Growing up around the tranquil waters of the Caribbean Sea which surround his home on Trunk Bay, its not surprising that Devon Boulon, son of distinguished artist Kimberly and the V.I. National Parks chief of resource management Rafe Boulon, chose a career that keeps him on the water but what is surprising is the 23 year-olds incredible success.
A friend of mine got me to try windsurfing when I was 15 and I immediately loved it, said Devon, about his start in the world of windsurfing.”
Since his first taste of the sport, Devon has been steadily climbing the ranks of professional windsurfers but he attributes a lot of his success to the St. John Kids And the Sea (KATS) program.
I did the KATS program from age 8 to 18 and that is where I learned my racing and strategy skills, said Devon. KATS really benefited me a lot.
Busy, Impressive Summer
The professional windsurfer has had a busy and impressive summer, winning the North American Championships in Squamish, British Columbia; the U.S. National Champion-ships in Hood River, OR, and the U.S. Open Championships in Corpus Christi, TX.
Devon also ranked sixth at the European Championships in Greece and was looking forward to competing in Portugal in the European Cup tour on August 25.
None of this goes to the humble windsurfers head which hasnt gone unnoticed in his sport as he was also presented with the Corpus Christi Sportsmanship award last month.
The Corpus Christi Sportsmanship award is a really special honor for me because its only presented once a year to someone who shows a lot of sportsmanship on and off the water, said Devon. It really meant a lot to me because a lot of really famous windsurfers have gotten it, including some of my idols.
It was especially great to receive the award in front of my parents and my sponsors, Devon continued.
Parents Bring Luck
It seems having his parents around gives Devon a lot of good luck as they watched him win the Nationals and the North American Championships.
He does great at the competitions we are at but he also wins a lot when we arent there, Rafe pointed out. But we do try to get to his competitions a couple of times a year because we are big supporters.
The proud parents have been behind their son from the first day he decided to pursue a career in windsurfing, Rafe added.
We supported him from the beginning; we told him to follow his dream, said Rafe. I am extremely proud of him for doing what hes doing and for doing so well.
Devon spends a lot of his time answering questions and sharing his knowledge of the sport as well, Rafe continued.
He spends a lot of his time helping other people out and answering questions thats part of his personality, said Rafe.
New Modeling Career
As if being one of the top windsurfers in the world isnt enough, Devon has recently embarked on a modeling career.
Im just getting started and it hasnt really gotten off the ground yet, said Devon. But modeling works great with my windsurfing because I can just shoot a day here and a day there so I can still travel and compete freely.
Although the native Virgin Islander is now based out of San Diego, he still calls St. John home.
My home is still St. John and I try to get back once a year, said the windsurfer.
Having sponsors and testing out the latest in sails, Devon has a job that most windsurfers dream about.
My major sponsor is Wind Wing, said Devon, explaining that the the Oregon-based sail design company is one of his biggest supporters. I am their top team rider, their team manager and I get to test their prototype sails which is really fun.
Thanks to Parents
Even though he is one of the top windsurfers in the world, Devon never misses an opportunity to thank his parents.
My parents were very supportive of me the whole way, said Devon. They never said anything against me being a professional windsurfer and were completely there for me from day one.
To find out more about Devon and see some great action and modeling pictures of him check out his Web site at www.devonboulon.com.
