JC: Come on then Ross, spill the beans, what swung you to stay home this winter on the Isle of Wight rather than travel to Cape Town or Maui to train?
Ross: I am the UK agent for Gaastra/Tabou/Vandal with Windsurfing, kitesurfing and SUP. This will be my 3rd year in the role and sales are starting to pick up. We are seeing much more of the brands in the shops and on the water. It has been a lot of work, and I take this role very seriously, I want to be the best in whatever I take on. It took a lot of time to build the relationships up with the shops, finding ways that you can work together for mutual benefit. I am lucky I have such strong brands and I can offer pretty much any type of equipment that a shop would need. I have been very fortunate to have been able to travel and compete all over the world in my career as a pro, and now as I am a little older, it is actually nice to be more settled. I was actually looking forward to spending more time sailing and surfing in the UK over the winter when usually as a pro I go overseas to work and train. I lucked out with some amazing conditions at home on the Isle of Wight this winter so I have been able to spend a lot of time on the water, while constantly working side by side on my UK network. It is also nice to be back with my family, my brothers and their little kids; it’s been great for my soul. So in short, yes it is cold and maybe a little harder to motivate yourself, but if you are strong in your mind you can achieve whatever you want. Family, UK, competing and building a lifestyle that I am happy with, that is all the motivation I need.