Action sports Hubs 'Roy Sassa" Exclusive Interview with 2008 Canary Island Female Regional Champion Lynn Jane Bate
 

Hey Lynn, First off, do you prefer Lynn or Jane, OR Mrs. Bate or Lynn Jane, LJ…What do your friends call you?
Just Lynn is fine, or LJ, some friends call me that.

Regular or Goofy?
Goofy.

Ok Lynn, We know this, 2008 you were Regional Champ of the Canary Islands, also ranked in the top 5 on Spain’s National tour, and you’ve been filmed for Discovery Channel at a well known Wave Park in Tenerife, so my question is, Who is Lynn 2010 as a competitor, and as a family person?
I live in small apartment by the beach with my husband and our dog. Apart from my family, surfing is my passion and I think it shows, I know almost everyone in the water here, even when I go to one of the other islands or to Spain, I see people I know from surfing, and get on well with pretty much everyone, I love the surf crowd.

What would you say is your Number 1 goal for 2010 for surfing?
My goal is to do the best that I can, I don't want to look back and think what could have been, I've always been that way, always pushed myself higher and I love it. I'm hoping to reclaim the Regional Canarian title again in 2010 but my real goal is to win the Spanish National Circuit and move on to the European tour!

I know you’ve had injuries plaguing you in 2009, how are these injuries now and do you think you are back at 100%, will they hinder your performance?
Yeah it was a really tough year for the competing and I ended up quitting my job because the pain was just too much in the end. I cut my surfing down to just 45 minutes a day compared to the previous 3 hours per day training and it showed, I put on a little weight, my surfing suffered and I was out of shape. However I didn't hold back and managed complete my first year on the national circuit. I'm still not at 100% but I'm getting there, I'm close, I'm back in shape and I'm surfing better than I ever have!

What did you do to overcome these injuries, or work through the pain? Booze? Pills? Just kidding of course.
Haha. The doctors were no help at all. I had to pay for some rather intense therapeutic massages which helped for a short while but didn't actually get to the source of the problem. So for a while I just had to push through the pain but in the end it was too much. I took to the internet and did a ton of research on muscle pain. I learned that, like a lot of people, I didn't have correct posture, adding that to the amount of hours of surfing I was doing and a 40 hour a week job plus the contest travelling and stress it all became too much for my muscles. Since then, I have learned correct posture, in and out of surfing, relax methods, stretches, Pilates etc ... finally my body has relaxed and I can breathe properly again, I can surf longer, and the pain is almost gone, I'm almost there.

That’s good to hear. What would you say is your long term goal for surfing ?
My goal is to reach as high as I can while I can, I never dreamed that I could come this far but here I am and I'm not about to stop (hehe). I really want to reach out for National Champion in Spain. If I can get a sponsor to pay my flights to Britain, I would gladly go for the British National title too. (laughing again), I want to do it all.

Is there anyone now that you idolize or look up to in the surfing world, either men or women?
And Why?
Generally I watch the guys more than the girls but today I bought a copy of Transworld surf magazine and Stephanie Gilmore was on the COVER!! That pretty much blew me away!! It's an amazing shot too!! She rocks!!

Also Lynn, YOU, are actually one of the best self promoters I know. Always working, always reaching out to friends and fans, tell me a bit about your sponsors and how you got them?
Thanks. Living in the Canary Islands makes it hard to find good sponsors. There are great waves here and good surfers but there isn't a lot of money involved. The Islands are just off the coast of Morocco so the distance from the rest of Europe makes it difficult. My friends and the local surfers here have been great! Helping me get to contests and supporting me all the way. I never had a coach or anyone to teach me how to surf but I've made some great friends along the way. As for finding sponsors, I reached out across the sea by internet, I set up profiles on various sports networks and recently I made a fan page on Facebook (Lynn Jane Bate). Through these outlets I have received a lot of offers from the United States but in most cases they didn't work out because I just live to far away. EFX (balance technology) are supporting me from the USA, Pukas surfboards from Spain, Subway food chain through a local franchise in Tenerife, Creatures grips and leashes through a local vendor and Kanoa da Praia Brazilian bikinis. Kanoa have been great, not only are their bikinis gorgeous, but they are covering my travel and accommodation fees for the 2010 contests!

That’s Great that you can have that taken care of as far as travel and fees. I always tell competitors that when they can take care of that side of the business first, then they can just focus on the surf. Are there any sponsors your currently going after specifically?
Among other things, I think what I mostly need now is a wetsuit sponsor and a clothing sponsor. I work hard to keep my sponsors happy, I train, I compete and I always promote the product wherever I go, I have even helps some to find new sales points during my contests away from home.

I believe that. Like I say I think you would be an asset for any sponsor. So Let’s talk a bit about surf spots. I know Canary Islands are abundant with breaks. I’m sure it gets quite heavy there as well, do you like bigger waves, smaller waves, what kind of wave do you think best suits your style?
Uff, I like ALL waves (haha). The perfect wave for me is a reef break, head to head and a half high, warm offshore wind from Morocco and nobody else out (haha). I do like all kinds of waves, I've even started to like sand breaks. I don't mind small waves if they are long and clean but right now I'm gagging for a big winter swell.

What is your favorite wave in the Canary Islands?
That's a tough one! So many to choose from, so many I still haven't ridden! I love La Izquerda de Las Palmeras in Las Americas, it's a local wave and it's well known for it's localism but the guys there are great and they have accepted me as one of their own! I'm so lucky, There is also a sick right hander that can work up to a nice size in the winter time, especially at low tide, I've seen it breaking triple overhead and more!! But it's not usually so big, I love it when it's at its normal winter size of head and a half to double overhead.
Then there's La Izqierda de San Juan in Lanzarote, another great left hand reef break where I took 2nd place last year but is also known for being a local spot, all the best ones are right? (with a smirk on her face)

Have you surfed other spots outside Spain and the Canary Islands?
What is your favorite break outside of those?
I wish I had but no, not yet, I haven't had chance! I only started surfing just under 5 years ago and got into the contest scene about a year later. Since then, I've just been training and competing. But I hope to start travelling next year.

I know also, you, at one point (and maybe still) was the ‘biggest wave’ in a pool, rider for females in the world, does this still hold true?
I was the girl to ride the wave at Siam Park, it's the biggest artificial wave in the world ...so far.

AND…do you have proof? (LOL)
I was shown on the discovery channel several times and was also featured in local newspapers but I myself never got to see it as I don't have the discovery channel!! I have searched and searched online but to avail, if anyone out there knows where to find it please post it on my FB fan page. Even just the other day, I went into restaurant and the woman that took my order says, "I saw you surfing in Siam Park on TV!" How come everyone has seen it but me?!! (Haha) On the Siam Park's Facebook page I am one of their profile pictures but I'm not surfing in the photo, I'm just staring at the wave.

Every time I get a good wave I never have anyone there watching, just the way it is sometimes.
Hey, I’ve also seen some footage of you doing crazy cartwheels (literally) in a half pipe with roller skates, or inline skates, are you still doing this?
I haven't been to the skate park for months (my muscle problems) but I really want to start up again. I did Inline Park skating for 8 years before I started surfing and I did artistic gymnastics before that back when I was a kid and my family still lived in the UK.

That’s probably why you have plaguing injuries by the way, it’s those crazy cartwheels.
(Haha). I have had a few nasty spills in the past

I bet…ok, Couple more things and I’ll let you go.
I know you’ve been active in the past in helping the environment and our oceans…what are some of the things you’re doing, and some of the things Canary Islands are doing to promote clean oceans, and clean environment? Is this important to you?
Actually I've not done that much, I've been involved with beach clean ups and I always try to pick up a little trash from the beach every time I leave for home, I would love to do more but there's not much of an awareness for it here. However at the 2010 international surfing day beach cleanup, some people from the town hall caught wind of what we were doing and came to interview and take photos. They have promised that the local government is get involved in some way at the next beach clean up so that's great!!

Good, I hope they do. All right…well once again, you impress me with your ‘self promo’ skills. I’m stoked we got a chance to talk, and I really hope we see you in the future of women’s surfing. Your genuinely one of the nicest and most helpful surfers I know male and female alike. Make sure you keep ripping and good luck in the 2010 season and with your long term goals!
Aww thanks, that's so nice.

Is there anyone you want to give a shout out to?
Totally! I want to thank my sponsors, Kanoa da Praia, Pukas, EFX, Subway, Creatures. And I want to thanx my hubby, my friends and all the local guys for their support!!

Sweet, great talking to you and keep ASH informed!
Thanks Lynn
I will! Thanks Roy!

Action Sports Hub is following Lynn at the following links, you can do the same:
Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/LynnJaneBate
Hookit profile: http://www.hookit.com/members/LynnBate
BOB village profile: http://bobvillage.ning.com/profile/LynnBate
MyBoardcast profile: http://www.myboardcast.com/Lynn
Action Sports Hub profile: http://www.actionsportshub.com/user?33
Soulrider profile: http://www.soulrider.com/LynnJaneBate
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LynnJaneBate