You can’t get much more American than Chris Bobryk, the self styled Sledgehammer is the subject of our Ten Questions this issue!

The American Sledgehammer has carved a unique path for himself through the kitesurfing industry. With new sponsor RRD on board, we figured it was high time to sit down and chat to Chris Bobryk!

Where did you grow up, when did you learn to kiteboard, and what sparked your interest in the sport?

I grew up in Muskegon Michigan. Riding a board with a kite is a ridiculously absurd thing you would see in a cartoon. Of course, that’s what I wanted to do! What is more mind blowing than that? When I was in the 9th grade, I got a kite off eBay and made my own board in wood class that I used for a few years until my local shop, Mackite, started to help me out with gear. They eventually gave me a job and took me on my first trip. I have been working my way up in the kiteboarding industry ever since.

In many ways you’ve carved your own path through the kiteboarding world - what motivates you, who inspires you, and how do you stay ahead of the game?

Well, I started out by doing a few contests and some stops on the World Tour, but after two seasons of doing that to get my name out there, I realised that staying in the competition zone was the opposite of what kiteboarding is to me. What motivates me the most is always finding new ways to get that feeling of flow and focus that I got when I first rode a board.

As for “staying ahead of the game” I just do me, and no one else is doing that. Someone who inspires me is my local hero from my home spot in Michigan, Marc Hoeksema. He was the first guy with a kite at our local spot, and he’s the guy who is out there no matter the conditions with the most stoked face on the water. No matter how icy it is on the lake or what responsibilities we have to blow off we always get out there for a session together!

Congratulations on your new deal with RRD; what kit are you riding, and how are you liking it?

I’m riding the Juice twintip, Obsession and Obsession Pro kite, Thrive harness and Celsius Pro wetsuit. I have been extremely impressed with the gear and working with the everyone at RRD is incredibly fun. They are a big family of people that want to develop the best gear with no gimmicks, just the best possible products. I am so excited to be working with this motivated family of completely obsessed kite fiends!

Can you tell us about your nicknames and where they came from?

Haha yeah, I’ve had a few… RickyBobby is basically my last name “Bobryk” backwards, and everyone seems to think I’m a real “American”, and no one is more American than RickyBobby. I also Go Fast… American Sledge Hammer, well guess I kinda tend to break everything and my riding style, and body type seems to fit the description. There are a few more but next question, please…

How important is it, for you personally and for the sport as a whole, to maintain a balance between style and technicality?

Does there have to be a difference between style and tech? If it feels right, do it!

Where is your favourite place in the world to ride, and why?

Where ever I am next. I just wanna see everything in the world. I can’t beat a session with friends in a new place. For my favourite place to continue to come back to I’d say the Nitro City Panama pool during one of their parties because with that setup I’m only limited to my imagination!

What do you do outside of kiting to stay in shape, and how valuable has cross training been for your riding?

I like anything that goes fast! For me, I can’t sit still, and I love progressing at anything, from increasing my max amount of pull-ups to skating a parking lot. If at the end I feel that I've pushed myself to the limit, I’m satisfied with it.

As a relatively young sport, kiteboarding still has a lot of growing up to do; in which direction would you like to see the sport grow and evolve?

You know when you see a video on your Facebook feed, and someone has firecrackers in their nose? You know you will press play. People want to see you risk your biscuits, so I think these big stunts will get kiting out to more people. I don't really care so much; I just want to keep doing what feels right at any given moment.

You’ve been dedicated to releasing unique videos on a regular basis, what have you learned about how to make kite videos that stand out?

I have been obsessively watching extreme sports videos since dial-up Internet and VCR tapes. I always want to make the kind of videos that I want to watch, so that’s what I think about when I’m producing a video. It makes it easy.

Do you have any exciting trips or projects coming up that you can tell us about, and what are your goals for 2017?

I just got back from a few fun trips from Mexico and Colombia. I will be doing some stops of the Kite Park League and taking trips as the come up, just out here cruising.

Cheers Chris, thanks for taking the time to talk to us!

Videos

Todo H2O ( Watersports Movie )
By Lindsay McClure
Lindsay is a pro rider from Hood River in the USA, she works for IKSURFMAG as our Features Editor and is an integral part of the team. Lindsay is really into wakestyle riding and can be found in the Hood River Slider Park during the summer months, she also travels all over the world with the World Class Academy helping younger riders develop through kiteboarding!

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