The number of participants in the U13 regatta classes is usually very manageable - not so in the Olympic junior class Techn0 293. 40 to 50 youngsters regularly compete for the title at world and European championships. It's not just masses, but also a lot of class at the start. In 2022, Moritz Schleicher, a young surfer from southern Germany, won both the European and World Championship titles.
A classic start to a career: father takes son windsurfing. Was it the same for you?
Not at all, I saw a lot of windsurfers whizzing back and forth in Loutsa Bay in 2018. I thought that was really cool, I just wanted to try it out.
You're about to hit the board in the Mediterranean?
We, my parents, my sister Emma and I, moved from Erding to Athens because my father works at the German embassy there. My father wanted to sign me up for a course at a surf club near our house - but they didn't take me because they said I was too small. Then we tried the next one and it worked out.
Your first day of surfing? Right away with Techno 293?
No, it was such a soft beginner's board with a 1.5 square metre sail. I swam more, but I really wanted to keep going.
Now you're in a proper training group there. Tell us what goes on there?
We have a group with our own coach, around 25 to 30 young people aged 10 to 17. We are a homogeneous unit and train four days a week on the water in small regattas with starts, jibes, speed between two buoys, pumping intervals - but also theory such as tactics and rules. We also do strength training twice a week. But sometimes we also mess around, even the coach joins in. It's just fun.
So you started at the age of eight and then went to the European and World Championships at eleven?
At the 2021 European Championships, I started in the U15 category to get started and learn, because there was a large field entered. My coach thought that I could learn more in the U15 category. But things went downhill at 35 knots.
At Lake Garda in the same year, you finished 5th out of 60 kids in your first World Championships in the U13 age group after 15 races. And even won one race. How did that happen?
I was able to put the experience I first gained at the European Championships into practice really well at the World Championships. My starts were particularly good. At first, my strengths were mainly in light to medium winds, but now I also sail well in strong winds.
Was the turbo ignited in 2022?
You could say that, the two titles at the European Championships and World Cup were of course the crowning glory.
Your sister Emma is 15 and also surfs regattas. Do you compete often?
She's only in training, at regattas she starts with the girls. She's really good, in strong winds she's usually ahead, she's also bigger and heavier.
What's next? Still using Techno 293 or switching to iQFOiL Youth soon?
From 2023 onwards, I'll be riding two tracks at the European and World Championships, continuing with Techno 293 and learning on iQFOiL Youth. At the end of the year, we'll see whether I switch to foil completely. BSV coach Diederik Bakker will also be coming to Greece soon to watch us.
There is now also material support from the Bavarian Sailing Association. What exactly does it look like?
The BSV provides Emma and me with two complete iQFOiL Youth boards with rigs on a loan basis.
Are there any other goals you would like to achieve?
My goal since Estonia was to win the European Championship and World Championship titles at U13 level. I achieved that in 2022. But I'm not preparing for a specific ranking. I just want to do as well as possible.
Will you continue to sail with GER? Or will you, like Lennart Neubauer, switch to GRE?
There's no way I'm going to do that. I'm staying German!
Are there any other disciplines for you besides the Techno 293 centreboard? Slalom, freestyle, wave?
Slalom from time to time, very rarely freestyle - I'm a complete loser there. Sometimes I go kitesurfing, or SUPing when it's calm.
As a regatta surfer, you join the DWSV class association and a DSV club. Your profile says "Die Schwimmflöhe e.V.". A somewhat unusual club for a windsurfer. How come?
Emma and I needed German sailing numbers and a DSV club very quickly for the 2021 European Championships. Because we're from Bavaria, DWSV youth department head Thomas Poggemann brought us to Bad Endorf to join the Schwimmflöhe, who also offer windsurfing.
In conclusion: What do you want to be one day? An Olympic victory perhaps?
I don't think that far ahead and don't have a specific goal - but I work in small steps from year to year. If the Olympics come around, I will of course be happy to take part.
Info about Moritz Schleicher
- Born:19.7.2010
- Place of residence: Athens and Oberding (near Erding/Munich)
- Profession:Pupil (German High School Athens)
- Size/weight: 160 cm/44 kg
- Surfing since: 2018
- Regatta debut: 2019 at the Techno 293
- Successes: 23rd place U15 European Championships Tallinn/Estonia 2021, 5th place U13 World Championships Torbole 2021, European Champion U13 Cagliari/Sardinia 2022, World Champion U13 Limassol/Cyprus
- Favourite spots:Loutsa /Lake Garda
- Favourite discipline: Foil windsurfing
- Favourite moves:Forward loop with the Techno 293
- Hobbies: Biking, up to U11 ice hockey with Erding Gladiators
- Supporter:My father
- Instagram: moritz.schleicher_ger747
