At first, you might find it strange to find a person, living hundreds of miles away from the sea, to have an interest for surfing. Lara Peterke, a 22 year old student from Germany would at first not appear to be a surfer girl. She lives in a small town in the absolute center of Europe, miles from the ocean. At one point during our conversation however, she lifts up her sweater and exposes her ribcage. As I leaned forward I saw a figure, a tattoo, with the shape of a wave. And here’s where the story begins.
Surfing is a family legacy
Lara Peterke comes from a town called Heidenheim an der Brenz in Germany. With a distance of six hours to nearest ocean, surfing would appear as an almost impossible hobby.
It turns out, however, that Lara’s father is a former windsurfer and her older sister is quite the expert in kitesurfing. One might say it runs in the family, and she’s always been drawn to the sea. “I love the ocean, and it’s such a sorrow for me not to be able to surf every day” she says longingly.
It was only a matter of time until Lara would also stand on top of a surfing board.
Traveling the world
Thanks to an interest for traveling, it was finally during a holiday, when Lara was only 10 years old that she tried windsurfing for the very first time. In her teenage years she later on started regular surfing. “I thought it was so cool to be able catch a wave!” she says as her face lights up in a big smile. Ever since then, Lara has surfed in countries such as France, Italy Spain and Portugal. It has always been necessary to go abroad to catch the good waves.
Student life didn’t suit the surfer lifestyle
As she became a student and moved to Stuttgart, there didn’t seem to be enough time or finances to spontaneously go abroad to surf. And that’s where the tattoo comes in. “ If I wasn’t going to be able to surf, at least I wanted something to feel close to the ocean. Now i will always be able to bring the ocean with me”.
Even though it’s been two years since last time Lara surfed, the interest has not cooled down. For next year, she’s made a promise to herself; “ I am going to Bali”.
Kjellin journalism 