Overview
“There’s no one like Tom. When people talk about styles, I talk about Tom style and then Freestyle, there’s Freestyle, there’s Big Air, there’s Sliders, there’s Park… He’s a style to his own. And that’s how unique it is…”
Tom Bridge is a professional kiteboarder from Exmouth, UK. As the youngest member of the highly successful “Bridge family” in kiteboarding, he is renowned as one of the industry’s top innovators, known for his unconventional, ground-breaking style and unique tricks. On overseas podcasts, he is enthusiastically discussed as “the greatest maverick and genius in modern kiteboarding (aka Steezy Wonder)” and “the man who single-handedly destroyed the GKA scoring system and forced them to rewrite the rulebook.”
Career
Dominating from his junior years, he became a two-time Junior Freestyle World Champion. He debuted at the Red Bull King of the Air (KOTA) in 2018 at the age of 16, where he was introduced by the official commentators as the youngest competitor in the history of the event at that time. Originally not on the main roster, he was called up as a last-minute replacement for French rider Aurélien Pétreau, who withdrew due to a family bereavement. He dramatically arrived in Cape Town on the morning of the competition, with rumors saying he stepped off the plane already wearing his wetsuit, heading straight into the contest to make his legendary debut.
“Tom Style” and Rewriting the GKA Scoring System
In freestyle competition, he explicitly refused to conform to the standard mold of keeping the kite low for handle passes. Instead, he established his own distinct genre known as “Tom Style,” characterized by flying the kite slightly higher and combining weird axis rotations that nobody else could imagine. Defying the norm of forward-facing takeoffs, he brought the insane technique of “popping from blind” (kicking off the water surface while facing backward) into competitions.
After a roughly six-year hiatus from competition, he returned to the GKA Freestyle event in Taiba, Brazil. Initially, he was underscored by the judges because his Never-Been-Done (NBD) tricks did not fit into existing trick family criteria and his kite was deemed too high.
However, he ignored the criticism and stubbornly stuck to his one-of-a-kind style. As a result, hardcore fans went wild, elevating his riding to something “undeniable.” Faced with his overwhelming popularity and skill, the GKA surrendered and completely overhauled its freestyle judging criteria after the Brazil event. They introduced a “Combos” score to evaluate consecutive tricks like his and rewrote the rules to heavily reward blind takeoffs and innovation. Competing under the new rules—and under the immense pressure of knowing the rules were changed specifically for him—he secured a dramatic 3rd place podium finish.
Sponsors and Brands
He has been sponsored as a Red Bull athlete since the age of 11 and is also supported by Porsche. His kite brand history saw him move from the old North Kiteboarding (now Duotone) to Cabrinha, and he is currently an international team rider for the newly restructured North Kiteboarding.
Personality and Relationships
Growing up in a pure kiteboarding family, his parents run “Edge Water Sports” in Exmouth. His mother, Steph, is a racing world champion, and his older brothers, Guy and Ollie, are top competitors on the pro tour. His skateboarding background forms the foundation of his board control and landing techniques when riding in boots. Early in his career, he attended Aaron Hadlow’s training camps and deeply respects him as a source of inspiration.
Quotes and Episodes
“The GK rewrote the judge and criteria for him Which is something that That’s unheard of in sport right… I mean imagine if like a five foot 10 basketball sensation… And the NBA changed the rules And wrote this criteria for Steezy Wonder”
—Colin Colin Carroll
“It’s not really my favorite. It’s the type of thing that you can’t really say no to it. If you have the opportunity to do so, that you have to, I have to, you kind of have to go and do it. Just for the story, really.”
— Tom Bridge
“I hope to go on the Men’s PKRA Tour as soon as I can. I need to get out of school first because school doesn’t always let me go away to these events.”
— Tom Bridge
Competition Results
Junior Freestyle World Champion (2 times)
British Freestyle Champion
Red Bull King of the Air Competitor (Youngest ever entry in 2018 at age 16)
GKA Freestyle Brazil (Taiba) – 3rd Place
Search Aliases: Tom Bridge, TomBridge