Kitesurfing Idol, Annabel Van Western
Girl of the moment and kitesurfing idol:@annabelaruba (twitter), @annabel.vw (Facebook)
23 year old, Dutch professional Kitesurfer, Annabel Van Westerop is Lenguaventura’s Girl Of The Moment! Inspired by her dad, Annabel started windsurfing when she was 13, but slowly turned her passion towards kitesurfing.
At the age of 14 she listened to her free spirit that wanted to start “jumping and flying through the air” and it was this that started her kitesurfing journey. Now living and working in Aruba as a professional kitesurfer, Annabel encompasses the inspiring characteristics our campers look up to, here at Lenguaventura.
Why we love Annabel:
She is an ambassador and role model to the people of her home country Aruba, after moving there at the age of 11. She speaks highly of her home and describes the island as “perfect” for kiteboarding and “one happy island”.
She’s kitesurfed with Sir Richard Branson! Check out the video here:
Annabel is such an amazing athlete that many major brands support her and sponsor her sporting career. She’s an ambassador for FX Sports Aruba, CrossXvest and NP Surf which are some of our favourite watersports brands!
She’s travelled the world through kitesurfing and captures her adventures through breathtaking videos and stunning photography.
Annabel aims high and sets herself big goals – Her ultimate goal is to become Freestyle Kitesurfing World Champion and we don’t think she’s far off!
She promotes a strong body and good health – Annabel our kitesurfing idol knows well how physically demanding kitesurfing can be on your body so in order to stay physically strong and flexible she spends a lot of time at the gym as well as practicing mindfulness through yoga. She’s not only a pro kitesurfer but a certified yoga teacher too citing the practice as a great way to keep herself mentally focused to enable her to perform well in her competitions.
She’s real and honest – Annabel doesn’t just highlight the amazing things that kitesurfing has brought to her life but she also talks about the tougher times she’s had. In 2014, when she was just 19 she experienced what she describes as a “burn out”. She explained that the daily demands of her kitesurfing success were beginning to get too much for her, and she needed to take some time out to recharge and refocus. We admire the way she keeps it real and talks about her hard times but sees the positive side of how they’ve helped her for the better. This is an inspiring trait that many teenagers can learn from.
Annabel is truly an inspiration to any budding kitesurfer so we urge all our campers to check her out and follow her adventures now!
Get to know Annabel here.
Check out her other kitesurfing Youtube videos.
Keep up to date with her kitesurfing adventures by following her Instagram.
