Youth World Champion

Moritz Mauch emerges from 2014 as one of the hottest up and coming talents on the PWA Wave World Tour

Moritz Mauch (Starboard / Severne / MFC) has won the prestigious title of being crowned the 2014 PWA Youth Wave World Champion, following in the footsteps of Philip Köster (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins), who had won the award for the previous three years. Mauch, who is still only eighteen, really impressed the judges over the course of the season with his fluid, vertical wave riding, which saw him claim three top ten finishes out of the four events he attended and it looks like we’ll be hearing plenty more about the German in the coming years. After being crowned the youth world champion we caught up with Moritz for an interview, which you can read below:

PWA: How does it feel to be named the PWA Youth Wave World Champion?

MM: “It feels great, at the beginning of the year I was’t really thinking about this title, and my main focus was to get into all the main events. So I’m really happy to come out on top at the end of the year and win PWA Youth Wave World Champion title for the first time.”

PWA: How was the 2014 season for you overall? Highlights and hardest part?

MM: “One of the hardest parts was the Pozo competition. I was really nervous about the trials, there were so many good sailors in it and I knew if I didn’t get through to the main event it would be really challenging for the rest of the year.”

“My highlight was for sure the Tenerife event, I felt really confident in those conditions and just wanted to have some fun and enjoy sailing with no pressure. It for sure paid off, I had my best heat ever against John Skye (RRD / MFC) and could beat Ricardo [Campello] (Patrik / Point-7 / MFC), it for sure felt really good. Also, for sure getting this title at the end of the year, is a really good way to finish the year and train harder for 2015.”

PWA:  You had three top ten results this year, what was your aim coming into 2014?

MM: “My main goal for 2014 was to get into all the PWA Main Events and just gain some more experience. I knew that on a good day I could do a few heats, but the level is amazing right know and pretty much everybody can come out on top. I trained hard last year and tried to get into the top 20.”

PWA: What is your favourite move at the moment?

MM: “I think the air-taka is my favorite move, it’s so hard to do in onshore conditions, when you land one it feels amazing!”

PWA: Favourite spot to sail?

MM: “At home we have some pretty nice spots, I really like Pozo and Ho´okipa.”

PWA: Favourite equipment setup?

MM: “3.7m S3 and 73L Nuevo.”

PWA: Over the winter what areas of your sailing will you be working on and any specific moves you have your sights on?

MM: “I started jumping last year, so my main focus this winter will be jumping and try to learn as many moves as possible. Then in spring I will go to Maui to train my starboard tack sailing.”

PWA: Where will you be going for your winter training?

MM: “I will go to Cape Town end of December, stay there for one month and in spring I will go to Maui for the photoshoot and some more training.”

PWA: Anything else you would like to add?

MM: “I want to thank my family and friends without them all this wouldn’t have been possible and for sure also my sponsors for always believing in me - Starboard, Severne, Garmin, Killerfish, MFC Hawaii and Seventyonepercent.”

PWA: Thanks, Moritz, congratulations again and good luck with your training over the winter.