Athlete surfs the waves

Adam Hoey surfs the waves. Photos submitted

By Tom Victoria

Adam Hoey catches the waves and the wind. The elite athlete is a national champion windsurfer.

After years on the water, Adam still feels the rush.

"Absolutely, it is the best feeling when the conditions are good," he said. "The speed and the waves and just pushing your limits all the time."

Adam, 17, of England explained why windsurfing is his passion.

"There is always something new to learn no matter how good you are," he said. "There are so many disciplines within the sport — racing, freestyle, wave sailing, slalom, foiling — that you can move around so it keeps it fresh. I love competing, but I also love the social side as well because there's so many great people you can meet in windsurfing. Windsurfers are just so friendly and inclusive."

Adam recalled the first time he competed at the international level. 

"Because I'm on my 7th International, it's not as crazy anymore, but definitely my first was like, this is crazy," he said. "Definitely surrounded by so many people, it's crazy."

Adam competes across the continent.

"Training in the winter and then competitions during the summer," he said. "I was in Poland for the European Championships. Right now, it's competition season. I do Techno 293, which is one design class, so everyone has to compete using exactly the same equipment. Every year, you got World Championships and Europeans that are international, and they could be literally anywhere. They're mostly in Europe. My first year in 2022 was in Cyprus, in Limassol. That was the World Championships. Then year after was Torbole in Italy, Lake Garda. They're all in different places."

Adam doesn't have to travel far to train, however.

"I live by a beach, so it's quite easy for me," he said. "I live in Withernsea, which is obviously on the coast, but I often do some training in North Wales in a place called Pwlhelli, which is where some of my coaches are from, so it's a bit easier on them."

Adam has won the national championship twice for his division. 

"You got three things that breaks it up: gender, age and sail size," he said. "So obviously male, female. For ages, it's under 13s, under 15s, under 17s, then under 19s. And sail size is just the size of sail that you're using. I'm two times national champion for the 8.5 (sail), under-19 male."

Adam plans to make it three.

"My goal right now is I want to win this year's national championship," he said. "After that, I want to move to a different type of windsurfing called slalom, which is similar to techno, but it's mainstream. It's more people are involved in it pretty much. And I want to join the PWA, which is the Professional Windsurf Association."

Adam didn't expect win his first championship.

"My first proper competition was the North & Midland Regional Championships," he said. "I started really badly and the competition was strong with more experienced sailors. After the first day, I think I was in last place but I didn't want to give up. On day two, I had a couple of lucky breaks. I came away with Gold, which was a brilliant feeling, but I knew that I really had to work much harder."  

Adam explained how windsurfing slalom is similar to skiing.

"It's a downwind course between 4 or 5 marks, and you windsurf downwind just in between the marks," he said. "But unlike skiing slalom, where the marks are close together, these marks could be a kilometer apart, and you just have to sail around them as fast as you can."

Adam has faced some tense moments out in the water.

"There's been a lot of times like that," he said. "One time when I was in Tiree, which is a little island in the Scottish Hebrides, I was at this wave competition, which is unlike racing. You go out on the waves, you do tricks on the waves, you ride them, and then you get a score. It's basically just surfing. But one of the days, it was on the last day of the competition and it was 50 knots of wind, which is around 55, 60 miles an hour. And there's these massive 7, 8-foot waves, really massive. It was insane. We only just got through the competition. That was definitely one of those moments."

Adam said there's one priority if a windsurfer tips over into the waves.

"If you're in the shallow part of the beach, you gotta keep your mask out of the water,” he said. “But if you're in deeper water, you before the equipment. So just make sure you're safe and somebody else will find your kit. At the very worst, at least you're alive, at least you're surviving it."

Adam said windsurfers have to be wary of where other competitors are.

"It happens quite a lot, two people crashing," he said. "At Defi Wind, which is a slalom in France, it's the world's biggest windsurf event. There's 1,400 people all at once competing, and there were three people who crashed separately on separate occasions. And all sent to hospital. So it's quite a few people who crash."

Adam doesn't fret about being on the water during the frequently overcast conditions in the UK.

"Majority of the time, it's pretty gray or it's raining as well," he said. "Rain doesn't really matter. Rain can affect the wind, but rain itself, I don't really care about because you're already wet. So it doesn't matter."

Adam regulates his food intake.

I am not overly strict although I do watch what I eat," he said. "I try to avoid too much sugar and processed foods generally. But when I am preparing for and actually racing, I load up on carbs, slow release on race mornings, then fast release for lunch. I carry things like jelly babies and flapjacks in my boat bag for mid-race to keep up my energy and then carbs and protein for recovery. I drink lots of water and if it's hot, I make my own energy drinks from fruit juice and water with salt to keep hydrated."

Windsurfing is a family affair for Adam. 

"My granddad and dad got me into it," he said. "My granddad used to windsurf in the army. It was something he did on the side many years ago. He then taught my Dad. When I was about 9 or 10, I had a go. I went to a local center and I've just enjoyed it and been doing it ever since, really."

Adam said windsurfing is for any active people.

"Anyone can try it, but it's ideal if you know how to swim, obviously, and have some level of fitness," he said. "Maybe play another sport or something would help."

However, Adam said the sport was more difficult than he anticipated.

"When I started racing, competition was definitely a lot harder than I thought it would be," he said. "The people in it are at the top level are really good, which is a lot harder than I expected it to be."

Adam is in his last year of further education.

"It's going to be a really busy year," he said. "I am studying Business, PE and Philosophy."

Adam is also an ultra marathon runner.

"Fifty kilometers," he said. "I like setting myself a challenge and seeing if I can do it. I started running because I thought: I wonder if I could do a 5K. This is years ago. So I did a 5K and I was like, I wonder if I could do a 10K and trained for it and then did a 10K. Then it's just escalated. I love setting myself challenges. My next challenge in running is to complete a full Ironman when I turn 18. That's my next big goal."

Adam keeps the finish line in mind when running such lengthy distances.

"You just gotta keep strong mentally and tell yourself once it's done, it's gonna be so rewarding when you're done," he said. "You just gotta keep pushing through it. My times aren't the best. I think my 50K was six and a half hours. But even though I was going slow, I didn't give up. I just kept pushing through it."

Adam paces himself.

"The first kilometer or two, I run at a steady pace to not burn myself out instantly," he said. "Then I go a little bit faster until 10K. Around 10 kilometers, I find my pace. Could be six minutes a kilometer, whatever it might be. And I just try and keep that. Nutrition-wise, I eat loads of carbs before, like healthy carbs. There's little energy gels and stuff like that. So try and keep my nutrition up as well."

Adam, who boasts an impressive physique, is able to maintain a balance for competition. 

"In windsurfing, in techno windsurfing, it's a massive advantage to be light," he said. "I go to the gym every day, but I try and keep as low body fat percentage as possible. So I'm really lean all year round. That just helps with the windsurfing. And obviously the running helps keep me at a low body fat."

"You gotta just have a start, trust the process and know eventually it's gonna work out."

Adam previously was leaning toward gaining even more muscle mass when he reversed course.

"I was taking the gym more seriously than windsurfing," he said. "I really wanted to be a bodybuilder, and then as I took windsurfing more seriously, I realized I gotta cut back a little bit and lose some weight."

Adam also helps others become fitter.

"I wanted to do sort of a side hustle, just earn some extra money on the side," he said. "I'd already been posting gym fitness content. That's one of my main drivers for the followers. And I was just thinking how could I monetize this? I could do online coaching, and then people just messaged me about it and I'd guide them, give them advice, help them. Everyone can improve and always got something to improve on."

Adam has been working out for a few years.

"My gym, I was only allowed to go to when I was 14, so I've been going to the gym for three years," he said. "But I was doing workouts at home for a good year or two before that. So I'd say roughly around four years, give or take a bit. At first, it was harder than I thought. Nutrition was a big thing that was difficult, just understanding what everything was, terminology. But the thing I liked about fitness and the gym was once you understood it, it was so simple and you just do it. It's second nature once you know it."

Adam said beginners waiting to see results need to have patience.

"You gotta just have a start, trust the process and know eventually it's gonna work out," he said.

Adam cited a frequent problem for people working out. 

"I'd probably say consistency," he said. "A lot of people aren't consistent. Let's say they're going to the gym and they sign up, get a membership. They go for a month, but then they won't go for the next eight months because it's too difficult. The most important thing is you just have to be consistent. Even if it's a tiny little bit every day, as long as you're consistent, it's better than nothing."

Adam also enjoys strumming the guitar.

"I love playing guitars," he said. "I do it in the downtime to relax. It's good for your brain as well because you gotta think about it as well."

Adam stays active in his free time.

"I post about sports I do on the side, like skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing," he said. "All of that I sort of do more as a hobby than a sport, though."

Adam said those activities help with developing a competitive mindset.

"Skateboarding is quite a good one because you have to have a lot of determination because it's so hard to land a trick for a first time," he said. "It gets you used to mentally being able to not give up. And obviously something like surfing helps you with your balance and coordination, but that's more physical."

Adam is focused on windsurfing in his future.

"I want to pursue windsurfing more," he said. "As I mentioned before, I want to join the PWA World Tour, Professional Windsurf Association. I want to turn pro as well. Right now, I'm sort of semi-pro, so I'm not earning from it, but I'm attending professional events. SimmerStyle Sails supported me at the DefiWind slalom in France earlier this year and I am still working with them. But, yeah, just continue with windsurfing, see where it takes me. And see what opens up."

Adam stays motivated to train.

"One thing that definitely motivates me is the feeling of when I win," he said. "When I won the national championships for the first time, that was such a good feeling. I'm chasing it again, and I know to get that again, I have to put in the effort. But also, it's routine drilled into me because I don't windsurf every day because of college and stuff like that getting in the way. But every day, I go to the gym for an hour, and then I do an hour of cardio, which depending on the day could be rowing machine, treadmill, cardio bike, whatever. Just having that routine helps me stay not motivated but streamlined. Because I have a routine, I do it every day without thinking about it."

Adam dispensed advice to aspiring windsurfers.

"If they want to compete, be consistent, train every day," he said. "Meet new people who can help you, create connections with them, and they can help you progress. You need training coaches and all that."

Adam said being a good swimmer is a benefit.

"Obviously in racing and what I do, it's good to be a swimmer, but it isn't really necessary because it's all safe," he said. "But if you're doing more wave sailing, slalom, anything a bit more dangerous, I would definitely recommend being a really strong swimmer and being confident in being a strong swimmer."

Adam added windsurfers need to weather whatever could happen in the water.

"Being calm is really important," he said.

Adam, who windsurfed first, said surfing experience also can be a boon.

"It could help, but only in sort of theory and knowledge of the waves," he said. "Because that's something a lot of people don't realize is in both windsurfing and surfing, you've got to be able to read the waves, be able to tell is this a good wave? Is this a bad wave? Is it going to close out? Where's the peak? Just by surfing and having that experience would be a good thing. It'd be a transferable skill to windsurfing. I think it'd be a good idea."

Adam said runners shouldn't try marathons before shorter distances.

"Start small, start realistic and know it's going to be a really long journey," he said. "Could take years to reach your end goal, but just know if you don't give up, it will happen eventually. You just gotta stick at it."

Adam advised anyone wanting to get fitter do their homework first.

"Become educated on it first, because one of the big things about the gym which prevents people from starting or deters people from starting is being scared that they don't know what to do," he said. "They're going to look like an idiot in the gym or just being overwhelmed with everything. But if you have some level of knowledge and confidence before you start going to the gym or even at home by yourself, that'll really help get you started, and you won't have that fear anymore."

Adam said fitness coaches also need to do research before starting.

"Become knowledgeable about what it takes to be a coach," he said. "If you're doing it in person, get the qualification first. But start as soon as possible because you're going to make mistakes. And you might as well get those mistakes out of the way first, and then you learn faster and therefore progress faster as well."

Adam’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adam_gbr_413/