# About Jo

### Jo has been kitesurfing since 2001 when kitesurfing really took off in the UK. She came from a background of gymnastics and trampolining so although it took Jo a while to pick up the wind side of the sport it wasn’t too long before she was learning tricks amongst the top kitesurfers in the world.

In 2003 Jo picked up her first sponsorship deal with Cabrinha and but it wasn’t until 2006 when Naish and Protest Boardwear took Jo on to their international team giving her a high level of sponsorship to take on kitesurfing as her full time career. In Jo’s first 3 years as a professional kitesurfer she became 2 x British Champion and ranked number 4 on the PKRA World Tour. Jo continued to compete on the World Tour until 2008 and continued to ride for Naish until the end of 2012 generating media for magazines, television and the internet. To date Jo has recently been taken on as part of the ***** Kiteboarding Team and will compete in the PKRA World Tour this coming May for freestyle and enter the British Wave Championships later this Autumn. Jo was one of 3 girls to work as a Trawler Fisherman in the Southern Ocean as part of a Channel 4 documentary called Dangerous Jobs for Girls.

At the age of 29 Jo established Windward Bound Ltd trading as Jo Wilson Coaching. The lack of coaching opportunities was noticeable and Jo found that she struggled from not having her own coach. Through having a passion to help people in sport in particular kitesurfing Jo decided to take the plunge and set up a kitesurfing coaching business herself.

“I have always had an interest in coaching. The lack of it is noticeable and the need for it is critical. Between training and competition I didnt have the time to run specific courses, but I enjoyed to help people out of that dreaded plateau and back on the path of learning.”

Jo has coached many people from competition riders to military kitesurfing teams and runs kitesurfing coaching holidays for everyday kitesurfers who are looking to improve. Now Jo is working hard to develop a long term youth training program and create a youth team to give younger riders the opportunity to progress both for fun or for a future within the kitesurfing industry.

> “My motto is to keep things fun, energetic but effective because you ride the best when you are enjoying yourself.”

— jo wilson