Valeska SchneideR

Professional Surfer

About Valeska

A brave for the wave - Waves for a brave

People used to tell me "You could have had such a great surfing career if you had started surfing as a child"

I had to overcome quite a few challanges to get there where I am today. But maybe it was precisely these conditions that gave me the necessary motivation and ambition to achieve my goal in a male-dominated world. That made me a stronger person and I value more what I achieved.

Being born and raised in a small Bavarian town far away from any ocean isn´t exactly the best prerequisite becoming a professional surfer. But also no one thought of Bethany Hamillton would surf again after she lost her arm during a shark attack.

When I first came into contact with the sport during a semester abroad in Australia, I was immediately blown away.I was already a lot older than the average, but I knew I had to pursue this dream...

„Small steps towards big Goals to reach dreams.“

I decided to start working with professional coaches and pretty much trained in any conditions even when it was windy and the waves really messy. At first I had to take a lot of setbacks, but every small victory got me further than any defeat. I think if you're really passionate about something, it's not about being the best at it.

It's about meeting your own standards to fulfill your personal dream - and that finally happend in 2017 when I qualified for the German National team to compete in the ISA World Surfing Games. In 2019 I added the discipline rapid surfing (surfing on stationary waves) with the goals winning the Citywave World Tour and Rapid Surf League. Over the years I professionalized my training more and more and which turned my alleged weakness - being a late starter at age 20 - into a strength.
Today I am one of the few women in the world who can do this dream job full-time!