Our latest wing convert is rising star JJ Koszowski, he’s taken his experience in kite foil racing to become a proficient winger in very little time!

This young man from Poland is one to watch. He exceeds at every board sport he has a go at. We chat to Jasiek about all things foiling & find out about his journey into his latest sport; wingfoiling.

Hi Jasiek! Thanks for joining us. Could you start by just telling our readers a little about yourself and how you got into watersports?

Hi, my name is Jasiek Koszowski but my friends usually call me JJ. I have just turned 16 years of age, a couple of days ago.

To be honest, I don't remember when I got involved in watersports. Simply, I was too young to remember. I can only recall it from the "old" photos and videos captured by my parents. For example the first trainer kite I got when I was 2 and a half years old. It had a surface area of 0.6 square meters and I was using it almost every day.

Then came skimboarding, basic windsurfing, and of course surfing. Living at the seaside and spending a couple of months each year in the caravan gave me a lot of opportunities. Later, I became familiar also with inland waters, taking part in wakeboarding and wakesurfing competitions. But all this time I was dreaming about kitesurfing.

It wasn't easy because those days there wasn't any know-how and there was no proper equipment for children. With my dad, we tried almost every type of gear, and finally, we made it work. At the age of nine, I started my first race training with my friend and sparing partner Speedy. At the beginning we competed in TwinTip racing, a year later we fell in love with foil racing and this feeling lasts to this day.

Wing foiling is growing at an exponential rate, what do you think it is about the sport that appeals to so many?

Accessibility, easiness, and relative safety. It is just tailor-made for people tired of windsurfing and afraid of kiting. Most beginners consider kitesurfing as extremely dangerous and technically difficult, with all the lines, bars, and bridles. Compared to this, winging seems to be easy & safe, and does not require advanced, long courses. Moreover, it is allowed to launch it and practice on every spot, even where kitesurfing is forbidden. As for the advanced riders, this sport literally "gave them wings". Some surfers (including myself) found new possibilities to ride waves longer and more efficiently. The idea of wing propulsion has been wandering around for many years, but the recent combination with hydrofoil made it a game-changer.

Tell us about your kite foil racing? Are you campaigning for Paris 2024?

Kiteboard racing became a very important part of my life. Since 2016 I have spent a lot of time on training and competitions, sometimes gaining, sometimes losing. As for Paris 2024, I think it's too early for me to make any serious plans. There are so many good, older than me, and more experienced riders who will battle for the Olympic nomination. Of course, participating in the Olympics seems to be a dream of every sportsman, but it's not my goal at the moment. Much more important is the road that can lead me there. The most valuable thing for me at the moment is meeting amazing people involved in this business, testing equipment, gaining experience, simply being a part of it, fully immersed. Sometimes, even you have to take a step backward, like we did last season, animating IKA A's Youth Foil Class. At first, it seemed to be a downgrade from Formula Kite, but it finally occurred an "upgrade" for me, as I managed to win the A's World Champion title. At the moment I just have to prepare for the coming racing season.

Well, best of luck! Whatever you choose to pursue, I'm sure you will succeed. Like many, you’ve added wing foiling to your repertoire. What caught your interest in the first place?

It's a funny story. Once, when I had a really bad day, I got a call from ShinnWorld with a proposal of joining the Shinn team. Until then I had never had a chance to try winging, but I agreed immediately. In a short time, we arranged a meeting for a joint session on the water. It took me about ten minutes to ride my first wave with the use of a wing. At this first session I got a taste of fair waves and pretty good wind, so no wonder that I got into this with all my heart.

What skills transfer from kite foiling to wing foiling? Do you think it’s a big help having kite foiled before?

Definitely yes. Every sailing experience, any board under your feet is very helpful when getting into new watersports. Operating the wing comes more from windsurfing experience, but riding a hydrofoil board is almost the same as in the kitefoiling. General wind knowledge, the ability to keep the board stable are the main skills transferred from one sport to another.

What discipline of winging is your favourite? What are you working on at the moment?

As I have a lot of competing and racing in other disciplines, winging became a mind chiller for me. The essence of winging is waveriding. There's nothing better than a soul session with friends at dawn or sunset. Of course, I do practice wing tricks. It's fun. I also took part in some competitions, but mainly with the purpose of testing the equipment. The winging itself is such a fast-growing sport, the competitions are being organised in every of its discipline, however, I'm more interested in participating in testing gear and developing the process, than the scoring.

Tell us about your dream wing session? What equipment would you use?

I believe that the dream session is still ahead of me. It can be any session with friends and my teammates. It should be full of fair waves, spectacular views, amazing sunlight, and strong, but not too strong wind. If I have all these factors together, no matter what equipment I ride and how good I am, the best of it is the freedom and fun you get from this. But generally, I prefer fast turning foils, low volume boards with 5 sqm or smaller wings.

It looks like you’re part of a great team at Shinnworld. What’s that like? Have you been on any trips with them?

That's true. I am part of the Shinn Team for over a year now and I am really happy about that. But seriously, I am really thankful to Mark Shinn for giving me the opportunity to participate in his world and vision. Shinnworld is not a big company, but already successful. More importantly, it is managed by an enthusiast, titled kitesurfer who "touches" every product with his own hands. As for me, the rider, the huge advantage is for the possibility to call the boss directly to share my opinion or ask for advice. You don't get that in giant companies. I just love the days, when Mark arrives in Kużnica or Ustka (spots in Poland) with his van loaded with new prototype gear to be tested. 

Also, the atmosphere is amazing, when the international Shinnworld family of riders meets to test products or a photoshoot session. Thanks to them I got to know Tenerife which became one of my favourite spots. Unfortunately, I missed a great kite safari trip to Egypt last fall. There was a conflict of dates between the session and the Kite European Championships. My heart was crying but duty called. But as I said before, the best is still ahead of us ...

Thanks, JJ. Hope to see you on the water soon!

By Jack Galloway

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