MEET TEAM RIDER: KYLE MALIGRO
KYLE’S Q&A WITH BRIAN FINCH
Q: Hey Kyle, I mean coach… Coach Kyle, aka Unko. It’s pretty cool I get to interview you, since you were my startup foil coach… still a little mad you let me buy a 55cm mast though haha! Give the readers a quick overview of your experience in the ocean and when your foil life started?
Q: You’re recently an official pro rider for team FFB, helping a lot with wing, board and foil R&D, how does it feel doing this all again since your pro bodyboard days?
A: Bro!! It’s epic to be with FFB working on boards, wings and now foils. It’s crazy how much foiling has changed in 5 years and to be part of the team in creating and trying things out is simply amazing! So stoked to be able to be a part of this movement at this stage of my life!! Let’s go!
Q: You’ve spent quite a bit of time in Hood River, why would you leave Kauai to foil in a river?
A: Good question and never in my life would I have thought of leaving the ocean to go to some river! But you don’t know till you go. I remember seeing a video of Kalama guys supping in some river then I found out that it’s like an hour away from my in-law’s house that we visit every summer. I was like, oh snap, I need to get there asap and try to prone that! I was clueless where to go and finally found a zone and ended up catching some bumps prone foiling which I don’t think really anyone was doing at the time. I couldn’t believe I was riding bumps in a river via prone. Since then, winging came in the picture and something on the newer side for me, supping. It’s insane when it’s on! Everyone froths there. We all turn into kids again.
Q: You’ve been testing and riding 3 new wings from Freedom, explain to me the process of tuning and dialing in a new setup, sacrifices & successes?
A: The hardest thing for me was being open minded to something completely different than what I was used to. Once I got over that hump and gave these new foils a go, things just started clicking. I’ve been feeling something totally different and am stoked on the outcome and can’t wait to ride them more. It was like a reset for me in foiling and I’m loving it.
Q: What has you the most fired up in foiling right now and what don’t people know?
A: Currently helping with and trying out new foil designs has been the best. Love being able to approach a wave with different lines has been insane! Stoked where we’re going and it’s only gonna get better.
People don’t know how epic boogie foiling is. Also, PRUPing is gonna stir the pot up too, just wait!
