ASI Surf Instructor Liesi Ziegelwanger, from Austria

AUSTRIA.  ASI Surf Instructor Liesi Ziegelwanger is from Austria, land-locked country based in the middle of Europe.  So not somewhere you would expect to find an international surf champion!

ASI Surf Instructor Liesi Ziegelwanger is just that. An Austrian born and bred she left the snowy mountains behind to live in the UK where she first tried surfing in 2000. She had never even seen surfing before coming to the UK. She saw it on a poster and thought; “I’d like to try that”. She was living and working in the north of England in when she made the decision to travel all the way to Cornwall to learn to surf, a 400-mile drive.

On her first lesson, she stood up and was thus hooked on the sport, making the 800-mile round trip most weekends, through the night to surf and be back home in time for work on Monday morning. In 2002, she made the move to Cornwall and qualified as a surf instructor.

She went on to become the Austrian ladies surfing champion in 2009/20010 and a competitive surfer in the UK.

After many years honing her surf coach skills she is now in the process of setting up a new surf school with owner and manager Claire Williams. The new school Sandy Acres Surf School will be located on private land above Gwithian Beach in Cornwall, with exclusive access to the beach.

Setting up the school the pair had a lot to consider. Liesi says: “I run a café on the site overlooking the beach and since opening more and more people have come to surf here and enjoy the beach. We wanted to offer surf lessons and surf hire for those staying on the nearby campsites and people visiting the area. There was a lot to consider, namely the demand, the competition, who would run the café for me and the fact that the location is tidal means we will schedule lessons based around that.”

Sandy Acres Surf School plan to offer lessons for all ages and abilities plus a ladies only club and memberships. They intend to offer lessons to small groups only to focus on individuals more with ratios of 6-1 rather than the usual 10-1. Plus, the fact that the location is privately owned means that clients can enjoy beach access when it’s otherwise closed to the public. No crowds!

Liesi is sure to make a success of the new venture. She’s already a successful advanced level personal trainer, a marathon runner, cross country skier and competitive surfer. Her beach café Blue Bay Café has already been mentioned in The Times magazine.

The new Sandy Acres Surf School will be open for the 2018 season with Liesi and all fully qualified ASI coaches on board. We wish them well and look forward to working with them in the future.

ASI (Academy of Surfing Instructors), is the worldwide peak body for Instructors and Coaches in the outdoor recreation and sports industry for surfing, stand up paddle and bodyboarding.

www.academyofsurfing.com
We set the standards for education, accreditation, professional development and ongoing support for our members, offering pathways from entry level to elite level.

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