MOTIVATION
I have a new routine right now. Don’t get me wrong, I loved NeilPryde Sails, they were really amazing and they really helped me and they supported me for a long time. Martin [Brandner] from JP was also good to me and [shaper] Werner [Gnigler] was and still is a really good friend. He made me some amazing boards. But you know, maybe things were the same for too long? There was always a lot of pressure on me to win. They wanted results. With Patrik and Point-7, of course they want me to do well and want me to win, but they’re more relaxed. I don’t think the same level of pressure is there. If I don’t make podium, they’ll be fine about it. They’ve hired me for who I am and what I can do, for my image, not because I’m a top-5 rider. Of course everybody wants to have a World Champion and that’s my main goal, but it’s not the end of the world if I don’t make it in 2014. I’m relaxed here in Maui right now and just enjoying ripping at Ho’okipa every day. I don’t have a month of photo shoots to do. Patrik just said “lets just paint your first boards as you like”. With the situation in Venezuela, I decided to make one of my boards with the colours of the flag on the bottom. Actually everybody here in Hawaii loved it.