4-times PWA Freestyle World Champ Gollito Estredo finished 3rd in the Overall PWA Ranking 2012. Alexander Lehmann from German Windsurfjournal has interviewed him.

Does one belong with 22 years already belong to the old folks in the international Freestyle-scene? “By no means” declares the former World Champ Gollito Estredo, who after 3 consecutive years had to give his title to the Belgian Steven Van Broeckhoven. Reflexively all the windsurf magazines worldwide plunged onto the new star and questioned him about his sensational season. But what is with the one who had lost his title? Especially as he dominated the international tour and an ending wasn’t in sight? Therefore we have spoken with Gollito and asked him what went wrong this season, whether it was just a fluke or the ending of his career…
   
Gollito, what was wrong with you this year?! I think I’m not the only one who’s surprised that you “only” landed on 3rd place in the overall-rankings after you absolutely dominated the last three years?
Good question. To be honest I myself am a bit surprised, maybe even overstrained with the situation of being the hunter and not the one who is being hunted. I actually thought that I trained well throughout the winter and the as the season started I thought to myself: “hey man, what in earth went wrong now?!”

And do you have a result to your analysis?
Yes, but the problems are much too complex to explain them in a few words.

I don’t have to go anywhere, got all the time in the world!
(Laughs) That fits well, me neither!

Alright then get started.
It probably has got round that I prefer spots with strong winds. I cope a lot better with strong pressure in the sail and to be honest I train the most of the year in such conditions. And when waves are added to spot I’m really happy. That’s where I can really show my power-moves and jump high and what that concerns I’m surely still on top of my game. Unfortunately this year there were a few events where there was so little wind that at times I wasn’t planning for an entire heat-length. Furthermore I had some injury problems: In Lanzarote I nearly broke my arm in the last heat. My doctor ordered an absolute windsurf-break for two weeks. Three weeks after the event in Lanzarote we then went to Fuerteventura, where I still rode with pain. This shouldn’t be some sort of cheap excuse but sadly corresponds to the truth. And finally the level of all riders, compared to the last years, significantly went up. In the top ten nearly everybody jumps the same moves. Double variations meanwhile became a standard. It has never been this close between the top 10, especially on flat waters.

Let’s start from the beginning: If you know that other have advantages in light-wind-conditions and you’re nearly unbeatable in strong winds – if possible also with waves – why don’t you train a whole winter in spots with light winds?
That’s a legitimate question and fully hits a sore spot.

Alright, I won’t dig any further… As much as I know heats are cancelled if they’re permanently under the wind limits!
Yes, that’s how I know it as well. But this year there were a few decisions made on the tour, which a bigger part of the riders couldn’t comprehend. I’ve never run a heat with a 110-litre board and 5.9 sail. But for example in Podersdorf I wasn’t even planning with that gear. They just extremely forced it and really wanted a valuation. And that’s how even in the double-elimination I slipped from third onto fourth place. I was only able to pump myself planning four times in 12 minutes and that’s how I exactly go four moves onto the score-sheet
That’s not a lot… If we look at the season chronologically: At the first stop in Vietnam you placed second behind Kiri Thode, there everything was still possible for the season.
True. We were able to sail two double-eliminations and he managed to win the deciding heats by a bit.

Second stop: Podersdorf. I understood, if you can’t get planning with 5.9 and 110 liters in a heat it’s kind of stupid. Especially if the opponent, in your case during the crucial heat was Davy Scheffers, is much lighter.
That was the first deep hit with placing 4th. And in the next event in Bonaire I also only placed 4th. The whole event for me was absolutely not satisfying. The sentence I heard the most was: „It was really close… just 0.5 Points less than your competitor”. But I saw myself in a few deciding heats in front.

And in Aruba?
That wasn’t too bad. After the single-elimination I was second behind Steven, in the double I unfortunately lost the place against Kiri, but that was O.K and I got third. Lanzarote was finally an event where everything fitted for me. That’s my preferred spot of the whole tour. Lot of wind, good waves. That’s where I could win the first event in 2011. I already thought that I wouldn’t experience this, this year.

And then Fuerteventura with a second place. Seldom have I received so many mails after an event from riders and spectators with the enquiry to make the mysterious judge-decisions public. Unfortunately I wasn’t on site and am reluctant to make my own opinion. But if I add up all the stories – also from friends – I come to the question: Do feel that the guarantors of the PWA want another name as a world champion in freestyle after three years?
If you would have been in Fuerteventura you could have answered the question by yourself.

Sadly I wasn’t, but the feedback was clear: The answer would be yes. How do you see it?
Let me start differently: I won the single-eliminations. The conditions were like I like them: a lot of wind! In the double-elimination Kiri and Steven sailed against each other for the entry into the final against me. Everybody on the beach saw that Kiri clearly defeated Steven. To put it more vividly: He destroyed him with a firework of moves and chased him off the water. Only the judges saw that differently and placed Steven into the finals against me. Kiri nearly blew a fuse.

How did it continue in Fuerte?
The wind wasn’t as strong in the double-elimination as it was in the single. I justifiably lost the first final and it had to come to a super-final over the event victory between Steven and me. I gave everything and had a good feeling. As I came back to the beach the feedback of the riders was clear. The saw me in front. The judges had a different opinion. And you want to know how many points less I had on the score-sheet?

Let me guess: 0,5?
Clairvoyant! I lost because of 0,5 points and Steve became world champion. I was really mad and we had heavy discussions. But it’s like in soccer. When the referee whistles a penalty, then a penalty is given. There’s no need to discuss with him, but the players still do and so I told the judges clearly my opinion.

What do you think could be the reason why the judges or better the PWA want to see Steven as world champion instead of Kiri? That’s a good question but I’m not sure if I should answer it.

Then let me give you a few suggestions: Has it go anything to do with black or white?
Oh my god! Now you come with racism.

You just interpreted this into my question…
No, no this is in my eyes not the reason. Although it belongs to the whole truth when I tell you that a small group of spectators at the beach in Fuerteventura see coherence between the placing and the skin color.

Or can it be that a European World Champion could serve the windsurf sport as a whole more than one from the Caribbean? Marketing wise it could be plausible.
Funny that you say that: A big part of the spectators at the beach in Fuerteventura also had this opinion. But I hope you understand when I prefer to stay out of this discussion.

Rumor is that in future you’ll still be judged.
And I don’t want to hear on the tour: „it was close; you lost with 0.5 points“…

But how should this go on?
We riders have asked ourselves the same question and that is why we have a meeting the people in charge at the world cup in Sylt. We want that at least two judges get replaced. Until now they’ve been unkind towards us. They evaluated hard moves worse just because they don’t like them! And they even told us that during the discussions! But in my point of view when judging personal tastes shouldn’t play a role, only the difficulty and execution of the move. These are the two most important factors in which one can stay halfway objective while judging. But if you add the factor of the personal tastes of every judge then the riders will only to moves that they like? Seriously that can be true.

Due to the Discard-Rule Steven is the World Champion. You could have placed second at the last tour stop on Sylt?
Yes, but I think that I would have had to win and Kiri would not need to be placed in the top 3. This would have been not easy. Sylt was still great with all the TOW In sessions I won! Plus we were celebrating there the end of the season and also had great party there. But whom am I telling that…

…I don’t know what you’re talking about… You used to be seen partying also during events…
That it over. Especially after this season. I’ve actually stopped going to parties during events for the last two or three years. I’m going to give everything during the winter. I’ve got a few things planned.

What exactly?
Training till exhaustion at many different spots. I’ve got a lot to cover. After Sylt I’m now going for two months to Brazil, in January to South Africa, then I’ll go to Egypt to train my performance on flat water and light winds and as a finish, off to the Canaries. Ones for sure: I will certainly train more than last year!

Will you sail in the one or the other wave-event in 2012?
I’ve had a lot of fun at these events the last few years, but after this season I will fully concentrate in freestyle for 2012. Maybe it isn’t even that bad that I lost my title as world champion. I don’t want to say that it was made easy for me the last few years but let’s formulate it this way: It was a stop at the right time. I’ve learned my lesson. I forgot to mention one point at the beginning: In the past years I trained a lot with Andre Paskowski during the winters. He really pushed me and was a kind of mentor and motivator at the same time. I fore sure have to thank him that I had such an advantage the past years. Then even when I didn’t feel like training he was there to give me a kick in the butt. Sadly due to his illness last year I had to train alone last winter and by far I haven’t been to as many spots as with him. This for sure is also a reason why I couldn’t access all my potential this year. If everything goes well – I really hope so – Andre will be fit again this winter and we’ll be able to train and travel together.

You for sure are the first windsurfer who could seriously take an advantage from a trainer!
Maybe not from a trainer! From a motivator! Who encourages me in bad days, kicks me in the butt and chases me on the water. That would surely help. But now, as I’ve seen what happens when I don’t give a 100% in the preparations, I now got enough motivation. I can’t be bothered that I have to ask myself next year: “Gollito, what was wrong with you this year?!”

Thxs Alex & Gollito!