Live your dreams: as a life motto, this is actually known as a hackneyed phrase in the form of a wall tattoo in the living room of a frustrated thirty-something. But in Lars Bubelach's case, this slogan is brought to life by reality. The 19-year-old high school graduate is on the verge of making his next few years a dream without losing sight of reality.
Hi, Lars. How nice that we can meet you despite your exam period for the Abitur. We hope you've already weathered many storms this year.
Preparations for the Abitur have gone well so far and I've been able to learn a lot. Nevertheless, I allowed myself the luxury of going out on the water during the stormy days. I really enjoyed these days as I was able to switch off completely and leave the stress behind me while windsurfing. Windsurfing is also a great way for me to unwind. Sometimes I just need to really let off steam to clear my head - so I can concentrate on my studies again.
At what age did you start windsurfing? On the water, you often see your father sharing the waves with you. Did you learn the sport from him?
I had my first experience with a surfboard and sail when I was five or six years old. I was chugging back and forth with a 1.5 metre sail. However, I also played basketball at a higher level in the national team for a while and therefore wasn't always able to windsurf. When I was twelve, however, I focussed on water sports again. My parents have been surfing for a very long time, my father even for 40 years. So of course he was always very happy when we went to the sea together as a family and spent time on the water together. I got my passion for windsurfing from my family, and together with my father we still often share a few waves.
You live in Neumünster. That's the perfect location. You can get to the Baltic Sea and the North Sea in no time. Tell us what your everyday life is like when you're not studying.
That's right. Neumünster has the best location for getting to the Baltic and North Sea quickly. I check the wind forecast every day and am always happy when green to orange colours are displayed in Klitmøller over the weekend. Then I usually pack my van on Thursdays and drive to Denmark straight after school on Friday - and then make my way home on Sundays after the last session. If everything goes well, I then spend around seven hours a day on the water. But I can also get out on the water almost every day during the week. I only need just under 90 minutes to get to both Sankt Peter Ording and Heiligenhafen. Especially in summer, when the days are longer, I often have a lot of fun and can burn off energy and train well.
Last year you were able to ride the entire PWA Youth Tour. You even spent almost a month in Gran Canaria and trained hard there. What did you take away from this time?
Last year was my first time in Gran Canaria. I shared a flat with Sebastian Bail and you directly at the spot. As I was able to train a lot two weeks before the World Cup, I already knew the spot a bit. During the first sessions, it felt unusual to go into a forward loop with a 3-power sail, but over time I got used to it - and I felt more confident. Unfortunately, we didn't have the best conditions in the U-20 category during the World Cup, but this event was still a highlight of the season. I was able to learn a lot from others, pushed myself enormously with friends and enjoyed the feeling of freedom. I was also able to win a heat against one of the Pozo locals, took a lot away with me and felt well prepared for the upcoming competitions.
Going into a front loop in Pozo with a 3-power sail fully overpowered feels very unusual at first. - Lars Bubelach
The World Cup in Denmark started just two months later, where you were able to compete against a strong field of competitors. Are you happy with your performance?
The last PWA tour stop was awesome. The forecast predicted strong winds and high waves. Fortunately, my school was very accommodating and exempted me from school activities for this competition - which increased my anticipation. Having spent almost all my holidays in Denmark for many years, I knew the tricks of the trade and what was important in the competition. I managed to win a few heats in the U-20 category and defended my fourth place in the double elimination. I gained a lot of great experience and had a great time with friends. I also learnt what mistakes I made. And in my opinion, mistakes like that are hugely important for choosing different strategies next time.
You can tell that the area around Cold Hawaii is a kind of home spot for you. In 2020, you took third place at the Youth PWA in Klitmøller and have already stood at the top of the podium at the Danish Open. What makes this area so special for you? And what do you associate with Denmark?
Denmark is like a second home for me and my family, and my sister now even lives in Cold Hawaii. Even as a baby, I always travelled to Klitmøller with my family. When I started school, we spent almost all our holidays there - I got to spend a lot of time on the water. For me, Klitmøller and Hanstholm are the best spots in the whole of Northern Europe. Firstly, the journey from home is relatively short, and secondly, you have the opportunity to have good conditions in almost all wind directions. Over time, we have made many friends up there and are always surprised by the hospitality. It simply never gets boring here - and you have a good mix of good and difficult conditions. This mix in particular makes this region unique. I think it's important to train even in difficult conditions, because at competitions you can also have bad luck with the wind and waves, so you have to convince the judges with jumps and wave rides in sub-optimal conditions.
Your Instagram page shows that you're often out and about on a freestyle board. What significance does this have for waveriding?
For me, freestyling is the perfect complement to wave riding, as you can still have fun on days with few waves, broaden your horizons and get a better feeling for sailing. Freestyling teaches me lots of moves that I can later transfer to the wave. For example, a flaka is a good start to learning the taka in the waves. However, my focus is still on the wave discipline.
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As soon as you have your school-leaving certificate in your hands, you'll be travelling far away, right? What are your plans for this season - and where do you see yourself in five years' time? Studying, training? Or just windsurfing?
Yes, after my A-levels I would like to focus solely on windsurfing for a year. A lot of travelling, training and seeing the most beautiful corners of the world. In August, I'm flying to Peru with friends to take part in the IWT/PWA competition and ride one of the longest waves ever. I'm really looking forward to that. I also want to take part in the iconic competition in Tiree in Ireland, gain lots of experience and live my dream. In winter, I will then fly to Cape Town with you to prepare for the new season. Travelling like this is of course very expensive, which is why I'm dependent on sponsors and still work at the same time. The two of us are also planning a video project in Iceland, for which we are already in full planning. However, I also realise that windsurfing alone is not financially viable in the long term, which is why I will start studying engineering in the north after the gap year. In five years' time, I can definitely still see myself having a lot of fun and enjoying windsurfing - and I hope to be able to continue practising the sport at a high level.
Fake about Lars Bubelach
- Born:20.4.2004
- Place of residence: Neumünster
- Profession: Pupil/student
- Surfing since: 2010
- Successes: 3rd place PWA U-17 Denmark 2020, Danish Champion Youth Wave Overall 2021, 4th place PWA U-20 Overall 2022
- Favourite spots: Klitmøller, Hanstholm, Weissenhaus
- Favourite moves: Shaka, Taka and Backloop
- Motto: Live your dreams
- Sponsors: Gaastra, Tabou, K4, The Photovoltagier
- Weblinks: Instagram: lars_ger181 , www.bubelach.de
