Windsurfing legend: Rock 'n' Roll Retiree - Jason Polakow on JP, big waves and his career
John Carter
· 06.04.2025
Separation from JP-Australia
I left the JP brand at the end of 2023. I was the ex-manager Martin Brandner I'm very loyal to him - he's a great guy. I wasn't actually looking to leave, but then the opportunity to join Goya came up and it was just the right time for me to make a change. I'm semi-retired now and it was kind of strange to leave JP and go to Goya. But I live on Maui and all the Goya guys are here in the area and were motivated to have me on the team. I had a fantastic 27 years at JP, so there were no regrets at all, but at this stage of my life it felt right to move on. Goya is based on Maui so it's easy to get boards and sails. Keith (Teboul) is a great shaper, and to be honest, I just want to be on Maui, surfing in Jaws and having perfect equipment for it. I want to enjoy windsurfing when the conditions are good. It was just a perfect fit for Goya.
I had 27 wonderful years with JP - but it feels right at this stage of my life to do something new."
We have taken up the Strapper wings again on the graphics. The wings were the trademark on all my waveboards when I rode for Strapper in the early 90s. That look was kind of influenced by Harley-Davidson. We wanted to do something different back then and came up with this idea. I had a long relationship with Strapper and we had all the production boards with those wings and they were very popular. The 90s were a great time for me. I won a lot of titles and also the legendary Aloha Classic. I think Goya could do some custom moulds with these graphics for people who really remember the Strapper era.
More windsurfing legends:
The Goya/Quatro team
Keith knows what style of board I like. I prefer a board that has a lot of drive and builds up a lot of speed on the bottom turn. Keith shapes my boards the way he thinks I'll like them. They are not the same as Levi's (Siver) or Brawzinho (Marcilio Browne). I drive with thrusters (three Finns) and they ride quads (four fins). There are subtle differences, but the boards are fantastic. I tried out my new board the other day during the Goya photo shoot and it was fantastic. I'm stoked and it was great to go windsurfing with the new crew in Hookipa. I have Kai Lenny asked if I could also try out his boards, as he has taken a completely different route. He has no problem with it, so I'm going to try them out. If I like them, I'll order one. With Kai, Brawzinho and Keith being great shapers, there's a lot of innovation at the moment. I just feel like I'm in the right place at the right time. I'm getting some new boards, having fun and I'm not under pressure. I don't have to travel if I don't want to. I'm travelling on my own terms and can do what I want, when I want and how I want.
Only Big Days left in Jaws and Hookipa
If the waves aren't big in Hookipa, you probably won't see me on the water either. When they're bigger, I'm definitely out there, but to be honest, I spend most of the year just preparing for Jaws sessions and already have some great boards from Keith specifically for the spot. I'm looking forward to the big days in winter and hopefully we'll get some big swells next season. I'll definitely be there on the really good days at Hookipa or the big Kona wind days at Lanes. I still love windsurfing and think it's a great sport that has given me so much. But I also do other things when I'm feeling good. It's not that I'm not interested in windsurfing, I just have a lot to do at the moment.
I no longer earn a lot of money from windsurfing. But I also have no obligations and can do what I want."
I am now 53 and almost fully retired as a professional windsurfer. I no longer earn a lot of money from the sport, I would say that I will "retire" completely in 2025. I still have fun and love windsurfing when the conditions are good. In 2025 I won't have any obligations and can do what I want. If there's a huge swell in Fiji, I might fly there. It's not far from Maui and I love the wave there. If we get monster waves, I'll be there for sure. Fiji is a place where I'll definitely be there when it really gets going. Jaws, Fiji and maybe Teahupo'o in Tahiti - although Teahupo'o as a windsurfing wave isn't really great. I also love windsurfing in Indonesia.
Snowboarding and mountain biking
I discovered snowboarding for myself. Kevin Pritchard and I bought a couple of snowmobiles and rode them in the outback in Canada. We leave one ski-mobile at the bottom and take the other one up the mountain and then snowboard back down. That's obviously very dangerous, so we've done everything we can to learn about snow and avalanches. We try to avoid as much risk as possible. I'm really enthusiastic, but I also love downhill mountain biking. I go to Canada a couple of times a year to a downhill park. I don't ride motocross anymore, but I love downhill mountain biking. The park has some really big jumps that are really fun. I'll commute back and forth to ride there in the summer and then switch back to snow in December.
Biohacking and healthy eating
I used to party and have fun, but nowadays, at my age, I pay more attention to a healthy lifestyle. You could say that I'm a biohacker. That's someone who optimises the body itself. It could be a new method that helps the mitochondria or the heart. I'm very interested in health and I really enjoy it.
I'm now very interested in health. I take ice baths and go to the infrared sauna."
I take ice baths, go to the infrared sauna and am interested in infrared technology in general, the brain, stem cells and all sorts of things. I'm totally into it. When I get involved in something that I really enjoy, I'm completely absorbed in it. I love the health aspects and I'm one hundred per cent into it. Over the last two years, I've really focussed on it and found out what I can do to keep my fitness and health as good as possible. I want to have as much oxygen as possible in my blood and brain to fight off illness and be able to exercise all day without being tired the next day. I have also just ordered a hyperbaric chamber. I also eat very well. My diet consists of a lot of vegetables, but I don't understand why people eat crickets for protein. I think red meat is very important for nutrition, but I don't eat meat from cows that come from factory farming. The meat I eat comes from free-range, grass-fed animals and does not contain glyphosate. I'm a meat eater and this kind of meat is really good for you. I like fish, but obviously not tuna. I stick to reef fish from Maui. I also make my own juices and don't really drink much alcohol anymore. My partying days are pretty much over. I still have my fun now and then, but mostly I live a pretty healthy life.
Review on the career
I stopped competing a long time ago and started doing some new extreme sports instead. I went on big wave trips for 15 years. It was a lot of work - organising film crews, studying weather maps and booking flights to make the right decisions. It was all pretty stressful getting everyone to the right place at the right time. In that respect, I don't really miss it all, I've done it long enough. Now I can just go off on my own and not have to worry about all the other organisation. Since I was 17 years old, I've taken part in contests all over the world and done big wave trips. Now I'm 53, that's a long time. I'm grateful for a life where I've had a lot of luck and I'm sure I'll be on the water on a good day.
I had a great session at the Goya shoot a few days ago and really enjoyed being out on the water with Kai Lenny, Francisco Goya, Levi, Brawzinho, Robby Naish and the whole crew. It was great to be out there with all the guys and it was really cool to see them all still delivering like old times on the wave. It felt good to be back in the water with the guys. I might not see Robby Naish again for another six months! Nevertheless, it's a great, close-knit group of people who all live very healthy lives and are great guys. We are very lucky to live in this great community and share the ocean on Maui.
Property - the new business
I have been in property development for some time and have built many houses. I have a company that is looking for land to develop and build on. For the last seven or eight years I have been buying and developing property in Hawaii. Currently, I am offering two homes on Maui, but the market is sluggish. I feel the pressure of not being able to sell this property, but it will all work out in the end, I hope. We'll see what happens. Right now I'm healthy and have no broken bones, so everything is fine. Hopefully it stays that way. If I get injured, I'll get better and then it'll be back to normal.
I love living on Maui. The only annoying thing is that I don't see my parents as often as I used to. My mum and dad can't travel as much anymore for health reasons. It's sad that they can't be here with me anymore, so I go to see them as often as I can. I recently sold my house and moved closer to the beach so I can surf straight to Jaws from there. I no longer have to go to the boat ramp and take the boat out from there, which has always been a dream of mine. I'm just waiting for planning permission so I can build a new house on the plot.
