Ina, Pauro going for local top spot

The locals’ division of the Manureva kitesurfing competition seems to have boiled down to two competitors – last year’s local division winner Pauro Arnold and local kitesurf instructor Troy ‘Ina’ Nooroa.

Judges have yet to announce this year’s winners, but Arnold and Nooroa were the last two locals standing after the morning’s freestyle heats.

Nooroa says he’s got ”butterflies“ thinking about the result, but felt surprisingly calm and collected on the water.

His strategy was to ”just relax“ and ride like it was any other day out on the lagoon.

”Just think it’s any other day and enjoy the weather and the water,“ he said after his freestyle heat. ”It puts you off if you feel like you’re under pressure.“

This year’s rules were different from last year’s in that they were up to KTA standards, and accordingly the judging was much more technical.

Nooroa said that made it more difficult mentally, as there was ”so much to think about“ going into a move.

Still, he says he gave an F16 – an unhooked back roll – his best shot and felt good about it.

And whatever the result, Nooroa says this year was a valuable learning experience, as ”the best way to get better is to (compete with) riders who are better than you“.

”More competitors this year – more people to learn from,“ he said.

Arnold says he’s not allowing himself to mentally pre-empt the release of race results – he’s just hanging tight until Friday night.

He says he was strategic about his heat, having written down a list of go-to tricks that he more or less stuck to in competition. He said the key to clinching these contests is a big trick base, and hopes he impressed the judges to be able to retain his local title.

Arnold is thankful to Air Rarotonga for sponsoring him and to Ewan Smith and Sarah Moreland for their support this year.