Who is Lisa Kloster?

In this interview, she reveals how she cleverly combines all this with her studies and why extremely short freestyle boards are so practical.

Lisa, I've just reached you in France, on the last day of the PWA Grand Slam in Marignane. You were there. How did it go?

That's right, I was finally able to race again. My two heats went quite well. I had over 60 points in both. I'm very happy with the fourth-highest score in the round of 16. In the second heat, I was up against Sarah-Quita Offringa and I didn't stand a chance. But it was still a lot of fun on the water because I wasn't under any pressure. At some point I knew which moves I already had on the score sheet and was then able to take more risks. The gap to the big three (Maaike, Oda, Sarah) is narrowing. I came fifth in this one single elimination. Unfortunately, we didn't have any wind for the last few days to play the second round.

This wasn't your first World Cup. You already competed on Fuerte in 2016 and 2018. Are you excited before the contests?

I have to say, I get pretty excited at the World Cups because I really want to show what I can do. It's a shame when you're drawn directly against the best in the world and there's only a single elimination. But I have more fun at the German Freestyle Battles, just like a great session with everyone. That's really cool.

"I just want to spend a lot of time on the water with my friends," says Lisa Kloster. In between, the Kiel native also enjoys competing in the German Freestyle Battles or the World Cup.

How many women took part in the freestyle discipline in France?

Unfortunately, there were only nine women registered for the World Cup. I've often wished that more girls would take part. The more, the cooler it is.

What do you think is the reason for the low number of participants?

I think that many young women first have to overcome the financial hurdle. The cost of travelling plus entry fees is usually relatively high. Especially if you can't be sure of winning any prize money at all. That's why I was very happy that I only had to travel just under 300 kilometres from Leucate. What's more, most of the people I know are also studying part-time, so money is always tight anyway. Another thing I've often heard from friends about contests is that you don't want to "embarrass" yourself. But mostly everyone is just happy to see new faces and to have more women in the starting field. And every contest is also a special experience

You're studying geography in Kiel. But you're rarely there. How do you manage to juggle your studies and windsurfing so well?

I moved to Kiel from my home in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2019. I already knew before I finished school that I wanted to move to Kiel. So I just had to decide which degree programme I wanted to do. I decided on Geography and am now in my fifth semester. I'm currently very happy that I've managed to choose all the modules I need as online courses. Online university is the best thing that could have happened to me. I spend the winters in Tarifa. I use windless hours there to study, but as soon as there's wind or waves, I'm out on the water. It doesn't take much effort for me to be the only one to get up in the morning and go to university. I usually hand in homework before the deadline so that I don't end up in the stupid situation where it's windy but I still have to finish the homework in the last few days. Once I've finished all my assignments, I can use every windy day to surf without stress - and that's exactly what I want.

Explosive power moves such as Kono and Skopu are part of your move repertoire. An impressive level. Where have you made the most progress?

I learnt a lot at the beginning in Kiel. You always have cool people there who surf with you and give you tips. It's also really pushing when you get out on the water with so many like-minded people. However, I've made the most progress in Tarifa or Leucate. I've spent more time there in recent years than in Kiel (laughs).

That sounds fantastic. I think all the young windsurfers reading this are dreaming of studying geography in Kiel right now.

(Laughs). I don't want to make anyone jealous or anything... getting through life with a bit of student loans and child benefit isn't always easy. Overall, I've spent most nights in my VW bus over the last few years. Power for my laptop or even a real shower are not always a given. Well, I don't want to complain. Right now I'm just happy to wake up in the places I want to be. And yes, thanks to the online university, I'm living exactly the life I always dreamed of when I was at school.

Where to next?

There are currently three of us living here in my T4, which is crammed full of equipment. It's really handy that my MB board "Wildcat" is only 205 centimetres long and I can both freestyle and foil with this one board. That saves me space for a whole board. My next destination is Tarifa again. Windsurfing, surfing and kitesurfing are my favourite activities on the water there. The temperatures are also quite pleasant in winter.

Where do you want to go in the long term? Do you want to become a professional?

Good question, I'm curious to see where my path will take me. Whether I'm a pro or not, I just want to spend a lot of time with my friends on the water at great spots. That's simply the best thing I can imagine.

FACTS ABOUT LISA KLOSTER

• Born: 17/09/1999
• Place of residence: Kiel
• Profession: Student
• Height/weight: 177 cm/66 kilos
• Has been surfing since: around 2012
• Regatta debut: 2015 GFB, 2016 PWA
• Successes: 4th place EFPT Brouwersdam 2019, 1st place at the German Freestyle Battles on Fehmarn at the Surf Festival 2018 & Rügen 2016, 9th place Freestyle World Cup 2016
• Favourite spots: Büsum Priel, le Rouët, Sancti Petri
• Favourite moves: Kono
• Sponsors: MB-Boards, Sailloft, XCEL Wetsuits