SAT NAV: “YOU NEED TO TURN ROUND NOW.”
JC: How did it feel for an Aruban girl brought up sailing flat water to win the Aloha Classic?
SQ: I think the fact I have won the Aloha Classic is still pretty hard to believe. Back in Aruba when I was growing up we never really saw any waves. I used to freestyle in Pozo and remember watching all the guys flying in the air and I really never thought I would be doing that. I am still scared of really big waves! So winning the Aloha Classic was kind of surreal. In the single elimination I did not have a great time at all. The waves were so big and it was very light. I just did not have experience in those conditions. I was scared, honestly it was really big!
JC: Is it your goal to win all three titles in one year just like when I won the table tennis, putting and skimming challenge in Tiree in 2004? (Editor’s note – these Tiree results JC claims have not been independently verified!)
SQ: I don’t necessarily have to win all three at the same time but I would just like to win the wave title now. That is the one missing out of the disciplines. Going for all three in one year seems like you are striving for perfection. If I am going to focus on having to win all three disciplines, I think I would lose the fun aspect of the sport. My goal is to improve in all three disciplines. I don’t have to win all three in the same year.
JC: No Sarah, I am not listening to that bloody Ed Sheeran song again! What do you think of the level in the women’s wave fleet?
SQ: Ed Sheeran is way better than your ‘Lady Ga Ga’ songs! JC you have no taste; at least Ed can drive! I think in the last two or three years the level has risen dramatically in the ladies fleet. For sure you have Daida and Iballa at the top, but for some girls their level is just unobtainable. It is good for the girls below where we have a lot more competition between us. That helps us push each other a bit more.
JC: I know you will never beat me at table tennis but do you think you can ever beat the Moreno twins and win the wave title?
SQ: JC your head is in the clouds! You know I will take you down at ping-pong although I did hear you have a secret serve! I guess someday we might reach the Moreno twins level as well. To beat the twins I just have to spend more time on wave gear. I have spent thousands of hours on freestyle gear over the years, I am not even close with my wave sailing hours. I have been freestyling for fifteen years and wave sailing for just three years so I feel I have a long way to improve. And not even wave sailing every day! Just time and practice is what I need and maybe more competitions because that really pushes me to do better. I think my jumps need to be higher and more consistent. I also need to learn tricks in the waves, the twins don’t really do so many tricky moves in the surf. They can obviously do more moves but they don’t often pull them out in competition. If I can land takas and wave 360’s, moves like that could get me closer to beating them. These are all moves I can do on flat water I just have to learn them on the waves. I think freestyle sailing can really help wave sailing. I have a really good feeling for my gear and awareness in the air and how to manoeuvre my kit. The biggest area I need to improve is in the air. It just scares me to go higher right now. During competition time I kind of just run on adrenaline. When the flag is up I don’t think any more, I go a bit crazy. Seriously every time I have competed in Pozo and Tenerife I have been doing moves I would not do in free sailing. At that point I just have to go for moves.