Where in the World Did RyGo???

Aaron: Thanks for joining us. We are catching up with RyGo, who is currently located in southern Florida. Where are you at right now, buddy?

RyGo: I'm in St. Petersburg right now, but I'm actually just getting the rig ready and we're gonna be heading to the Keys, probably later today.

Aaron: Awesome. Well, on this quick segment today I was wanting to catch up with you, talk about your new gig with Airush, and talk about what you and Kristen have been doing in the off-season down in Florida. Then let's talk about your new YouTube channel and any other shout-outs that you want to give along the way. So how are things going with Airush? I'm stoked to hear what you guys have been up to.

RyGo: Dude, it's killer, man. It's the best gig ever. You're on the beach every day, running demos. You get to bro down with people. So it's almost like being a professional friend. You're just on the beach every day, riding the gear, and you just get to share the stoke, right?

Aaron: Yes, amen. That is awesome. And you're so good at doing that, man. What are some of the things that you've liked as you grow into this new role? What are some things that may be challenging, and some things you look forward to growing into as you progress with this? Oh, and what is your official title? We should have started there.

RyGo: I have a couple titles, actually. I'm a Team Rider, but I'm also the Southeast Sales Rep. So that's my territory there.

Aaron: Cool. So that's a little bit of a new role. Obviously, you are super familiar with the retail side of things, but now you get it from the rep side, and I would imagine it's pretty beneficial to have experience in both of those worlds now.

RyGo: They definitely blend together, for sure. I think the biggest challenge, honestly, is going from media, which was my main gig for the last few years. It was quota-based, where you're always running and gunning and trying to film things and get the shot. It's funny, because I was going so hard with that, and then stepping into this, it feels less stressful. You're still busy and you're still running and it has its challenges, but it's less stressful in the sense that I don't need to get three videos up this week and five videos up next week. So it's a different animal, but at the same time it's also skills I'm not as practiced in, so I'm learning new things as I go and trying to get better. Running demos can be tiring as well, but they're also fun.

Aaron: Oh my gosh, right. Yes, they are tiring. It's so funny; people think, "Oh yeah, it's a demo. You've just gotta show up and bring the gear and get things set up," but it's a bit more intense than that. You've got a lot of wrangling going on and you have to make sure that you've got plenty of gear for everybody, and of course if the wind doesn't show, everybody's kind of, not bummed about it, but it's best when the conditions are awesome, you've got all the gear, and the sun's out and it's ripping. Then that's the bomb.

RyGo: One thing I have learned after years of being in kiting is, if you're going to run a demo, just wait for the good wind or there's no point in trying to do it, because nobody's hyped when you're slogging on a 17m.

Aaron: Yeah, it's hard to manufacture the stoke when conditions aren't ideal. At King of the Great Lakes here last September, everybody was still amped up, but it was cold and we had some rain. I've got to comment too... you got rid of the beard. Dude, you look like you dropped 10 or 12 years. It's pretty trippy.

RyGo: It's funny because I was thinking, "I'm gonna grow this beard and I'm gonna look like a Viking. It's gonna be badass." And then Kristen was like, "You gonna shave that beard?" and I'm like, "What are you talking about? This beard looks so good." And I looked back at some photos and I'm like, "You know, maybe she was onto something. I do kind of look like a homeless guy."

Aaron: It goes in phases though, because clearly I'm in that channel. I'll usually let it go for a little bit, and then all of a sudden, one day I'm sitting there brushing my teeth going, "Bro, what are you doing?" It's not like it's good or bad; you just have this realization that there's this whole vibe that is going on, and is that what you intended? So what gear are you most stoked about with Airush, not as the rep, but what are you personally riding? What kites, what boards, what wings, foils... all of it. What all are you into right now?

RyGo: As you know, I have very unique taste in gear. Personally, I run the Razors, but there's a time and a place for them. When I'm somewhere with good, flat water and the right conditions for freestyle, I'm gonna use the freestyle kite. That's actually one thing that drew me to Airush. They're going to make the good all-around kite that fits everybody, but they're also like, "Here's a wave kite," and that's a wave kite. "Here's a freestyle kite," and that's a freestyle kite. I've actually been using their gear since two years back when I was doing review videos. I didn't talk about it much, but I was using it in my personal quiver and really excited about it. You're gonna laugh; I'm actually finding that I'm using the Lithium a lot more than I anticipated, and one of the reasons is the conditions I'm facing. A lot of the beaches here are amazing, but sometimes there's a strong current that runs through the area. You'll have maybe 20 knots, but the current might be like 2 to 5 knots, so I'm gravitating towards the kite with grunt. So a three-strut all-around kite has its place.

Aaron: And not only a little bit more range, but the relaunch.

RyGo: With a fifth line on the Razor, that's actually never a problem. That's the kite that I would be most confident in relaunching.

Aaron: People laugh at me because I run a fifth line on my Dice, but it's for that same reason. Riding in the spring when the wind's up high with the 13 in the pool, you've got flat water, but if you drop it, you're kind of hosed. So the fifth line is amazing to flip it and go.

RyGo: I was launching in a wind shadow last year. There are these mangroves on the east side of the state at the 520 slick, and pretty much nobody can launch when you're directly in the shadow. I walk out, I drift launch my kite, flip it onto its back, I roll it up and it just launches into the sky. This guy looks over and he's like, "What did you just do? How did you do that?" I'm like, "It's just a fifth-line relaunch," and he's like, "What's a fifth-line relaunch?" He was totally blown away by that. It's kind of forgotten now; not many kites have that.

Aaron: For sure. It has completely gone by the wayside. It's not even a thought anymore, but if you do find yourself in that situation or any kind of a shadow or light wind on the water, oh man, to be able to relaunch. To piggyback on that, I'm sure that gives you so much confidence to try new tricks. I've definitely been guilty of keeping things between the lines a little bit when the wind is questionable, because I don't want to have to fight with a long relaunch or being drifted down-current, so with the fifth line, it's definitely nice.

RyGo: You don't always need it. I think wind shadows and in the spring when the wind's up high are probably the two scenarios where they're a lifesaver, but otherwise it's not really something I think about on any gear that I've used in a long time. I can't even think of a kite back when I was testing with you guys where it had a bad relaunch. Maybe 2015 was the last time.

Aaron: Yeah, that's a good point. It's all relative to what you're used to doing, but you're right- a fifth line for that light wind relaunch or wind shadow, or any areas like that where the relaunch might be challenging, it's so easy. It's the cheat code.

RyGo: The cheat code, exactly. But yeah, I've been using the Lithium a lot and, you're gonna laugh, but I've been doing a lot more winging than you would expect. I don't think we're supposed to have them, but we've had a lot of northeast winds here, and with where the wind blows, and the thermals on the city, it actually gets pretty gusty. When things are rough like that, I've decided I'm going to wing and not kite, and I've been getting out on my FreeWing Go. It's funny because I'm stacked with some N-Teams as well, which are a super sick wing, but as a more entry-level winger myself where I'm still running through the paces, my FreeWing Go has got this really big, chunky leading edge, so it's more like park-and-pull power. I crack out the bigger wings and it's got the Y handle, so for me it's nice to have. As my brains take it in and I'm learning the ropes about winging and figuring things out, I've been doing that a lot. I just got down to the 1000 high aspect Plasma foil, which I'm pretty hyped about.

Aaron: Is that a quiver wing, or is that something that you're starting to ride more frequently?

RyGo: That's my go-to. I'm about ready to get rid of a bunch of my wings and probably just keep the 1000 high aspect and a medium aspect to play around with.

Aaron: Dude, that's cool. So between kite and wing now, are you going about 50-50, or are you wing heavy?

RyGo: It's condition-based, 100 percent. If it's perfect for freestyle, I ride freestyle. If it's big air, I'll do big air. If it's gusty, I'm going to wing. Ideally, I'd like to get into the waves with the wing. That's one of the really big draws to get out.

Aaron: I'm below you by far right now in wing fluency, but that's what draws me when I watch somebody just flagging it out on a little waist-high peeler, endlessly going down the line and just kind of grooving along. That definitely speaks to me as well, man. I'm stoked you've gotten into it and have gotten this far down that road. That is super cool.

RyGo: I didn't see that one coming. It's actually really funny how resistant I was to wings until I decided that I'd better learn this, that it isn't going away. Then you start and you're having fun with it. It's the perfect complement to kiteboarding because sometimes you'll go out and you'll run hard and your body's really worked, and then you get a good wing day and you're using a new set of muscles, it feels good, and you're learning new things. I think the biggest plateau, being a kiteboarder crossing over, is you go from being good at something to being awful. At first, you're hitting your face with the wing and you're falling and you're like, "What is going on?" But then you cross that point where, all of a sudden, you start progressing quickly and then it's like, "Oh wait, being a beginner's actually really fun. I'm learning stuff really fast and this is great." What I really love about it is I have no expectations like when I go kiting. I admit sometimes I still get a little angry when I'm kiting because I have high ambitions for what I'd like to do. When I go winging, I'll be hanging out with the wingers and they'll be like, "Oh man, it's kind of rough today. Conditions are kind of gusty," and I'm like, "What are you talking about, bros? It's great!"

Aaron: Oh, that's cool. When we were working retail and wings first hit the market, I couldn't wrap my head around that, either. We'd been kite foiling for a long time, so hydrofoiling wasn't anything complex, but I gotta call myself out and throw myself under the bus because I looked at that and I was like, "Nope, no way. That is goofy and I don't want anything to do with that," and here we are just a few short seasons later and looking at it entirely differently and seeing the value. And you're right when you answered the question about what you like doing the most and said it's condition-based. There are conditions where it's fine for both, but when you talk to a lot of people, they have their wind range where they like to wing, and then they'll kite in anything below that. It seems like on the wing side, people are appreciating more wind than not. It still feels like kiteboarding, and kite foiling especially, might have the advantage in the real light wind conditions. Then I'm seeing people on the higher end of the wind range, and especially in gusty conditions, who are appreciating a wing and its ability to flag out much more effectively.

RyGo: Yeah, definitely. There's a time when I go out and land all of my kiteboarding tricks that I should be able to do, but when it's a little more difficult, those are the days I wing because I don't care if I do bad or not. I'm going to fall a bunch; that's just a part of the fun at the moment. Not that it's not fun falling kiteboarding, but I've paid my dues and I don't want to pay my dues again.

Aaron: Yes, that's a hard one, man. Our egos are fragile. And time is valuable. I feel like the first few times I would go winging as a beginner--well, I'm still a beginner, though I can ride effectively now--I would look at it like each time I go to wing, I'm sacrificing an otherwise good kite session to go flounder and be a newbie again at something, and that's hard. That is not an easy pill to swallow.

RyGo: I'll tell you what, though. If you base it on knowing that it was going to be a rough kite session regardless, there's no pressure, right? I can tell you right now that I have never skipped a good kite session to wing. That's partially why it took me so long to get to where I am, but once you cross that line, things start moving faster. I'm working on tutorials now, and it's fun to be put in that beginner role and then think about making a good tutorial from this point of view. You're not 10 years in and have forgotten what it's like to be on that level.

Aaron: To segue into that, tell us about your new YouTube channel. What's the name, where can we find it, and what kind of content are you covering?

RyGo: It's funny. I've been using "RyGo" as a name for the longest time when I was doing videos with you guys, and I brought my full name back in, so now I'm doing "Ryan RYGO Goloversic".

https://www.youtube.com/@ryanrygogoloversic8826

Aaron: We'll be sure to send people over your way.

RyGo: I'm having a lot of fun with it. It's nice because I'm only doing a video a week. I thought I was going to do two a week, but just for the sake of time and what I want to put into them, I'm finding one a bit more sustainable with touring in the RV, running demos, and trying to focus on riding a bit more and trying to progress rather than just create content. It's still tutorial-based. I'm not really doing reviews since I am kind of brand-specific now.

Aaron: You know, I bet you could still do reviews, because it's your take. You've got the brand speak, but then I feel like you have an authentic take as a person who's just a wing foil enthusiast, somebody who's just another genuine person on the beach that you can talk to. You could say, "Hey, from the brand side of things, here's what our marketing material says," but then you can also take it from the real world perspective and say, "Hey, I just went out on this wing and I experienced X, Y, and Z and I really appreciated some of these aspects about it but, quite honestly, I wish that in future versions we maybe modify a couple of things here and make some tweaks and revisions." I think there's definitely a place for that because you have an authentic voice, tons of experience, and you had a good following here on the MACkiteboarding channel. There are definitely people out there that are like, "Hey, where's RyGo? What's he doing?" I'm glad that you're continuing that, because there's definitely that base that is wondering where you are at and what you've been up to.

RyGo: I'm definitely never afraid to speak my mind on the product. That's one thing I pride myself on, is to give my honest take and say here's what's good and here's what's not so good. I'm still toying with that idea, but for now I'm having fun with my tips for learning. As products come out, I'll definitely talk about them a bit more, but I think the challenge will be having this affiliation, giving my opinion, and keeping it genuine and honest. That's one thing that I would always strive for when I was doing YouTube videos. I'd give my review and wasn't afraid to offend anybody. That hasn't gone away, but it's definitely in a different position when you do have an affiliation.

Aaron: Yep, for sure. That's a probably a tricky line to walk because on the one side, you have an allegiance to Airush, and then on the other side, you have an allegiance to a viewer base who really wants to get information that is straight and doesn't have too much of a brand overture to it. We just want the straight scoop, the unbranded real talk about any piece of gear or experience that you're having. I think that you have always been somebody who can effectively do that, so I feel like, while you do have to cover some points, you can also come from that rider's perspective.

RyGo: I think the key when you're breaking down equipment is that every piece of gear is always aimed at a discipline or a rider or a blend of disciplines or blend of riders. Honestly, anybody could look at a kite even without trying it. Look at the shape, look at what they're marketing it towards, and if you know how to read between the lines, a lot of times you can get a good idea of what the equipment's strengths might be. Actually, I just did a wing video where I was walking out and talking about what you can expect, what will be the effect from this, here's a cue for this with it being beginner-oriented, you can expect this to maybe be lacking in some high-end... little things like that. There are buckets of knowledge that you pick up through the years of reviewing gear that are easy to share. It's funny because some people in the industry are afraid to pigeonhole gear because then the mob runs with it, and then they get that idea stuck in their head. There's definitely a way to articulate things that makes sense and is honest.

Aaron: On the retail side, especially when people are looking for a particular kite or a wing to fill a specific need, as gear got better and better and more brands entered the market and we carried more of them, it was hard to really say. Somebody would ask, "Hey, what's the best kite for this condition?" and I'm like, "Well, hmm, there's so many good ones," and I quite honestly believe that, and I mean that every time I do say that to somebody. I could go back into the warehouse and get the right size kite or wing for the conditions that day and have fun. Do I have my personal preferences and specifics that I like? Yes, absolutely, but at the same time things have come so far in design that, and it's a vanilla statement to make, but I honestly feel there's a lot of good stuff. You're going to have your personal preferences in there, but that becomes challenging because people don't want to hear that; when somebody asks what's the best kite for X, Y, and Z, I usually have to rephrase and say, "Hey listen, you can ask me what my favorite is and I'll tell you that," but beyond that I will not make a statement that says, "This one is the best; this is what you need."

RyGo: Every kite has its flavor and every rider has their preferences. I think every designer has their own approach to gear as well. Testing kite after kite after kite in the last few years, a lot of things started blending together. A lot of areas, especially with certain categories, just didn't have a whole lot of talking points to cover anymore. One thing that really drew me to where I am now is, when chatting with the crew and the designers, they said something like, "We're gonna make the gear that we have to make for everybody and it's going to do well, but we're going to make the gear that we want to ride as well." That resonates so strongly with me. Right now I think we have five bars. We have our standard bars that everybody's going to be using, but then there are a couple of bars that are literally team-specific, and those handful of riders are going to want that. There's the Ultra Bar for the foilers or the Team Bar for the more advanced riders. It's cool that they're not afraid to make those products that are going to really stand out for a rider like yourself or me or anybody who's more intermediate and advanced. It's nice to see people are not afraid to make those products, in spite of the fact that it won't appeal to the masses.

Aaron: And that's hard, because it is a gamble, but then I feel like Airush is one of those brands where you guys know what you're good at and you know what you like personally. You have good product that does cater to those masses, but at the same time you have those kites that you personally are super stoked about. I'm glad that you've found a good spot to call home, and just know that we certainly do miss you up here. The stoke and the vibe that you bring is still ringing through; I can see it, and I'm stoked that you and Kristen are down south traveling around in Florida for the winter. I can't wait to catch up with you. We should rally some of the crew and head down your way over the winter sometime.

RyGo: We'll do a little bro down, get you on some gear, and do a real review, give you the real skinny on everything. We should do it when the Lift V3 comes out. I haven't had one in my hands yet, but that's supposed to be the pinnacle of gear, so I'd love to get the boys out on that.

Aaron: I have been known to bro down. I don't know if you know this.

RyGo: I've known it for a long time, buddy.

Aaron: Well dude, are there any shout-outs that you'd like to give before we wrap? You know our viewer base and they know you, so definitely use that as a platform.

RyGo: If you guys are bobbing with the content I was putting out, subscribe at my link. I'd love to get that channel going and keep talking to everybody, and I'm still receptive to requests. That's always been a big thing: what do the viewers want to see? So I'd love to get that going because I think a lot of people probably have no idea what happened to me.

Aaron: Yeah, absolutely. There was a question mark on what's happening, so we wanted to check in with RyGo here and find out what's going on, see where you guys are at. We are all about helping you to grow your channel and get that content going. There are a lot of people out there that are probably missing your smiling mug, dude. Guys, thank you for checking in with us and RyGo here in southern Florida, sending the stoke from the Sunshine State. We are always glad to hear from you, brother.

Follow Rygo on Social:

YouTube  |   Instagram

MACkite Subscription Links:

YouTube  |   Instagram  |   Spotify Oddcasts

Contact MACkite Below:

800.622.4655  |   Kiteboarder@MACkite.com  |   LIVE Chat Messenger