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JORDY VONK: DOING THE TIME!

 If you want to break into the elite ranks of PWA racing, there’s no easy route. Winning a round or making the podium isn’t just about being the fastest on the water. The journey to mix it with the big guns is all about doing the time, and that means hours of training, endless testing and years on tour to gain that all-important experience and knowledge. To stand on a PWA podium takes relentless hard work, sacrifice, and an unstoppable drive to keep pushing forward. Few athletes embody that spirit better than Dutch racer Jordy Vonk. From humble beginnings on the lakes of Holland to lining up against legends on the PWA World Tour, his story is a masterclass in persistence. And he’s done it his way…by putting in the time while making sure to enjoy the experience along the journey.

Winning races and making podiums did not come overnight for Jordy. It meant years of road trips with his parents, grinding through youth races, juggling supermarket shifts and studies and gaining every ounce of experience he could find. Now firmly established among the fastest names in the sport and fresh off breaking into the world’s top three in Slalom X, he’s proven that talent alone isn’t enough. Success takes hours on the water, smart equipment choices and the right mindset. In this exclusive interview, Jordy shares the highs and lows of his career…from partying his way through his first PWA event to the breakthrough moments that finally placed him among the elite. This is the story of a racer who has not only done the time but continues to put in the work to chase the ultimate goal…becoming PWA World Champion.

Photos: John Carter / PWA. Rafa Soulart / PWA, and the 7pixels.

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WINDSURF: Tell us how your career as a racer got started?

JV: “My journey feels like such a looooooong road so far, it makes me feel old! 2005 was the first year I tried windsurfing, didn’t get straight away fully hooked…. Until I started planing the summer after. Late summer 2006 I straight joined my first race at the legendary ‘The Mission’ event in Holland. Maybe crashed every gybe along the way, but having a lot of fun. In 2007 we decided to do more races and after winning one event in the youth class, I had my complete focus on one thing: winning as much as possible!

In these years there were a lot of events happening on a national level, my parents had to drive a crazy number of kilometers to get me everywhere, it was only later that I realized how much they did for me those years I couldn’t drive myself!

Fast forward it was 2009, I did my first international event in Germany (IFCA youth Europeans) where I met guys that turned out to be my competitors for many years to come, like Maciek Rutkowski and Basti Kördel. After doing a lot of IFCA events I decided in 2012 it was time for the next step, the PWA World Tour. I did my first event in Sylt 2012 and from 2013 on, I only skipped a couple of events which were too expensive at the time.”

WINDSURF: What were your early ambitions?

JV: “I always had my eyes on the PWA world tour, my dream was to become a professional windsurfer: Travel around, having a ‘windsurf van’ and become one of those main guys going crazy fast on the videos.

I would say goal achieved! But it was also my goal to become PWA World Champion….that one it still in progress.”

WINDSURF: Did you have any racing idols?

JV: “Not specifically one, but I was looking up to a couple of names for sure: Bjorn Dunkerbeck, Antoine Albeau or Dutchies Peter Volwater and Ben van der Steen… And now, I’ve raced against all of them, which has been an absolute privilege!”

WINDSURF: When did you decide to turn Pro?

JV: “It feels more like the question should be: when did windsurfing allow me to turn pro? Since the age of 15, I was giving everything for windsurfing, all my energy went into this. Whether it was working in the supermarket to earn a bit of cash to spend on windsurfing or studying to be safe after my windsurfing career (as my parents told me so). To me it was always clear that I would become a professional windsurfer! Until I was 23, I was still working at a transport company, next to my study, to earn enough to make it happen. Finally I think in 2018, my results became good enough I could let go of the job and really be a full-time windsurfer.”

WINDSURF: What was it like at your first PWA events were you a complete rookie?

JV: “I felt like a small boy in a big men’s world. I travelled in 2012 together with Ben van der Steen to my first World Cup in Sylt. At the time the event was known for its good parties and every day I asked Ben if it was okay to go to the party (maybe he knew better if we raced the next day) and after 5 days of partying, I asked him again: “You’ll just keep telling me to go to the party or what”? And he replies: “Yes, you won’t get a good result here anyway, so better that you party a lot now, so when you come back next time and you’re ready for a good result, you’re not distracted anymore!” ….. Honestly, amazing advice ha ha! There were so many incredible fast guys in those years… way harder for the young guys to prove yourself!”

WINDSURF: What are the most common mistakes for a rookie racer?

JV: “Consistency is the hardest for rookies… usually they take a lot of risk at the start because they for example need to compensate being a touch slower on the straight line. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t…. as long as you analyze and learn, that’s what I always did (and still do!).”

WINDSURF: Were you there for the fun or were you already serious and competitive?

JV: I guess my Sylt story says enough ha ha. Of course, I cared about the result and I always took it seriously, but with my share on fun!”

WINDSURF: When did you start doing training camps in Tenerife and how much difference do they make?

JV: “Winter 2014 was my first camp and it was a game changer. I think the training camp started there the winter before: with all guys stepping up and especially Alberto Menegatti shooting up the ranks, it felt like a must to go there and try to make the same step! With so many experienced guys on tour, the new generation had to do something to gain experience in short term. The Tenerife training camp definitely showed it was the way to go and that’s why still now lot’s of riders do the TWS Pro Slalom Training!”

WINDSURF: How important do you take gym and diet as part of your training?

JV: “It’s super important for sure! I used to be very skinny… without a lot of gym sessions and food, I would never been 100+ kg like I am now. I’m still doing 4-5 non-windsurfing training sessions a week!”

WINDSURF: Should you take racing totally seriously or try to make it a good time as well?

JV: “In my opinion, it should be the right balance… like everything in life! Should you take it seriously? Yes, it would be a shame sponsors support you in something you don’t event take seriously… but at the moment windsurfing is not a sport that will make you rich even when you are on top… So, you better have a good time also otherwise it’s all for nothing!”

WINDSURF: What did it take to work your way through the ranks in the racing?

JV: “Everything? Hours on the water, hours analyzing, hours tuning gear, hours in the gym, developing equipment, mental training, travel to different places and so on. Hard to point out what really made the difference, but it will be a combination of everything.”

WINDSURF: How many years on tour would you say it would take a new racer to work their way into the top five?

JV: “In Foil Slalom I guess you can get there quicker than in Slalom X, you can see in general youth catching up quicker on a foil than with the fin…. Because I still believe on a Fin the rider can make more difference. But to become top 5 in a year…? Would still take plenty of years I guess! The only exception we’ve seen is Johan Soe, I think from the whole new generation he’s been an absolute stand-out.”

WINDSURF: Was there a breakthrough moment where you felt you were up there with the elite PWA racers at last?

“In 2018 was my breakthrough year I would say. I had my first PWA podium back in 2017, but I was still pretty inconsistent. In 2018, if I remember right during the 4^th event of the year, I was the only sailor who didn’t miss a winner final yet.. I was not the quickest, but I was all the time there. I finished 4^th in the overall ranking and showed that I can perform in both light and strong winds! But, I also have to mention, in Fuerteventura this year, I felt on another level again compare to all my years before! Sadly, I couldn’t finish off the event… but the feeling was amazing!”

WINDSURF: “How do you learn how to control your emotions and mental side when dealing with pressure?”

JV: “I’ve seen a mental coach a couple times years ago which has been a huge help to me. I don’t see him anymore, but funny enough I still think back to the sessions a lot and still have the notes that we made together. They still help me to get my mind in the right mindset when I have to.”

WINDSURF: How much difference does it make to work closely with a brand like Duotone?

JV: “It simply makes your life easy, I would say. This is my 10^th year with Duotone and since a long time I’m mainly doing all the board testing with Dani Aeberli and helping Marco Lang testing the sails. Therefore, I know the gear incredibly well, which makes tuning very easy, as I basically don’t have to get used to it anymore.”

WINDSURF: What it takes to win races…fitness, gear, experience talent?

JV: “Your gear needs to be good and perfectly tuned, you need to be strong and heavy, you need to be mentally strong and have enough experience. Those are things you can have influence on, but there are some aspects, you can’t work on…. Talent! I think you need talent, but ‘Hard work beats talent, if talent doesn’t work hard’. (saw this on a wall one time, I love this line) and last but not least you sometimes need a bit of luck!”

WINDSURF: Tell us about the joy of winning a race and earning that respect in the fleet?

JV: “It’s a moment you will never forget. 2019 in South-Korea, I won my first elimination and I was fist pumping all the way to the beach, probably it’s one of my most memorable moments on tour! I still have the live stream recording and will safe it on a good place!”

WINDSURF: What other life lessons has being a racer on the PWA tour taught you?

JV: “I have now been on the PWA tour for 13 years… The tour has basically shaped me into the guy I am today and taught me a lot of life lessons. Biggest lesson? Maybe it’s pretty hard to explain, but to a good friend I always said: ‘I want to get on the podium, but I want to do it my way’. Meaning I don’t want to sacrifice everything and do stuff I don’t like, in order to get the result I want. I want to have fun, enjoy and still try to see if I can get there. Looking back, I would not have wanted to do it any other way!”

WINDSURF: What advice would you give a rookie racer for their first event on tour? 

JV: “Don’t expect to come and fight for the podium. Just have fun, enjoy the moment and learn as much as possible. This way you have a good time and know what you have to work on for the next one!”

WINDSURF: What racers do you still look up to for their work ethic on tour?

JV: “Not sure if I look up to riders for their work ethic, but what I really think is cool that the main guys I’m still fighting with are still Pierre Mortefon and Matteo Iachino. They were on the podium back when 64 men fleets were full all the time and the amount of amazing riders let’s say was bigger. So even when fleets are smaller now and there’s less full-time windsurfers… I look up to the fact that they are still there and I’m proud that I can give them a run for their money sometimes!”

WINDSURF: Now you have broken into the top three, what is it going to take to become world number one?

JV: “Don’t crash and injure myself is the most important thing ha-ha! I think what is so nice for me is that the ‘podium pressure’ is gone now, I’ve done it and with that I mind I feel like I will enter with less pressure, which usually is good for my mind. And to be honest I really look forward to race on my new Duotone 2026 race gear that just got launched…. I’m very excited about it!”