The Coffee Break Interview – with Amaury Lavernhe

The Coffee Break Interview ? What’s that new format ? Not familiar with the new Spongercity.com interview format ? It’s basically short interviews with pros that we’ll be doing regularly on the website with unusual questions that are not just related to bodyboarding. We’ll ask questions about books, life, girls, whatever, but not bodyboarding-related questions or only weird ones… Different approach, different questions, the time of a coffee break basically… The rules are simple: The questions are not your classic ones and the last rider being interviewed chooses who’s gonna be interviewed after him (or her) !

This month Amaury Lavernhe did us the favour to be our guest for this new Coffee Break Interview as Jeff Hubbard suggested Amaury as our new Coffee-Break-Interviewed rider. Thanks Amaury for taking the time to answer our questions.

Read the interview, enjoy and discover who we’ll interview next at the end of Amaury’s interview as Amaury has choosen his successor for the next Coffee Break interview.

I saw you this morning at Banzai La Graviere in SW France, how was it ? Any good ones ?
AL: Im doing really good thanks!! Good times in France in this warm summer. Waves been really good yesterday and today and im glad to be a part of it. It was the first time i was surfing La Graviere like this and this is a serious beachie…guys been ripping and im happy that 300 people, maybe more, on the beach saw what i saw..

What are you doing in Europe ? Here for the comps ?
AL: I was in Reunion in July training and enjoying home. After the first attack of Alexandre Rassiga, i left Home to visit my girl friend in Spain and then i ve been in my familly in France. I came down the coast to surf, visit some friends and sponsors and i ve been really lucky with this swell.
Im going monday in Portugal, i will stay one week with PLC then jump with the Hubb Brothers during the Sintra Pro.

Situation is out of control in Reunion Island with sharks and officials who didn’t pay attention until now and French government taking the situation lightly as usual. What’s your opinion on this ?
AL: We could write a book about what is happening in Reunion at the moment. In my point of view we are in a really serious situation and the worst is that some people already predict this situation more than one year ago.
The gouvernemnt did not listen anything and today they are trying to find a solution but in my point of view nothing they could do will change anything. Do you think people would put their children in the water even if 1000 sharks are dead…
I really hope that one day we will surf again in Reunion as the potentiel is pretty amazing.
For my side i will go back in Reunion to visit my friends, enjoying other activities at home and focus on spear fishing witch is the only way to enjoy the ocean over there right now.

Ok, back to lighter subjects, what are you doing tonight ? Party with everyone downtown Hossegor or sleep early to score tomorrow morning ?
AL: Yes sleep early pretty much every night and getting ready for the day after even if the surf if not good. So much thing to do on this planet and i need energy to enjoy it…

It looks like SW France is packed with boogieboarding world champs these days hey ! PLC is here in Hossegor, you’re here, Winny who’s having a good shot at the title this year is here. Must be very Frenchy to win stuff recently ?
AL: yes pretty funny how we were all togeither in the water the other day. August is not the best month for this part of the globe and this is a chance that we are here at the same time. Winny came in France to discovering our culture with his familly, Pierre came for visit his familly and for the swell and me i did not even watch forcast before going down.
About winning comps i think my story and Pierre’s one are really connected as we are really good friends but also really competitive and inspiring each other. Yes we are french but from differents cultures and our titles results from a healthy mix of factors.
About Winny this guy is a legend and he is inspiring me so much. To have two child, moving to an other country and killing the world tour like this…its amazing!!
Im sure his time in France would help him to achieve his dream!!

The IBA tour seems to struggle with finance and sponsors this year, hard times for bodyboarding and other sports as well, what do you reckon ?
AL: I reckon that its always been hard in bodyboarding but we still really lucky with what we have.
Last year we had an amazing tour, this year looks really good, even if Mexico almost did not happen.
I think the world tour is doing good and people who work into it are doing the best job to make things happening.
There is a crisis in the world for sure but honestly we are so lucky to have a passion, im so lucky to leave from my passion and the bodyboarding community is a really rich familly but forget money..we are talking about natural happiness and sharing vibrations.

Who’s gonna win this year ?
AL: i would put my money on Winny but everything is possible specialy with rider like Jeff, Rawlins, Plc…

What have you been reading lately ? Any good books to share ?
AL: im reading a book that i had for my birthday called The Bible of a Natural Health..
i also like book of Jean Christophe Grange or Michel Connely..you start and you cant stop, is the way i like to read..

Latest website you’ve checked ?
AL: i checked something about the 7th continent..
An area in the north Pacific where you can find a collection of waste as big as 6 time France…

Latest girl you fell in love with ?
AL: A red moon called Malennhy..

Latest addiction ?
AL: TRX…

Latest tatto ?
AL: Hawaii last February to celebrate a new start in my life…

What inspires you in life ? And who inspires you in the water ?
AL: My main inspiration is the Nature and people who take care of it. Also everyone who fight to realise a dream, to go further, to go faster, to go harder…
My mum and my grand father are big inspiration for me as all my best friends at home and on this planet.
In the water i get inspired by pretty much all guys..depends witch type of waves and witch type of ride.
Everyone who have passion fro bodyboarding could inspire me.

What pisses you off ?
AL: People who destroy the planet slowly buy surely!!

Is there a question we shouldn’t ask you ?
AL: If i like my life because you already know the answer..

If there’s a question you’d love us to ask, what would it be ?
AL: Do you want an other world title?

If there’s something you could change in your surfing what would you change ?
AL: I like the way i surf but i still have so much things to learn..i would love to be 100% polyvalent with a perfect balance.

If there’s a place you could surf but have never surfed before, where would you go ?
AL: Somewhere warm, blue, rampy, shallow, isolated….

If you could do a non surf-related trip and visit a cool place on planet earth, which place would you go ?
AL: i would go cruising in south America for months!!

Do you have a girlfriend at the moment ? Is it better to have one as an athlete when you do the tour or better not to have one ?
AL: yes i have a girl friend and to answer to the second question i would say that all depends on the relation you have with her. My girl friend give me so much energy to realise my goals and to keep going as strong as i can.
The right girl would give you energy, balance, happiness and so much positive things..is the way i see my relationship today, something new, something unique, something healthy…
With the life i have if the main base of the relation ship is not confidence its over…Gracias Male!!

What boards are you riding now ? What size ? Kids always want us to ask which core and specs ? PE is pretty much dead and everybody’s back to PP now it seems ? Have you tried that NRG core with lower density PP ? We wanna know it all !
AL: Im surfing PP most of the time. yesterday i tried for the first time the NRJ core and it seems confortable and with a good flex in fresh water.
i used to surf some 41,5 recently, pretty narrow for a rail to rail line and really thin for grip and confort.
On my last customs i ask a 41 a bit wider and the board look amazing. its hard to find the perfect shape with perfect options, there are some much possibility and i like to try different things.
yes the new PE is average but for really cold water could be good like winter in France for exemple.
My stock board is really close to the board i surf nopw and for 2013 it would be even closer with the exact options im riding now.
I really like DK too, im riding with the shape of my prone board but with double stringer and a board a bit longer (42)

You seem to be really into fitness and stretching and stuff, how important is it to perform well ? Any advice for bodyboarders ?
AL: its really important to have a perfect balance between flexibility and strength. Bodyboarding is a pretty young sport and no one have really study a specific training.
To be fit is really important for your performance but also to avoid injury.
Your body is a high tech machine and you should treat it as such.
The base is to warm up before surf and stretch after…

I think Jeff (Hubbard) who chose you for this interview says you dont drink coffee or dont like coffee too much, is that true ? How ironic for a “coffee break break” interview ? Do you drink tea or something else ?
AL: yes i actually hate the taste of coffee but i really love green tea and water in general..the body fuel..

Last but not least: Who should we interview next ? It’s the tradition in the Spongercity.com Coffee Break Interviews to choose who’s gonna be interviewed next, we dont choose the riders, you choose!
AL: yes i would say Alex Uranga..

Thanks heaps for your time mate ! See you around here ! Yewww

Cheers, Merci Amaury !
Theo