On the Greek island of Naxos, a great talent with even greater ambitions is currently thriving in fast motion. 14-year-old Lennart Neubauer lives with his German mum Iris overlooking the sea and has a clear goal: to become freestyle world champion. An interview with a self-confident, eloquent and focussed youngster with a clear plan.
boot Düsseldorf 2016: A tanned, petite boy sits on the stage with a beaming gaze and sun-bleached mane. Together with some of the greats of the surfing world, the then 12-year-old Lennart Neubauer gives interviews like an old media professional, routinely switches to English when necessary and talks enthusiastically about his passion for freestyle, the Flivos surf centre in his home town of Naxos, which generously supports him with equipment and, as a matter of course, that he wants to become a professional surfer and take part in World Cups. Dreams of a 12-year-old that will probably never come true, one is inclined to say - just like other children of the same age who want to become astronauts or dream of a Formula 1 career.
Same place, two years later. Lennart has just returned from the PWA Youth World Cup in Almerimar as a freshly crowned U15 winner - in the waves and not in freestyle. Beaming with joy and visibly excited, he receives the range of sails from his new sponsor Severne at the trade fair. His string of successes continues over the course of the year. At the King of Bonaire, he wins the freestyle in the under-18 category. He then wins the U18 slalom at the Greek Championships and comes seventh in the adult category. From there he travelled to the Canary Islands. At the
EFPT event in Matas Blancas on Fuerte, he "only" came third in the youth category (because he missed a heat) and finished 13th in the main field. He then wins the youth classification at the EFPT contest on Lanzarote. This was followed by an appearance at the PWA Youth Wave World Cup in Pozo: victory in the U15 category. Then it's back to Fuerte for the PWA Freestyle World Cup. The result there - victory in the under 15s and second place in the U17s.
Back in Greece, another slalom victory in the youth classification at the Greek Nationals and 14th place out of 36 participants in the main field followed. Next on the programme is the end of the EFPT season in October at DamX am Brouwersdam in Holland.
Oops - some dreams have come true pretty quickly. This tour schedule sounds a lot like the life of a full-time professional. But Lennart is still at school, his mum Iris is bringing him up on her own and of course has to work, but also accompany him on every trip. How does that work? To find out the answers to these and many other questions, I arranged to meet Lennart and Iris for a Skype interview. After Lennart starts our conversation by listing his impressive series of successes in detail, I ask in disbelief:
How does that work? You're still at school.
Lennart:I'm always one of the best in my year and that's why I'm allowed to have more days off. We also have three months of summer holidays, so I can go on the trips. I would have liked to go to Tenerife, but my mum had to go back to work.
Iris:Of course, the programme only works if Lennart is doing well at school. That's the basic requirement. But it works really well. I'm also very lucky that I've been working in the Naos jewellery shop in Naxos Town for 24 years. My boss Panos is also my best friend and Lennart's godfather. He actually gave me time off during the peak season and took over my shifts in the shop. On top of that, he has also taken over my wages and insurance and so on. That's really great
So that means Lennart's uncle is actually your biggest sponsor.
Iris: You could say that.
How is it that you've been living on Naxos for so long?
Iris: We come from Bremen and my father was a sea captain. He later managed the shipping company's branch in Cyprus. I studied social education and the shipping company gave me a flight to visit my parents five times a year. That's when I learnt to love the Greek way of life. I then travelled to many islands in the Aegean with my boyfriend at the time and we decided to stay on Naxos and opened a bar there. My boyfriend left after a year, but I stayed. The bar became very successful and I later got so much money when I sold it that I was able to buy condominiums in Bremen - the rental income means we can do it now, otherwise it wouldn't be possible. I also had a riding centre here, but I gave it up when Lennart went to Greek school.
Are you a windsurfer yourself, Iris?
Lennart: My mum will soon be driving in the PWA too (laughs to herself).
Iris:No, I've only stood on the board once so far and I think Lennart would find it rather embarrassing if his mum always fell in when everyone was watching. Besides, we always have enough to do with Lennart's equipment when we're travelling, so if I had board bags with me, that would be too much.
So how did you get into windsurfing, Lennart?
Lennart:I can see the lagoon from my room and have always liked the windsurfers there. When I wanted to start at the age of nine, I wasn't allowed because the surf school only accepted children who weighed at least 35 kilos. I only weighed about 28 and it wasn't until I was about ten that I was heavy enough and was allowed to start at the Flisvos Sports Club with Jan Andres.
Jan from the Flisvos surf centre supported you right from the start, also with equipment.
That's true. And we still have a great relationship today. He also wanted me to continue riding RRD and NeilPryde. But unfortunately, the freestyle boards from RRD were too big for me. And when I rode a Starboard Flare 81 for the first time, I really liked it. Jan has done a lot for me. Even now I can store my equipment with him free of charge and get special prices in the bar.
This year you won in waves, freestyle and even slalom. Many people say that you have to concentrate on one discipline to be really successful these days.
Of course, freestyle is my main discipline for now, but I will also continue to ride slalom and wave. My idol is Amado Vrieswijk, who is really good in all areas. I would also like to see an overall ranking in the PWA again.
But to get really good at freestyle, you have to train a lot. The other German riders really aren't bad, but it's still not enough for the world's best.
I would like to change that.
What is your goal?
I definitely want to become freestyle world champion. And then we'll see.
Do you really think you can do it?
Yes!
In Pozo, you beat Liam Dunkerbeck in the wave final. How was that?
Liam and his father Björn are very ambitious, but also really nice. My new board hadn't arrived before the contest, so Björn lent me a board. There's a good atmosphere at the youth events in general. You get to know new friends and also all the World Cup pros.
Naxos is not exactly known as a brilliant wave spot. How do you manage to win against a Liam who practically grew up in the waves of Pozo?
On Naxos, there are sometimes waves on which I have learnt front loop, back loop and pushloop. That's with wind from the right, but it doesn't matter. The wind in Pozo was unusual, but it was a good challenge and fun.
Have the professionals there already noticed you?
Yes, I was able to talk to Gollito for a while and I also spoke to Philip Köster. He's rather quiet and not so loud on the beach. I like that.
After the PWA, the EFPT has now also introduced the youth classification, which will certainly please you.
Yes, of course, and I think that's also very important. After all, the pros are getting older and older and it's important that young riders come along. I would like to see a youth classification at every World Cup if possible.
Iris:The EFPT didn't really get involved at first, but now they've seen that it's very positive and want to do more next year. I also asked the PWA, but they said that the youth events are actually a matter for the local organisers. I then called Annika, who co-organises the World Cup for René Egli, and asked if they would like to do a youth event. She did and organised it really well for the youngsters. It would also be important for the PWA to publish the kids' rankings on its website, for example. That's really important for sponsors. If you tell a potential partner that Lennart is Youth World Champion in freestyle and they can't find anything on the homepage, then that's stupid.
What is the general situation with sponsors?
Lennart: I have very good sponsors in Starboard and Severne. The contract with Starboard came about two years ago at boot in Düsseldorf with the German importer Florian Brunner and when I was in Bonaire, Dieter Van der Eyken (freestyle worldcupper and Severne team manager) saw me and asked if I would like to ride for Severne. I then tried the sails and loved them. Finally, Starboard boss Svein Rasmussen called us and asked what I needed. Now I also have a wave board and a slalom board and two freestylers and the corresponding sails from Severne. That's already very good. We then had a long chat with Svein about whether there were any sponsors outside the surf industry.
Iris: Lennart is very fond of animals, always swims with the sea turtles and collects every piece of plastic he finds from the sea. Svein thought it might be interesting if he was some kind of ambassador for an environmental organisation or recycling company. Svein was really interested in what was on our minds and what we needed. Our problem is, of course, all the travelling, but Red Bull Greece and, since Lennart started with a German sailing number, Red Bull Germany have supported us a little.
Does your mum organise these things completely for you?
At the moment, yes, I can't sign any contracts yet. But I would like to get more involved in the future.
What other plans do you have for the future?
First of all, I will take part in the youth competitions as far as I can. When I'm 18, I'll graduate from high school and then I'd like to do the whole professional tour and travel for a year or two and then study shipbuilding in Kiel.
Iris: I don't believe that, Lennart. We were just discussing it the other day. You can easily still study when you're 24 or 25. If we can manage everything financially, you can ride on the tour for six or seven years, get your title and then you'll still be crisp enough to study and look for a nice woman (laughs). It's just important that you don't spend ages on the tour and then have no training or studies afterwards.
You already have a very detailed plan for your son.
I think he has that too. The only thing we didn't quite agree on was the timing.
