Foilstyle on Bonaire: Training with the idol, five questions for up-and-coming freestyler Leander Halm

Hi Leander, you're currently making great progress in foil style very quickly. How long have you been foiling?

I only really started foiling here on Bonaire about a fortnight ago. I only got the foil and the right board at the beginning of the year. I tried it out on the lake (Bostalsee near us in Saarland) out of curiosity. Of course, I prefer to ride the fin when it's windy, but that's not often the case, especially at home, so the foil is the perfect alternative and increases my time on the water tenfold. The option to really freestyle with it is particularly appealing, and that's what made it exciting for me.

What moves are you currently working on?

I'm trying to do regular ducking on the foil at the moment, but it's still quite difficult. I'm still practising Skopu (which works quite well compared to the regular duck) and Air Funnel at the moment. I'm pleased that I can already do Shaka and Shove-it-Spock pretty well. I'm surprised how quickly you can do the moves on the foil - I can't do the Shove-it-Spock and Skopu on the fin yet, for example.

The foil increases my time on the water tenfold.

Lennart (Neubauer, editor's note) is also currently training on Bonaire. Do you learn a lot from him? And does he give you tips?

Yes, Lennart got me into Foilstyle. Especially when I don't know what I can practise next, he always gives me exactly the right challenge for the next move. For example, I wouldn't have thought I could do the shove-it-spock, but Lennart motivated me. I can always ask Lennart if I get stuck with something. He's my biggest idol - he's the reason I started freestyle in the first place. It's crazy what he's already achieved, even though he's still so young. In addition to his athleticism, I also think he's super strong mentally and I like to rely on his opinions. We always have a lot of fun together and do little challenges and bets, not just windsurfing - I still hope I don't have to get a haircut from him because I lose at spikeball (laughs).

Is Bonaire the ideal training spot for you? Where else do you like to surf?

Yes, the flat water makes it pretty perfect. Since I've had the foil, it's no longer a problem if the wind here isn't strong enough for power freestyle with a fin. My goal on the fin this year was to learn double moves, which worked out perfectly after the first week - that probably only happens on Bonaire! You learn very quickly here, I can't think of any other spot where it's been so easy for me. Naxos is definitely my favourite spot next to Bonaire!

Lennart is my biggest idol - he's the reason I started freestyle in the first place.

What are your goals for this season? Which contests would you like to compete in?

I definitely want to get out on the water as much as possible! It doesn't get boring with so many tricks to learn (for both fin and foil). I think that's the great thing about freestyle. It's great that Porto Pollo will also be hosting its first FPT Youth/Junior freestyle event this year! Of course I'll be there! I'm looking forward to Tow-In in Geneva in October and hopefully also to the Foilstlyle for the first time this year. Ideally, I'll go straight to the FPT event in Naxos afterwards!