Karin Jaggi Interview

Karin Jaagi started windsurfing in the Alps in the late 80s. She was cruising on lakes and probably would have never thought to win almost 30 world champion titles in windsurfing. 

She started to compete on the World Tour in 1993, made a living out of the sport, won a lot of competitions and national or international titles and is nowadays one of the most successful windsurfers. Not only did Karin participate in hundreds of events, she tought a lot of students the modern way of windsurfing, tested boards, studied business economics on the university of Hagen, set new speed records and started a new windsurfing board brand together with Patrik Diethelm. In 2014 Karin gave birth to Levin, who is already travelling around with his busy parents. Karin, born in 1971, will have less time to compete and will retire from participating at the whole PWA tour. Karin is back in shape after the baby break and together with her new sail sponsor Sailloft Hamburg she will be seen at selected events, but will not continue the career as usual as her time is more and more limited due to family affairs and the intense work for the own brand PATRIK

Karin can look back on a exciting time as a professional windsurfer and we wanted to hear more about the past and her decision to stop doing the tour.

 

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Karin Jaggi cruising on Australia’s west coast – ©PATRIK2015

 

Interview with Karin Jaggi

 

Continentseven: Your last PWA event was the Slalom in Alacati in 2013. Do you plan a come back as an active competitor after the birth of your son last year? Or will you fully focus on family and your business.

Karin Jaggi: Basically I would love to come back, but it’s not very likely because the day only has 24 hours and with Levin (e.n. first son of Karin Jaggi and Patrik Diethelm) and the business I have to be happy if I get some time on the water right now. As always in life it’s a free choice – one I definitely don’t regret. I did the PWA tour for over 20 years! Turned world champion 29 times. Travelled around the world endlessly – and actually still continue this part. So even if I somehow still would love to fully compete again I don’t feel at all that I miss out on something.

 

Continentseven: We saw a few pictures of you windsurfing with the latest racing sails from Sailloft Hamburg? You changed to their team for 2015? Will we see you at a Slalom event in 2015?

Karin Jaggi: The sails are registered. Gerrit from Sailloft is promoting our PATRIK boards since 5 years in Northern Germany. He has always asked me if I could not imagine to change to Sailloft. But because racing was important for me and Sailloft had no slalom sails this was impossible so far. A part from that I was super happy with my Severne sails in the last years. Now Sailloft finally made the step and started with slalom sails and at the same time I kind of was contract free. So yes I started using those sails and believe they are really good. 

Yes – they are registered for PWA racing and I am sure soon or later somebody will use them at an event but it most probably won’t be me – just because I don’t plan to compete on the tour anymore. I know Olaf Hamelmann and Gerrit Maaß since several years due to the partnership with our brand PATRIK boards. When they told me to develop a slalom sail and that I could be part of it I found that very interesting and challenging. The reliable and direct collaboration within a small team are the optimal basis for fast and efficient development.

 

Continentseven: How hard is it to retire from the competition scene as an active competitor, after so many years of competing, traveling around, having no real home base?

Karin Jaggi: Not hard at all – because basically not much has changed in my life apart from the fact that I don’t compete anymore. I still went to quite a few events and Levin is already a true world traveller with just 13 months. And I have not completely stopped – I just can’t see myself doing the full PWA tour anymore. 

 

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Karin Jaggi at her last PWA event in Alacati and already being pregnant

 

Continentseven: Was it the right moment to say, good-bye?

Karin Jaggi: Right moments don’t just come along – you have to make them right. In my experience you just have to do it and then make the best out of the situation. I am very happy with my current moment – that’s for sure!

 

Continentseven: What will you miss most?

Karin Jaggi: The competition. What many other sailors always fear – the challenge, the pressure before a heat, the adrenalin when things go wrong and you have to make it up. I loved it! Always did. Probably my secret of being as successful as I was. 

 

Continentseven: What will you definitely not miss? 

Karin Jaggi: I would love to say carrying the gear around and all the discussions with airline employees at the check-in. But in reality this part has not changed for me at all: I carried just as many board bags around the globe last year than I have ever done during my career. 

 

Continentseven: What was your biggest success in your career?

Karin Jaggi: To be world champion in absolutely every discipline they ever created: course racing, slalom, slalom 42, super-x, freestyle, wave, speed, overall,… Biggest failure: never been Formula world champion. Maybe I should consider correcting this mistake one day…