You are the "boot Düsseldorf Windsurfing Talent of the Year 2018". What did you think when you found out you had won? I was delighted and, above all, honoured. It feels incredibly great when you find out that all the training and the pain of hard landings has been recognised.
The prize is endowed with 2018 euros. What will you do with the money? I will use the money to finance my next training holiday in Maui in the spring and my trip to the World Cups in Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
At the age of 16, you've already travelled a lot. You've already been to Maui twice, once even for six months. How did you manage that and what about school during that time? As I am very open-minded and my sailing sponsor is Hot Sails Maui, I thought why not just ask if I could live somewhere on Maui for six months. After a bit of writing back and forth and skyping, Jeffrey Henderson (Hot Sails Maui boss) invited me to stay with him and his family. Organising the visa and school was a bit complicated. My family and school management helped me a lot with that. When I'm at home, I'm very focussed on school and so my grades are always right. My school is also very relaxed and as long as I arrange my trips individually with my teachers and always catch up on the material, I'm pretty free with my training and competition trips. When I'm on Maui, my classmates provide me with homework. And as I'm not allowed on the water there before eleven o'clock anyway, I always have time to do something for school.
You concentrate fully on the wave discipline, but you come from Schleswig on the Schlei - not necessarily the Mecca of wave surfers. I learnt to windsurf directly in small waves, as we always sail through the Baltic Sea on our sailing boat in the summer. So I was familiar with waves right from the start. I've been watching Philip (Köster) and Ricardo (Campello) videos since I was ten and always wanted to surf like them. I just love the feeling of jumping super high in strong winds or hitting the lip perfectly when riding downwind and then flying over the breaking wave.
You've already done double loops and won your first PWA Youth World Cup. How much is talent and how much is hard training? I think I already have some talent for movement. But what counts most in windsurfing is willpower. I often sit at home for hours and watch videos of Philip and Brawzinho and try to understand what they do differently. Then I always analyse my own manoeuvres and can improve quite quickly. I actually train the way I learnt during my sailing career. In addition to as many water sessions as possible, in which I concentrate on individual moves, this also includes fitness exercises. I pay attention to mental health as well as sensible nutrition. I've also recently started working with a trainer to maximise my progress in the few sessions I have.
How do you finance all the travelling? Do your parents support you? My parents support me as much as they can. However, my father is also currently setting up a new company. So we always have to do the maths. Somehow we always manage to book flights cheaply and Jeff always lets me stay in "my" tree house for free. I try to work a bit on the side. It's never that easy because the wind simply can't be planned.
What about sponsors? Finding sponsors is really hard work! As a talent, it's important to get to know your sponsors personally and build a personal relationship so that they can participate in your development. The brands usually support us young surfers in various stages until you become a full part of a team at some point. That doesn't happen overnight. Outside of the surf industry, it's important to show potential sponsors what they stand to gain from supporting you. And so social media is already an essential part of where you can give something back.
Do you have any tips for young talents? It is important to always be able to offer the sponsor something so that both sides benefit from the collaboration. As a talent, you can let your sponsors participate in your development by sending them regular updates, because every development is a story. A well-managed social media page is of course an advantage.
How did you get into windsurfing in the first place - you only started Opti sailing as a child. My father used to windsurf a lot. Even when I was one year old, I thought it was super cool to watch him do it. When I was five, I windsurfed myself for the first time on our summer sailing trip. It worked out pretty quickly and became a passion for me. However, my sailing career meant that I didn't windsurf as much. When I stopped sailing at 13 to become a professional windsurfer, I could barely waterstart and jibe.
What's it like at school - were you able to motivate some of your classmates to windsurf? Yes, actually. A few of my classmates windsurf and I can always motivate them to go out on the water with me.
When will you finish school and where do you see yourself in ten years? Next summer, I hope to graduate from high school. I definitely want to become a professional windsurfer and I'm looking forward to travelling and being part of the full PWA Wave Tour after I graduate. In ten years' time, I want to be a permanent member of the tour and earn a living from windsurfing.
INFO-BOX
Born: 18 March 2001Place of residenceSchubyProfessionPupils in year 11Size/weight: 178 cm/78 kilos
Surfing since:The first time was at the age of 5, but my sailing career has only been in full swing since 2014.Successes: 2016: 3rd place Gran Canaria PWA Youth Competition U16. First participation in PWA World Cup Sylt. 1st place Danish Open Championship U20, 4th place in the men's competition 2017: 5th place Gran Canaria PWA Youth Competition U19 2018: 1st place PWA U20 World Cup in Almerimar, Spain
Favourite spotsHanstholm, Denmark and Upper Kanaha, MauiFavourite movesStalled ForwardNext LevelI also have to be able to do the new-school manoeuvres on the wave. And I want to do the double front loop more oftenSponsorsHot Sails Maui; Starboard; Maui Ultra Fins; ProLimit; Dakine ShopWebpage: www.henrikolberg.com Instagramhenri.kolberg
Andreas Erbe
Chief editor surf
