Gabriele Steindl: Professional Kitesurfer & Freelance Writer - Action, Lifestyle & Travels

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Meeting Mario Rodwald in W.A.

20

Jan 09

Meeting Mario Rodwald in W.A.

Sweet, what a coincidence…a couple of days ago some niiiice swell hit the coast of W.A. and Gabi was one of the first people at the spot when the wind came up… pumping up my kite, suddenly somebody taps my shoulder from behind, I turn around and there’s Mario Rodwald, a North team-mate of mine. Yeah, wow, he would have been one of the very last people I’d have expected to see as Mario is one of the World’s top freestylers today and the spot that we met at one of W.A.’s most serious wave-heavens.

The Double German Champion who is to today’s date only 17 years old is currently one of the most promising riders on the PKRA World Cup Tour. Yeah a sick and highly talented rider and definitely somebody to watch out for in the years to come.

I got to know Mario many years ago and do remember very well:  It was on Coche island in Venezuela, where I was training in anticipation of the first stop of the World Tour in 2005.  Back then Mario was only 13 years old, riding for another kitebrand and spending some time on Coche with his Dad and his team-mates filming the kite-movie ‘Poetry’.  Really good to see how far he has come over the 3 years !

Here in Western Australia Mario has spent 14 days of training all around Perth and the region and came down South in order to check out the waves to finish off his W.A.-experience and is back home in Germany now.  It was soooo good to catch up with him and after we had a truly fun ride out in the waves   –   it was pretty cool to see, there was Mario in the middle of big waves and all those hardcore wave-junkies, him with his freestyle board, boosting sick airs but also enjoying some sweet turns up and down the watermountains 🙂  –  I sat down and did a little interview with him.

Stay tuned & keep checking my blogs for more !

Until then check out Mario’s website and the photos he has taken during his trip in Western Australia !
Have fun & Carpe Diem folks,
Gabi