Island Games x German Freestyle Battles
Rügen Rocks: The wind and a laid-back setting drew people to the freestyle event on the Baltic Sea.
On the weekend of June 13 and 14, a group from the German freestyle scene gathered at the UMMAII Surf Station in Suhrendorf on the island of Ummanz (Rügen) to compete against each other as part of the Island Games. The competition on Rügen was held in cooperation with the German Freestyle Battles.
Right on time for the start, the forecast westerly wind picked up. Gusts topped the 30-knot mark, and the wind held steady through Sunday.
The double-elimination format allowed for a full range of competition. In addition to the main field, there was a B division. Participants were grouped not by age or gender, but by skill level: anyone who had not yet mastered maneuvers beyond the air jibe competed in the B fleet. This ensures that even lower skill levels can compete fairly and without stress at the Island Games.
For the first time, a digital scoring system was used for judging, allowing scores to be displayed directly on a screen.
In the single-elimination bracket, it wasn’t the Island Games’ perennial champion, Markus Marsand, who took first place. He lost to Foivos Tsoupras. In the double-elimination bracket, however, Marsand showed that he can perform even under pressure.
He defeated Foivos in the first final of the double-elimination. That tied the score at 1–1, and a tiebreaker was needed to decide the winner. Markus kept his cool. With a lead of just 2.5 points, he defeated Foivos Tsoupras.
Mathias Genkel prevailed against newcomer Gabriel Leirbag in the battle for third place.
In the B division, one woman made quite an impression. Fiona Jendrzi from Leipzig was the only woman in the entire field to win, finishing ahead of Kurt Rosenow and Tim Julier.
At the Island Games, the focus is now on the Wave discipline. If suitable wind conditions arise in the coming weeks, the planned Wave competition will take place before the end of this year. Otherwise, the second standby phase in September will offer another chance for a Freestyle rematch and the Wave event.
Results:
A-Fleet
1. Markus Marsand
2. Foivos Tsoupras
3. Mathias Genkel
4. Gabriel Leirbag
5. Pascal Mikolajski
6. Roman Handke
7. Leon Struppeck
8. Loris Vietoris
9. Thies Romig
10. Philipp Grzybowski
11. Lars Rumberg
12. Fiona Jendrzi
13. Silvio Finke
14. Kurt Rosenow
15. Tim Julier
16. Manuel Tröster
17. Herrmann Behrndt
B Fleet:
1. Fiona Jendrzi
2. Kurt Rosenow
3. Tim Julier
4. Herrmann Behrndt
Links:
island-games-ruegen.de/
www.ummaii.de
The surf school is located on the grounds of the Regenbogen Camp.
www.regenbogen.ag/ferienanlagen/ummanz.html
June 19, 2026 © DAILY DOSE | Text: Christian Tillmanns, Philipp Grzybowski | Fotos/Grafiken: Island Games Rügen | translation: DE
