Jalou Langeree is only 16 years old and is already competing on the PKRA whenever she can make it to a competition. We met up with Jalou recently while she was visiting her famous big brother Kevin Langeree in Cape Town, South Africa.
My first impression of Jalou was to notice how beautiful she is. I was really keen to see her kite, but only had a glimpse of her kiting a few times. The wind was not good for the days that she visited South Africa, but we look forward to seeing her return again sometime soon.
Jalou is completing her final school year now, and should be done by the end of May 2007. After this she plans to travel the world and follow in the footsteps of her brother Kevin.
Carlo and I took Jalou for breakfast at our favourite spot, Cafe Orca in Melkbosstrand. It was refreshing to speak to a teenager who has not fallen prey to peer pressure and the nasty traps of drugs and smoking. This proved to me that this young lady has a strong character, and will not easily be intimidated by her peers.
We asked Jalou a few questions about her life as a kite babe.
Jalou, when did you start kiting? Did Kevin teach you when you started?
I started kiteboarding when I was 12, it was in the spring of 2002. Kevin was always power kiting and on the beach - most off the time I went with him. We spent the whole day power kiting together. Kevin surfed a lot, but after a short while he saw the fun in the combination of kiting and surfing. He was one of the first kids to do this on the water. He had no one to teach him how to kite and had to do it all by him self. After a few years Kevin started to teach me how to kite on the water too. It was a lot of fun, but I knew that I had to practice hard. After the first time that I got onto my board (it was for about 4 meters) I was so excited about this sport. This is where it all started.
Where is your hometown? Is it close to a kiting spot? Tell us a bit about your local kite spot.
I live in Noordwijk (in The Netherlands) and its very close to the sea. Noordwijk is a 30 minute drive from Amsterdam. My local kite spot is 5 minutes from my house, which is perfect for me. We have a big sandy beach, with no rocks, but there are a lot of shells and dog poo. In the summer we have a surf club on the beach where we can get drinks and food. But in winter, all the beach vendors have to leave the beach again. Today I just came from the beach after my first session since my recent visit to Cape Town in December. It was so cold, I needed my cap, gloves and shoes again. Normally after my kite sessions, I jump on my bike in my wetsuit and cycle home to take a warm shower.
Once you have completed your exams in May this year, what will you be doing next?
I can’t wait to finally finish school and experience the feeling of being free. Then I will have no more stupid teachers to give me homework, no more tests, nothing - just kiting and I will start to enjoy life. I’m gonna do the whole PKRA tour this year. I know that I have to train very hard to beat those girls. At the moment I’m very busy with school work and I can’t book a ticket to go anywhere for training because of my school work. It does not feel good knowing that I’m sitting at my school desk and all the other girls are training. My mom always says that I should not let it get to me, and she also always reminds me that my time will come soon too. I’ll be back in South Africa again next year. I’ve been home for only a week and I’m already looking forward to my trip back to South Africa again next year. It’s gonna be a good one without the school problems that I have to endure now.
Who are your sponsors?
Naish, O’Neill, Bloc eyewear, * Malibomba, Likeable (they made my website: www.jaloulangeree.com).
Which kite moves are you working on now?
I’m working on my flat 3 - it's where I pass the bar a couple of times around me, but I am not landing it yet. I hope that I can show you my trick next year in South Africa.
Tell us about your experience on the PKRA tour. What have been your achievements so far?
Competitions still make me nervous. But I really enjoy competing - it’s always fun being with all the people from all the different countries. We are like one big family who travel around the world. It’s really fun to go to new kite spots. One of the first PKRA stops was in Belgium and the conditions where hardcore. The guys were overpowered on there 6s. I came 2nd and was so surprised that I kicked it so far. I think the time I spent training in South Africa last year really helped me to do well in Belgium. So thanks South Africa.
Which female kiteboarder would you consider as your role model and why? (if you have one).
I don’t really have a female role model. I’m always looking at the guys on the water.
Which male kiteboarder would you consider as your role model and why? (if you have one).
Kevin is my role model. He is doing so well at the moment. He is 2nd on the world ranking of the PKRA. I’m very proud of him. He is doing very good in the waves with his surfboard, it looks so sweet.
I saw you took out a directional board once. How do you feel about kiting on a directional vs. a twin-tip?
South Africa was the first time that I tried going on the directional. It’s different but a lot of fun in the waves. I would like to practice more on my Naish surfboard so that I too can rip in the waves like Kevin is doing at the moment. I however prefer my Naish Thorn, because my style is freestyle. The Thorn is perfect for freestyle - the board has a lot of pop and the pads are soft like toilet paper. I’m always into trying new things.
Here in Cape Town, we are very big on doing down winders. Do you like doing down winders too?
Yeah I love doing down winders on my surfboard. You can just keep on going. My first down winder in South Africa was in 2004. Kevin and I were doing a down winder from Dolphin beach to Big bay, but the wind was very light. We had to pass those rocks at Big Bay and I knew that Kevin was scared as well, so he went really fast and I was shouting at him to wait for me. I got so scared that I lost my board and at that moment all I could think of were the sharks: “Don’t eat me”. But I’m still alive.
Have you done down winders anywhere else in the world? Where is your most favourite downwind spot that you have kited at before?
We do a lot of down winders here in Holland. We have a huge beach with no scary rocks and sharks.
Which is your favourite spot to kite at? Tell us about your experiences at this spot. When were you there, what does it look like, etc? Why do u like it so much?
I have a lot of favourite kite spots. I went to the Dominican Republic in 2005 for the PKRA. I arrived there a week before the competition to train. We had a nice apartment right by the kite spot. The wind was very good and picked up slowly. Everyone was getting ready for the competition. Kevin and I were one of the first on the water. Later that day all the locals where flying around us. I’m not kidding but it was so dangerous, because all those guys were starting to learn how to do their Handle Passes – unbelievable, but funny to watch. The people are really nice in the Dominican Republic, and the surrounding nature is really nice too. My second favourite kite spot is South Africa. But I don’t think I have to say more about this spot...
We often work with our friends from www.Hanglos.nl. Do you visit the site and what do you think of it?
Yes, I check Hanglos almost everyday. They have good news items and almost everyone knows the site. They also have a Hanglos in France which is pretty good for the promotion.
Tell us about your big brother. Are you close to him?
Big Kevin is my best friend... We travel together to all the PKRA stops and it's a lot of fun for us. Sometimes we have a little fight but it never takes longer than 10 min.
Thanks again Jalou for taking the time to speak to us. We look forward to seeing your new moves in the near future.