LEVI SIVER: CREATIVE MINDS

Levi Siver experienced an illustrious career as a pro windsurfer – culminating in winning the prestigious Aloha Classic in 2013 – Levi tells us how his role has transitioned since integrating even deeper into the Quatro / Goya ethos.

Words: Levi Siver

Photos: John Carter

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BACKGROUND

I have always been involved with filming, making movies and the media side of the sport. I have worked a lot on editing and that side of things, so I knew after I finished competing that I wanted to work within the industry in some shape or form. In my earlier days I was more focused on sailing projects, whereas now my role has now transitioned into a much broader set of responsibilities from testing to marketing and the media side of things, which is so integral to any business these days. I have a lot of passion when I sail and I work for Quatro and Goya now for a living. The way Francisco wants to build this brand is just the way his company started with the riders involved. He wanted to create this avenue where he keeps that legacy going forward. It’s a way that talented people can find themselves with time to shape and mould themselves.

SELF-TAUGHT

When you are a professional athlete it is really difficult to find the time to learn how to diversify and learn new things. When you are on the tour, it occupies and consumes your focus as you have to put so much into it. When I was a pro rider, I wasn’t spending hours and hours learning all the programs to improve my editing and social media skills. When this job came up, I sat and digested what it takes to learn all the things I needed to know with the production of the brand videos. I learnt all the programs and basically how to run the marketing side of the company. It was like a late university for me. I would say I am the Marketing Manager for Quatro and Goya. We all work together in terms of what we are producing. When a new product line comes into production, I will think about the essence of the product and how should we market it and what kind of videos we should make for it, as well as how should we construct the advertisements. We have a team of people like Bjorn, who not only creates our graphics, but also works on the advertising. Bjorn focuses on the graphical elements, while I focus on the digital and visual elements.

RESPONSIBILITIES

I’m also in charge of Goya’s media scope – basically everything that is digital and online. I’m responsible for all the platforms and also corresponding with the magazines. It is a bittersweet world because there are pros and cons to the whole thing. Making posts creates a lot of noise, but at the same time you need to physically connect with your customers, who are the people that like your brand and are integral in being able to synthesise that connection. It is pretty powerful.

POWER OF THE INTERNET

If you are not online or don’t have an online presence these days, it is almost like you don’t exist, unfortunately, even if your products are great. So basically, I am working to forge the gap between what we are doing with the brand and the channel, so that we connect directly with the people who are interested in our brand as much as possible.

UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT

We have a unique office in Maui where we are building boards from scratch. We start with a blank piece of foam and finish with an air brushed product – right out the door here in Haiku. You don’t see that very much these days.

CREATIVIE JUICES

I like to use my mind a lot and be involved with the creative side of things – especially the film production side of the job. I like the idea of telling the story of a company or a product. I feel that I do have a gift at doing that. I felt like I have always had that and I used it already a lot during my windsurfing career.

ALTERNATIVE ROUTE

I didn’t necessarily take the standard competition route as I was instinctively always drawn more into the movies side of things – attempting to showcase the lifestyle and behind the scenes action to a broader audience. I feel like I have always been naturally drawn to that side of the business, so this job is an extension of that.

PASSION TO SURVIVE

I feel like there is always a dividing wall between the companies, and the riders, for good reasons, as everybody has to remain professional. When you are on the industry side you become a fly on the wall that hears all the conversations about what is happening within the company. There are a lot of real struggles that take place. It is not easy. From the athlete side there are a lot of challenges also of course. We had Covid and all of the manufacturing disruptions that went with it. I feel like at the end of the day, if your heart is not really into this industry, you are not going to survive. You have to have that energy to say, I want to be here and I love this sport and this lifestyle, which is similar to the professional side right now. It is tough for the riders at the moment. Being a professional windsurfer is almost like working for minimum wage after you pay for all the travel and training. I can’t imagine guys are really making bank right now.

MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION

I would imagine a lot of riders are struggling. That is where Francisco Goya does have a vision of trying to expand the sport. I feel like we need to make some big changes. Our sport is amazing, but I feel like it is dwindling and ageing, even though I do see all these young guys coming through. The professional side is amazing in terms of the amount of talent in the sport – I think there is a greater breadth in depth than there has ever been across every level. However, I feel we need to make some big changes to try and grow. The million-dollar question is how do we do it?

ON THE WATER

I still love my windsurfing. That never changes, but I am definitely more into sailing when the conditions are firing at Ho’okipa, then I’ll get excited, but I don’t have the heart to go train in average conditions, and I am not really competing anymore. I just compete at the Aloha Classic, which is once a year contest, here in Maui at my home spot. I want to be part of what this is about.

PERSPECTIVE

I feel like the benefits of working at Goya are that I get really amazing gear. I have really good boards, fins and great sails, so I feel like I am in the right place. This is the top-of-the-line equipment and I get to go sailing at Ho’okipa. It doesn’t really get much better than that. I was able to travel and embrace that whole lifestyle for a while. Now I feel like I am in windsurf paradise. This job has given me the balance to do something creative, whilst still sailing at one of the best waves in the world.

PALPABLE PRESSURE

I am not sure whether it is super healthy to remain in the athlete world for too long. I think the phycological element of only having a year-to-year contract can be a heavy burden to carry – there aren’t many long term contracts around anymore, so the riders never truly have that peace of mind. If you do that for a couple of decades, it definitely takes its toll. Even down at the Aloha Classic I could feel the pressure on the guys. There is a lot more at stake than just their results. To be honest, I am so thankful to have had my career when I did. I would not change that for anything. I had a great time in the sport and there were still some residual economics to have a sustainable career. There was still a ladder to climb whereas today even if you’re at the top there is no guarantee.

GOYA

When you think about it, if you are on Maui, whether working for us, or getting a piece of equipment, it is just a matter of time before you walk through the doors of the Goya office. Even [Jason] Polakow recently became a part of the family. If your heart is in the right place and you want to make incredible gear, this is the place to be and it is what energises us. I love the high I get when I perform on the water because of a board or a sail. That resonates with people and they want to feel that. Once they experience that, they want to be part of the Goya ethos.

POLAKOW PRESENCE

I talked with Jason a little bit about how we were going to announce him coming to Goya. He didn’t know what to say. I said the best thing is to keep everything focused on the future. I think there is a tendency to look at the past, to say thanks for the career he had and the brands he rode for, but now with Jason he wants to ride big surf at Jaws and that is what inspires him. We have the facility, and the minds, to create whatever he wants, in terms of equipment at least. It is more to get him excited with his windsurfing. Keep him on the water and keep him inspired. Jason has inspired all of us. The sport is better off having him on the water, so if our new boards and sails get him fired up to get on the water, then I think that can only be a good thing. We just want him out there. I just told him to say: “I am turning the chapter and looking forward to keep riding big waves.” It is cool to have him on the team. I believe he was thinking about being a part of Quatro back in the nineties, which obviously didn’t happen then, but he is with us now.

DEVELOPMENT

The computer files are extremely important as that is what the CNC machine is going to cut. If you have a few minds working together it certainly helps when we are thinking about new developments. Francisco is really good with all the rockers and details, while Keith just has that wealth of experience. Sometimes I will have a couple of people there when we are looking at a file. When it comes off the CNC machine that is basically when we try to bring out the best in what that board represents. I have ridden boards in the past that had a lot more rocker and were more surf-orientated, but nowadays I don’t want to work extra hard to catch waves. That is where Brawzinho has been exceptional… he has found that fine line between high performance wave boards, while still being super-efficient. Francisco has worked with him on that. Between them they produce so much equipment and test so many boards, which we have all benefited from. You learn so much when you are producing board after board. Brawzinho is on the water every single day and they are measuring everything down to a fraction of a millimetre to ensure that they get it right. That level of attention to detail is imperative to be successful in windsurfing. You can’t just say: “Ah it’s s a bit off, but that is ok.”. People may think that racing is the only really technical part of our sport, but that’s not true as the wave gear is just a technical when you are getting down into the nitty gritty. When you are competing against guys that are twenty-five pounds lighter than you, in light winds, you will need to be on a pretty incredible piece of equipment. It has to be efficient, while still being capable of turning.

COMPETITION VS FREE SAILING

I enjoyed moments of the 2023 Aloha. When I was on a good wave and it came together on the end bowl. There were some good moments when I nailed a few decent moves. Competition is such a different frame of mind compared to free sailing. When you are free sailing, you just put everything into one move, whereas in competition I might be on a set wave thinking that this might be the best wave I get during the heat, so I don’t want to do just one move. You have to kind of put together a bit of a package, which can spoil that one move. Sometimes it may be better to just free sail. If it works your way, then it goes well and if not, you are probably going to lose. With the level as it is at right now it is so tough. I just want to sail well when I compete now. I was fighting in the light wind, so was happy with that. Light wind is definitely a challenge for us bigger guys. I feel if I am sailing at my best, I feel like I could still win, but I can’t play that mental contest game. I just have to try and free sail though as that is when the best stuff happens for me.

THE TEAM

The wealth of talent we have at Goya and Quatro these days is amazing for designing equipment with the likes of Teboul, Goya, Polakow, Kai Lenny, Brawzinho and myself. All those names have so much knowledge when it comes to gear and designs. Polakow is so tuned in on sails. He can literally pump a sail and can immediately tell what changes are needed. He has a great feeling for what will be a great wave sail. Even though he is not competing, the brand is going to greatly benefit just from his input. We have a lot of people who bring plenty to the table and drive innovation, which is ultimately what keeps us inspired. We want to continuously be innovating. Kai Lenny makes things completely different from everybody else. He does not follow what other people are doing and breaks the mould. If you look at his boards, even at the Aloha they don’t look like anybody else’s. His fin set ups and everything are different. It is cool to have such a variety of input. (Hear more from Kai on his unique approach to equipment in the next edition of Windsurf.)

THE FUTURE

I feel like I am just collecting knowledge right now, while gaining experience. I want to be in the field of storytelling, the creative aspect of filming and making movies. I want to take the brand and try and make it bigger and truly find the essence of what makes a company special. This field of work can grow and I like this side of the sport. I’ve used my mind and my experience as a rider. I have ridden for Red Bull and have seen how they market athletes. I have had such a rich experience in the sport of windsurfing. The brand has done such a tremendous job of marketing their story.

WORK / LIFE BALANCE

To switch off from work it is incredibly easy. We just go windsurfing. Of course some days we just work, but when the conditions are good, we are out of the office by 2pm and just go sailing. It does not feel right if myself and Keith are working when Ho’okipa is firing. Mast high Ho’okipa comes first!

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