The words ‘Up & Coming’ couldn’t be more appropriate when it comes to Leon Schiel. This young shredder appears to have no fear whatsoever, he charges down huge waves when tow foiling, sends all sorts of tricks on his wing, and he’s only 12 years old! Jack Galloway gets in touch with Leon to discover more.

Hi Leon, it’s great to have you join us here at Tonic Mag! Could you start by letting our readers know where you’re from, how old you are, and how long you’ve been doing watersports?

Hi Tonic Mag, I am from Bournemouth, a town on the South Coast of England, where there are some great places to foil. I am twelve years old and I have been doing water sports since I was two. I started with surfing in the warm waters of Cape Verde and also learnt to paddleboard and windsurf. Wing foiling, prone surf foiling, and tow-in are now my passion. 

When did you first try foiling? Did you know straight away that this was the sport for you?

The first time that I tried foiling was about a year and a half ago when I went on an e-foil. I also windsurf foiled a few times after that. But the first time that I went wing foiling was just over a year ago now. When I first wing foiled I thought that it was the worst sport ever! It was a freezing cold northerly wind in Poole Harbour. The water was 7 degrees Celsius. I was just getting so frustrated as I couldn’t do it. But the next time I went out I cracked it and I have loved it ever since.

We’re from the same town, not that we’ve met yet! I’ve been watching your progression since last summer through not only on your Instagram but also by word of mouth. It’s impressive Leon! Do you focus on specific tricks each session or just enjoy it and see what happens?

Normally, when I am trying to land a new trick, I will do it as often as possible. I normally concentrate on one trick at a time. If there are big waves or a lot of wind, I will just send it! But if I am not trying to land a new trick I will just go out there and do what feels right at the time. 

I am pretty consistent landing 360’s, switch 360’s, and switch 540’s if it is windy. Also, I can land back loops if the waves are big enough. 

It must be awesome to have a Dad that is into the same sports as you, can he still keep up? 😉

It is super cool to have a dad that is into the same sports as me because I will always have a partner on the water (he is also an excellent caddy!). He can keep up in the wave sailing discipline of the sport as he comes from a big wave windsurfing background, but I am definitely better at free-styling! 

You were the lucky, (and well deserved!), rider to win the F-ONE Next Generation invitation spot for their trip to Tarifa. What was it like finding out you’d won and how was the trip? 

When I found out that I had won I was absolutely ecstatic. To know that I was going to ride with the world champion was just insane! To be riding on all the new F-ONE kit was so cool as I knew that nearly nobody else had been riding on it before. It was such a well organised event, from the training, the people, the food to the accommodation - all of it was perfect. A nice aspect was riding with people my age and to be able to bounce ideas off them. Also, there was so much stoke when one of us landed a new trick!

What was it like having the world’s best riders coach you? You must’ve learnt loads?

Having the world’s best riders coach me was amazing. The coaches were Titouan Galea, Maxime Chabloz and Nicolas Delmas. To see how well they can ride, and also their style of riding, influences you and makes you a better rider without them even having to say anything to you! I learnt so much from the coaches, not just on the water but off the water as well - such as how to ride with a photographer, how to prepare to be a professional rider, how to stretch to get ready for a session, and also which foods to eat. Of course, we also focused on tricks and I learnt new tricks such as a switch 360 and a backflip. 

Sounds amazing. What's your go-to equipment at the moment?

My go-to equipment at the moment is the Strike V2’s, ranging from 2.5 to 4.5. For the mast 75 or 85 cm carbon. For the foil, either the 530 Escape or the 740 Phantom S, with a XXXS fuselage and stab C250 surf. For the board, I am using 28-litre 4'2 Rocket Surf at the moment, and I have ordered the 20-litre 3’6 Rocket Wing S for high winds and the 36-litre Rocket Wing S carbon for the lighter winds. All the F-one kit performs brilliantly, and I can’t wait to get on the new kit ready for the comps.

Tell our readers about your best ever session?

My best session ever was when I was in Cape Verde this March. The waves were double to triple overhead on the outside and head and a half on the inside, but really clean. The waves just rolled down the coast and were perfect for foiling. It was around 20 knots, and the waves were perfect for boosting off of for big airs. I landed three backflips, but I attempted many more! It was just such a fun sesh!

Wow, that sounds massive! Who do you look to for inspiration?

I look to Christopher McDonald for inspiration. When I met him at the F-ONE Next Generation event in Tarifa, he was just such a nice guy to me, making fun of my British accent many times! He has been pushing the sport to its limits, even though he is only sixteen! I hope to be riding with him again soon - also in some big waves. 

I hear you’re competing on the Youth Wing Foil World Cup this year? What is your training like in preparation for this? 

As I will be competing in the youth world tour my training will be to get as much time on the water as possible and to try as many new tricks as I can. Hopefully, I will get a few days of coaching with the F-ONE pros before the comps. An important aspect is to practice my freestyle run so I can get all my tricks done in time. And for slalom, I want to start racing against my Dad as often as I can for some practice. I will just be trying my best out there!

Finally, what are your goals in foiling right now?

For competing, my goals in foiling right now are to be able to land a flat-water backflip consistently, to be able to land a front flip, and a 720. Another of my goals is to be the youth world champion, and of course to be world champion. For free-riding, my aims are to ride and rip the biggest and cleanest waves possible - and land a backflip riding down the face of the wave. The most important thing for me is to enjoy riding each time.

Thanks, Leon! Look forward to seeing you shredding down the beach, and good luck with the competitions!

By Jack Galloway

Comments