Be the Inspiration: Barbara Kendall

Imagine the ocean is a chessboard, and a fleet of windsurfers its moving pieces. Thats how triple Olympic medallist Barbara Kendall sees competitive windsurfing as a giant, psychological game of chess.

To get speed, you need to be a tactical genius, says the Auckland mother of two and member of the IOC, who won Olympic gold in 1992, silver in 1996 and bronze in 2000.

You have to be able to think quickly make decisions, take opportunities, and assess a scenario. For Kendall, who sailed for New Zealand at five Olympics, much of that quick thinking came from intuition what she calls the X factor in windsurfing. Its all about trusting your gut feelings, and always looking ahead, to see where the next advantage lies.

To achieve this level of intuition, you need to know yourself really well. It also comes from hours of training with your equipment. You need to master your body and your board you have to know them both really well.

Youre constantly making a million decisions at once. You have to be present 100% of the time. If you arent present, youll make mistakes. Self-confidence is also key: You cant second guess yourself you dont have time.

In an outstanding 24-year international career, Kendall also became a scientific expert of a kind understanding wind and weather patterns, reading the sea, and knowing how to make the most of her board and sail.

She learned how to read her competitors well, so that she could intuitively know their next move before theyd even hinted at it. She even reached the point where she would know where she was going to place before a race, based on the conditions and her opposition.

Its actually quite easy - because windsurfing is one big family, says Kendall (whose brother Bruce, incidentally, won Olympic gold and bronze on a board). Its interesting that all of the top windsurfers have very similar personalities. They love freedom, speed, fun, excitement, and a challenge. 

Even if you know your competitors instinctively, nothing can be taken for granted; you still need your wits about you on the race course. A good start is crucial. Not only does it put you out in front, but it allows you to dictate where you want to place yourself on the course, Kendall, now 48, says.

You can make massive mistakes, but still recover. A mark of a good windsurfer is the ability to work your way from the back of the fleet to the front. When she found herself trailing, Kendall found a super power took over driven by her innate determination, experience and fierce competitive streak.  

The skills Barbara honed as a windsurfer have played into other factors of her life. An ambassador and patron of a list of organisations, she is also delivers leadership training. On the IOC, she is now a member of the commissions for athletes, communications, sustainability and heritage, and women in sport.

Whether it is relationships or other areas of her life, she always makes decisions with her gut, and shes often right, because she knows herself so well. She still harbours a desire for perfection, and knows if she makes mistakes, she will come back fighting.