Evan Netsch

NATIONALITY	USA
KITING SINCE	2000 or maybe 2001... a long time now.
HOME SPOT	Cape Hatteras, NC
MASTER DISCIPLINE	Strapless/little bit of everything
CABRINHA SET UP	Mostly the Drifters and I always keep a couple Switchblades in the quiver for everything outside of the waves. 142 CBL, 138 XCaliber, 5'3" Xbreed, 5'7" Squad.

What is your favorite trick? 

Whatever new trick I'm working on at the moment, it always feels amazing to stick something you have never done before!

How did you get into kiteboarding?

I grew up in a windsurfing family and started sailing when I was about 4 years old, I was competing a lot by the time I was  8 years old so I was quickly exposed to the kiteboarding seen while at different windsurfing and now kiting spots up and down the coast.  It was right at this time the first people were starting to kite, and mostly right in Hatteras at our local sailing spot.  Back then no one really knew what they were doing and after seeing so many people get taken away in an ambulance my parents were not too eager for me to learn.  But after a couple years of pushing them and running around with friends and a trainer kite jumping off every hill or little rooftop we could find I finally got my first real kite, sold all my windsurfing gear, and never looked back.

What motivated you to become a professional athlete?

It was never in the plans really, I have always loved kiting and just being in the water in general.  All though high school and university I would ride and compete as much as I could, but just for the fun of it really.  In college I had more of an equal balance between kiting and my classes than most people may have wanted to have, letting riding dictate my schedule perhaps more than my work, I still enjoyed school (and graduated) but I never let it take over. During my senior year I was given a great opportunity with Cabrinha and things have taken off from there!

What is #LiveFreeRideFree for you?

Kiteboarding is so versatile it's a shame not to make use of every aspect of it, from boosting, to foiling, waves, freestyle or sliders just do what feels right to you, do it for fun, do something different, do it for you.

Your motto?

If you are always waiting for the perfect day you may never find it. Ride to whatever the conditions dictate, make the conditions perfect for you.  If there are waves go surf, if there is waves and wind go kitesurfing, if it's nuking go boosting, or if it is perfect 11m wind and flat water go do freestyle.  I enjoy it all so I just do whatever looks best for the conditions in a given day.  Likely a result of growing up in Cape Hatteras with a mix of all conditions, but it keeps every session unique and every day exciting almost regardless of what the wind are waves are like.

EVAN ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Instagram - @evannetsch