Tommie Kogut, Josh Mulcoy, Trip Forman, Ben Wilson, Matt Nuzzo and Bruce Exton
Cape Hatteras, North Carolina (April 25, 2011) – Ben Wilson Surf is partnering with REAL Watersports for the North America region. BWS has always envisioned working with a selected retailer in North America for both sales and as a service center to all BWS products. Now the customer has the choice of visiting REAL to demo and see the products, plus enjoy the after-sales support they provide.
Ben Wilson said:
“Choosing the right retail center to work with in North America was really easy. REAL is the leader on all levels of service to kitesurfers in North America and beyond, their operation is unbelievable, and I mean that literally. You really need to see it to believe it. I would recommend anyone wanting to learn how to kitesurf or advance their riding, to go to REAL. It’s on a different level to anything else out there. But most importantly, REAL absolutely shares our vision of bridging the gap between surfing and kiting, and i believe the partnership will make this a reality sooner than we think. I’ve known Matt and Trip for over ten years now and they have done so much for kiteboarding and I’m stoked to have the opportunity to work with them on this level.”
Trip Forman said:
“REAL is stoked to partner with the BWS brand to service the North American market. Ben Wilson and his team have a focused vision of what they are looking to achieve, and that’s to show the surfing world what kitesurfing is all about. By simply adding one kite to a surfer’s already existing board quiver, they can learn a new sport and maximize conditions that they normally would have ignored. When Ben, Josh Mulcoy and Matt Keenan visited Cape Hatteras, they each had one board they both surfed and kitesurfed. The first day the wind was light and they surfed all day. The next two, they kitesurfed all day in windy conditions on the same exact boards. On the fourth day, the wind laid down and they paddled back out again to surf some more waves, again on the same board. What the BWS team was promoting was their lifestyle and how easy it was, with just a kite and a surfboard, to always be in the water and having fun. It wasn’t about how technologically advanced their gear was (and it is), it’s just about pushing themselves in both kitesurfing and surfing. REAL sees tens of thousands of surfers every year, either in Cape Hatteras or during our travels. This is the BWS target market. BWS team riders like pro surfers Josh Mulcoy and Matt Keenan show you the potential of kitesurfing when picked up by hardcore surfers. Surfers have adopted the jetski as a means of riding waves that are too big to paddle into. Now they are recognizing the kite as a means to ride waves when it’s too windy to surf. We’re looking forward to seeing what’s possible. Kitesurfing has changed so much, even in the last year. BWS and REAL have a solid future together.”