Windsurfing was introduced to me when I was 8 or 9 years old when my mother read an advertisement in TIME magazine about a new sport that relies on wind power only. At the time, we had a motorboat for waterskiing, but my mom was frustrated with the boat never working properly, and that she needed to have at least three people with her for waterskiing. Our family lived in Wisconsin, where there are plenty of lakes, and my mom loved water sports. My dad had four letter adjectives for the boat, so after reading this advertisment, our family sold the boat and my mom used to proceeds to by a HiFly 6.5 sail with a 12 foot board. At every opportunity, she was taking me to the Eau Pleine River outside of Wausau, Wisconsin, where she would windsurf, and I would fish. For several hours, she would learn to maneuver the gear, until she ended a mile or so downwind, and somebody's motorboat would drag her back in. At 8 years old, I could not even lift the sail out of the water. Mom packed her windsurfing gear every time we visited a friend's cabin in the summers.

By the time I was 13, Mom purchased a Mistral 6.0 set. At this time, I could uphaul the sail, tack, and jibe. Mom did not get as much use out of the equipment, since I was riding it with every opportunity I got. Mom arranged for me to babysit the 4 year old of the owner of Sail Du Bay, and earn my own board in the process. 

My first board was a Bic Reggae and a 5.7 Bic sail. This was the equipment that I learned to rig, plane, and waterstart. I was 14 or 15 when I first started planing, and it was a sensation that was much better than waterskiing. Being the typical teenager, I no longer wanted to go to the lake every day, especially if it was not windy. I wanted to go fast! My mom, sister, and I made our first trip to the gorge when I was 15 (1989), with my Bic and her Mistral on the roof racks. We sat at the Marina, wondering why people were not uphauling, and why there was no centerboard. We signed up for Waterstart lessons, and that was when I got introduced to shortboarding.

My sister lived in Olympia, Washington, and she got married when I was 17. After her wedding, Mom and I drove down to Hood River so I could have to opportunity to use a shortboard. We took a private lesson at Rhonda Smith's, where I was given instruction on improving my waterstarts and learning to get in the footstraps. A 5.0 sail was small to me, but I just fell in love with windsurfing in Hood River. Mom knew that I wanted to leave Central Wisconsin at the earliest possible opportunity, so she mentioned to my instructor that she would consider sending me to Hood River for a week. 

He responded, 'Well, she is pretty good for somebody from Wisconsin. You should consider sending her out here for the whole summer and have her work here.' It took some convincing to my dad to send his 18 year old daughter, fresh out of high school, 2000 miles away. Mom and Dad told me that 'If you keep your nose clean your senior year of high school, we will consider sending you to Hood River to work for the summer.' Leaving Wiscsonsin was my number one goal in life, so I applied for a job at Rhonda Smith's, got my CPR, First Aid, and Lifeguarding Certifications, and took courses in teaching windsurfing. From 1993 - 1997, I spent my summers teaching windsurfing and my offseason at the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse. As I progressed in my windsurfing those summers, I knew I was going to make Portland my permanent home after receiving my degree.

Currently, I am a paralegal who works on the East side of Portland, who likes to sneak out on Friday afternoons to take Board Meetings. My truck is set up for camping, so I stay out in the gorge all weekend.

The Columbia River Gorge is ideal not only for windsurfing, but for mountain biking and whitewater kayaking. If I have to wait for wind, I know I can jump on my bike before driving over to the Hatchery or Dougs. After fifteen years in the gorge, I have made a number of friends who love to windsurf as much or more than I do. We continue to push each other to learn to s-turn in the waves, launch higher jumps, or do freestyle moves. Some of the best days I have had are morning sessions at the Hatch or Doug's, where the swell is smooth from the lack of people being on them. The gorge is only an hour away from home, but I feel like I can completely escape the city.

Your favorite playgrounds are?

The Hatchery, Dougs, The Wall, Roosevelt, South Beach (Newport, Oregon), Post Canyon Road (MT biking)

What's your attitude towards freestyle windsurfing?

A friend introduced me to freestyle windsurfing in 2003 when I was waiting for the wind to pick up. She helped me improve on my fast tacks, and taught me to backwind.
Currently, I can tack, boomerang, heli-tack, and do Carve 360's. Freestyle makes a light 4.7 day much more challenging.

Any other sports you practice beside windsurfing?

Mountain Biking, Road Biking, Cross Country Skiing and Back Country Skiing.

Your latest magic moment on the water?

In early July, my friends and I woke up late and knew it was going to be packed at the Hatchery. We drove out to Doug's, where it was solid 4.0-4.7 at 9 a.m. The swell was rolling in nice and clean, and for several hours, we had the river to ourselves. Untouched swell was so easy to carve on and complete S-Turns on. By the time we left, in mid-afternoon, the parking lot was only half full.

Word Rap ?!

Favorite food ?	French Fries with Ranch Dressing accompanied with IPA !
Favorite music ?	Depends on my mood, but usually the Rock/Americana Genre !
A wish ?	Wind forcasts would be much easier to predict !
A dream ?	Windsurfing into old age with good friends, and maybe a partner !
Most difficult windsurfing move ?	I've been working on Vulcans for 2 summers now, and am barely progressing !
Ocean sailing or ripping rivers ?	It's a tie. Ocean sailing presents a bigger challenge, but there is more opporunity to rip on the river !
Barak Obama ?	He needs to expand his platform to 'We're not republicans' and be ready to produce results, not rhetoric !
Maried or single ?	Single !
Tattoos or not ?	None on me. I'd rather spend the money on gear !

About your life and your future

At 33, my goal is to work hard and play harder. I like to have a variety of hobbies, whether they be active or sedentary. My plan is to stay in the Portland area for the rest of my life, so I continue to have easy access to the gorge or to the caost. I want to stay fit and healthy as long as possible. 



We would like to thank Jill for becoming ripper of the month and for talking about her life as a passioned windsurfer!