The Athlete
My name is Sean O’Brien and I am a Professional Windsurfer, webdesigner, elite sailing coach and online entrepreneur. I live on the east coast of Australia half the year in Brisbane and the other half I am based in the Netherlands, competing on the Pro Windsurfing World Tour. Windsurfing has taken me from one end of the globe to the other; in fact, I have competed in Europe, Asia, South America and all over Australia and New Zealand over the years.
After finishing my studies with a Bachelor of Pyschological Science and Biomedical Science degree, I began freelance web design to fund the early part of my windsurfing career. I bought a ticket to Europe and an old van with the money I had saved and began the touring which would shape the later part of my life.
Since being on the Pro Tour I have had the opportunity to work with major international windsurfing brands, the international class associations running the sport as well as talented individual sailors (some World Champions); designing their websites, creating their online marketing campaigns as well as important consultation on branding and identity in the intense international sporting market. Using AUS120.com (my personal windsurfing campaign website) as a portfolio example, I have managed to create “AUS120.com” in to an recognisable brand within the windsurfing world and created a popular identity for myself within the international sailing world, something that would later come in handy when I wanted to further my career.
The successes on the race course in my past few seasons have given me the opportunity to become the ‘High Performance Sailing’ Coach at my hometown’s Olympic Windsurfing Program; training an elite group of the next generation of champion windsurfers from Australia. Since then I have used my racing and coaching experience to create a website dedicated to the design, construction, aerodynamics and tactics related to high-performance windsurfers – www.carbonsugar.com.
This ‘Tour-Diary’ reflects more of my ‘online’ life, outside of the training, hardwork and travelling there is a lifestyle of a socialite, social-media savvy tech-head, who loves being on his phone, computer or behind the video camera. To follow me online head on over to my favourite social networks:
