POZO PRESSURE: KSTER AND PARE: SURVIVING POZO'S TOUGHEST TEST!POZO PRESSURE: KSTER AND PAR SURVIVING POZOS TOUGHEST TEST!Marginal wind, almost no waves and a final decided by a buzzer beater. At this years Gran Canaria World Cup, the conditions were a long way from classic Pozo, but that only made the battle more intense. We caught up with Philip Kster and runner up Marc Par to find out how they adapted, stayed patient and found a way to deliver when the conditions were tough to deliver their complete repertoire.PHILIP KSTER: You can really show whos done their homeworkWINDSURF: The forecast didnt look great before the event. What were you expecting?PHILIP KSTER: The forecast wasnt amazing, but with such a long waiting period you hoped theyd find the best days. I wasnt expecting huge wind, but considering what was forecast, I think we actually got decent conditions. We had enough windwe just missed the waves.WINDSURF: Do you train in conditions like that?PHILIP KSTER: Yes, quite a lot actually. It wasnt a surprise for me. Gran Canaria doesnt always have amazing waves anyway. Usually its better than what we had during the contest, but these are still conditions I know well.WINDSURF: What equipment were you using?PHILIP KSTER: I switched between 4.2m, 4.5 and 4.7 sails, but the 4.5 was the main choice. I also used a bigger 93L board instead of my usual 87L because it helped through the gusty wind and the big lulls while still giving me enough speed to jump.WINDSURF: Do difficult conditions level the playing field?PHILIP KSTER: In these conditions you cant always show everything youve trained. Instead, you show whether youve really done the work over the years.If you can still land good doubles in bad conditions, thats when your preparation shows. You could see it during the eventthe riders who really have those moves dialled could still pull them off.The conditions were still windy enough to make it a proper contest. It wasnt like Chile, where sometimes theres barely enough wind to get back out to the line up.WINDSURF: The final looked even harder.PHILIP KSTER: A double was still essential. Without one, you werent going to score enough. I landed my double quite early, but I needed another score. Right at the end I managed to land a one-footed back loop, and that ended up making the difference. Without it, I wouldnt have won. Everyone in the final could land doubles. It all came down to finding that extra score.WINDSURF: Was there some luck involved?PHILIP KSTER: Of course. You still need to find the right ramp at exactly the right moment. Maybe I got a little lucky, but thats part of the game.WINDSURF: Your side of the draw looked particularly stacked.PHILIP KSTER: It was definitely the stronger half. Sometimes you get lucky with the draw, sometimes you dont. This time it looked tough, but in the end you still have to sail your best whoever youre against.WINDSURF: Your beach crew was signalling throughout the final. What were they telling you?PHILIP KSTER: They were basically telling me I needed another back loop. I already knew I had my double, but I still needed a backup score.Finding a back loop is not normally difficult, but I actually crashed two during the final, which almost never happens. I saw other riders doing the same. The conditions were really strange because we were all forcing the moves off tiny bits of chop.WINDSURF: It looked like a special finish with your family waiting on the beach.PHILIP KSTER: That was really nice. Its always great having the family there and seeing how happy they were when I came in. That made the win even more special.WINDSURF: Another Pozo victory to add to the collection.PHILIP KSTER: Apparently, its my ninth, although I havent been countingI just read it somewhere. If its true, thats pretty cool.I also saw someone saying before the event that I wasnt one of the favourites because Id been carrying a small injury. I did have a bit of an injury, but nothing serious and I was also really happy with how my new production board performed throughout the event.MARC PAR: Sometimes the worse it gets, the more I like itWINDSURF: The conditions this year werent exactly classic Pozo. What was your mindset going into the event?MARC PAR: I was prepared for anything. I always train in all kinds of conditions because thats what you need if you want to be competitive everywhere. It didnt really faze me that the conditions were bad. Its the same for everyone.WINDSURF: Were you nervous?MARC PAR: A little bit, like always. I actually try to make myself a bit nervous because it keeps me sharp. Its about finding the balancebeing switched on without getting overwhelmed. I felt like I managed that really well throughout the event.WINDSURF: You looked on fire in your opening heat.MARC PAR: That was a nice surprise because Im normally a slow starter. Usually my first heat isnt my best, so getting off to such a strong start really helped. I felt relaxed and found my rhythm straight away. The second heat was the oppositeI felt out of sync and had to work my way back, but overall I was feeling good.WINDSURF: The final was right on the limit. What separates the top guys in those conditions?MARC PAR: Being able to force doubles makes a huge difference. Apart from my first heat, where I actually had a proper ramp, every other double was launched off little chops out the back. Being able to reproduce those moves on demand is really important.Then its about patience and reading the water. There werent many real waves, so you had to spot little bumps that might stand up enough to link a couple of manoeuvres together instead of just getting one hit.You had to use your imagination. It almost felt like riding waves on flat wateryou were trying to predict what every little chop might do.At the end of the day, thats competition. You dont always get perfect conditions. In fact, its usually the opposite, so you have to be able to perform in everything.WINDSURF: The next day was firing, but I guess the event simply had to run?MARC PAR: Exactly. Its important for the organisers and for all the riders that travel here and train so hard to actually get a result. Sure, when the conditions were marginal theres a bit more luck involved and that isnt always ideal, but its still important that the competition happens.WINDSURF: Second place is still a great result for the title race.MARC PAR: Definitely. If someone had offered me second before the event, I would have taken it. My goal was to finish in the top three. Of course I wanted to win, but I also know how difficult that is. Im a little disappointed because I was leading for most of the final and lost it right at the end, but thats part of the game.Victor always tells me that sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesnt. The important thing is to keep putting yourself in that position and stay consistent. Last year I won the world title, but nobody guarantees you another one. I just have to keep working, keep improving and hopefully my time will come again. I have just got to keep on working and trying to do my best and hopefully it goes my way again! I just want to be there and sail as good as I can, this is my plan!The post POZO PRESSURE: KSTER AND PARE: SURVIVING POZOS TOUGHEST TEST! appeared first on Windsurf Magazine Online.