From 2021 onwards, the EFPT will organise and host rookies camps prior to as many EFPT events on the calendar as possible. The past years and the high attendance of juniors entering the the U16 and U18 division, made it even more obvious that there are in fact numerous young freestylers out there. However, we would not only like to address the kids/juniors who already entered an EFPT competition, but the ones who are already training freestyle but had to face too many questions and hurdles in order to enroll in an international competition. Those boys and girls all over the world have a huge potential, they represent the future of the sport and will certainly benefit from a professional coaching to take their skills to the next level.

With the EFPT Rookies Camps, the EFPT and their supporting brands, will host two to three days of freestyle and competition training before the official events will kick off. We address all freestylers, boys and girls of the age 18 and under to join our pro coaches on site and train tactics, heats, moves and meet the pros for Q & As.

The headcoach at every camp will be top German freestyler Julian Wiemar (Starboard / Severne). Julian might be joined by another EFPT pro rider of the respective region the camp takes place at, depending on the number of attendees.

 

EFPT Rookies Camp Lake Neusiedl, Austria – U18

The first ever EFPT rookies Camp will take place at lake Neusiedl, on the 20th and 21st of April, prior the first EFPT freestyle event of the season: the Surf Opening in Neusiedl am See.

Julian Wiemar states: ’Do you want to learn more about freestyle windsurfing contests, how to compete, and you’d like to push yourself on the water with a group of other rookies? Come and join our first official Rookie Camp and get ready and confident for the EFPT competition in Neusiedl.’

 

HARD FACTS:

Registration: For registration please klick HERE / Sign-Up closes the 19th of April.
Maximum Attendance: 10 riders U18 (due to local COVID restrictions)
Meeting Point Start: Tuesday 20th April 9:30 – 10:00 am @ Surf und Segelschule Nordstrand in Podersdorf.
End: Wednesday evening 21st of April after the prize giving around 8:00 pm.
Equipment: Participants can store their equipment at the surf school for two days during the camp.
Costs: 2 Day Camp 150€ per person
If there are kids who can only join the afternoons after school from 2pm, they’ve got the option to pay 50€ less and join in. The schedule gets adjusted, so they won’t miss the most important elements of the camp.

COVID Safety

We are all well aware of the difficult situation all over the world concerning the COVID pandemic. Prior to each camp, we will get local authorities to sign off on the program and make sure that local guidelines are met and the safety of the participants is guaranteed. In Austria it is allowed to run an outdoor training camp with one to two coaches, that need to show a valid antigen test. The minimum distance of 2 meters will be enforced at all times.

Daily schedule

The following is just a general schedule. It can drastically change depending on the wind and weather forecast. For example if it’s only windy in the morning, the day can take place in reverse order. Also if there is kids, that can only join in the afternoon because of school, the schedule might get adjusted according to that.

Day 1

Morning: Registration and meeting everyone at the event area or the Surfcenter.
Forenoon: Learning about competition format (scoring, flags, timing, area, judging etc.)
Lunch: Eating all together, preferably close to the spot or at the EFPT event organizers center.
Afternoon: Exploring the spot, learning about the prevailing wind directions, currents, tides (or also dangers of the spot)
Late afternoon: Hitting the water for 1-2 hours, sailing all together, having fun, practicing moves, the coach is giving tips or he will be filming for the video analysis.
Evening: Meeting other pros

Day 2

Morning: Reviewing last evenings session and analyzing moves that were filmed. The coach will give individual tips. And in demand, he will also individually recommend which moves to use in the heat and plan a basic heat strategy.
Forenoon: Hitting the water again, practice more.
Lunch: Time for a break and food. We’ll need the energy!
All afternoon: Practice-competition (trying to make is as real as possible).
Evening: Prize-giving and dinner

We asked Julian Wiemar about his motivation to coach and help run the camps:
‚Growing up far from the sea with the goal of making the top ten in international freestyle competitions one day, I went trough all the blood, sweat and tears involved in getting there. With over ten years of international competition experience and all my lessons learned, I became the German Freestyle Champion in 2017, followed by a 7th place overall on the EFPT Tour in 2018 and a top ten result during the PWA Worldcup on Bonaire in 2019. Missing heats as a rookie myself at one of the first EFPT kids events at Brouwersdam in 2010, setting up my watch wrong or loosing a couple of heats by less then a point, I know how hard it can be, because I’ve been there, and that’s why I also know what to teach a rookie today. I’m looking forward to finally spread the knowledge I gained over the years and I can’t wait to see everyone improve, learn and just gain confidence before the actual event kicks off. And to see a rookie sailing a good first heat afterwards and hopefully winning one, will be an amazing reward. Sign up and let’s get it!’