Nico Akgazciyan, from the Black Team, after a podium result in PWA Fuerteventura, closes the pro circuit in 4th position overall. His best result ever! The best result ever in freestyle also for Point-7, and the first podium as well at the event of Fuerteventura. The Point-7 Black Team with their Point-7 gear, after showing its performance in Slalom and Wave, has now put their effort to show the hard work on the freestyle discipline.Nicolas has been training, developing a lot to get to the top and bring to Point-7 a top product, so let’s find out more from the Professional Freestyler in this interesting interview!
Nico, is this your best result ever overall?
In Indoor I won 4 times in freestyle PWA World Cup, but I was definitely searching a good result in outdoor. My best result before that was 7th overall in the PWA Freestyle, so yes, It’s my best result for my career.
A podium in Fuerteventura on brand new sails. Was this also your best result in the events?
Well, this winter I had double work, first to train in technical and physical part, to prepare well, and second to work pretty close on the development of boards and sails to support me in the right way. Andrea followed me in the direction I would like to go, and we are all pretty happy about the result in overall.
In Fuerteventura, I got the last protos the last evening before the event, to be transparent I tried the sails 10 min for each size. The feeling was really nice. After this little try I felt the potential for the competition week, I was ready.
They say that when you are 25 it’s almost too old to have a good result in freestyle. How old are you, and how you explain that?
Ahahahahahahahahahah I’m 30 years old. It’s hard to explain, but in a career you have some up & down. The most important to keep focus to your aim. Since I initiated the PWA world cup tour I stayed faithful at the Freestyle discipline like Tonky, Taty. Maybe the experience paid off, but there are many things happening too those 2 years in my athlete career. I met JR Foy a personal coach (physical / mental) who help me & thought me a lot. My partners as POINT-7 gave me the real possibilities to do exactly what I would like. I took the challenge!
All good things I got this year it’s come from all person around believe, support, motivated me. Thanks to all it’s our result!
What is the average age of a freestyler in PWA?
Freestyle touch directly young people that’s why average it’s around 23/24 years old! When you are young, kids/teenagers, you’re looking for a something stylish, crazy, to belong to a group and practise skateboarding, snowboarding, wakeboarding etc, because they don’t care to hurt themselves!
I think that’s why those last years the average level increased with different crazy moves.
Do you think freestyle is going to be like slalom? Older guys using the experience and keeping fit, will give a hard time to the younger riders?
Yes, Steven VB, Taty, Tonky, etc have 30 years or more. When you check the ranking those guys are in top of the ranking! To be older has some good things, more experience on different conditions, they are good jumper, moderating our stress etc.
Tell us how you trained to obtain this result. What was the difference to last years?
I met JR FOY, it’s a trainer out of windsurf, I would like somebody with a different eye of my sport and with a new approach. He didn’t know anything around windsurfing and even more in freestyle. I showed him 2 videos to explain him. One was of Gollito and another one of my videos, after 10/15 sec of each videos he was able to prepare me, I was surprised and interested to work in different way.
During all winter I was working on force max only, the schedules evaluated with jump things and exclusivity. I lost 7 kg in the winter and increase my strength. I was feeling much better day per day in the training sessions. I choose to go to South Africa & Tenerife with riders PWA to continue my technical training and prepare the first event in Leucate.
Training, equipment, talent, fitness. What is more important in Freestyle?
All together, the level is so high, & moves incredible. No place to something less. The freestyle discipline come more professional year per year so you need all those ingredients to perform.
You have been working on the new Slash. Tell us the differences to the older versions.
It’s completely different, the older one were good and more accessible for average freestyler. But with the new moves it has to be full optional. I was looking at the sails more in detail and we changed completely the outline, profiles, rotation. Lots of good and radical changes.
Lift, LOT’S OF POP, short boom, high base, and straight profiled battens, lightweight! These were the requests from our freestylers. To meet the requirements of the team a large Dacron panel was introduced into a four-batten construction, to create earlier planning and more pop in the sail. The straight profile in the top of the sail combined with a tight leech allows for super easy ducking of the sail and back winded tricks. No gimmicks has been invented or stitched onto the sail- The team requested the most functional freestyle sail possible with a slashed down weight to have no holds for pulling the fastest and highest moves.
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Is every size the same? Did you develop the sail size by size?
First we started on the 4.8 because it’s the overall sail used in general, and others sizes where develop after sizes by size.
How was this done?
I was working to be fit and technically ready, I thought too the gear was important, I started to think about it in South Africa. I tested all brands to see which differences between them and ours.
Begin of march I came to Tenerife to convince Andrea and Mike (sail maker & repair in Medano) to work on something else. I explained them that I would to focus only on performance & see if something will happen.
I started to design the 4.8m together with Andrea, I learned a lot those 2 years on why/what/how work a freestyle sails and wave sails.
I knew which direction to take, but we were very short in time because It was beginning of march and the 1st world cup was mid of April. During one full week I was 6 hours on the table design for 30min to 1 hour on the water test changes!
What is important in a freestyle sail, and what do you look for?
The sails need to get soft deepness along the mast and generate power very quick. The sail has to be fast, super handy with a light feeling but with a strong construction => Slash!
Are you happy of the result?
Yes, I am, because our work paid off!
Why should someone choose the Point-7 Slash freestyle sail.
Because we have all ingredients that freestylers are looking for their moves & the Slash P-7 are reinforced in xply down to the top except the main window. We know that sails get used quickly that’s why we choose to keep it stronger! The sails are working very good, you rig and go, you don’t need many sessions to get ready in yours arms. Easy, Handy, Light, Reinforced & Power!
You went for a huge shifty during one of the heats. Did you try this move before with the sails and on the spot, before trying it in the heat?
No, I was training at home in secret spot with an old proto. Not during the training in Fuerte, I didn’t want to show it, I would like to keep in da pocket. I landed my 1st perfect shifty planning in heat with the pre-series SLASH, lucky?
You are very active. Not only doing the PWA freestyle, but testing, being agent for Point-7 in France, stages around the world. How do you plan your day? How do you fit in everything? Tell us a bit about your year planning to fit all in.
Since two years I finished my master business international & became sales representatives in France for Point-7 and other brands. It was a new motivation for me to know different parts of the windsurf industry, I learned a lot from the other side and it’s always nice to work with other people who share the same passion and get two visions from windsurfing, one from the sport and one behind the scene. Since two years I am doing also private coaching around the world withwww.fun-and-fly.com (tour operator), I got the diploma too. We made 5/6 coaching’s camps, always nice to share his experience and help motivate people to learn more & more. With P-7/99 developing gear and compete it’s quite many things in 1 year. You just need to be organize to have time for yourself.
Your girlfriend is happy that you show up 5 times a year at home? Or you don’t have a girlfriend, and many in all spots?
I have a nice girlfriend, patient too. She’s helping a lot on the right and negative moments. Currently she’s studying Physio university, and when she has not time as well, so at the moment it’s not a problem. We’ll see later. I love so much windsurf since 10 years old. To work on the industry, it was too one of my dream, I have no regrets only motivation & enjoy full power the life!
What are your plans for till end of the year now that PWA freestyle is over?
I go to Brazil for few weeks for a coaching camp & training. Then I will go back at home in France to make a break and see my family / girlfriend / friends. This year was pretty intense and didn’t get time to see them.
Next year plans?
Continue to push our limits on the development, already good I developed freestyle boards with Gianni Valdambrini and we got the test winner in German magazine, it sounds good! I tried to give my best to get the same result for the Slash edition. We will see when the test when it will come out.
I will do coaching in Tenerife (13 – 20 February 2015) , coaching Defi wind (may 2016), Fuerteventura (end of august 2016) , Madagascar (September 2016) , Jericoacoara (Oct-Nov 2016) => more info www.fun-and-fly.com
I will follow the freestyle PWA tour, try to climb higher to the beautiful places. Thinking to participate to PWA Wave event or AWT tour, but nothing sure yet.
We heard that PWA will try to change the freestyle format for competitions. Is this true? What is the idea? Do you support it?
Yes, there are some noises but nothing it’s done & the live score is still in stand-by, we’re waiting news from the desk.
What do people say about your curls?
Nothing just to not cut them because people know me with, it’s come from my personality! I would like to say thank you very much to all persons helped me and believed in my projects => partners / family / girlfriend / friends!!!
