Rider Interview Liam Whaley

Feb-04-2013
Liam Whaley came on tour in 2012 and quickly made a name for himself. At only 15 years of age he showed great composure and maturity during his heats, along with some solid moves to upset some top riders. Looks like 2013 is going to be even better for Liam, judging by his video click here, he could reach his goal of making the top 8. Here is a short interview on this kite prodigy from Tarifa.


Name: Liam Whaley
Nationality: Spanish
Sponsors: Cabrinha, NP
Where you live: Tarifa, Spain
Facebook: facebook.com/LiamWhaleyOfficialFanPage
Twitter: twitter.com/liamwhaley
Website: www.liamwhaley.com (not working at the moment)



1. Where did you train over the winter and why?

Over the winter I spent two months in Brazil; I have gone to Brazil now 6 times and it is quite an important part of my annual training because of how much I progress while I am there.. Now I am in Tarifa training the tricks I learnt in Brazil, but with a bit harder conditions they are harder to land but good for competition training.

2. What was your focus in training, specific moves, style, recovering from injury?

Luckily I haven’t got injured yet, I am just 16 haha… But yeah I have been training new moves (doubles), trying to make my tricks look more stylish adding grabs and then just going bigger than before with the kite lower.

3. Did you do any cross training, conditioning, surf, snowboard, etc…how does it help your kiting.

Yeah! After Brazil I went directly to France and stayed there for a month.. I don’t really know if snowboarding helps my kiting much but it definitely trains different muscles in your body, and that helps to prevent injuries in your weak spots.

4. What PKRA destinations are you looking forward to in 2013 and why?

Yeah I am definitely looking forward to the last 5 events which are: Egypt, China, Australia, New Caledonia and South Africa. I have never been to any of these places and it will be nice to see so many different cultures in such a short period of time and of course the kiting will be insane in most of these places!

5. What are your sponsors, any changes on the off season and why? What kites are you riding?

My Sponsors are Cabrinha and NP and yeah I am super happy with these sponsors especially Cabrinha, they have been supporting me a lot since the beginning and I hope to stick with them for a long time?

The kites are pretty sick this year, they brought out the new c-kite called the Chaos and it definitely helps me with my riding.... The kites are just going to get better and better with me and Alberto Rondina helping to make it the perfect kite!

6. Straps or bindings, why?

So just before Brazil I started riding bindings just because everyone was doing it and everyone was progressing quicker and having more style in their tricks. So far I am loving it and foot straps just don't feel good anymore ;)

7. Which rider do you think will make an entry into the top 10(if you why).

There are definitely a few young riders that have great potential that will easily make it into the top 10, people like Ewan Jaspan, Eudazio Da Silva, Robinson Hilario, all of these guys just got a bit unlucky last year but they will for sure do well in 2013.

8. What moves/style/execution/power will be the biggest factor for you in 2013 in winning your heats?

I guess just being constant throughout my heats not messing up basically and then just add some style and go big at the end of the heat.

9. Why do you come on the PKRA?

The PKRA started off as kind of a test for me to see where I was in the ranking and to see if I was good enough to do the whole tour this year. I love competition, there is no other feeling like winning a heat and then there is also the media which helps me promote myself as a rider.

10. Are you thinking of doing any crossover into Slalom, to do both disciplines at the events?

Maybe I will do a few different disciplines in some events but my mane focus is definitely freestyle.

11.What are your personal goals for 2013 in kiting, life and business? How does the PKRA fit in.

My goal for 2013 is to stay in the top 8 throughout the season promote myself as much as possible, find new sponsors and just have fun!

12. What is the kite magazine of your Native country and favorite website for kiting news?

In Spain we dont have many Kite Mags but the biggest one is KiteSpain Mag..

My favorite websites for kite news are definitely Kitemovement and Hanglos...

Cheers,

Liam