1st World cup win!!

Well.. it’s been a while since i updated my website (check www.facebook.com/k800ben for all the latest news)

But this bit of news deserves an update…

I won my first World Cup – PWA Indoor… Slalom!!!! BLOODY HELL!!!! Boooooooooom.. yes yes and YES!

Crazy times… as i also finished 5th in the Jump Ramp! …and to make things even better Justyna got 2nd in the Womens jump ramp (only just missing out on 1st!)

Plus all this was in the Olympic Stadium in Warsaw (Justynas home town), Poland in front of 49,000 people!!!  It doesn’t get better than that!!

I mean it took me a while to win my first world cup but i have to say i think i picked the best one to win!!

…and to think i wasn’t even going to enter!

The Finals night (Saturday) is now online in full if you want to see it..   check below

So yep..  I’m super stoked…  a few details and pictures  below

Firstly thanks to my folks…  as I wouldn’t have got where i am today with out these 2!!  Best Parents in the world..   But in fact..  I actually wouldn’t have got there at all as my Van decided it needed a rest just as I was about to start my 24hr trip from Uk to Poland..  Luckily my Dad being the Dad he is,  said i could take his new van!!  Cheers Dad legend!

I only had multi fin Simmer wave boards and Simmer didn’t have any suitable board available… So on the way to the ferry I thought i’d pop into Boardwise and see what old knackered boards they had for cheap (budget £200). After a bit of ummming  and ahhhhhing we (Me/Doug) decided I should go with the same board i used last time I did the Indoor in London – a 10 year old freestyle board (Dave Swift’s old board). It was a bit beat up, but i thought I’m only going to take it over the ramp anyway, so what the hell!!!

With not much practice time I decided to go with the kit set up I used at the indoor (9 years ago) where I set the fastest time in the qualifiers.I rigged a 5.3 Power wave sail. In this case (9 years on) it was the new Simmer ‘Apex’ I still had from the photo shoot in Maui and I have to say..  WHAT A GOOD CHOICE, as it worked a treat! Stable, great acceleration and easy handling in fact it was a great combo and I set the fastest time in qualifying again with 42.36 seconds! Andrea Rosati was 2nd with 42.78 and Nico in 3rd with 44 seconds.

Being the fastest in Qualifying should have meant i got the bottom (best) gate.  Well, I did in the first heat and I won it comfortably. But in the quarterfinal, I ended up going in the 2nd gate!!  I maybe should have argued my point, but I just got on with it. That nearly bit me in the ass as I had an incident with Ricardo at the first mark, ending with me in the water and his board in my head. It was not looking good…  I was in 3rd – not a qualifying position (top 2 go to the next round)! Hopefully, I managed to keep my cool and get into a good position round the last gybe mark!  Luckily the guys didn’t have a great position which caused them to mess their gybes up and I came through like the great Ozzie Steven Bradbury in the speed skating hahaha and took the win!!! Phewwwwww… that was a close one!! But I was in the semi final… even if it was with a massive lump on my head!!

The jump ramp was up next, but i had a problem. The board I was going to wreak on the ramp was now turning out to be pretty good in the slalom, so it didn’t make sense to destroy it. I thought of pulling out and saving myself for the Slalom. Then Justyna told me her Dad said it was ok to kill his board as he wanted a new one anyway! haha… pretty funny really as i was going to originally use that in the slalom…  well… ok…  I went for it off the ramp and actually Qualified for the Saturday Night (finals night) just scraping into the top 8!!  Stoked

Next up was Justyna’s Ramp Qualification..  The good – she nailed a couple of sick jumps.

The Bad – She got her last jump wrong and pretty much took the tail off her (actually my) board

The really good..  just look at that awesome repair!!! haha.. duck tape to the rescue!

The Stadium ready for action….

The Stadium starting to fill up….

The Stadium Rocking!!!!!!

21 lucky people got to perform on the saturday night…  such a great experience!!

Earlier in the day we had to do more time trials to decide who got which gate!  I wasn’t super happy as I’ve won my heat and already had set the fastest time,  but i thought I’ll just have to do it again. I was up first and did a very steady 43 seconds. I basically just wanted to set a time. I was pretty happy, but then Nico and Andrea both did low 42’s!!!  Shit..  i needed to step things up…Then I thought ‘actually you know what..  you’ve been cruising a little and just trying to make your gybes…  this is a big deal you can’t cruise now!!  Push yourself a bit and stop being a pussy!  Just push the gybes harder and try and carry a bit more speed you can do this!’.

Well it seemed to work. I was fully fired up and nailed all my gybes and set the fastest time of the week 40 seconds!!  2 seconds clear of anyone else..  YES!!!  That was the edge i needed!!  I was a happy boy, although i knew anything could happen in the race, so it wasn’t over yet!

The Semi was the first heat up. I have to say it went very smooth!  I had a great start and stayed out of trouble…  and cruised to first!!  Phewwwww…  top 2 guaranteed..   Which was awesome, but now i was there i really didn’t want to settle for 2nd!!  I needed the win…

The final was the best of 3 heats between me and Nico…  I had the advantage due to my time trial and win in the semi…  so all i needed to do was make a good start, have good speed and make my gybes.. easy!!!! Arghhhhhhhhhhh…   Christ it was nerve racking!!  But I have to say i was fully focused and kept telling myself  ‘your 2 seconds quicker.. you’ve got this’ ! It worked  I got a good start and was clear at the first gybe, so i didn’t give Nico a chance to get inside!  1-0

2nd race Nico started in gate number 1. Nothing to say –  he sailed a great race and won it.  1-1!!   I was a bit gutted as i didn’t really attack. i just waited for an opening, but he didn’t do any mistakes!! Bugger!

This was it – last heat.  Win this and I’d win the event. My first world cup..  and Indoor Slalom World champion!!!  Christ this was a big deal!  I have to say I was ready!!  I’ve made a few mistakes at important competitions over my career in windsurfing, but this comp was mine –  I was not going to make a mistake!!  To be honest it was a bit of a blur,  but I’m pretty sure it couldn’t have gone much better!!!!…   2-1…. Booooooooom…  Winnner!!!!!

Yes yes yes…  what a place to do it!!!!   I was super stoked!!! Happy days

But it wasn’t over yet..  I still had the jump to do!!  ….Long story short..  I got 5th!!!  Sweeeeeeeet…   What a night!!  Can i do it all again pleeeeease!!!

…and it still wasn’t over!!! Justyna was up next… and in true Sniady style she nearly gave me a heart attack!  With her duck taped board nailed her first ever starboard tack forward in front of her home crowd!!!  To be honest she was actually unlucky not to win it..  but 2nd place was still amazing!!

Awesome to see her on her first podium. Doesn’t get much better than that – 49,000 people in your home city!!!!   Nice work

She was in demand i can tell you   I was a proud boyfriend

Balotelli did this pose in this very stadium…   I think I have some work to do!!! haha

Wahoooooo….   I finally did it!!! hahahaha..  and I tell you what I couldn’t have picked a better place or event!!! Awesome…  Super stoked and will be on a high for a while!!!

Thanks for all the support guys..  and a massive thanks to my sponsors:

Simmer style, Doppstadt, O’shea and Funsport…    and thanks again to both Dad’s for lending me the van and the board!!