DATE OF BIRTH: 01/03/1992
COUNTRY: UNITED KINGDOM
LOCAL KITE SPOT: LYTHAM ST ANNES, UK
KM: What motivates you on the water?
Hannah Whiteley: A lot of things motivate me but the main thing is competing. Competing gives you a whole new level of drive to push your riding to the next level.
KM: What is your off-the-water training like?
HW: I love moving and training my body in different ways. Calisthenics, body weight workout. Rock climbing, skating, running, hiking. I think the key is to keep your training fun. I feel learning different skills sets often compliments your kitesurfing.
KM: Any recommendations for learning new tricks?
HW: Visualization! See the trick perfectly in your mind and feel it. The take off, what happens next, the landing, the whole sequence. This will help you so much to progress.
KM: What would you say to anyone wanting to learn to kite?
HW: Don’t give up. The best things in life don’t come easy. There is a lot of changing factors with kitesurfing, mother nature cannot be tamed. It takes a little bit of time to get used to all the different weather conditions.
KM: What inspires you?
HW: Girls and guys that are pushing the sport hard to progress and do what hasn’t been done before. Seeing new creativity not only in riding but also in content creation inspires me.
KM: What do you like about big air competition?
HW: Riding with a bunch of bad-ass girls, who are absolutely sending it is amazing! This is motivating and I love the feeling of going to battle in super strong wind.
KM: How did you get to where you are today?
HW: By not being afraid of failure. Take every opportunity you have. Success does not come overnight. It takes talent plus the determination to keep going, to keep pushing and never staying too comfortable.
