He wants to be a teacher - and he is the German spearhead at the PWA Freestyle World Cups: Tilo Eber. While other nations compete with several riders, last year the lively Bavarian was the only German to take part in the World Cups beyond European borders - and with respectable success: 15th place in the world rankings. But will it stay that way? Adrian Beholz has also signed up for the professional tour. For Tilo Eber, the 25-year-old Bavarian who is studying in Kiel, this means an additional competitor in the starting field, but Tilo Eber is not unhappy about it. In this interview, the student reveals why this is the case and how he becomes a teacher on the side.
Tilo, hand on heart: if you're a teacher one day and one of your pupils is always absent when the wind blows - will you get sixes?
Of course, this is handled in a pedagogically correct manner. Only if I catch someone kiting, they'll get detention (laughs).
What subjects are you studying in Kiel?
I am studying Latin and sport to become a grammar school teacher.
So you're becoming a teacher to have a holiday? Is that right?
Exactly, and I'll retire early at 55. No, seriously: of course it's a pleasant side effect that the sources in Latin haven't changed for a thousand years and the sports exams won't be piling up on my desk. But as a student, I had the feeling that the teachers in particular were on the verge of burnout, counting down the days until the next holiday. You have to have a certain conviction for your profession and enjoy teaching, otherwise you're not doing your students or yourself any favours.
Okay, I didn't want to embarrass you. You've already got your Bachelor's degree and are on your way to a Master's degree. Are you definitely going to be a teacher?
The master plan in the truest sense of the word is definitely in the direction of the teaching profession. But it's certainly not a mistake to keep your eyes and ears open, even if a civil servant position beckons. I also have a few alternatives in mind, for example I really enjoy writing.
That's right, now and again for surf magazine: you wrote the satire "Freestylers vs. slalom riders" or the portrait of freestyle world champion Steven van Broeckhoven. Isn't it difficult to write about friends and direct competitors - especially when they haven't been successful?
On the contrary. Last season didn't go too badly for Steven. So the difficulty was more in not forgetting the character behind all the successes. But whether successful or not, the most important thing is that you can empathise with the people involved, and that certainly works easier with friends. I'm sorry to say that I only really got to know some people in the often very superficial surfing business when I wrote about them.
Speaking of friends and rivals: Adrian Beholz is now also at the start. You're not unhappy about that. How come?
Well, even though Adi was on the water far too much in winter, he's actually quite a nice guy and we've had some funny experiences (laughs). For example, I remember an open-air party in Sardinia in the middle of nowhere on the island when we both somehow missed the jump and then had to fight our way back 30 kilometres late at night on borrowed bikes. The next morning we arrived just in time for a tow-in supersession, but we didn't cover ourselves in glory.
You can find the entire interview with Tilo Eber as a PDF download below.
