The American Windsurfing Tour (AWT) saw the final event on Maui a few weeks ago. And it was a little surprise seeing the the 16 year old Bernd Roediger winning the event. The victory at the Maui Makani Classic 2012 was his first big victory in a pro event. We had a little chat with Bernd and asked Kevin Pritchard and Marcilio Browne, who both finished on the podium, for a quick statement. Read more about one of the most upcoming young talents in wave windsurfing!

 

C7: Did you expect a result like this beating all the top names, who have tons of competition experience?

Bernd Roediger: I didn’t expect to win, no.  I mean you always want to go into a contest with two types of goals.  Your lofty goals that are winning, being the best out there, making it all the way.  But then the secondary goals are the realistic ones like making it to the finals, using a Goyter, little things that actually seem achievable.  I didn’t have any plans to win until the first double elimination final where I actually beat Kevin.  That’s when it dawned on me that maybe I can actually go all the way this time.  

 

Bernd took the victory in the double elimination defeating KP twice (Pic: AWT).

 

C7: You see your opponents almost every day out there at Hookipa. Did that help?

Bernd Roediger: It helps to feel at home with your competitors, we are all pretty cool to each other so there’s no negativity going into it.  But there has been like a year’s worth of trash talk going on since last year’s event so the pressure to perform was pretty high!  Now I can literally just shut everybody up by asking them how they did in the contest!  Haha!

 

C7: Did you feel a lot of pressure, when it came up to the finals in the double? Kevin Pritchard is always a hard opponent.

Bernd Roediger: Kevin is a scary dude to compete against!  I mean just when you think he’s down you’ll see him pull one of those classic Wave 3’s and then he’s beating you again!  Still, my dad taught me that the only person in your heat that’s sailing against you is yourself, it’s something he said over and over and now he’s got me repeating it as well!  But it’s true if you freak yourself out, panic, defeat yourself mentally, then it’s all over.

 

Bernd with a great cutback in the super final (Pic: AWT).

 

C7: The finals in the double were tight. What made the difference in the end?

Bernd Roediger: I’ve been looking back on the livecam videos on the AWT website and… I have no idea.  I mean sometimes it looks like I am winning, then Kevin is winning.  If there is one thing that I could point to I’d say it was the fact that I got like two turns in for every turn Kevin got.  That new board I have is pretty amazing.  It’s 6’10”, (which is short even for me!) really wide, and super thin so it just rips like a surfboard.  I’m not just buttering up the sponsors either!  

 

C7: During the finals, did you feel you were sailing like during a free session?

Bernd Roediger: Like I said before, it’s all about you.  If you can beat that negative energy inside you, if you sail that final before you even hit the water, then you have a chance.  So yah, I felt like I was just freesurfing out there.  A lot of people put so much weight into contests, and it messes with their success.  For me, I came into the AWT this year never having made a final, ever.  So I had nothing to loose and everything to gain.  As I starting making final after final this year I realized that I now had something to loose!  But sailing here at my home break during the event made me realize that no contest is going to change me.  Or take away what I have seen or felt.  I’ve been here for eight years, half of my lifetime, and nothing is going to take away what I have here.  

 

16 year old Bernd nails perfect Aerials at Hookipa (Pic: AWT).

 

 

C7: What´s your next goal? You have won one of the most prestigous contest beating a worldclass fleet? Will you compete in Europe as well?

Bernd Roediger: The next good day after the event I sailed Hookipa and so did everyone else.  My goal is to keep doing that.  Regardless of contests, rankings, and all the other stuff that comes with it we have an amazing gift.  Not just sun and surf but the ability to doing something that we love.  That love teaches us so much about ourselves and I couldn’t imagine a more valuable prize than that.  

Ultimately I have to go try the other side of the world, the other side of windsurfing!  It would be absolutely mental to go do some gnarly jumping in Pozo!  Either way, this year is going to be pretty insane.  Starting off with a monstrous El Nino winter here on Maui!  In fact, it’s about time for me to get out there…  Thanks to C7 for the interview!

 

 

Kevin Pritchard’s (36) comment on his finals in the double, which he lost both against 16 year old Bernd Roediger:

 

KP: “For the conditions that we had I feel like I sailed as good as I could.  There was not any wind and the waves were tiny. I had some good wave rides, some 360’s, I wanted to do some Takas but if there’s  no wind I have a hard time to do them on a single fin. I have watched the video of all the waves and it must have been really close. We have totally different styles, he sailed great. He is light and tweaks, where I feel like I have a more power turn. It definitely was not my conditions out there, but I gave it my all. If I could do it all over I just wish we had better waves and a bit more wind.  I also wish I had the right set up for a big Air Taka to show that I am not all old school. I saw the poll on continentseven and was like man I got to show the people some new style 🙂 I sure still like a good big power turn like from JP then a small little slidy Taka, but that is me.  Different stokes for different folks.  Bernd ripped up for sure and has a bright future at Hookipa. Congrats! 

 

KP won the single, but had a hard time in the light conditions of the double, but nailed perfect wave 360 (Pic: AWT).

 

 

Marcilio Browne’s (23) comment:

 

“The Maui Makani Classic  was a very fun event for me, just good to come back, settle down for a few days and do an event at the same time. It was a crazy summer so I was just happy to be sailing on shorts with some great waves and friends. I am happy with my 3rd place finish. I felt like I improved a bit my heats as I was advancing and also learned a bit from mistakes I made. Now looking forward for the upcoming weeks and hopefully we can get some good swells any time. And about Bernd I have to add: 

I think he was ripping and having a very good wave selection!”

 

Marcilio with massive airtime in between the waveriding only heats of the Maui Makani Classic (Pic: AWT).

 

Results Pro men Maui Makani Classic:

 

1. Bernd Roediger 

2. Kevin Pritchard

3. Marcilio Browne

4. Camille Jubon (Tourwinner)

5. Robby Swift

 

If you are interested in all results of the AWT click in the tour website here

 

© continentseven.com 2012

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