Being John Hibbard...

Here you will find information about me, what I do as a Professional windsurfer and some info on my results.

By trade I am a windsurfer! My childhood quest was to find a way to windsurf as much as possible and turning professional seemed like a great way of doing that.

Life is pretty varied for me and I spend time doing all sorts of different things from competitions, photoshoots, through to product testing for my various sponsors. I compete on the PWA World Tour (www.pwaworldtour.com) and UKWA Tour (www.ukwindsurfing.com) in the Wave and I promote both, my sponsors, and the sport through all areas of the media.

I have a portfolio of sponsors who provide support to allow me to compete and who I work for, gaining publicity in as many different areas of the media. I am one of the most published windsurfers in the UK and write regular reports and travel tales for the UK’s Number 1 Windsurfing Magazine, BOARDS. I also achieve regular press coverage in national papers and on television giving my sponsors some great unrivalled media coverage.

Windsurfing is my main aim but the media and promotions side of my work is also a major part of my life, and something that I enjoy doing. I am also the current holder of the Britain’s Most Extreme title, but that’s another story – check out the bottom of this page for more info.

Over the last year or so I have been getting in to Stand Up Paddle Surfing. I've always surfed and sup provided me with a new challenge. I ran the first ever UK Stand Up Paddle Surfing Championships in September 2007 - The September Sessions. It was a big success and did a lot to launch the sport of sup. I like it because it doesn't conflict with windsurfing. If it's windy and wavey I go windsurfing, if there is no wind and some waves I ride my 9' sup board and if there is no wind and no waves I ride my 12'6" sup board and go for a distance paddle. The fitness elements of the sport are amazing. I'm so much fitter since I've been doing sup. I think sup on flat water could be a pretty big sport. It has a cooler image than kayaking and standing up and paddling really engages the brain and is a really rythmic thing to do. Gliding over flat water on glassy smooth water (sea, river, canal) is a really cool feeling . Check out www.standuppaddlesurf.co.uk

Date of Birth: March 11th 1977
Nationality: British
Height: 6ft

Results:

1st Britain's Most Extreme Champion
1st White Air Champion 2005
2nd UK Indoor Jump Championships 2004
2nd UK Sailor PWA Indoor Jump Championships 2006
4th Tiree Wave Classic 2004
6th Red Bull Soul Wave
9th European Wave Championships
2007 BRITISH WAVE SAILING CHAMPION
Sponsors:
Tushingham Sails, Starboard, Fat Face, Neilson Active Holidays, ActionVan, Nissan GB.

Staged over 4 days on the Isle of Wight, the BME event saw competition in 9 separate extreme sports events:
Wavesailing, Wakeboarding, kayaking (sprint race), Street Luge, Thundercat Powerboat Racing, Downhill Mountain Biking, Downhill Mountain Boarding, Kite Surfing and a special Short Course Triathlon (bike, Kayak, cross country run). Competitors were drawn from major extreme sports and included 6 times Indoor Windsurfing World Champ - Nik Baker, Multiple World Kite Surfing Champion - Mark Shinn, UK Wavesailing and Kitesurfing Champion - Danny Seales. All round watersports specialist- Neal Gent and many more extreme sports specialists.

I gained entry to the event as a wildcard and won the windsurfing and mountain biking outright and placed inside the top 3 in all other disciplines.Totally knackering but good fun and I'm ready to do it all over again...................................