Windsurfer of the Year - 2018
Winner - Jenna Gibson (Slalom)
Jenna has come up through the ranks honing her skills with RYA T15 then moved into UKWA Slalom racing. Starting in the Amateur fleet she is now taking some big scalps in the pro fleet. She has had amazing year internationally to rightfully earn her nomination in this category. Winning the IFCA Slalom Windsurfing World Championships at only 21 years old and coming 6th in the PWA women’s slalom fleet on her first full season. She deserves your vote.
The UKWA is pleased to announce that Jenna Gibson has been voted Windsurfer of the year 2018/19.
This has topped off a fantastic year for Fanatic, Duotone rider Jenna, who won the IFCA Slalom Windsurfing World Championships at only 21 years old and came 6th in the PWA women’s slalom fleet on her first full season and was fastest lady at Weymouth speed week, which meant she won the UKWA speed title as well.
She has come up through the ranks as a teenager honing her skills with RYA T15 then moved into UKWA Slalom racing. Starting in the Amateur fleet and quickly moved into in the pro fleet where she regularly makes it into the top 10. This success is despite battling serious illness, which made it hard to train in the early years.
Bob Ingram UKWA chairman said
It is fantastic to see Jenna take this well deserved accolade she has really worked hard over recent years and changed her whole lifestyle to be able to train and compete at the highest level and its paid off.
Jenna is now out in Tenerife training for the winter in preparation for this years PWA competition we wish her even more success for 2019 and hope this well deserved trophy is a springboard for even greater things to come.
Other contenders in 2018
Nic Hibdige (Freestyle)
Ranked 17th overall in the PWA Freestyle rankings for 2018. Nick got off to a bad start but pulled it back it Sylt with a very creditable 9th making him the UK’s highest ranked Freestyler on the tour. This 21-year-old team rider for GA sails and Tabou Boards is improving all the time and deserves his nomination again this year. He is for sure one of our best up and coming freestylers and undoubtedly deserves your vote.
Finn Hawkins (Racing)
At Only 15 years old, Finn Hawkins is a real star in the making. He helped set Team GB on their way to a highly successful 12 days of competition at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games by winning the country’s first individual medal in Argentina. He came 3rd overall in the Techno Worlds Latvia and 5th overall in the Techno Europeans in Athens. Did mention he is only 15! This is a well-deserved nomination for the racing category and with these results has earned your vote.
Adam Lewis (Wave)
Deservedly nominated for the 2nd year in a row, Adam is one of our most successful wave sailors and one of the nicest windsurfers you will ever meet and always has a smile on his face. But don’t let this appearance fool you if you ever come up against him in a heat! He is an International team rider for Fanatic, North. He has been nominated in wave again on performance, after another fantastic year. On the podium in the PWA event in Tenerife and a very respectable 6th overall for the year in the PWA rankings, Adam deserves your vote.
Jim Crossley (Speed)
Also nominated for the 2nd year in a row. Jim came 9th in the ISWC speed world championships this year in Fuerteventura against a very tough line up, won the UKWA GPS speed challenge with an amazing speed of 47.77 knots over 250m. Jim is not a full time sailor; he juggles his time with his kitchen business and his young family snatching time to sail when he can. He is headed off to Luderitz in Namibia again this year as this is being typed. So Jim’s full year’s performance is yet to be written. We wish him luck and a speed starting with a 5, in the mean time he deserves your vote for 2018.