Local surfers gave university competitors at the German contest a course in localism. Photo: Screenshot
French freesurfers ignored lifeguards’ commands and paddled out into the middle of Germany’s official university surfing championships in Seignosse, France. A video posted by German surfer Maya Sauer shows one of the freesurfers dropping into her wave and forcefully pushing her down.
According to Sauer, the local municipality fully sanctioned and permitted the event. Even so, disgruntled locals paddled out to interrupt it.
“The event was fully approved by the city and paid for,” Sauer wrote on Instagram. “All the necessary licenses were in place for that stretch of beach, flags were up, and lifeguards on scene.”
“But still, a big group of freesurfers deliberately paddled out in the contest area,” she added. “They dropped in on us on purpose, yelled at us, insulted us, and got physically aggressive. The lifeguards tried getting everyone out of the water, but they didn’t listen at all.”
Sauer explained that the French surfer pictured in the video refused to apologize after they approached him, while also acknowledging that it can be difficult to watch your local surf spot undergo drastic change.
“The guy from the video who pushed me off the wave seemed to be proud of what he had done, showing no remorse after being confronted,” she said. “And let’s not forget: the contest had official permission for that stretch of beach, and the freesurfers had no right to be in the water during contest hours. On every other day, they’re the locals and may control the lineup, but not then.”
“I totally understand that it’s frustrating when your home spot feels more crowded every year. I’ve been coming to Hossegor for 11 years now, and I’ve seen how the vibe in the water has changed,” she added. “There’s a lot of tension, and learning to deal with that can be tricky. But there’s a line. And violence, especially against women, should never, ever be part of surfing. It breaks my heart to see things heading in this direction. Surfing is supposed to bring people together. We’re all out there because we love the same thing. I hope we don’t lose sight of that.”
Sauer received a flood of support in the comment section of her Instagram post. German Olympic surfer Tim Elter chimed in and said, “I was about to write a book. But I chose not to. We love you, Maya.”
The event website says (via Google Translate) that the festivities include “surfing, a surf flea market, beach volleyball and spikeball tournaments, live concerts, and parties in a bungalow village right behind the dunes.”
The German university surfing championships, which run from June 14 to 21, are open to students of any state-recognized university in Germany. This year marks the 20th edition of the event.
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