What sparked the fire for windsurfing in you back then?
As European runner-up in 1973, I won a four-week trip to the inventor of windsurfing, Hoyle Schweitzer, in the USA. I will never forget my time there. I learnt an incredible amount. Back in Germany, I completely focussed my career as a designer on windsurfing. Between 1973 and 1975, windsurfing was born as the mother of all trend sports. I still work as a designer and constructor in water sports today.
How can you imagine the scene in the 70s?
It was a fantastic time to set off, gliding across the water with the wind in your hands. On the one hand we had the actual sports enthusiasts with their boards on the water, on the other hand there were a large number of friends of the sport who were basically travelling with their boards on the roof of their cars. Surfing was the order of the day. Anyone who was anyone was there. Of course, there were problems with lidos and authorities right from the start, so we quickly created the slogan in Bavaria: "First train, then buy." That worked and the sport developed in a more organised way.
How did the idea of founding an association come about? Were the people involved already professionally active in the scene at the time?
The driving force at the very beginning was certainly Calle Schmidt on Sylt, who was the first to import windsurfing boards from the USA. Together with his friend Gerd Falk (who didn't know the folded Falk maps for the car?), he invited people to found the first school association. Most of the founding members were already professionally active in windsurfing. Gerd Falk was elected 1st chairman and I was elected deputy 1st chairman. By this time, I had already published the world's first windsurfing training book "The wind in your hands". I used the same title a few years later for my multi-part television series on windsurfing.
On the one hand, we had the actual sports enthusiasts with their boards on the water, on the other hand, there were a large number of friends of the sport who were basically travelling with their boards on the roof of their car."
What happened during your time as VDWS President?
Then as now, Weilheim was the VDWS headquarters. My father helped in the background with administrative tasks in our private rooms. My sister-in-law Lisbeth Prade was there right from the start and took over the secretariat. The first very well-attended windsurfing instructor courses were held at Lake Starnberg and Lake Walchensee.
The association grew rapidly through individual members and schools.
After I was elected 1st VDWS Chairman in my 2nd year and had a contract with Robinson Club, we focussed primarily on other European countries in addition to looking after the domestic schools. A figure that few people know: According to a government publication on water sports, there were 1.6 million water sports enthusiasts on their windsurfing boards in Germany alone in 1986. That was the high point, because from then on things unfortunately went radically downhill. The completely overrated promotion of "shortboard surfing" by the media reduced the number of windsurfers practising to half in just a few years. Although the VDWS supported the sport with unwavering energy and state-of-the-art training methods, it continued to shrink. The time came when it was frowned upon to stand on a long board like the original windsurfer.
In the World Cup, a handful of surfers raced far out around the tonnes ...
Of course, the board revolution to short planing boards has also had its good side. The incredible acrobatics in house-high waves with jumps and loops gave our sport a new direction.
Are there any moments from the 50 years of VDWS that you would definitely not want to miss?
I personally had a lot of fun over the years being part of the first world championships with over 300 participants in some cases. It wasn't just the sport, but also the whole range of social aspects. Many also enjoyed camping around the campfire overnight, lying next to the board, which was still possible in the early days. The legendary instructor courses on Lake Garda at the Hotel Lido Blue or at the Robinson Club Marbella were also milestones. Over the years, friendships developed within the association and people helped each other. It was a pleasure to work on a completely voluntary basis with a team of dedicated people. Many weekends of free time were sacrificed and yet we were all happy because the association was a mainstay of the sport. Thanks to the tireless and self-sacrificing work of the teaching team, the quality of the training has increased from year to year and everyone involved can be congratulated on the VDWS success story.
What do you wish for the sport, the scene and the association in the future?
I would like to see the sport move from being a purely specialised sport, which it is now, back to being a popular sport. Surfing for everyone. On Lake Chiemsee as well as on the coasts. The overwhelming number of stand-up paddlers gives hope that windsurfing boards will be built in a longer format again, so that surfing is fun again even in the usual moderate winds. The VDWS has built up a considerable reputation worldwide and I see no reason for this to change in the future. With its commitment to the main water sports, it is well positioned and is indispensable both for safety on the water and for the social status of water sports enthusiasts.
Interview: VDWS
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