ROSS WILLIAMS
“Looking at the cost for the 2018 season I try to work out a maximum I am prepared to pay to compete at the most expensive event and then apply it to all of the events. That way if at one or two events I spend less, that money I will try to put away and save for my personal future. At some events that works and others you end up spending more. The six slalom events each have their individual costs, but I budget to spend around 2500-3000 euro per event. So an overall cost of around 18,000-20,000 euro for the whole tour. On top of these expenses then you have your pre-season trips and training. For example, I had to fly back from Maui to the UK. In the UK I will test most of my new equipment. Then I plan to go to back to Maui for the photoshoot and more testing and training with a fitness coach/instructor for March and April. After Hawaii it is back to the UK again before flying to the first event. I estimate this bundle of costs will cost as much as 7000 euro including all the regular living expenses. I feel I am pretty lucky in the end that my sponsors supply me with pretty much all the equipment I need. There may be extra industry costs for some smaller items such as fins (again I am very lucky to work with F-hot fins) and travel bags or extensions. These items should cost more me not more than another 2000 euro. Of course there are also the costs of having my van in the UK and running costs, insurance etc. of that is going to be another 2500 euro. So I would say just to do my job and fulfil all my commitments I spend around 25,000-30,000 euro on being a professional windsurfer and competing on the tour in 2018. As for the returns, you hope your sponsors will cover at least all your costs, and pay you a salary, if you are good enough. Then you have prize money and incentives. These are your financial gains. There are a lot of us guys who do it for the right to call themselves the best in the world! I do it because of that for sure! It is an amazing lifestyle. The act of windsurfing and being on the water makes me who I am. If I wasn’t spending so much of my life on the water due to the way I was raised up then I think I would go crazy. I have been very lucky! I doubt there are many jobs or careers that give you such a high level of freedom, mental and physical well-being and a connection with the world. That you can’t put a price on!”
“You hope your sponsors will cover at least all your costs, and pay you a salary, if you are good enough.”