Lennart Neubauer (Starboard / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) may only be 22-years-old, but already has one Freestyle world title to his name and currently leads the Freestyle World Tour heading into the decider in Sylt later this month. However, Neubauer isn’t just a Freestyle wizard with the Greek/German starting to make major headway in the Wave discipline too - highlighted by his excellent fourth place finish in Tenerife in August, which may have taken a few people by surprise… After a great summer in the Canaries, we caught up with Lennart for an interview, which you can read below:
Hey Lennart, congrats on a great win in Fuerte and a fourth place in Tenerife - how was the summer overall for you?
“Overall this summer felt like a bit of a breakthrough. Not so much in freestyle, but mainly in wave. Obviously winning Fuerte felt really nice, but definitely the most memorable moment was the fourth place in Tenerife.
I also managed the whole Canaries trip pretty much injury-free, unlike the year before where I couldn’t compete in Tenerife because of my ankle injury. So honestly, this summer went as good as it possibly could go.”
You’ve got an amazing record now on the Freestyle Tour - winning four out of the last five events - how satisfying is that for you?
"It is very satisfying to win four out of the last five events. I really feel like I found my flow and what works for me in competing.
What helped me a lot to get there was not taking everything so seriously and not putting too much pressure on the outcome. At the end of the day, who really cares if I lose or win this? I’m there for my own enjoyment and for the challenge, but also to show the world what a cool sport we’re doing. Especially to the young kids around the world, to show them that there’s more out there than just football and basketball.”
From a viewing perspective the conditions during the finals in Fuerte were some of the best conditions we’ve ever seen in a competition - how was it for you as a sailor to have those conditions to compete in?
“The conditions were absolutely insane. By far the best I’ve ever had in Fuerteventura and possibly some of the best I’ve had throughout my career on the PWA. It was honestly like a skatepark.
The whole day I was watching from the apartment and I just couldn’t wait to get on the water and sail the double elimination. It was a great fight with Yentel [Caers], and the heat he had with Balz [Müller] before mine was incredible too. I actually watched their whole heat from the beach before it was my turn to go.
It was very memorable and those conditions really allowed us to show what Freestyle is. I think it was a very good thing for the sport.”
What drives you to innovate the sport?
“We see that new moves score really well on tour and that motivates me a lot as a rider to keep pushing. Learning a new trick properly and then being able to do it in competition is something that really excites me.
It also keeps the sport interesting instead of seeing the same things over and over again. Imagine if every rider brought just one new trick every year - the whole tour would look completely different from year to year. I think the sport is heading in the right direction.”
Before the event in Fuerteventura you landed a shifty into forward and beforehand you admitted you were scared before going out - how do you personally push through those boundaries and would you have any tips for recreational sailors wanting to break out of their comfort zone?
“I think fear is there to protect us. Back in the day, if we didn’t have fear, we’d probably die pretty easily from a lion, a big wave or a big fall. So fear is there to help us, which doesn’t always mean it’s necessary.
I try to see it as a signal my brain is sending me to be cautious and present. That fear never really leaves. The thing that changed over time is that I got a much better feeling for my equipment, so I’m more in control. Even when I’m trying something new like the shifty forward, I’ve done so many shifties and so many forwards that I know where I am within each movement of the trick.
But fear is still something I’m dealing with all the time when I’m trying new things or going out in big conditions. It’s about managing it and not letting it consume you, but instead using those butterflies in your belly in a good way.”
After Fuerteventura, you then travelled to Tenerife to compete in the waves - where you earned a brilliant fourth place, which is by far your best result to date in the waves - was this result a bit of a shock for you? And what have you specifically been working on?
“Tenerife was interesting because I went there as a challenger just hoping to make it into the main event. Once I got into the main event I was already happy. Then I won my first heat, which put me straight into the top 16, so by that point my goal was already reached and the pressure was kind of off.
From there I just thought, how cool would it be to keep going? I had nothing to lose. I came from winning the freestyle in Fuerte and I’d already achieved my best wave result, so I just pushed and believed that I could do it.
That’s probably the biggest thing this event taught me - to believe in myself in wave too. In freestyle I know I can do it. In wave, Tenerife made me realise that I can do it too.
I just went out and did my thing, did my push forwards, my doubles and ended up making the semi. Qualifying from the quarterfinal into the semi was probably the best feeling I had throughout the whole event. Then making the final felt amazing, but at that point it almost felt like a video game. I was coming out of the water, everyone was cheering and I couldn’t really believe it because I never saw myself as one of those guys.
But when I actually think about it, my jumps are decent. The main thing I really need to work on now is my wave riding. I happened to get some good waves during the event and that really paid off.
Once I made the final I had no pressure anymore, which actually worked against me a little. I felt like I had to prove that I belonged in the final, and that mentality didn’t really work out. But it didn’t matter. I was extremely happy with the result and I know now that this wave thing is going to work out.”
In the past we’ve seen guys like Ricardo Campello, Kauli Seadi and Marcilio Browne switch from Freestyle to Waves with great success - is competing on the full Wave Tour something you aspire to do in the future?
“Yes. I want to be wave world champion.
I really want to do the whole Wave Tour, possibly already next year depending on my schedule. At the very least I want to be there for four full events, which should help my wave ranking a lot.
I think freestyle is a great stepping stone into wave. Just like the guys you mentioned, a lot of great wave sailors came from freestyle. It teaches you how to handle the gear in a very precise way and gives you a really good feeling for the equipment.
So yes, I definitely see myself competing on the full Wave Tour.”
Sylt is now just a few weeks away - how are you feeling ahead of the event as you look to win your second world title?
“I’m not thinking about the world title. I’m not even thinking about the event win. I just want to sail as well as I can, ideally cross the 40-point mark in every heat, and do my thing when I compete.
I really enjoy this pressure. Every time I compete it shows up a little bit differently, but it’s similar at the same time. I’m just excited to see what it’s going to feel like this time.
I’m very confident in my windsurfing right now. I know that if I sail well, I have a very good chance of winning.
Thanks Chris.”
Cheers Lennart. Congrats on a great summer and see you in Sylt.