Join Zig Sailing Insider as we dive into the inspiring watersports journey of Fiona Wylde. She shares the story behind launching Wylde Water & Wind and gives us a glimpse into what the future holds for this remarkable organization. She also opens up about the challenges of managing Type 1 Diabetes while training and competing at the highest level.
Article by Ty Christopher Olsen, December 16, 2024.
Fiona Wylde: Watersports Champion, Entrepreneur, Advocate, and Master of Balancing It All
The Beginning
TCO: Fiona, you have had such an exciting career in watersports, so I am sure that this will be a long-winded answer! Tell us about how you got started and some of your accomplishments from your sailing, SUP and Wingfoiling career.
FW: Well, I was fortunate to grow up with two parents who are passionate sailors and boat captains. They both love the water! Growing up, we lived in Port Townsend, WA and owned a beautiful 42’ gaff cutter. It was not only our family boat, but my dad would run sail training programs and charters aboard it. My mom ran a marine canvas business, The Artful Dodger, and dad worked with her as a welder for many of her projects. But, going back even further, before I came into the picture, my mom was an avid windsurfer. So, naturally she taught my dad how to windsurf. After I was born, we spent a lot of time down in Baja during the winters windsurfing. After spending a couple of winters watching them from the beach, and about the age of 7, I decided that I wanted to give it a shot!
The wind and the water have always been in my life from the very start. Things really took off when I was 9 years old, and my family moved to Hood River, OR. That’s when I discovered the Gorge Cup, a local windsurfing series my dad was competing in. Around that time, I was just starting to get on a board myself—struggling upwind, crashing, heading downwind, crashing again.
By the time I had turned 10, I’d made up my mind: I wanted to compete in the Gorge Cup. The race committee was hesitant, understandably so, given my age, but eventually, they agreed to let me give it a shot. After completing that first race and continuing to practice, by the time I turned 11, I knew without a doubt that I was ready to dive deeper into the world of racing.
When I was 12, I found out about an event called the Pistol River Wave Bash, which was returning after a 10-year hiatus. I told my dad I wanted to compete. He was a little surprised and said, “Fiona, you don’t even know how to wave sail!” Without missing a beat, I replied, “Well, we better figure it out because I want to sail in it!”
I spent about a week at a camp learning how to surf in the waves, most of which involved me getting absolutely pummeled in the shore break. At one of my first wave sailing competitions, I finally made it out past the waves after countless attempts. The entire beach erupted in cheers, celebrating the moment with me! While everyone else was thrilled, my mom could only think, “Oh no, now she has to make it back in!”
After getting comfortable with surfing the waves, I started attending various windsurf wave sailing events throughout the year, gaining experience and confidence.
When I was 14, I met Steve Gates, a well-known figure here in Hood River and the owner and founder of Big Winds, one of the largest watersports shops in the US. He wanted to create a youth team for Stand Up Paddling. He brought together four of us kids and introduced us to his vision for a team: “Great, you’re all windsurfers, but it’s time to broaden your horizons. We’re going to paddle twice a week, train for races, and meet at 6:30 every morning.” That was the beginning of the Big Winds Junior Elite Team (JET). Unfortunately, Steve is no longer with us, but his legacy lives on in everything he taught us—not just about paddling, but about being good people and strong competitors. He used the sport as a conveyer belt to guide us toward becoming better individuals in all aspects of life
When I was 16, the second largest SUP race in the world (at that time) called the Gorge Paddle Challenge was raced in Hood River. I entered and to my complete shock, I somehow won the event! That win changed my entire trajectory. Suddenly, I wasn’t just the kid on the JET Team anymore—it was like, “Whoa, she just won against the most stacked field in the world,” and I was a full 10 years younger than the other competitors. My focus changed quickly, as did my scholastic life. I completed the last three years of high school through online courses allowing me to focus more on my racing and training programs. The goal was to elevate my training to a more competitive level, with the hope of securing sponsorships and earning prize money from competitions to help offset the costs of traveling to events.
In my high school years, I competed in multiple disciplines, including SUP Race, SUP Surf, and Windsurf Wave Sailing. A second pivotal moment in my career was when I first competed in the Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA) Aloha Classic. At 17 years old, I placed 2nd in the pro-women’s event, earning me enough points to win the Junior World Title in Windsurf Wave Sailing. I placed 2nd the following year as well.
Shortly after winning my first world title in Windsurf Wave Sailing, I received an incredible offer—a contract from Starboard. To my surprise the sponsorship was for SUP racing and surfing, not windsurfing. It was an amazing opportunity though to become a professional athlete, competing globally with the benefit of both equipment sponsorship and financial backing. I signed my first contract with Starboard in November 2014.
In the spring of 2015, I was working towards high school graduation and racing in my first SUP Races on the Starboard Dream Team. During my first race of the season, the Carolina Cup, I was doing fantastic, sitting in second position until I hit a wall. In the last mile I slipped from second to sixth. I chalked it up to needing more racing experience, but something was off. I raced the following two weekends, but I just didn’t feel like me. I could not figure out what was going on, so I made an appointment to see a doctor.
TCO: So, what happened? Were the doctors able to figure out why the sudden change with your performance?
FW: My doctor’s appointment just happened to fall on the same day as my high school graduation. Not that it mattered much—when you finish high school online, the “ceremony” isn’t exactly a big deal. So, instead of celebrating, I spent the day at the doctor’s office, trying to figure out why I’d been feeling so sluggish, unable to perform at my usual level, constantly tired, and losing weight. That afternoon, I got the news: Type 1 Diabetes.
The diagnosis hit me hard. My mind immediately turned to: “How was I going to be able to compete and do this thing – this thing of having a dream of being a professional athlete? How was I going to go around the world representing different sponsors and competing on the world stage? How was this dream going to be played out when I have part of my body that does not even work? How am I possibly going to do this?”
This was a whole new world for me—I didn’t know anything about diabetes or blood sugar levels. In the doctor’s office, they pricked my finger, and my blood sugar was 586 mg/mol. I had no clue what that meant. My first thought was, ”Well, if that’s out of 1,000, maybe it’s not so bad!” Typically 130 mg/mol is considered “high” blood sugar. My levels were off the charts, and it’s surprising that I wasn’t already in a coma or hospitalized.
There was no doubt that deep inside I wanted to continue to excel in windsurfing and SUP, I just needed to figure out how to manage this new challenge and continue to move forward. So I did research and worked closely with my doctors to learn how to manage my diabetes while still staying competitive in my sport. Both my parents were incredibly supportive. My mom, being the superwoman she is, took it upon herself to sew a little pouch on my hydration pack so I could keep some gummy bears with me out on the water – just in case my blood sugar started to dip. That little touch made a big difference.
I was determined to make it work, and we have so far. Living with Type 1 Diabetes is a never-ending learning cycle, but I refuse to let it hold me back. In fact, just one year after my diagnosis, I won my first World Title in Stand-Up Paddle Racing! The feeling was amazing, and I remember thinking to myself, “Okay, I got this!”
Since then, I’ve achieved 18 World Cup wins across multiple disciplines and earned three SUP World Titles: one for the overall SUP World Tour, one for the Technical World Championships, and another for the Distance World Championships. I’ve also been vice world champ in SUP Surfing twice. Amidst all of this, I won the US Sailing National Championships for IQ Foiling in 2021, ventured into Wingfoiling and won the first two World Cups that I competed in.
Through it all, I have truly believed—and still believe—that diabetes doesn’t define or limit you!
TCO: What are some of the things that you do to keep your diabetes under control while training and competing? Do you work with other athletes with the same challenges?
FW: A lot of managing diabetes is understanding the factors that affect your body and knowing how to respond and prepare accordingly. To stay on top of my situation, I work very closely with an endocrinologist who is fantastic. She has helped me set up a really good system to maintain control over my blood sugar levels. While I’m on the water, I wear a continuous glucose monitor and an insulin pump, which allows me to make real-time adjustments during practice or competition.
As far as working with others, I am a Global Ambassador for Team Novo Nordisk, which is a professional cycling team where every member of the team has Type 1 diabetes. It is pretty cool to be associated with that team and represent watersports. We have worked together on a lot of diabetes awareness projects in the past and continue to do so. I am also an Ambassador for Dexcom which makes CGM systems for diabetics.
Here is my thing with diabetes: yes, it is extremely difficult and sometimes it is a bit much to handle. But it does not have to limit you! I use the hashtag #DiabetesDoesNotLimitYou to remind myself and others of that. Setbacks happen, but they don’t define you—you can always bounce back. The key with diabetes is that even when you do everything right, things can still go wrong, but you just have to keep refining your approach until you find what works. It’s about staying positive every single day.
In terms of sports related injuries, I consider myself relatively fortunate. In ten years of competing professionally, I’ve only had one major injury and that was when I crashed Wingfoil racing and tore my labrum in my left shoulder in 2022.
TCO: While you were recovering from your shoulder injury and unable to compete, what did you shift your focus to?
FW: When I got injured, we were just beginning to plan how to continue the SUP JET Team here in Hood River as a new non-profit organization. Since I couldn’t be out on the water, my injury gave me the time and space to focus on the team from an administrative perspective. All my focus was on the team development, and in the process of my recovery, I developed Wylde Wind & Water.
TCO: It is safe to say, that you are back 100% after taking a year off?
FW: Yep, I am back at my competitive level! My injury caused me to miss the Olympic timeline for IQ Foiling, so I decided to focus on Wingfoiling and SUP. When I returned to competition in 2023, I won the first SUP World Cup, and somehow I also won the first Wingfoil Racing World Cup that I entered in. The Wingfoiling Race World Cup took place in the beautiful Swiss Alps in Silvaplana, and it was my first time properly racing windward/leeward Wingfoil course racing.
This year, I made the decision to step away from SUP racing. At the end of 2023, I was speaking with my sponsor of now ten years, Starboard, and we were discussing watersport development. Svein, the CEO of Starboard, conceptualized the idea of launching a Wingfoil One Design Class in 2023. It was clear to me that a Wingfoil One-Design Class offered an opportunity for fair and exciting racing, while also encouraging youth participation and bridging the gap between traditional club sailing and board sports. This approach could make watersports more inclusive and accessible. So, I took on the role as X-15 Class Manager. It’s been an exciting journey building the class and helping it get off the ground. To date we have held 14 successful events internationally.
In addition to working for Starboard, I also competed in both Wingfoil and SUP Foil Races this year. I won the US Sailing National Championship for Wingfoiling and placed second in the infamous Molokau to Oahu SUP Foil Race. However, the highlight of my competitions this year was winning the Defi Wind! The Defi is the largest Windsurfing, Kiteboarding, and Wingfoil event in the world, with over 400 wingfoil competitors on the line at once. The event has been held for 22 years. I am the first American to have won the event.
Wylde Wind & Water - What is it?
TCO: You brought up Wylde Wind & Water, which we all want to hear more about. What inspired you to take the direction you’ve chosen for your organization?
FW: Before Steve passed away, he asked me to continue the JET and DEVO SUP Teams. Or course, I wanted to do that. I ran the program casually for two years under Big Winds. However, it became clear that Big Winds had a lot on their plate following the post-pandemic watersports boom, and I wanted to involve a broader range of people from different parts of our community. So, I approached Big Winds with the idea
of transforming the team into a non-profit organization. Not only did they agree, but they were incredibly supportive of the initiative. When I decided to create a non-profit, I wanted it to be more than just an organization for the SUP Teams. I envisioned an umbrella organization that could host a variety of programs while prioritizing water safety education as a core focus.
Prior to Wylde Wind & Water, water safety education was not prominent in our community despite having cold water, strong currents, and very windy conditions. In Spring of 2022, Wylde Wind & Water was established as a non-profit 501(c)(3). The first year we ran the two SUP Teams, Wingfoil Youth Programs and Free Community SUP days every Saturday. The highlight of year one was developing the Viento y Agua program which is a three week long camp with the Hood River Valley School District Migrant Education program. This program is for Hispanic students to learn about water sports like swimming, stand up paddling, kayaking, canoeing and water sciences including water quality awareness, ecology, and natural aquatic environments. Every week a new group of 25 students participate in the Viento y Agua program between the ages of 8-14. High school students, also from the Migrant Education Program, work the program as paid interns learning about the importance of water safety and being mentors and educators for the younger generation. Thanks to the support of the HRCSD Migrant Education and the development of Viento y Agua, this program set the stage for the type of organization Wylde Wind & Water has come to be.
TCO: Can you tell us more about the programs Wylde Wind & Water offer?
FW: Absolutely! We just finished up our third year and are astounded by the participation numbers and the participants enthusiasm with our programs. It is absolutely fantastic to see the local engagement in Wylde Wind & Water. Wylde Wind & Water programs are divided intro three foundational programs:Free Community Programs, Partnership Programs, and Performance Programs. Our Free Community programs include weekly Wingfoil Introductions where anybody can show up to learn about wingfoiling. We offer the wingfoil introduction every Thursday in July and August. Every Saturday we offer a Free Community SUP Day, which like the wingfoil introduction, is completely free and open to everybody. We provide all of the equipment, instructors, and there is no prior registration. You just have to show up! In 2024 we introduced a Free Women’s wingfoil clinic and 52 women showed up to learn. We will definitely be making women’s wingfoil clinics a larger staple in the 2025 summer.
Like I mentioned earlier, the Viento y Agua program is truly the heart of our organization. It set the tone for community engagement and follows our mission statement: “To provide equitable access to outdoor physical activities that promote better health and emotional wellbeing while creating a sense of community through joint experiences on the water.”
In 2023, Hood River County got a new Marine Sheriff Deputy and that changed the game on water safety education in Hood River. We’ve built a strong relationship with the Deputy Marine Sheriff, Joel Carmody, and we work together to promote water safety education in classrooms. In 2024, Joel and I visited a total of 59 classrooms educating 1,400 students on the importance of wearing a lifejacket and water safety. In addition to working in Hood River, our partnership programs continue to The Dalles Migrant Education, the Hood River History Museum, White Salmon Elementary Schools, Oregon State Marine Board, The Next Door, and Adidas.
Last, but certainly not least, we have our Performance Programs which focus on youth development in watersports. Our two SUP Teams, JET (Junior Elite Team) and DEVO (Development Team) train twice a week in a summer-long program learning about stand up paddling, water safety, and teamwork. Every week in the summer we host two Wingfoil Youth Camps designed for different levels of learning: Introduction Wingfoil Youth Camps and Next Steps Wingfoil Youth Camps. Finally, we have our Wingfoil Youth Team, which we introduced last year for the first time and was also a summer-long program. We started with 9 kids on the team at the beginning of the summer and ended with 15 kids on the team, and I anticipate the team to be even bigger next year. The Wingfoil Youth team focuses on all aspects of wingfoiling, including racing, freestyle, swell riding, and general skills.
In total, we had 1,067 people on the water and another 1,400 that we reached through over 59 classroom water safety presentations in 2024. During the summer months, we run our on-the-water programs, and in the off months, when weather conditions make it more challenging, we focus on classroom education and work closely with local schools.
TCO: What has been the biggest “Aha!” moment you’ve experienced while running your program?
FW: One thing I have realized throughout this journey with Wylde Wind & Water is that many people who live in the Hood River area don’t realize that it is one of the best spots for watersports. Many folks do not even know that the Hood River waterfront is public. That is why we have designed our programs to be inclusive of everyone. We run programs supported in both Spanish and English. Out approach starts with the basics – water safety education, how to properly wear a life jacket, how to swim – because it’s not just about the advanced skills, but about building a strong foundation every step of the way.
TCO: You mentioned earlier some impressive numbers, with over 1,400 participants on the water last year. How do you manage all the equipment for everyone? Does the organization purchase it, or is it donated?
FW: All the equipment, from boats and paddles to lifejackets, is purchased by the organization. While we do get discounts on some of the gear, Wylde Wind & Water covers the full cost. My mom, Ellen Wylde, is the Secretary of Wylde Wind & Water and has taken on the responsibility of grant writing. Fortunately, her writing skills have earned us support and significantly contributed to our ability to purchase top of the line equipment. When learning sports, it is really important that you have good quality equipment. We make this a priority at Wylde Wind & Water.
However, grant writing is just one of our income streams. We have three main sources of income: grants, registration fees from our Performance Programs and donations. Out of 15 total programs, only the Performance Programs have entrance fees. The entrance fee from these programs supports the coaching and equipment needs for the program and additional funds generated from these programs are allocated to the Free Community Programs and Partnership Programs.
In order to facilitate 15 programs simultaneously, we have a substantial amount of equipment, and we operate out of two locations. One location is our Event Site Center in Hood River where we run all our educational programs, SUP programs, and wingfoil youth team. The second location is our wingfoil center where we run the wingfoil youth camps and free community wingfoil orientation.
Currently, we have 30 inflatable SUP boards, 18 composite race boards, and wetsuits that fit people ranging from 40 lbs. to 300 lbs. – about 250 wetsuits in total. Lifejackets are the standard at Wylde Wind & Water as every person must wear a lifejacket when participating in our programs, meaning we have about 300 life jackets. At the Wingfoil center, we have both foil and non-foil boards, along with all the necessary wings, life jackets, helmets, and wetsuits for our participants. It’s a lot to manage, but it’s essential to ensure we can provide the right equipment for everyone, regardless of skill level or size.
MORE THAN A RACE PROGRAM – WATER SAFETY FOR ALL
TCO: I was surprised to read that there was such a lack of water safety education in an area like Hood River.
FW: It is surprising! We are definitely working to make a change. For example we have one Marine Sheriff responsible for covering 22 miles of water stretching from the Cascade Locks to the Hood River Bridge. That means that there is one deputy responding to any water involved emergency for that entire area, including all the lakes. The Marine Sheriff Deputy does a fantastic job, but the reality is that it is far too much water for one person to cover safely. It is a big problem, especially considering we don’t have any lifeguards on the waterfront. This is why we are focused on running programs that raise awareness about water safety and the importance of understanding how to be safe on the waterfront.
There are life jacket loaner stations along the waterway for people to use while enjoying the waterfront. Fortunately people are using these lifejackets more often. Since the development of Wylde Wind & Water, we’ve seen lifejacket use significantly increase, which could be a nod towards improved awareness of water safety. If one person makes the decision to wear a lifejacket in the water, it has a ripple effect on the people around them.
BALANCING IT ALL & WHAT IS NEXT
TCO: How do you balance your racing career with the responsibilities of running Wylde Wind & Water?
FW: Balancing racing internationally, managing the X-15 Class, directing Wylde Wind & Water and studying full time (I am finishing my senior year of Geography and Geospatial Science at Oregon State University E-campus) wasn’t entirely chaos, but close to it. The trickiest part is keeping on top of school and Wylde Wind & Water responsibilities while I am traveling internationally for the X-15 Class.
It was not an easy year, and I have learned that there are only so many things I can handle, but it was a good exercise in time management and working with a strong team. There were many late nights and early morning this year…to say the least!
TCO: You mentioned the other day that you were heading to Thailand this week. What is happening to take you all the way over to Thailand?
FW: My sponsor of ten years and employer, Starboard, has their HQ in Bangkok, so I’ll go there to visit the office and have end of year meetings with the X-15 Class. Then we have an X-15 Class regatta in Pattaya, which is part of the Pattaya International Windsurfing Championships. I will be coaching two days of clinics followed by three days of racing. As Class Manager, I am responsible for making sure all of the equipment is provided, the races run smoothly and everybody from athletes to race committees has the information they need about the class. For this event, all of the X-15 Class equipment is provided for free, allowing many people to race in Wingfoil.
TCO: When you get settled back from Thailand, we will be heading straight into 2025. What do you have in the works for the new year?
FW: There is a lot in the cards for 2025 and my year is going to look very different from previous years. I am going to shift my focus more locally, working with Wylde Wind & Water and finishing up my education. I’ll be graduating with my undergrad in Geography and Geospatial Science in June 2025 and have more plans to continue education afterwards. However, at this point in time, I can’t share more of the plans for 2025, but stay tuned, because I am excited for my new direction! 🙂
Fiona, thank you for taking the time to give us some inside of all the aspects of your busy, but successful career! You have had such an amazing journey so far, and we are excited to see what is next in line for you. Good luck to you next week in Thailand!
