Arnaud van Hanglos.fr was laatst in Portugal en daar heeft hij Rui Meira ontmoet.

Speciaal voor ons heeft hij hem geinterviewd. Rui was 5de van de PKRA in 2007.

1-Hi Rui ! Can you make a quick presentation : age, place you live, when and where did you start kiteboarding ?

I'm Rui Meira, 22, live in Lagoa de Albufeira, kiting since 2000 and learned here at home,

2-So, you came here in the North of Portugal to coach the young Portuguese rippers, what do you think of the scene here in Portugal, who impress you the most?

I'm happy to see that there's more young people everyday, when i started it was a sport for grown man and the freestyle scene changed that, right now the one i have more faith in is Danilo i just think he has a lot of potential and lets see what happens in the future.

3-It seems you're not doing all the competitions this year, what's going on, what do you think about competition in general, the PKRA?

This year i was out of the Naish team and i didn't get the budget to be able to travel the world competing so i'm just having fun kiting, haven't been training freestyle as much and now i have time to do all my other favorite sports. To be able to compete you have to be prepared for all the events, to spend months away from home and i hope someday to see someone became a true professional.

4-What trick(s) are you working on at the moment?

Currently i just have fun, i just do the tricks i really like and try to do them the best way i can, been riding more with bindings with a wakesk8 surfboard and i loved it since i don't have any pressure to learn this or that trick.

5-Best place for flat water / freestyle in Portugal?

Lagoa de Albufeira, my home spot!!!

6-What do you think about surfing with a kite? Favourite wave spot? Do you surf without a kite?

It's not the same as pure surfing and sometimes i just want to let go of my kite since it's always pulling but it's really nice to take avantage of the wind and the waves at the same time, besides you can go strapless or with straps so you just need to choose your style.

7-We've seen several top freestyle riders trying wakestyle with bindings for the last months, what do you think about it? Did you try?

Love bindings!!

8-3 stupid questions, or not ?

-Favourite beer? -> Don't drink beer
-Favourite music for this summer? -> Lupe Fiasko - Superstar
-Boardshorts over wetsuits? -> Only over a short leg wetsuit

9-What's up with your sponsors, we saw you riding other kites than Naish? Who do you want to thank?

Unsponsored!! Sponsor me :)