Interview – Antony Ruenes on Simmersails
Antony Ruenes had his debut on the PWA freestyletour in 2003 in Leucate (France) and was one of the first freestylers, who landed several meter high Shakas at Pozo Izquierdo some years ago. He already had a few sailsponsors in his career (Naish, Gaastra, Vandal). A foot injury stopped his career in 2009. In 2010 he had a strong comeback and landed a 7th position at Fuerteventura and a 9th on Sylt. Now the French sailor found a new sailsponsor and has big plans for the next season! Let´s just remember that Antony Ruenes was in 7th position in the PWA freestyle tour in 2007.
Antony at Fuerteventura in 2010 (Pic: Carter/PWAworldtour 2010).
C7: You told us during the Fuerteventura event this year that you actually have no sailsponsor and borrowed some sails from Thomas. When did you play with the idea to look for a new sailsponsor?
Antony: Yes, after my foot injury in Fuerteventura 2009 I had to recover for 6 months so I also missed Sylt and my ranking was bad! Then Vandalsails decided to not support me anymore. So I was in December 2009 with no ranking and with 6 months of no training. I had no really good argument to look for a new sailsponsor. So I decided then to train really hard again to compete with my old sails. I broke almost all of them. So I had to borrow some sails from Thomas Traversa, who really helped me out by borrowing a full set of sails. Thanks to him!!! Then in the end of the year 2010 in Sylt I started to talk with some people about my situation and Yann Sorlut (thanks to him too) told me about Simmersails and all started.
C7: You were a bit off the scene for a while. You had already great results in 2005, you was one of the guys with the best Shakas and so. In 2010 we now saw a very strong comeback of you. What happened in the meanwhile (study, school, injuries)?
Antony: I had to choose between a professionel career right now with no safety or put it on “stand by” for 2 years and then to start with full power again with windsurfing. I decided for a diploma to save my future, if windsurfing doesn´t work or if injuries will stop me. I studied physiotherapy which is a really good job in France, which allows a lot of traveling. So even when I will be older and stop competing I will be able to keep traveling and sailling all around the world. Then after this I started in 2009 full power again, but I was not fit enough. I injured my foot trying a new move and had to stop for 6 month as I mentioned before. My foot was really painful when I restarted Freestyle again!
Antony with his injured foot in 2009 Fuerteventura - Pic: Continentseven.com
C7: What does it mean for you to get sponsored again, and now by Simmer?
Antony: It is a new chance for me to be on the top again and to push the sport and the freestyle up. I am really motivated now again and I am really happy with the new sails. They are really nice! I hope we will go far together and on the top!!!
C7: Are you international Simmer Teamrider now?
Antony: I am still waiting for my contract, but I think so !!!
C7: You are still on the website of Vandal as a teamrider. Why?
Antony: I am surprised that I m still on the website. They should update it more I think! But what is sure: they stopped giving me anything one and a half year ago and even didn´t answer to my emails anymore .
C7: Which sail model will you use out of the Simmersails range?
Antony: I´ve choosen to use the Blacktip model.
C7: Will you be involved in the development process of the sails in the near future?
Antony: It would be super nice for me to work on the R&D for the sails. I am already working with Fabien Vollenweider and Cedric Bordes on the Tabou board. So yes, it would be nice to have the possibility to work on the sails as well.
Antony training in France (Pic: photodingo.com).
C7: How are the first impressions of the Simmer sails to you?
Antony: They are really nice. I am happy, because it s not easy to get used to new sails , but this time it went really fast , so as I say before I am SUPER HAPPY with this sail!!!!!
C7: Do the sails feel completely different compared to what you used in the past (Gaastra, Vandal)?
Antony: Yes, for sure it is different, but I was using a four batten sail before like the Simmer Blacktip now, so it does not change so much on this point. It is even more sick!
C7: Will you compete in 2011 in PWA and EFPT or do you have different projects in the focus? Do you have plans to compete in waves as well?
Antony: I will make both of this tours. I would like to compete in waves as well. I love the waveriding discipline, but I need to train more. I will ask for some tips from Thomas (Traversa), haha. It is hard to make many things parallel, but I will keep on training in waves also to come strong one year on the tour.
Antony Ruenes on his new sail (Pic: photodingo.com).
C7: You did not like very light wind conditions in the past. Will you like the lightwind with the new sails more?
Antony: For sure I like strong wind and I get screwed up in light wind all the time. I am not a light weight. That´s the reason, why I will spend a month in Bonaire this winter to train my light wind performance.
C7: Will you keep on going with Tabou boards in 2011?
Antony: Yes, I love the boards and I have a good relation with Fabien Vollenweider. He lives in Marseille. So it s sick to work on a board with him, Cedric Bordes and Thomas Traversa. So for sure I will keep on riding Tabou, which are the best boards out of my view!
C7: Are you working on new tricks (in Fuerte you could stick the no handed Funnel)?
Antony: Yes, I am thinking of some. We will see. Like I mentioned I will travel to Bonaire and maybe Isla Margarita.
C7: Are there any moves you have invented?
Antony: Yes, the Funnel no handed , Funnel Clock and the Groupy. Check out the Groupy here.
C7: What was your best season so far on the PWA tour out of your view?
Antony: For sure it was when I finished 2nd in Pozo in Freestyle. I have almost been 1st in the overall, but i screwed it up in the last round of Lanzarote. I was stressed too much and too young. I think it was back in 2005.
Antony performs a one handed burner (Pic: photoding.com).
C7: How big is the Freestyle scene in France ?
Antony: I think France is one of the biggest windsurfing markets in the world and there are many young guns in Marseille, Le Brusc, Leucate….. But they have no help to improve, no support from the sponsor. So now it s really hard to start competing, when you have no sponsor and no money to start. It would be nice that the brands could support more the young talents and give them a chance!
C7: Is freestyle windsurfing in France popular or do you think that other disciplines like Slalom, Speed, Freeride or Wavesailing are rated much higher?
Antony: In France was a big tour, when I started Freestyle. Now they don´t even do Freestyle anymore! I think they reduced Freestyle too much, but all the young people are doing this discipline and are attracted by freestyle. I think they should push it more to give young riders the chance to become a pro. This would make windsurfing bigger.
Check out a Shaka from Antony from 2007!
Interview © continentseven.com 2010
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It’s nice to have some news about Anthony.
Thanks.
very nice interview!!!
Ta ke.. Concrats Anthony on you new sail sponsor..
will be great to c you on the island “Bonaire” soon.
It’s bad to know that sailers need a sponspor and more when they are pro level! Money is an affair but use gear is so cheap and still do the job. Is it more for the Ego of the sportman or realy for the competition?
If you realy good and you don’t bitch yourself for a sponsor, you are bigger in my mind!
If your realy rich and good, why bitching yourself for a sponsor? For more money? If so, going down in my mind!
Let’s put the right thing first! Wind, wave, fun, good life… money sould never be first!
Antony, I wish you enought force to sail free again! I was proud of you!
Money is no affair? You are funny. If you really consider people as a pro then they need to make a full living out of the sport. Car, Tax, Insurance, House, Food, Equipment, Travel, training, Contests, Gym, Photographers, Movie, and in the end they want to also make some money plus to save it for the future. That makes in total easy 50.000 EUR needed per year i guess. Who still get that from the pros? From the freestyle guys i think not even 3 of them get that. shame
@ Gri, so you think that being a top 20 sailor in freestyle makes you rich? I think many of them have to struggle to reach break even at the end of the year, even if you get the equipment for free… the prizemoney is peanuts, so it’s hard to do a tour without an equipment sponsor unless you keep some form of a ‘regular job’… The EFPT is a nice thing, but I think even winning every event doesn’t pay the bill if you have to cover all the travelling costs… PWA is not that much better… Most (if not all) are not in it for the money, but you also have got to eat so no sponsor, no pro-tour
grtz,
Hope to see you on Bonaire soon man!
man congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!
I understand that my words could be take differently that i wanted…
I wanted to say that sponsoring is most of the time just some special price. For the top sailor, probably 10-20 of them, there is a little money but not that much. Some of them have 2-3 boards and couple sails per year, that is not a lot! You don’t leave with that.
Is there any money in windsurfing? Not Realy! I am not rich also my self but in beter situation compare with people from the third world for sure like almost every body from the G15 contries. So, even if I am not rich, i could pay my self some sails and bords and they don’t need to be totaly new to help me to improve.
Talking Tennis per exemple, Do nadal realy need to bitch himself with a NIke logo on his face!? I think he could be as good as he could be without Nike?? Understand my point? He could be so much interesting to watch without any attachement… He could be free this man! Don’t do the bitch for money if you can, if not…
Sorry for the misundestanding, every good windsurfer shows a lot of perseverance that said a lot in their attitude.
Have fun and be free!
? I guess you don’t get the point about pro sports. Sure Nadal could play Tennis without Nike. Why would it be more interesting to see him without “attachment?” I think pro sponsoring is good for a sport. Sure you can buy used gear and improve.. but only until a certain Level! If you want to push the boundaries of a sport, you need to to it FULL TIME. And if you’re doing something full time, there is no time left to gain money somewhere else.
And after all, they do something impressive, something unique, they’re good at something. Why not pay them for it?
This whole “free” surfer spirit is good but if you want to push a sport, you need sponsoring.
What do you want? Nobody accepts money, nobody get’s sponsored, no more pro tour, everybody “free”?
Then everybody pushes the sport “at home” and after a year, you want to see if you push it more than you best friend. And you do a contest. And you say the winner gets a pack of beer.
And some beer brand sees it and thinks ” hey, that could make a cool picture for our ads”.
So they organize a national contest and offer 10 packs of beer.
2 years later you’ve got a tour, because everybody wants free beer.
I think NO Windsurfer windsurfs for the money. Not even one. If you could even choose to Windsurf for money.. wouldn’t that be awesome?
what’s your point?
I think the ‘Nadal’ case doesn’t prove your point… should he endorse clothing brands for free than? In some sports there may be ‘too much’ money going around, but you can’t blame the athletes for wanting their piece of the cake, they provide the action that makes brands to want to link their name to them. Nadal has to wear clothes (in my opinion that is
) so no matter what he’s wearing companies will try to benefit from it, using his picture and name… if he doesn’t get a ‘sponsordeal’ from Nike or any other brand, these brands will take advantage without paying and hence the multinational gets richer and the atlete won’t…
If a good sailor uses a certain brand of sails ‘for free’ because they were not prepared to sponsor him he’s giving them free publicity… and the sailor stays behind empty handed…
cheers…
It’s all wright!
Nadal could have is on brand! I prefer buy from small bisuness, small is beautifull…
Most of the pro windsurfers are or were already rich ( i guess for most of them )when they start windsurfing! The sponsorship they have dont count for that much in their year expens for living. Perhaps 1 to 5 of 1 to 10… So in my mind, how far do you realy need sponsors and why? Do you realy need the discount to windsurf?
It seem that we don’t have the same view of what is important in life, be or how are we seen….
The best thing when people can’t agree on someting is to say, it’s all good man!
I am a dreamer, I won’t change the world and I love peace and free peoples! I won’t judge you for your gear!
Smilling is better for you, you save energy!
Have fun!