IFCA JYM European and Women's World Slalom, Hyeres

Entries are now starting to come in and we already have confirmation that rivals 18 year old Jordy Vonk from the Netherlands and Jocelyn de Souza from France, who will be 19 by the time of the event, will be attending.[more]

Jordy snatched the first youth title from Jocelyn at the recent World Slalom Championships in Texel; but this was after Jocelyn had beaten Jordy into third place at the Curacao Youth Worlds earlier in the year. Which one will come out on top at Almanarre?

Jordy has been windsurfing since he was 12 and specialises in formula and slalom with many Dutch titles under his belt. He is doing sports studies at the Johan Cruyff University. During a busy summer vacation Jordy spent a week full of surfing, parties and chilling with guys from the IFCA Worlds Freestyle at the Brouwersdam. He also did some slalom training there with his friends and you can catch the action on YouTube.

He will be training the week before the Formula Youth Worlds in Skive Denmark, aiming for a podium finish. Then he returns home to get his stuff ready for the European Slalom Championships in Hyeres just days later.

He says Hyeres is a “cool spot”. Jordy was there for the Junior Youth and Masters Slalom Worlds last year but had a mixed bag of results, starting off with a win in the first round but unable to maintain the form. Hyeres Windsurfing managed a great event, despite the quite challenging conditions, so we can expect yet another brilliant championship event next month.

This time Jordy expects to go back home with a “nice prize”!

Jocelyn has been windsurfing longer than Jordy – since he was 5 – and competes in Formula, Slalom and Wave. He trains at La Rochelle – Chatelaillon beach, his home base where he lives with his parents and sister Alizee – who will also be competing at Hyeres.

He has travelled the world in the family camper visiting mythical Essaouira, Moulay, Tarifa, Canos de Meca, Guincho, Sagres, Rhodes, Naxos, Paros, Gruissan, Leucate . . .

Unfortunately for the JYM Slalom Worlds in Curacao in April, the wind conditions were far from great, unusual for the time of year. Still, the race directors and competitors managed to sail one elimination round so official World Champions could be crowned on the final day. Jocelyn came second, ahead of Jordy in third.

He says of his performance in Texel in June: “Overall not bad. I made too many ‘avoidable’ mistakes – but that’s how we progress . .”

He too, no doubt, will be hoping to take home a “nice prize” from Hyeres!