the importance of being fit and healthy. His hyper speed as not match yet his potential in the rankings, but we are excited to get him the final ingredients missing. Bruno lives on Lake Garda where just next to the Point-7 summer development centre. Often busy testing products with the team.
Basile Jacquin FRA: 19years old and already top 10 results. Youth PWA and IFCA World Champion. This isthe truth from this young talent. In some of the events he was finishing finals in the top 5. Yet a body to develop to man power, experience to be battled on the race
Basile Jaquin
course, but his talent has already got the other PWA riders worried. Basile born and raised in New Caledonia, has moved to South France to study at university, but his focus will be windsurfing.
Francesco Scagliola ITA: ‘Ciccio’ this is how all the veterans call him at the PWA World Tour. If you are 16, close to 190 tall, but still 20kg too light and 30 years of career in front of you, how would you feel when you are actually getting the oldies worried in some heats? EXCITED!
Fulya Unlu our main young rider for the women category. And of course Lena Erdil who has shown consistent podium and champion potential.
Francesco “Ciccio” Scagliola
Lena Erdil
Fulua Ünlü locked in
‘I remember when I came on the PWA tour the first years. It was practically an impossible mission to be able to be at the level of the top pros. It took years before understanding how it all worked. It was easy to be discouraged and quit. I always thought how unfair that nothing was existing for windsurfing to grow up the kid’s level. The federations were only about the Olympic class. Just like now. Nothing was there to help the youngsters for the slalom. There was no coaching, there was no one to ask. When we created the Point-7 Black Team, we did not want to hire the best rider to use the skills of the rider to prove the sails, we were all about growing the product with the talented riders who deserved the support by proving team work and effort. Giving them all the shortcuts and tools needed to make it up there in the shortest time possible. We took Matteo Iachino to the top positions possible twice. He is now ready to do it alone, and it’s now time for us to move on to the next challenge. It takes energy and time that not all the brands are willing to invest, but for us it’s what we thrive on, and its what excites us, but most of all, its what keeps us on our toes and keeps us alive in the eyes of our followers who want to be surprised all of the time by our will to stand out!’
Andrea Cucchi, Team Manager
To complete the team Andrea Cucchi himself and Kurosh Kiani, the Point-7 media manager, will both be competing on the PWA tour and prove themselves along with the rest of the team on top of guiding them to success.
