Lana Herman Interview: From Slovenia to King of the Air Podium

The Brazilian Brothers sat down with special guest Lana Herman in Hermanus, South Africa. Fresh off an amazing session on the water, they dive into her journey. Lana is an international rider representing Harlem who recently secured a podium finish on kiteboarding's biggest stage: King of the Air.

From Slovenia to Kiteboarding

Lana is originally from Slovenia. Her kiteboarding journey started when her parents divorced and her mom began dating a kite surfer and windsurfer with over 20 years of experienc, who suggested she give the sport a try. Initially, she hated it. Before she could ride upwind, she was constantly walking the beach back to her starting point and wanted nothing to do with it.

Everything changed during a trip to Lefkada, Greece. It was the first time she managed to ride upwind and return to the exact same spot, and she describes it as the best feeling of her life. From that moment on, she was hooked.

Transitioning to a Professional Career

When asked when Lana realized she could kiteboard for a living, she admitted that during her first competition about three years ago and didn't think it was possible. That first event was horrible — it was her first time riding in strong wind, having previously only kited in the lighter conditions of Brazil and Croatia.

Balancing a job and competing was tough, as she felt she was performing poorly at her job and poorly at kiting because her focus was split. Since kiteboarding was her biggest passion, she had to choose one path and decided to risk it all.

Lana officially quit her job last year to pursue kiteboarding full-time. Today, she's extremely happy with the transition and loves her life. She has gotten great support and built a strong relationship with Harlem, and everything is working out.

Overcoming a Major Injury

Unfortunately, right after quitting her job, Lana suffered a serious injury. Her leg became infected, and there was no clear timeline for recovery. Initially, she thought it would take three months, but the bone didn't heal. She gave it another month, and it still hadn't healed. It was a depressing period, but she focused on staying calm — spending time with her family, taking care of her leg, and sleeping up to ten hours a day. All her focus went into getting better and back on the water as soon as possible.

The Comeback and King of the Air

Lana's first session back after the injury was in Dahab in light wind. In her head, she pictured herself landing all her tricks, but the reality on the water didn't quite match up. To Lana, those first sessions were just "okay." When she arrived in Cape Town, she experienced a mental block, and it took about three weeks of straight jumps and straight loops to finally get her confidence back.

That regained confidence carried Lana to qualifying for King of the Air, where she made the podium. Despite the massive achievement of a huge comeback after so long off the water, Lana admits she was quite disappointed with herself. In the final, she put too much pressure on her mind and didn't execute what she wanted to do.

While Lana views the podium finish as a nice confirmation that she belongs at that level, she wants to push harder. According to Lana, she'll only feel truly satisfied when she's happy with her own performance and how she did in the competition, regardless of the podium.

Future Goals and Lords of Tram

Looking ahead to her medium and long-term goals, winning competitions is her number one priority. Trick-wise, she's focused on landing tricks with board-offs and rotations. Her goal is to have complete confidence in the air, knowing exactly where the kite is, so she can add rotations without losing control.

With the Lords of Tram competition coming up, Lana is feeling ready, in a good mindset, and hoping for the best conditions so everyone can enjoy the event.

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