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Transcript70 lines
- [00:01]
A
Welcome to the kitesurf 365 podcast.
- [00:04]
B
Welcome back to the show. I hope you all had a great weekend. On today's episode I'm joined by Jet Bradshaw. Jet has recently joined Jacobson Kites and we talk about the move, we talk about high five and dirty habits. And of course we talk short lines. Don't forget to follow me at kitesurf365 for all the latest episodes. Ladies and gentlemen, Jet Bradshaw. Mate, good to see you, brother. Happy New Year.
- [00:34]
A
Yeah, I'm happy to see you. Happy New Year. How was the new year, mate?
- [00:38]
B
Pretty quiet. I hadn't do too much, man, you know, just went out for a little bit and then just chilled. What about you? Did you have a big party in Cape Town or. No?
- [00:46]
A
Yeah, took it super easy. Just went down to Agnes place and yeah, in bed by 12:30. Different New Year's.
- [00:56]
B
Changing. Mate. Congratulations on, on joining Jacobson, mate. That must have been a pret. Emotional decision, right? I mean you, you had quite a lot of big decisions to make over that time, right, because north was Graham at that, at the early stages.
- [01:13]
A
Yeah, yeah. So it was. I was actually speaking to Nick. Nick the other day about it, you know, when the, when the video got released it was kind of bittersweet, you know, it was, you know, I was super excited to get the video out there. I mean super sick video. But also quite sad at the same time, you know, because it was. Yeah, I get goosebumps now. Graham obviously brought me into north and then. Yeah, then I was kind of following on going to Jacobson and then. Yeah, obviously Graham passing was. Yeah, super, super sad and then. Yeah, this is kind of. Yeah, it just feels a bit weird, you know. Could have would have been sick with me, Nick and Graham going on these missions. But I suppose we have to have to carry on and. Yeah, I think we're going to go to Namibia and try and do the same trip we did. I don't know if you remember that return to sender from north that Graham and I did. So we're gonna, Nick and I are gonna do it like the same, the exact same trip, you know, and just kind of relive, relive the moment. So yeah, pretty, pretty cool. Now I'm stoked. Over the moon.
- [02:13]
B
It's kind of exciting too, right? I mean it's a perfect match, right? It's like, you know, you're stepping in to keep Graham's legacy alive almost, you know, with that brand. I mean you've got your own, your own mission as well, but that's the way I kind of feel about it, you know.
- [02:27]
A
Yeah, for sure, definitely. And that's what Nick and I said, you know, we've got, like, obviously we're not trying to fill, you know, not trying to, yeah, I don't know, carry on living how someone else lived, you know, and taking it away from them, but we have to. He said to me, he's like, we've just got to keep this legacy alive, you know. And I was like, yeah, that's for sure, you know, so, you know, everything we do is, you know, with. With Graham in mind and which I think super beautiful, you know, while keeping, you know, our own legacy going. We. We keep GMAN with us for sure.
- [02:59]
B
When did the talk start surrounding Jacobson, had that been going on for some time? And did you potentially see this north partnership ending?
- [03:09]
A
To be honest with you, Nick came to me at the GKA Awards when we had it in Cape Town, was that last year? And kind of mentioned something, but I was so, you know, so loyal to north, so dedicated to north, that it was. I remember saying to my dad last year, I was like, dad, I don't see myself ever leaving north, you know, I don't see myself, you know, when you kind of, you know, I knew how the company worked. I knew everyone there. I knew, you know, I knew it inside out because I'd been with them for so long. And yeah, I said to my dad, I was like, I don't see this partnership ever ending. You know, I'll be with north until, until the end. And then Nick came to me like four months ago and he was like, come, let's have a proper chat. You know, the one in the one before GK Awards was kind of, you know, like a brief, you know, would you consider it? And this time it was, come, let's have a. Have a proper chat. And it was. It was difficult, hey, like backwards and forwards for a good three months, three, four months of, you know, speaking to my dad, you know, I speak to him about everything and just, you know, because there's so many pros and cons of leaving and there's so many, you know, especially with a new brand, a new company. It's, you know, there's always a risk. So it was difficult, you know, it wasn't like an easy, easy thing, you know, to just decide, you know, because I'd like I said I'd been with north for seven years, so it was kind of easy, you know, I just had to carry on going, doing what I was doing and, you know, nothing would have changed. But yeah, when Nick came, it was just exciting, you know, when you feel this, you know, speaking to him, I had this excitement. Not that I wasn't excited at north and about karting, but I had this like, you know, this fire to, you know, it's cool to start with a brand that at the beginning, you know, I can help design kites, I can help design boards and, you know, have, have quite a bit of input. You know, we had north, you know, the gear had already been decided two years before, before the release of it. You know, they've always, you know, planning years and you would know years and it in advance, you know, circulars. Yeah, it was a difficult decision, don't get me wrong. There was a lot of times I was like, okay, it's on, you know, I'm let's, you know, and then it would be like, no, I'm not going to, you know, so there was a lot of backwards and forwards, but I'm super stoked. Super stoked. Yeah. Like I said, it wasn't an easy decision, but when I made the decision, I was like, you know, it was quite a relief. Yeah, I'm over the moon.
- [05:39]
B
A lot of people who don't know the industry super well, Jet, you know, we'll, we'll, we'll, we'll always question signings like you, Right. Because you're not really a competition guy, but I mean, yeah, I know firsthand that you're like a loyal foot soldier. I mean, you're on every shoot, you're at every distributor meeting. You know, I saw the value of you in brands. You know, like a lot of people say, I just don't get the understanding yet. I'm like, it's not till you see Jet operating that you realize where his value is. And I hope you can bring that and you will bring that to Jacobson and you bring that fun side as well. Right. Which is in alignment with what Nick wants to do with Jacobson. Right. He wants to bring that fun back. Wants to keep that sort of fun side of kiting around, you know. Yes, it's having fun. It's, it's about doing that. Does that sort of help you in your decision making, you know, thinking about that as well?
- [06:29]
A
Yeah, for sure. Definitely. You know, his, his whole outlook on Kati. I mean, he obviously went through his competing stages and King of the Air and winning King of the Air and that. And he just said to me, he's like, it's gotten too serious, you know, it's gotten too serious for the size of the sport, you know, and just. He just said, come, let's have. Let's have fun, you know, let's, you know, let's have a time. Let's create, you know, super cool content. Let's bring the community together, you know, because I feel like the karting industry, you know, the. The weekend warriors kind of look at the competition riders, and it's like they almost like aliens to them because they're so far away and they're so good. They, like, in their own bubbly, said, come, let's. Let's bring everyone into our world, you know, let's shoot cool videos. Let's, you know, go on amazing trips. So that was. Not that I didn't do that at north, but this is just, you know, he said to me, he's like, you don't have to compete, you know, if you want to do Mega Loop challenge once a year, you can compete. Will be cool for the brand, will be fun. We'll all come down there, have a laugh. And that just got me excited, you know, there's not. Yeah, there's not this big push on. Let's make the, you know, we obviously want to make the best products and that as we can, but there's no pushing, you know, we're gonna make this most insane competition kite or, you know, it's just, you know, designing stuff for. For people that just want to have a time, you know, so. So that definitely helped hold my decision. You know, it wasn't like I was going from one big brand to the next big brand. You know, I was never a competition rider, but I always felt the need that I had to enter these comms just to stay relevant, you know, and it was. It was a lot of pressure because I'd never go. Never really enjoyed the competitions. I mean, I do enjoy Mega Loop because it's always, you know, when it's on, it's 45 knots, you know, so that kind of took a huge weight of my shoulders, him saying, if you want to compete, you can compete. If not, well, we do something else. You know, we go on a cool adventure. We shoot some cool content. That definitely helped.
- [08:36]
B
No. No more sleeping on floors of airports or crashing on my hotel floor anymore, bro. You'll have a proper room.
- [08:41]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But I said to him, I was like, I'm keen to get my hands dirty. You know, if you want me to fly there, fly there, wherever. You know, I'm. I'm keen, you know, and it's cool to, you know, be starting to, you know, get in contact with schools and distributors and that. And it's nice, you know, because I'm talking to people and, you know, it's co. I like that. That type of stuff, you know, that's.
- [09:05]
B
The kind of stuff, Jet, that people don't know about you, you know, And I called you a loyal foot soldier. I was serious, you know, you are prepared to mark it up, and a lot of pro riders don't want to do that. Hey, I want to talk about your welcome. Welcome to the team video, bro. That was one of the best videos I've seen. Who wrote that, by the way? Did you. Did you write it yourself or, like, all the sort of the parts where you're speaking. Did you write that?
- [09:28]
A
A bit of help from chat. GBT and Inez.
- [09:34]
B
You should have just said you. No, dude, it seriously was awesome, though.
- [09:40]
A
Yeah. Yeah, it was quite. Yeah, quite stressful because I was like, you know, there's so many standard welcome videos. I'm here to change the game. We're here to take over, man. Everyone's taking over. You know, there's hundreds of Carters that are taking over the game, you know. So I said to Nick, I was like, let's do something weird. Let's do something out of the box, you know, I want to con, you know, combine motorbikes that I love, trail running that I love, you know, not just make it a. Just cut, cut, cut, cut, cut. Because I think that's what, you know, the industry needs, is a bit of spice to it, you know. So, yeah, I was quite nervous to put it out because it is so out of the box, you know, it's like a lot of people have said we've never, you know, I don't know if it's a good way in a good way or a bad way that, like, we've never seen something like this, you know, in karting. But that was kind of the reaction that I was wanting. It's just something so. Yeah, keep saying out of the box, you know. So it was. And it was just so much. So much fun filming it. You know, I got dirt bikes, running up mountains, karting. It was just like I was salivating. I could have carried on filming for the next two weeks, you know, riding past police, riding past police, weaving a motorbike. It was like, this is what I want to do.
- [10:58]
B
You know, you're 100, right? We need more than that. Jason Broderick said to me one time, there's no culture in kite surfing and when you think about it, if you think about surfing and skating, it's counterculture. It's bad boys, they've got bands, they have surf bands, Skypeboarding, there's none of that.
- [11:13]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [11:15]
B
Boarding kite borders are basically like people who own horses. That's.
- [11:19]
A
Yeah. Literally.
- [11:20]
B
Literally.
- [11:21]
A
You know, and I know they. And I know there has to be that competition. You know, there's. In every sport, there's that, you know, few percent of guys who do really take it seriously. The Niger Houstons, the Kelly Slaters, the, you know, but there's only that few percent that actually really need to take it that seriously. You know, I was having a conversation with my dad and he said, you know, the Mystic House here in Cape Town, he said, I remember when I visited you the first time at the Mystic House, there were just so many youngsters having a good time, you know, having. Now they just take it too seriously. You know, everyone wants to, you know, be the next Andrea Principe or the next Lorenzo Casati and like, have that mindset, you know, they're all Jimming. They're all, you know, it's not a bad thing, but we need that a bit more rock and roll, laid back, you know, counterculture in the karting world, because it isn't a big industry, you know, we in. We're not in Formula one.
- [12:23]
B
You can't even do that in Formula One, bro. You know, the problem is, bro, that we're just not big enough. We don't have brands who want to be involved with a crazy person who's going to walk down the beach and stomp on someone's kite that he hates. I would love that. Imagine in the comp, someone walked over and just stomped on someone's kite.
- [12:40]
A
I would be like, dude, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [12:44]
B
I always said everyone's too nice, but I don't know how we change that unless we see. The thing is that coast surfing's so bloody expensive that it really, let's be honest, it sort of keeps the, sort of. The drags out of the sport. But that dregs.
- [12:58]
A
Yeah, yeah. But you do need those artists.
- [13:01]
B
They bring artists. They bring. I want to start a band. Let's start a band. You know, they like the skateboarding, the guys who don't give a. That we, we are, we are definitely liking that, bro. And I love the fact that you are pushing to bring that. And if you look back to the earliest kite boarding, it was more that way, you know, with, you know, with. They didn't give a. Yeah, yeah.
- [13:21]
A
No, exactly. And like Reuben and them, I mean I used to Graham, Graham would have a ice cold beer before his heated King of the Air. You know, it's like not to say you have to do that but you know, that sort of, you know, laid back style. I feel like everyone's taking it too seriously for what's at stake, you know. And there's not much at stake. You know, it's pride and to hold the King trophy. But yeah, I don't know, I have a bit of a different, different view on it.
- [13:51]
B
Reuben in particular is a good example as well. He's done it his own way, but it was. And also, yeah, some stages, Reuben has bucked the trend but that trends pulled him back into line, you know, like he's, you know, he's lost sponsors through being that guy. But again, we're not big enough to support that. So I love the fact that maybe Nick's going to give you that freedom to do that, man. Because that, that welcome video is sick, man. It's awesome. You know, and I, which I can.
- [14:16]
A
Already see he's given me that, that freedom. You know, he said you, you guys go ahead and you know, there was no brief, there was no, you know, which was so cool with. I don't know if you, you've met Adam Sims, the videographer who shot it. And just him and I were just geeking out on, you know, different angles and you know, there was a bit of AI involved in the video and it was just super cool to super fun, you know, to, to create.
- [14:44]
B
Are you more motivated to kite now? Because yeah, you know, you, you, I mean, you and I have spoken, bro. You know, you said like I'm really into my running now. I'm sort of getting a bit burnt on kiting. Was this the change that maybe you, you needed looking back at it?
- [14:57]
A
Yeah, 100 definitely. I was starting to get a bit. Not overcasting is the wrong word, but only wanting to kite when it was those perfect conditions, you know, I would often go down to the beach and it was like 25, 30 knots. You could still have fun, but I would be like, no, I'd rather just not cut today, you know, and just wait for tomorrow when it's 35 plus. And now I was testing the 12 meter. I only want to ride a 12 meter now, you know, it's just so much, so much fun, you know. And it gave me this new, you know, stoke on kiting, you know, I'm permanently on the water now. The minute that wind comes in, I'M on the water 12 and then I just drop down sizes, you know, which I was really missing. You know, I would always look at the guys like how. And ask him, how are you having Fun on a 12 meter? You know, I lost that, you know, that stoke of even just going out and around in the waves, you know. Now I feel like this new partnerships brought that back, you know, that absolute froth to be on the water.
- [16:00]
B
I want to shout out to high five to. To the team there, you know, I mean, I think Amy and Dusty and those guys there have done a great job. They're sort of.
- [16:09]
A
Yeah.
- [16:10]
B
I want to say that this is the sort of second life of Dirty Habits, because for a while, Dirty Habits, you know, guys all got older, they got families, the parties went as crazy. It's sort of dropped off you with that. You were that in between it that in between a guy for them. But I kind of feel like that they've bought it, even though they. They're different companies, but they've sort of bought back that sort of atmosphere again, you know, like with the parties and the. And the barbecues and the comps and actually in movies and the gatherings. And I'm gonna say I think they're doing it in a better way. It's not so outrageous. It's a bit more sort of family friendly, if that makes sense.
- [16:45]
A
Yeah, yeah. And that's what I mean. I've been, you know, obviously in talks with all the guys at Dirty Habits. Like you say, huge shout out to high five. That was also, I mean, I'm. That's my second home down there. So it was also, you know, that was one thing that was playing in my mind is at my local, you know, card school that I always hang out with is with Jacobson, you know, so it was, you know, we all like this huge family. But I agree with you totally. You know, Dirty Habits went through that stage of being that party extreme off the charts. And I think we tried to hold on to that for. For a long time. You know, when I say we like a collective, all of us try to hold on to that hardcore metal militia, you know. And I, you know, spoke to Etien the other day and I said to him, I was like, we don't have to be known as this, you know, outrageous brand all the time. You know, let's create a run club. You know, there's. Let's do a movie premiere, let's do barbecues, let's do downwinders. You know, it doesn't always have to turn into this huge party, you know, which I think, you know, the community is seeing that it's, you know, not always just a big scent, you know, we can always, we can all get together and do something, you know, like go for a down window, get a cool down window the other day, you know, and it's also, I think, re. You know, re spark. Dirty Habits, you know, that place is pumping now, you know, So I think it's, you know, combination of high five and dirty habits together works super well. Don't get me wrong, there's still the parties, everyone listening, don't worry, we'll still have the huge parties. But yeah, I just think it was important to bring, you know, that community together, not just around a party, you know, whether it be a run club or barbecues or, you know, something that's. That's super cool.
- [18:38]
B
Dirty Habits is that that culture that we always wanted, but it was almost like it ended up drowning itself because there wasn't the next sort of group to bring it through. But it's. And it's kind of crazy, like all the events that happen with Graham and his passing, the big positive to come out of it is just this unbelievable growth in the community again in Cape Town. And when I said to you, I said to you, I said I was looking forward to Cape Town, but I didn't know how Cape Town was going to feel without Graham. But, you know, Etan is another one should shout out and Amy and Dusty and yourself all at high five there have done a great job at keeping that alive. But I think in a, In a better model.
- [19:15]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [19:16]
B
I mean, you're doing a running club.
- [19:18]
A
Exactly. You know, who would have thought? Jet doing a running club with dirty habits, you know, it's like. But that's what I was. You know, I speak to my dad a lot, you know, he's like my best friend, you know, and I was saying to him the other day, I was like, you know, I was super nervous coming back from Mega Loop to, to go into the Cape Town season to see what the Cape Town season was going to be like. And I think the huge positive out of Graham's passing is that we've all kind of gotten closer. You know, like the communities become closer. Everyone's become a bit more sensitive towards each other, which, Which I think super important, you know, we've all become. Yeah, I don't know. I speak to people on a daily basis that I never used to speak to part of the community. And I think that's got to do with this like, you know, a bit more community feeling. You know, we did. We definitely had it last season, but it was a bit more intense. You know, Dirty Thursdays, parties, Medita, you know, now we're all kind of connecting on a bit more of a chilled, you know, chilled. Chilled way, which I think is the positive we have to take out of. Out of Graham's passing. You know, I think a lot of people have, you know, re looked at life and. And stuff like that and, you know, so I think that's the. That's a huge positive out of a situation, if you know what I mean.
- [20:42]
B
Let's talk about short lines comps. They've. They've done the grom. They do their grom comp, which every year, which is a great competition, by the way. And that just gives sort of that next generation of riders a little bit of exposure and a great opportunity to ride. But I think their real big success is the short line comp.
- [20:56]
A
Short line comp, yeah.
- [20:58]
B
I mean, look at some of the big names like yourself, Cohen, Stino, Adrian. Adrian's gonna be so happy. I put his name with the big boys. You know, he'll. You saw Jason, Josh, Ross, Dillon, Francesca. Maney's even writing. It's, yeah, amazing comps. You got some young guys coming through. You got Nathan Pizzuto out of Australia, Dylan Brown from the U.S. i mean, this is an awesome comp. I really hope they can get the live stream working a bit better this year because I felt like we sort of missed that a bit last year. But yeah, yeah, I mean, looking at this list, we've got the best shortened guys in the world riding. So, man, if we get an opportunity to say this, I'll be. I'll be super down. Can you give us any more information about that?
- [21:33]
A
Yeah, so it looks like possibly Monday, but I think definitely Tuesday it's gonna run. They've got the live stream sorted. Someone's. Yeah, on. On that. And yeah, I think it's. Last year we had some big hitters, but this year it's. I looked at the fleet and I was like, oh, this is gonna be a spectacle. You know, this is like King of the Air level riders on short lines, which is gonna be, you know, every heat is gonna be insane, you know, and I think going back to what the. The industry needs, I think this is what we need. You know, this is that extremity that, you know, just putting it all on the line, which the guys do at King of the Air. But people, you know, looking at short lines is like, you know, full heat of everyone just putting the kayak low is going to be absolutely ridiculous. And the forecast looks, looks really good, you know, and this year they've really, you know, speaking to Amy and Dassy and all of them, they've really, you know, stepped up the level of, of the comp, you know, so now I'm super excited. I think it's gonna, I say give it two years and it's going to be one of the bigger comps in, in karting. You know, just the feedback we get, you know, short lines, people that aren't even competing, just winners. Short lines. When a short lines. I think that just shows the importance of these competitions. You know, people are frothing, you know, I'm on all these carting groups in Cape Town and that's all they speaking about. Short lines, short line, short lines. You know, I haven't heard that much harp around the competition in a while, which is, which is cool, you know, it's what we need, you know.
- [23:06]
B
Have you had a look at the fleet? I mean, last year I think steno knocked you out in the semi finals, if I can remember. Off the top of my head.
- [23:12]
A
Yes. Yeah, yeah.
- [23:13]
B
I mean, when you look at this man, to make a semi final now would be a great result, right?
- [23:17]
A
Because would be a. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I think they've also changed up the judging criteria. Last year was kind of like a 60, 40. Now they're going like all about kite angle, you know, all about kite angle, which I think is really, really cool, you know, so they. Where last year people were trying to get that variation in, now they're not doing a variety score. I believe it's more of a, like a wow factor, if you want to call it. So it's exactly something like that, you know. So I think this year the level of, you know, cart angle is going to be really important. That's what they keep speaking about, kite angle, kart angle, kite angle. Where last year we were kind of trying to put together a heat that also, you know, I think there was one heat against Hugo where I won because of the variety score. You know, something they're trying to do away with, with that, you know, to stop the guys from forcing themselves to do boogies and trying to do the board offs where they're just wanting them to put the card low and maybe one rotation and. Yeah, which I think, which I think is really cool, you know, because you want. It's a short line comp, you know, it's not, you know, we don't want to see people taking their board. Boards off and that we want that car kissing the water. And a huge shout out to Adrian Low. I think he's gonna be one to want to watch out for. No Ren. But I saw. I saw him in front of high five the other day and I was like, holy, this is insane. Yeah, now you can throw down. He can throw. If there's anyone. I mean, I would like to say myself, if there's anyone that's going to stand on top of that podium, and I think it's him.
- [25:01]
B
I think Adrian Lowe made the podium last year, and I wasn't there, but I had heard two or three people said that they actually thought that he put the kite lower than. I think it was Stino and Cohen. Right. But those steno bringing it was. You know, that was interesting last year that the. The king of the air boys just bought their real technical writing to the shorts. But I think they were as low as Adrian. And I think a lot of people. Sorry, Adrian. And I think a lot of people probably thought Adrian probably should have won. But anyway, I'm also. I really like that kid. He's a good dude as well.
- [25:32]
A
Yeah. Yeah. So I think they're going to do away with, you know, having the technical riders try, like, having a chance, you know, it's just going to be pure extremity. And, you know, if you take a board off and the cards a little bit below you, it's not going to score well. The card needs to be. Needs to be down.
- [25:49]
B
Dude, I. I like that. They should have, like, the score should be done by how loud the crowd scream.
- [25:54]
A
Yeah. Yeah. I would love a comp. I would love a comp like that because that's you putting on a show for people watching, you know, so if the crowd loves a certain trick but it doesn't fit the judging criteria, I think. Yeah, I don't know. It's in the. In the crowd's mouth who sends it the hardest.
- [26:14]
B
How have you found riding the kite?
- [26:16]
A
Super nice. Yeah, it was. There was a. It was a huge learning curve, mainly because it's a three strut and I've only flown the orbit, which is the five strut. But it kind of took me the first session. I was a bit like, whoa, this is totally different to anything that I'm used to. You know, just where the kite sits, the way it flies and that. Different. Not in a bad way, but just like, you can't compare a three strut to a five strut. And then I had a Couple of sessions on it in nuking conditions. And it kind of took me back to the days where I was riding innovate kites. When I first started the fs, it was there, like, freestyle card. This thing's a beast. Doesn't have that second lift and that float like an orbit, but I just like the. There's like a bit of grunt to it. You know, there's a few knots on the steering lines that if you want that power, you can change it in the knots. And if you want that easy, you know, looping kite, you can put it on the last knot. So it's been cool, you know, working with them, you know, because I wanted a bit more out of it, a bit more intensity out of the kite and speaking to. To the designers, which is so cool. You know, I've never spoken to a designer before or in my life, you know, so it was like a bit of Chinese that he was giving back to me, and I was like, okay, well, let's all relax ourselves because I've never heard of what the he's saying. Yeah, this is like, totally new to me, but that's been cool, you know, and now I've really. The first two sessions, it was a bit, you know, difficult, you know, coming back to the beach, changing stuff, going back up, but now I've got in the car, it's super good. And now Nick's actually arriving this more this evening with a whole bunch of five struts, which will be nice, but to be honest, the way I've gotten this car to fly now, I don't know if I want to go back to a five struts. I love the way this. This card feels. Yeah.
- [28:13]
B
Jed, I go back to seven years ago when. When Ben and I called you when you. When you joined north and mystic, and we had a really great podcast that day, and I thought that really set.
- [28:22]
A
The tone over the years.
- [28:23]
B
I've interviewed. Interviewed you many times over the years. I must admit, man, I think I'm finally. This is a bit of a mature jet that I'm starting to hear.
- [28:31]
A
I wanted to help out the last.
- [28:33]
B
Time I spoke to you like that when I just ride it on the stock settings. I don't know nothing. I don't want to do anything. But now I'm liking this, bro. This is. This is good.
- [28:40]
A
No, it is. Yeah. And it's. And I think it was, you know, super important thing, you know, for me personally, you know, to kind of, you know, move on. And like I said, it was difficult, but now I'm in more of a not senior role, but I'm not just a team rider anymore, you know, I'm not just the, you know, the puppet that goes around and competes in those photo shoots. There's a lot more behind it, you know, I mean, I'm on, you know, speaking to the guys every day, you know, so. And I think that's just given me a lot more motivation, you know, because now I want this, this cart and this brand to succeed as much as Nick does, you know, not that I didn't want it at north, but you were kind. I was kind of, you know, had reached the plateau, you know, and now I'm just, Yeah, I want to get my hands dirty and. Yeah. Make good gear.
- [29:28]
B
Are you still riding with Mystic?
- [29:30]
A
Yeah, still. Still got to deal with mystic, so I'm super chuffed about that, you know, because I still, yeah, super cool brand, you know, they've still got that punk rock mentality like I do, which is cool. And I think, yeah, I think between Nick and Mystic, it's, it's, you know, super out of the box combination.
- [29:48]
B
I'm super proud of you, Jet, because I see this as an opportunity and I see that you've grabbed it and you know, you have to grow in this industry and I like what you're doing, man. And as I said, I know you've been a loyal foot soldier for north and I hope you can bring that over to, to Jacobson as well, because I see the value in you and I've always seen the value in you and. Yeah, man, good luck, dude. I can't wait to see what you guys do with these kites and. Yeah, let's bring, bring fun back to kiteboarding and, you know, make. It doesn't have to be about podiums, it can be about being weekend sessions with the boys and I think, well, I should say the boys and the girls and that's what it's all about. And I think, I think high five brings that as well. Right? It's the, the same feeling there. If you are in Cape Town or you're on your way, you can go down to high five and test the kites. There they are a Jacobson school now and have kites for testing. You can see Jet down there and I'm sure you can buy him a beer. He'll drink it with you, man. And then you can do the running club.
- [30:37]
A
For sure, for sure. Come and run. Come and run and test the kite. Yeah. But thanks, brother. Thank you so much.
- [30:42]
B
Thanks for your time, brother. I look forward to seeing you soon, man. And yeah, congratulations again bro. And just keep doing what you do, bro.
- [30:48]
A
For sure. Thanks brother. Thank you so much.
- [30:51]
B
Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed that episode. Don't forget, if you want to support the show, the easiest way is to support us for free. Rate us on Spotify. I'm loving those five star reviews. It literally takes one second to do. Share them in your local WhatsApp or kite surfing groups or just simply tell your friends. If you want to support us more regularly, head over to portraitkite.com and check out all the madness there. What is Portrait? Portrait is an independent media company trying to tell the stories of kiteboarding the way we believe they should be told. These projects are funded by people just like you, and if you believe in what we do and want to support us, check out everything at portraitkite. The podcast, of course, will always be free. And if you want to find more episodes just like this one, use the search button at kitesurf365 to search your favorite writer or topic. And we'll be back this Thursday with the Megapod.