LIFE OF A WINDSURFGIRL: SARAH JACKSONLIFE OF A WINDSURFGIRL: SARAH JACKSONPhotos: PWA/ Carter, Fish Bowl Diaries and courtesy Sarah Jackson.WINDSURF MAGAZINE: How did you get into windsurfing and what was your first job associated with the sport?SARAH JACKSON: My entry into windsurfing wasnt very conventional my parents dont windsurf, but I come from a sporty family. We were on holiday in Menorca when I was 7 years old and I saw someone windsurfing I turned to my parents and said I want to do that!They wanted me to go opti sailing but I had a bit of a tantrum and ultimately got my way I loved it (and was better than my older brother at something for the first time!!) so when we got home, I joined the local Team15 club Astbury Sailsports and followed the RYA system from there.I was selected for the North Regional Squad when I was 10 and progressed on to the British Team when I was 13. Coming from landlocked South Manchester, when the pressure started ramping up academically, the commitment to driving 6 hours each way to be on the south coast every other weekend (as well as training in between camps) was just too much and I stopped racing for a few years and just windsurfed for fun when I had time.I had been doing a bit of coaching at the Team15 club so I guess that was my first job associated with the sport, but I think officially it was once I did my instructor qualifications when I was 16. The legend that is Ali Yates had been my mentor the whole way through from Team15 and regional squads and when I stopped racing, it coincided with her building up the Welsh Squad so she kept me on the coaching side and would take me along to the Welsh Training Camps so I could get coaching experience.WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Where did you go to University and what did you study?is what you learned useful in your present job?SARAH JACKSON: To get me through school and keep me studying my parents bribed both my brother and I with a year out after school to pursue our sporting careers if we got good grades. For my brother he went to Australia to play cricket and hockey, but I knew I wanted to go windsurfing and see how far I could take it. At the time I was mainly a freestyler but I was also getting into slalom racing. I worked as an instructor over the summer at Club Vass to be able to get as much time on the water as possible whilst earning some money and then over the winter I travelled.I went to Cape Town with my family and then Tenerife for the TWS Training, but my level wasnt there yet and after a couple of weeks I changed my plans and went to Bonaire where I could also progress my freestyle. It was a dream trip, and I think that was when I really felt like I wanted to pursue solely the pro windsurf life and see how far I could get.Sadly, my parents had other aspirations and basically said university was non-negotiable, so I picked the degree with the least number of contact hours, combined with the most flexible learning and the best scholarship program and decided to throw everything into both the sport and academics.I settled on the University of Bath on the BSc Sports Performance programme. It is a degree program designed for athletes and a level of personal athletic performance is required to get into the program. Unlike traditional sports science where 50% of the degree looks at health and exercise in the general population, this was the only degree at the time that was specifically dedicated to elite performance. At the time, I wasnt particularly motivated to go to University, so I picked a course that interested me and would definitely recommend this to any young person who doesnt know what they want to study just pick a course that interests you!Whilst it is not necessary relevant to the media side of what Im doing now, it was a huge part of my windsurfing career it taught me to be my own nutritionist and physiologist, as well as how to be critical of research and strengthened my writing. It also gave me access to some of the best sports psychologists, physios and S&C coaches in the country for free, which was a massive advantage.I think the skill I use the most in my job that I developed at university was learning how to communicate within a team, advocating for myself and learning how to ask for help when I needed it. The team in question was actually my academic tutors and the scholarship support team I needed to give them advanced warning of when my competitions and training camps were and work with them to get deadlines changed and do remote learning (before it was a thing!). I needed to be super organised and communicate my schedule or I would get stuck with deadlines the same week as a big event which would have been a nightmare.I think the biggest thing I learned at university however was networking and how to work a room full of suits as an athlete. I was a scholarship athlete, which meant we had to do appearances for investors and alumni for me it meant a free dinner (which you cherish as a student) but also the opportunity to meet boardroom level people that you normally wouldnt interact with as a windsurfer. This has helped me a lot when trying to negotiate sponsorship deals throughout my career.WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Do you think you learned more useful knowledge in the university of lifei.e. as a windsurfer travelling, organizing, doing you own deals, training etc. than what you learned at university?SARAH JACKSON: The University of Windsurf Life is by far the biggest life lesson whether its navigating the world solo with 200kg+ of excess baggage and learning how to navigate the check-in desk so you arent paying more than the gear is worth in fees, or having the van break down in remote parts of multiple different countries windsurfing certainly taught be to be hyper independent and unless its a red light on the dash you can carry on driving! Did I learn more through actual university or windsurfing? Its hard to say as they were so well integrated for me, but I wouldnt discount what I learned academically, as I dont think Id have been able to pursue the windsurfing career to the level I did, and have the resultant opportunities if I had not have put the time in academically.WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Is it true that you were the captain of the England U17 hockey Team?SARAH JACKSON: Haha yes! I was captain, scored a goal on my debut (not bad for a full back) and then pretty much hung up my stick! Hockey was our family sport and when I stopped racing, I picked up a hockey stick to fill the void. Given that my Dads version of Saturday afternoon childcare from about the age of 4 was to leave me on the side of the pitch with a ball and a stick whilst he played, there was some level of ingrained skill there and I quickly progressed up the England Junior ranks. I enjoyed it to a point it was good to have something to focus on and a way to let off steam on the daily but I never loved it the same way as I did windsurfing.I would often skip regional or England trials for windsurfing and actually turned up to my England trial straight off the plane from Vass with almost no sleep and a chest infection after I extended my trip an extra week instead of going home to prep Somehow, I still got selected but going into the U18s they questioned my commitment when I kept skipping camps and selectors for windsurfing I guess I knew where my heart really was! And it is a team sport so it is not really fair on everyone else to dip in and out depending on the forecast!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Have you always been obsessed with windsurfing?SARAH JACKSON: Pretty much since I knew what windsurfing was Ive been obsessed with it! I had subscriptions to Windsurf and Boards Magazine from a super young age and my entire bedroom wall was covered in windsurfing posters!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Who were your idols when you first started windsurfing?SARAH JACKSON: 100% Sarah-Quita Offringa I had the 2009 Starboard calendar cut up on my bedroom wall with the likes of Bjorn and Philip Koster but the one I really looked up to was SQ I think because she did every discipline and was winning pretty much everything at the time (and still is!). When I met her, I was pretty star-struck and she turned out to be one of the kindest, most down-to-earth people I know and made 13-year-old me feel so special. Shes now a good friend of mine kinda crazy how that turns out!WINDSURF: Tell us about doing a season at Club Vasswhat was it like?SARAH JACKSON: I did 2.5 seasons with Club Vass and it was such a cool environment to be a part of when I was 17-19! Everyone was pushing the freestyle with Max Rowe, Jamie Howard and Clare Elliott leading the charge. I started at the same time as George Grisley (who also works in the PWA media team now) and whilst we lived out very different paths to get there, we were part of a pretty cool group of English riders who all came through Club Vass to get to the PWA.There was a big party culture still when I was there and I would definitely say its where I grew up! Its also where I met Dave White and signed with RRD my first sponsors in Slalom, and I wouldnt have been able to get into racing if it wasnt for him and meeting him at Club Vass!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: When did you get aspirations to become a racer?SARAH JACKSON: I think I first really started to follow Slalom after meeting Sarah-Quita and Lena Erdil in 2011. I was on holiday at the Neilson centre next door to Lenas in Bodrum, Turkey and she hosted an event after Alacati. Until then, all I really knew was RSX and so blasting around on freerace gear and meeting some of the pros was such an eye opener. Since then, I stayed in touch with Sarah and she always pushed me to try Slalom, but I could never afford the gear. Then meeting Whitey out in Vass when I was 17 fixed the gear side somewhat so I could attend my first British event, which I won, and then I was fully hooked!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: What were your best results and highlights of your racing career?SARAH JACKSON: I still regard winning a race at the PWA in Israel in 2021 as one of my biggest racing achievements everyone was there and it was the first time Id even got a top 10 result overall, never mind winning a race.I finished 4th behind SQ, Marion and Delphine all of whom Id looked up to for so many years, so it was kind of crazy to be up there alongside them. I also finished twice 2nd at the IFCA Worlds in 2021 and 2022.WINDSURF MAGAZINE: How did it feel when you won a round of PWA racing in 2021 in Isreal?SARAH JACKSON: I still remember that feeling I cried when I crossed the finish line and SQ sailed straight up to me and jumped in the water and was celebrating with me. She knew how much it meant to me and it was really cool to celebrate with her. Then when I got back to the beach there was lots of interviews to do which Id never really done before and I was on such a high I then went over early on the next start I was so full of adrenaline!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Why did you quit racingwas that due to some nasty crashes?SARAH JACKSON: Well there were a few things.. I think for me, the introduction of foiling was at exactly the wrong time as it was just as I was starting to break through on fin that the whole discipline changed and I was basically starting from scratch again. I joined the British IQ programme in the winter of 2019-20 and that was a very high-pressure environment as they told us 5 of the 15 girls on the camp would get funding and it was a significant amount of cash. I was pushing hard and crashing harder, all whilst trying to write my finals for university and train for PWA Slalom Fin and Foil at the same time I had a lot going on.I came back from that camp in the February to finish university and they thought I had burnout as I was constantly exhausted and couldnt read more than a quarter of a piece of paper without needing a 2-3 hour nap. I had no memory and was getting weird pains all over my body. Long story short it turned out Id had around 60 small concussions in 6 weeks and thats not very good for you I started lock down 2 weeks before everyone else and it took around 3 months before I was able to walk more than 100 meters without going dizzy!So, my foiling journey didnt exactly start out great and getting my confidence back on the foil took a really long time. Plus any time I catapulted at over 30 knots I was out for 2 weeks with concussion symptoms it wasnt great and I started to get scared of crashing, which is probably one of the worst things you can be. Still, after recovering, pushing hard all winter in the cold in the UK and getting my best results in 2021, I dug deep as fin and foil were merged together in 2022 and committed to pushing on the foil too. We only had one event in 2022 in Japan in November. I had been training with Blanca Alabau in Tarifa the week before the event and my speed was good and my jibing was improving. Id stayed out after a session to work on my jibes and on the way in, a freak gust made me catapult in a weird way and my foot was stuck in the strap and I broke my 4th metatarsal and sprained/tore all the ligaments in my ankle. Not the ideal way to go into an event. Still after checking with the doctor who said It is already broken, if you can tolerate the pain you wont do any more damage I decided to give it a go. I obviously didnt get the result I wanted but it was enough to get into free accommodation for the following season and that was really important when I was working 2 jobs just to afford to do the tour!I rehabbed well from that injury and was making good progress in Tenerife. I went to Garda three weeks early to train for the first event of 2023 and Blanca had just set a new speed foil record in La Palme, so I wanted to see if I could go faster we were pretty competitive training partners! I beat her top speed but also had a couple of crashes in the process one of which I slammed my shoulder and head into the boom/mast.I didnt think anything of it at the time, shook it off and carried on sailing. The next day it was a bit sore and after a couple of days I went to see the physio. They were more worried about the concussion than the shoulder and I rested up until the event. I maintained 2nd in the event all the way until the last day when my shoulder started to get really sore and I couldnt sheet in properly.Next stop was straight to the Defi it doesnt get more physical than the Defi and as I was pumping out of the first mark, my shoulder was popping in the socket. That was game over and I went home to get it checked out and they said that Id broken my collarbone and dislocated my shoulder not ideal!I missed Pozo and just about made it back on the water in time for Fuerte. I thought I was ready but as soon as the adrenaline got into my body I was scared of crashing and thats not a good feeling on the racecourse. I tried going on fin, but it was too physical and ultimately had to pull out. It was emotional but my mum was there to support me at the time I definitely didnt think it would be my last ever event, but I knew I needed to step away for the rest of the season and heal properly.Whilst I was in Fuerte, the media team asked me to join them to help with beach interviews, which was a fun way to distract me from the pain, and the same week the social media manager resigned and I got offered that job. It included a trip to Maui for the Aloha Classic, so I was sold and decided Id do it until the end of the season and see how it went and help them recruit a new full time person over the winter well Im still in the job 3 years later so I guess it was a good fit!So yes, I did quit racing after a lot of crashes ultimately I realised I just couldnt take too many more big knocks on the head, or at least as frequently as I was. Slalom-X gave me an option to just come back on fin, but weve all seen how heavy the crashes over the sausage can be. If it was just out and out fin slalom, I probably would have come back, but it is also a huge commitment for only 1 or 2 events a year and I couldnt justify giving up my dream job for 3-6 days of racing and the monumental commitment that comes with the training and gear preparation.WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Tell us about your worst injures?SARAH JACKSON: Worst injuries the concussion was pretty gnarly for how extreme the symptoms got before it got better I still feel the repercussions of the concussion and my concentration and mental performance never quite was the same since. I think the only one that I havent already spoken about was last winter when I broke both my ankles/feet at the same time on a wave in Maui. I was top turning and got clipped by the wave and sent into the washing machine with both feet stuck in the straps. The doctor in the hospital basically said Heres one cast, alternate it across both feet depending on which one hurts more. I broke a metatarsal and three ligaments on one side and four ligaments on the other not my finest move!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: How and when did you first start getting into social media?SARAH JACKSON: I started getting into social media in 2017 when I was on my gap year and my mums physio clinic needed help with marketing. I was designing leaflets and posters and also started running their social media. I did that for a couple of years whilst I was at university and then in early 2020 when I joined Duotone as a UK team rider, I was doing demos for them and realised they had no one doing socials, so I started to do that in exchange for gear and eventually they started paying me to run all the channels in the UK!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: How did you get the job working for Duotone?SARAH JACKSON: SoI was working for Nik Baker in the UK and had been running all his social channels for a year when the job came up with International they wanted to hire internally if they could, so Nik put me forward and it was a match. Initially I was just doing the social media and then after a year I stepped up into a more involved marketing role which I did for a year and a half. Ultimately doing the PWA and Duotone was just too much and the opportunity to go full time with the PWA came up last year, so I took that. I was pretty burnt out trying to juggle too many balls and actually the way it works with the PWA, I naturally get more time off over the winter, so I was able to take the break I really needed and recharge coming into 2025.WINDSURF MAGAZINE: What would you call your job description for the PWA?SARAH JACKSON: It depends on the day! Officially my title is Social Media Manager but this season Ive been involved in a lot more things. Id say these days its more overall Media Manager I do a lot of problem solving and making sure everything is working together. For example when the beloved JC snapped his Achilles, I needed to make sure that whilst he was in the hospital, someone else was taking photos of the last races and prize giving from Slalom-X and that we appropriately crowned the World Champions whilst making sure that TV news got the shots they needed, highlights got their shots and the livestream also integrated it into the production seamlessly all whilst also making sure it gets out on social media ASAP!Its pretty hectic at times but as the team around me is growing, Im able to focus more on making sure everything works together than being the person that does everything! When I was first doing the role, I was the graphic designer, video editor and person posting everything but these days a lot of these processes are automated either by technology or just time on the job and having a super hard working, dream team alongside me makes all the difference!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: What is a typical day like on tour?SARAH JACKSON: Every day is different depending on when the first possible start is, but they all follow a similar structure just some days require me to get up at 5:30am and some at 8:30am I wake up and work starts straight away checking the channels for messages and comments to make sure it is all running smoothly. Then breakfast, which normally involves catching up with the rest of the media team as thats sometimes the only time we get to sit down in the day.Once we hit the beach its go time making sure everything is running smoothly on the livestream, making a plan/script for highlights, singing a few Taylor Swift songs with JC and getting cracking on updating the channels with whats happening. As the day roles through its mostly doing interviews with riders, creating graphics for the stories to keep people updated and assisting the livestream and video crew with whatever they need. After the competition is over for the day, its checking in with the team, seeing where were all at as everyone slowly returns to the office and then we dig in for the evening shift. This is the hardest part of the job as its when everyone else is finished, the judges are all cracking open beers and youre kind of only just getting started theres normally at least 6 hours to go at this point and youre already tired but thats the job and I wouldnt have it any other way!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: What do you loveand hate about the job?SARAH JACKSON: Being in the thick of it on the beach seeing all the emotions, capturing the side of windsurfing that we havent seen before and being the first person in line to celebrate with the winners is definitely the best part. Seeing them realise their lifelong dreams I never thought Id make quite so many people cry (happy tears) in this job! The part I hate is the tricky bits when something controversial happens and then you have to be the one reading all the negative comments online, I really hate that.I think its so easy for people to leave a negative comment and forget that we are all trying our best with a tiny team and an even smaller budget. I think we manage to pull off a really impressive media show with a really small crew and an even smaller budget which is awesome but sometimes I think people dont realise that if stuff isnt happening on social media, its normally because it is a one (wo)man band and Im being dragged in 100 directions, or that we cant just stick on another day of livestream or extend the event window because its great conditions the day before or after the contest. Event budgets are sooooo tight these days and we arent just making these decisions because we think it is a good idea, but actually there sometimes just isnt the money or resources to do it, even if we really want to!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Do you mind being in front of a camera at events?SARAH JACKSON: I used to get so nervous but now I quite enjoy it! If it was the only thing I had to do on a day I would definitely enjoy it more, but normally my time to present the highlights for example is when Ben isnt available so it is at the end of a long day and I have a lot still to do Im not normally at my sharpest and then when I see it back it can be quite frustrating that it didnt come out how I wanted it to. Id love to do more of it but only when Im not also running around like a headless chicken!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Would you call yourself a determined person?SARAH JACKSON: Yes. Or as my mother would say shes a stubborn bugger.WINDSURF MAGAZINE: How do you stay motivated?SARAH JACKSON: Im not always that motivated to be honest! I have ADHD so quite often for me its about getting into routines and then finding something new to learn to spark a new motivation. I recently learned how to setup a system that scrapes the PWA website for results and returns a fact-file for every PWA rider with stats like when they debuted, how many eliminations theyve competed in, number of race wins, events wins etc. The next step is working out how to integrate it into the website and livestream but for now it just lives on an excel file on my computer!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Do you ever get sick and tired of social media and need to take a break?SARAH JACKSON: Definitely! Its always after the last event of the season that Im fully cooked and need a break! I kind of push through until the end of the season and then the last event finishes and I just want to shut off for a month. Sadly, I cant do that completely but I have found ways to give myself a bit of a break whilst also keeping the channels running. Its hard to work 365 days a year but if Im not working, nothing is happening so I cant quite shut down how Id like to!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Do you enjoy travelling around to all the events and working remotely?SARAH JACKSON: Yes and no I enjoy the working remotely but sometimes the travelling for the events is pretty tiring and not quite all its cracked up to be. Sure its awesome to spend the summer in the Canaries but when you dont get any time off for 6 weeks straight, whats the point in being in windy places if you cant windsurf! It can be quite frustrating to see people windsurfing every day and not be able to go out myself but normally during events Im so tired, and I know even if the opportunity comes up if I take an hour off for a windsurf then thats just an hour later Im going to sleep! But being able to work from anywhere in the world in between events is epic and allows me to make up for all the lost windsurfing time in the summer and go to the places I actually want to go to for extended periods and what windsurfer doesnt dream of that!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Do you get homesick sometimes?SARAH JACKSON: Definitely! I think the key is to keep in regular contact with my family and have regular FaceTimes with the dog ha ha! But when Im most homesick then I normally will just FaceTime with my parents whilst theyre watching TV and we will watch it together. Its a sports household so we sync up the TVs to be on the same time and then I can sit in the room and talk to them as if I was actually there with them. It sounds weird but it works for me. The other thing is knowing that I actually wouldnt be happy if I was at home sure I miss my family and the dog, but I also know that I dont actually want to live on a farm in landlocked Cheshire and that makes everything muuuuch easier!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Any tips or tricks for any up and coming windsurfers who want to boost their social media profile?SARAH JACKSON: Be consistent and just show up you dont need high quality content or crazy level my most viral content this year was actually freeride content. But be engaging with your audience, create content that resonates with them and is true to who you are and actually most importantly is to just post. If you can post 3 times a week, every week, this is best for the algorithm its loves consistency and whilst it is hard to maintain, when I stick to it on my personal account it is when I finally start to see growth in my channel!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Wave sailing seems to be your main focus these daystell us what you would like to improve and achieve in the waves?SARAH JACKSON: My main goal in waves is to have fun my rule is one good turn defines a good session I guess the bar for what a good turn is has slowly started to creep up but honestly my goal right now is just to have fun! The ultimate goal is to be confident to go out in almost any conditions and rip I want to be able to do 360s and aerials like the guys but theres no timeline on this and I certainly have no aspirations to compete in the waves! My biggest inspirations are Katie McAnena, Sarah Hauser and Marine Hunter all of these women rip in chunky conditions and my goal is to be like them!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Tell us about your van and some of the adventures across Europe it has taken you?SARAH JACKSON: My van is a FIAT Fix It Again Tomorrow! Somehow, shes just passed her 11th birthday but Im not quite sure how shes still on the road. Weve gone far and wide together as far north as Tiree, where I got it stuck on a rock and found out the UK wide breakdown cover only covers the mainland and it takes 2 days to get a tow-truck to Tiree As far East as Greece where just after we crossed the border from Albania smoke started pouring out the bonnet Many trips down the middle of Spain, including one where I lost a solar panel whilst doing 70mph on the highway and seeing it bounce down the highway behind me Weve had many adventures, but I could write a whole story just about that!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: We heard you are currently spending a good part of the winter out in Mauithat must feel like you are living the dream?SARAH JACKSON: Very much so! Since I first started reading the magazines when I was 9 or 10 I dreamt of living in Maui. The reality is my bank balance doesnt quite allow that and I still have too many places around the world that I want to see before I set down any firm roots anywhere, but still being here for three months in the winter is a dream come true, and having friends that feel like family here makes so much better. I live with one of my best friends and her two boys and whilst its a mad house at times, that family core gives structure to each day and makes it feel more like home!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: We heard you like Manchester City and Taylor Swifttrue or false and why?SARAH JACKSON: Facts JC only knows because for the 3 years Ive worked for the PWA he has sat next to me in the office! Yes, big City fans in our household lifelong season ticket holders but I have kind of stopped following them the last couple of seasons to be honest! Im more into F1 and following more than one sport properly is too much like hard work but I can often be found watching the Grand Prix under the desk whilst Im working on a Sunday and here is my formal request that we move the Pozo dates so it doesnt clash with the British Grand Prix please?!?And Taylor Swift rumour has it Rafa has a video of myself, JC and him dancing to The Fate of Ophelia in the office in Japan Im a big time Swifty, shes consistently top of my Spotify wrapped Im in her top 1% of fans and on the 7th October (whilst travelling to Alacati) I listened to Life of a Showgirl for 4.5 hours straight Ive actually got The End of an Era on whilst Im writing this!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: If you had not got involved in windsurfing what d you think you would be doing right now?SARAH JACKSON: My original plan when I was 16 was to go to Cambridge or LSE to study business and finance and then work in London I am forever grateful to the teacher who called me into his office after seeing the subjects Id chosen for A-Levels and telling me that that really wasnt the career for me just because I was capable didnt mean I had to do it! So, if it wasnt for him telling me to pursue the things in life that made me happy, Id probably be stuck in London earning a lot more money but certainly not as happy or fulfilled as I am right now!WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Where would you like to see yourself in Ten years time?SARAH JACKSON: I used to plan out my entire life 1-2 years in advance and when I stopped competing, one of the biggest shifts was to stop over planning my life you stop enjoying where you are because youre constantly thinking about whats next. Now I plan about three months at a time! Im at a stage in my life where so many cool opportunities come up that being hell bent on a 10-year plan would definitely hinder the opportunities that might come up! So, who knows where Ill be but hopefully its happy, fulfilled and living near the sea.WINDSURF MAGAZINE: What are your words to live by?SARAH JACKSON: Just because you are capable, doesnt mean you have to. Its your life, not anyone elses!The post LIFE OF A WINDSURFGIRL: SARAH JACKSON appeared first on Windsurf Magazine Online.