Recently people have taking a liking to
“Oscar” or “Osama Ben Meyer”. Very
funny.
Age
25
Height
6' 2"
Weight
175 lbs
Years Kiting
1.5
Current Residence
Hood River/Maui
Favorite Kite Spot
Wind, waves, friends.
Other Sports
surfing, running, basketball
Sponsors
Naish Kiteboarding, Da Kine
Kiter.com:
You just finished the Redbull King of the Air in Maui. How did you like the contest and what results did you get?
BEN MEYER:
The contest was great. Kiting at Ho’okipa is an awesome experience,
literally. Ho’okipa is considered one of the worlds best wind and wave spots, so to be able to compete there is a treat. Encouraged by my results but not satisfied is the best way to describe it. I think that I finished 13th overall but beat the #5 and #6 ranked kiters in the world along the way, so that was definitely encouraging.
Who are your sponsors and how well are you getting along with them now?
Naish Kiteboarding and Da Kine are my main sponsors right now. The cool
thing about kiteboarding is the community that surrounds it. Everyone
involved is super stoked on what is going on, including most sponsor execs
because they are kiteboarders. That makes getting along with sponsors easy
because they are just part of the gang.
What kind of gear do you ride right now and why?
Right now I am on a Naish X2 kite, but have been trying the new Naish Aero
II and am really impressed with the performance of it. For boards, it’s a
little confusing, especially for me. I rode a custom 130cm twin at the King
of the Air, but have been riding production boards as of late. It sort of
depends on the day what board I pick. On a wave day, I may choose a 4’8” or
a 5’0” Mutant, when I want to work on freestyle, I may choose my custom or
the 136cm Hazmat twin. Like I said, confusing.
How well has your Zoology degree prepared you for the challenges faced by a
professional kiteboarder?
Well I can usually identify the genus and species of every animal in the water that I come across, but other than that not too much. College is more like a life learning process rather than just what you learn in the classroom, so I think I took most of that into kiteboarding. Knowing how to deal with people and answer questions is very important to the growth of the sport, and I think a higher education degree taught me how to handle myself better when meeting new people.
How about your track and team sports background? Did those give you experience that has helped in competition?
Most definitely. I didn’t come from any water sport background at all (I
think Colorado might be the most landlocked state around), but I think that
competition is more mental anyway, so it doesn’t really matter how you learn
that. I have been highly competitive since I was little and was blessed
enough to compete at a high level in track and field both collegiately and
post-collegiately. I approached, and still approach, competitions with the
attitude that I am going to win and someone has to come up with a great heat
to beat me. I won’t win every time, but if you don’t have that attitude
from the beginning, you’ve already lost.
Who are some of your favorite people to ride with?
Right now it is Sky Solbach, Adam Koch, and David Tyburski. There is so
much talent in that group that I can’t help but be inspired every time that
I ride with them. There is a lot of creativity in those guys.
You won your first heat in the Bridge of the Gods Contest in August but had
a bit of a scare in the heat. What happened?
My first real ‘kitemare’. It was blowing about 25ish and had just switched
a bit onshore right when my 12m kite was launched. It started to drag me
right toward shore and into the rocks on the beach. I tried to correct the
kite and yank it over my head back towards the water, and did, but not until
I was already over the rocks. I hit pretty hard, but was kind of in shock
right after it happened. It was about 3 minutes before the start of the
heat so I sailed out to the middle of the contest zone and checked to make
sure that my heels were still there and that my toes hadn’t broken off.
Everything was numb, but seemed to generally be in the right place, so I
decided to do the heat anyway. I only remember that I stuck almost
everything and that my feet really hurt. I came out of the water and
couldn’t really walk. Both heels were deeply bruised, I had a broken toe or
two, and some pretty gnarly looking knee gashes. All in all, I was lucky.
I was bummed not to be able to finish the contest, but at least I would kite
another day.
What new moves have you personally invented?
The one that comes to mind is the ‘heel clicker’.
How did you get the idea for that move?
I first did it after spending a few non-windy days in the Gorge playing a
motocross video game. I must have still thought I was in the game out on
the water because I took the board off, held it down and brought my legs
around my arm (holding the board) and ‘clicked my heels’ before putting the
board back on. I did it a few times in the King of the Air contest. I hope
it looks kind of cool. I am working on it now taking it off and putting it
on by the rail instead of the handle and throwing in a few spins.
What do you do when you are not kiting?
I play a lot of music. I have a few gigs here in Maui and hopefully will be
able to do more with it in the future. I actually minored in Ethnomusicology (the study of world music culture) in college, so I guess you could say that I like it. It is something that I can lose myself in so it is a great escape whenever I need it. I am a pretty simple guy, I like hanging with my bros, pulling pranks, watching a football game, pizza eating
contests, you know, the normal stuff.
Are you involved in any kiteboarding schools?
Yes, two actually. I got started in Maui with Action Sports learning their
system for instruction and then got involved with David Tyburski’s school
New Wind Kiteboarding in the Gorge. I like the opportunity to teach because
most people are so psyched to be doing something like kiteboarding that you
can’t help but have fun. The first experience will stick with someone
forever, so if I can give them a good one, those will be the people that
keep the sport alive in the future.
Do you have any projects in the works or goals for this season?
There always seems to be projects in the works, getting them done is the
hard part. The tour is over for this year, so a lot of emphasis will be on
training for next year, which starts around April. From now until then, I
am planning on taking a few trips to some independent contests and maybe
spend some time in the snow kiting world. In any case, getting geared up
for next years tour is the focus.
What could be done to improve contests?
Kiteboarding is still just getting out of its early stages and into a
transition phase. Contests are doing the same. There is more and more
organization as time goes on, and I think that is only a positive thing.
Contests are subjective and that is that, so you can’t expect to please
everyone. I tend to not get caught up too much in the logistics. I do
better if I just go out and ride. If people, or judges, like me they like
me, if they don’t they don’t, it really doesn’t have anything to do with how
much fun I am going to have.
Have you made more money as a musician or riding a kiteboard?
Let’s just say I need both to survive.
Is it possible to make a fulltime job out of kiteboarding?
Yes. But it is different for each rider on what they are able to offer. There is only one world champion, so it is up to you to get your name out in the sport in other ways if you are not winning every contest.
How many of the professional riders today are really making their living off of just
kiteboarding?
Most are in one way or another. Some have to supplement their income with
other things, like teaching, but most can get it done somehow. It is not lucrative at this point, however, so just getting by is what most guys (and girls) are able to do.
How much do you think the best guys make in a year?
Not enough.
Does it seem like
kiteboarding in general is catching in faster in
Europe?
In general, yes.
What accounts for that?
I don’t really know. I haven’t really spent a lot of time in Europe around the everyday scene, but if I had to guess, I’d say that Europeans have more interest in the extreme sports then in America. Americans want team sports. Maybe team kiteboarding?
Do kiteboarders really get more chicks than regular surfers and windsurfers
or is that just part of the image?
I think girls are drawn to guys who are different then the norm, and guys
are drawn to girls in bikinis. That’s why I go to the beach. Kiteboarding
is secondary.
Thanks for the interview Ben. Any parting words to your kiteboarding
colleagues?
Strive for peace.
