Ironman Athlete Learns to Wing Foil | Here's What He'd Do Differently

MACkite has a new addition to the crew and the winging team, but Skip is no stranger to wind sports or even the shop. Follow along as Jeff and Ryan ask Skip about his journey on the water and how it led to winging. What challenges did he face, and did his prior experience help?

Skipping Across the Water

Skip is far from a new face around MACkite. As a windsurfer, he thought this new kiteboarding thing looked interesting and asked his local kite shop if they'd be bringing any kiteboarding gear in. This was 1999, back in the two-line days of kiteboarding kites, and it was considered an extreme sport. However, MACkite's owner, Steve, already loved zipping down the beach in a low 3-wheeled buggy powered by a foil power kite, so he was easily convinced and a Wipika soon arrived, and the rest was history. Skip became one of the area's original kiteboarders and a true ambassador for the sport.

Ironman to Winger

Around 2006, Skip left watersports to spend more time with his family and dedicate what free time he had to triathlons, which he and his wife both enjoyed training for. They'd take turns competing in long races each year so that someone was always home for the kids. He challenged himself to get to the top of the sport and did indeed qualify for the World Championships in Utah, where he raced with some of the best athletes in the world.

Having met that goal, Skip began to look for the next challenge and found it in the quickly growing sport of wing foiling. He borrowed a wing from the shop one winter, strapped on his skis, and had a blast on frozen Lake Macatawa a few minutes south of the shop. No harness, just hanging on and ripping around in 20 knots. He'd been bitten by the winging bug and knew he had to get out when the lake thawed.

Skip was still training to run the Boston Marathon, so he was fit. He had years of experience windsurfing and kiteboarding. He was geeking out on all the options for the wings and the foils. Flying above the water sounded amazing, and he was ready to hop on and give it a go. He figured he'd be lifting off in a session or two.

He got humbled.

Thankfully, he had friends to get him on the right gear, and he spent a couple weeks on a stand up paddleboard with a SUPwinder stick-on keel to get a feel for handling the wing. Then he moved to the foil behind a boat. Learning each component brought more success, though he tried to size down his foil a little too soon. After that, he reminded himself to enjoy the journey and relax, and once he stopped rushing for the goal, progression came naturally and he had a lot more fun.

Ryan was able to relate to that. He had plenty of hydrofoil experience and had been foiling behind boats and kites since production foils hit the market. Like Skip, he knew how the wind worked and figured winging would be a breeze. He got humbled too. It was frustrating and not fun. He realized he needed to lower his expectations for himself and celebrate each success as it came.

Path to Progression

One thing that helped Skip was his natural attraction to a challenge. He had no prior foiling experience. He didn't know where to put his feet or where to center his weight. He didn't even know the steps to progress. That all added to the challenge and, somewhat counterintuitively, made it more fun. Today he's a competent rider and has a blast. Jeff loves the positive vibe he brings to the water as he hoots and hollers with excitement and joy. They say "attitude is everything", and that's so true when you're learning something new.

Skip feels that the biggest barrier to progression is your ego. Check it at the water's edge and enjoy each step you take. Don't rush it.

Winging looks a lot like windsurfing without the mast, but even as an experienced windsurfer Skip needed to develop a new muscle memory. He started on skis and then a SUP. He went out every chance he got, even in the winter with a nice, thick wetty. When he was ready to progress to the foil, he found that a big front wing and a big board worked best to get a feel for it without getting bucked off every couple minutes. An Ironman loves swimming, but not when he's trying to learn to foil.

And when you get up on foil your first time, your smile is going to go from ear to ear. There's no feeling like it. Then you realize you need to turn around, and you're back in the water. But that's okay. You've flown, and now you're hooked and you're ready to tackle the next phase.

One thing that helps a lot and can easily get overlooked is that winging has a great community. Riders are generally encouraging to one another and willing to help you along the way. People will even stop on the water and share tips with you. There are a ton of resources on YouTube as well, which wasn't around yet back when Skip was learning to windsurf and kiteboard. (But we would never call him old!)

Learning to jibe and tack is a big step. Skip's been working on that for about two years now and still doesn't feel like he's proficient, though Jeff rides with him a lot and has noticed that he's out of the water more than he's in it now. It may feel like your progression has stalled, but there are a lot of nuances to jibing, and the conditions change how you need to approach it. You're learning every time you get out, so the best thing to do is to just get out there as much as you can. You can't define your progression by how many seasons you have into it; it's all about sessions. If you can only get out on some weekends, don't compare your progression to someone whose schedule lets them ride every other day. You'll only feel frustrated and you won't celebrate your personal victories.

Skip has been getting sessions once or twice a week in the past year and a half. He lives by Lake Macatawa, a large inland lake near Lake Michigan, but he will also drive an hour north to Muskegon since it gets good thermals. There he can choose to ride flat, protected water between the breakwalls or on Muskegon Lake, another large inland lake. Spring and fall usually have the best winds, and he makes sure to take advantage of that even though the water can be chilly. A good wetsuit is worth its weight in gold.

In between sessions, Skip checks for videos on his current challenge. Foot switching, jibes and tacks... whatever you're trying to progress. You'll pick up some good tips and spot where you might be making mistakes.

Having people to ride with is great to keep you motivated and have more fun. Get on a chat with other riders in your area so you know when and where to be. You'll have people to keep an eye on you and to encourage you. They'll have a different perspective of your riding and can spot areas you can improve that you won't be able to see.

Some of the best advice Skip ever got was a bit strange, but it made a big difference: Wing foiling is a salsa, not a waltz. Use small foot movements as you turn. It was a light bulb moment to realize that you're not trying to move the foil as much as possible, but rather in small increments. Skip stopped getting kicked off the board as often once he made that change. So be sure you don't dismiss what others say, no matter how silly it sounds.

Gearing Up

When choosing gear, you'll need to check your ego again. Get a big enough board and foil that you don't have to worry about speed yet. You're not going to look or feel any cooler struggling on the wrong gear for your skill and conditions. Your goal is to get good, steady runs at this point. A good board volume to learn on is your weight in Kg plus 20 or 30 liters. And you can hang on to it since it'll make a good light wind board even after you progress.

If you've got a spot with steady 20 knot winds and flat water, those are ideal conditions for learning. Muskegon has two breakwalls that create a large, flat area with no shore break or waves. Waves are a lot of fun, but first you need to master your gear. Don't race to get on smaller gear. A bigger board will give you the buoyancy you need as you get up to speed, and a large front foil wing will give you easy lift. You won't go fast, but that's a good thing while you're learning. Remember that your goal isn't to get on small gear; it's to progress.

So what does Skip's gear progression look like? From the SUP, he went to a 110 liter foilboard. At 160 lbs, that floated him quite comfortably, but in hindsight he'd have gone a little bigger than that and then used it as a beginner board for his friends and family to learn on.

After two sessions, Skip decided to make the leap to a sinker board and headed in to the shop to add one to his quiver. Fortunately, the guys were able to rein him in a bit and talked him into getting a smaller front foil wing instead. This gave him a higher wind range without slowing his progression the way too small a board would. (He wasn't even making his turns yet!) His first front wing was an 1800cm2 and he stepped down to a 1230. That one change was perfect for his progression.

After that, Skip got an 830 front wing for high wind days, and today he's progressed to where that's his main wing. It's noticeably faster than the 1230 and he loves the speed and how nimble it is in turns. But when he first got it, he felt unstable on it. It took a long time to get on foil. It really is all about progression and taking the right steps in the right order.

Skip did get his smaller board. Two of them, in fact. He got a standard 80L board and a 70L midi board. The 70L was surprisingly effective in light wind due to its mid-length shape, but it handled gusts with grace. This made it an ideal board for inland lakes like Macatawa, especially in the summer when winds tend to be lighter in West Michigan. Skip's biggest wing is a 6m, and that's been enough with the midi board.

Skip's personality has mostly been a boon to his progression. He's meticulous, focused, and has a great attitude. He's able to figure out what the steps are and (usually) follows them. When the guys push him, he's up for the challenge and isn't afraid to tackle it, but he's also willing to listen to them when he might be skipping an important step. It's worked well, and he's already a skilled rider just three years in, having never been on a foil before.

What Do You Wish You Knew Then That You Know Now?

Ryan wished he knew that you do need a good amount of wind to learn to wing. He was already kite foiling, and its draw was just how light of wind you could get out in. Sub-10 knot days were possible. Not so with winging unless you were very experienced and had light wind gear. When you're learning to wing, 15-25 knots is ideal. There's enough wind to get you powered up, but not so much that the water gets too rough.

Skip's tip was safety. With this being a lower-speed sport while you're learning, it doesn't seem like you need a helmet or vest. Once again, he suggests checking your ego at the door and gearing up. You'll be falling a lot, and that foil is sharp and unforgiving if you land on it. Remember the foil under your feet as you're kicking to get back on your board. Even now, Skip wears his safety gear every time because it just takes one wrong fall to sideline you.

Jeff had a couple tips that had been touched on but he wanted to emphasize. One was simply to chill out. This isn't a sport you can muscle your way into. Enjoy the process, celebrate your progress, and go with the flow. There's nothing wrong with being a beginner.

The other was to wear foot protection. Skip cautioned against kicking the foil, but Jeff's issue was topside. He found that he was up and down on his knees so much while he was learning that the tops of his feet got chewed up by the board pad. Even his knees got sore. It may look a bit kooky, but a lot of guys will bring knee pads if they're not in wetsuits. The more comfortable you are, the easier it is to take your time and progress.

Build Your Community

Don't underestimate the value of having a community to ride with. From the pre-session stoke as the group chat watches the wind forecast, to the on-the-water jeers and cheers, you'll progress so much faster if you ride with others. So many individual sports are all about the individual, but the winging crowd really does watch out for each other and pushes each other to do better. Even the taunts are really done with love and a desire to see each person get the most they can out of the sport.

Skipping Ahead

So what's next for Skip's progression? One of the reasons winging caught his eye was the waves. They transform your playground from a flat surface to a three-dimensional one. He loved watching guys wing into the surf and then let the wing drift behind them as they drew power from the waves rather than the wind. They made it look effortless, and Skip would like to join them.

Currently, he's able to jibe and ride toeside on both sides and is working on his tacks. He dedicated 20 minutes of a recent session to foot switches. Sure, he fell in a lot, but if you don't fall, then you're not pushing yourself. Then he allowed himself to enjoy the rest of the session and relax. Even as you push yourself to progress, it's important to give yourself time to enjoy the skills you've already gained and have fun, because that's ultimately what this is about.

Skip has realized that jibing and tacking are prerequisites to foil surfing. When you're riding the waves, you have a tendency to go downwind. He watched the local wingers and saw that they make a sort of triangle as they make their run and then go back upwind, and the better you are at your jibes, tacks and foot switches, the more efficiently you'll get back upwind and be ready to play in that 3-D circus again.

Unlike kiting, you can ride close to your friends and share the experience. You can even share waves, or "party waves". There's nothing quite like it.

Skip's still got some progression ahead of him, but he's also come a long way and is already reaping the benefits of his work. He's glad to be back out, enjoying the wind and water with the crew.

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