Tonky on Tabou
International Team
Tabou Boards welcomes Tonky Frans to the International Team! Bonairian Freestyle Ripper extraordinaire, Tonky Frans has just inked a deal to ride exclusively Tabou boards for the 2011 season and beyond. Known for his flamboyant style, Tonky promises to deliver podium results on the PWA tour as well as showing his incredible moves to beach goers across the globe! I got a chance to sit down with the man and find out more about what makes him tickMP: Tonky, welcome on board man! It has been a long time coming, I have wanted to see you join the program for a while and I’m glad we have finally made it happen- Tell us your thoughts on the new Tabou Twister. TF: well the board is very good so far that I have tried it; for sure it is a board that I will have to get to! I like very much the 90- it has this fish tail which makes it really interesting for some new style and new moves that I can do with this board .. so far what I can say is it is very interesting sailing with this Tabou Twister. MP: It seems like the boys are really loving the twin fin set up for freestyle. How do you think this will help your performanceA lot of guys are saying it is much easier to stay upwind and ride the boards with smaller fins so they can do more spins- what’s the story there?
TF: My way of seeing freestyle, I grew up with freestyle, when freestyle started it was more spinning I agree that the double fins are good, but now we are in the level that we are not spinning any more and we are freestyling ! NO Formula! Freestyle has grown now into double moves spinning was in the beginning very important, so for me, to tell you about the board it have the best shape/ outline specially the 90 and the 100 is my favorite. MP: You have been on the scene for a while now- I can remember some heated battles with you back in the day! Being a seasoned pro what do you think it will take to be the World Champ? You have the talent, is it luck or what? TF: well I still have the talent, still feel like I can be world champion, the luck is in the heats that the 6 minute you have you need luck to do good. I see a lot of pro’s sailing very good in freesaling but during the heat they are not solid, And That is what makes most of them not make it to the top. MP: You are known as the most stylish freestylers in the world..... What sort of new moves are you working on now? TF: well I am thinking about some new moves, some new jump’s new combinations, I am working on something that I did do before I got
on tour so that will be my special move that can bring me to the top…. I have this willy skipper Idea that I wanna do something new with this move, I will keep on trying and I will let you know more about that in the future …! MP: Tell us about a typical day for Tonky- when do you get up, what do you eat and what do you do from 6am till 11pm? TF: I wake up, go to the Bakery than I will drive to the beach… sailing a bit , than I will have some lunch in the mid day some fish nuggets next door to the bar at sorobon / talk to my friends and some new move, or talk about, girls and you know what the boy ‘s do at the beach! Then I hit the water again to have a late session, try some new things and then I go home, send some email, see what is new in the windsurf world and try to find some sleep around 11:30 Pm
MP: Where do you see the sport of windsurfing going? It is pretty radical these days- how do we get more people into it? TF: Well I SEE freestyle going in the good way, as experience I
can see that as a freestyler we do really radical maneuver lately and I see the sport going in the the X Games and that is what I wanna do in freestyle so any thing sick that, you can think of I wanna do this, to see this sport grow. MP: Besides Bonaire, where is your favorite place to sail? TF: My Favorite place to sail is Feurteventura- it is where I like the most after that I will say Pozo MP: Who is in your regular day to day crew? TF: well in the End is me my self and I, but I hang out more day to day with Jason a cousin off mine. MP: How about a favorite quote or words that you live by? TF: Iive the life at the fullest MP: Heroes? TF:me my self, Matt , Fransico Goya , Josh stone, MP: Ha Ha....... Classic. Thanks for the props and for your time Tonks- Good luck for 2011, we will all be watching for some new Style from you!! Keep ripping and welcome to Tabou! TF: Thx Matt and I am happy to be on Tabou! Cant wait to hit the tour again...
WORLDCHAMPION TONKY FRANS
Photography: Gilles Cavet, Peter Garzke, Tim Hendrics // Design: FoxinA
GTIL
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