Welcome to the Team Florian Dungl—AKA CageSurfer

We are excited to introduce Flo to the Phase 5 team. Flo is the first tetraplegic worldwide to (wake)-surf. In order to make the impossible possible, Florian and his team developed the Cage - a special device that allows him to get his full power onto the board. We had Flo at our 2023 Team shoot and he had the whole crew stoked to be out and on the water. Read below to get to know Flo a little more and be on the look out for some great content from him.

P5: Flo what made you want to join forces with Phase 5 Wakesurfers?

Flo:  I just knew that this would be a perfect match. Phase 5 have always been pioneers in their game, breaking barriers over and over, always pushing beyond the status quo. I have always felt that this is the only way, to get things rolling – especially in inclusive sports.  So – here we are, happy together, sharing one great vision of making the impossible possible over and over again.

P5: How was the trip Florida for the photo shoot?

Flo:  Mark Walser has great spirit, he was like, when we do it, we do it right! So the guys invited me over to Florida and welcomed me to their world! - Boom! What a blast! From the first moment on, there was this special connection – feeling the vibe, creating the board together, hanging with the crew! The spirit of P5 is amazing! Riding with Phase 5 Legends like Bob Smetts, John, Sean and Drew was the most inspiring thing I can imagine – it was great to see, that on top of the game, it is not about beating the competition, but about inspiring each other, sharing the love for the sport and being together as a family. Joining P5 was like entering a whole new world and meeting old friends at the same time – couldn’t be more grateful!

P5: We know you did some competitions this season how did that go?

Flo:  My 2022 contest were a blast. I broke barriers again, surfing a big wave of success at some of the most renowned international contests. I became the new European Champion in Adaptive Sitboarding at the WWA Nautique European Wakesurf Championship in Windsor/London. And just a few weeks later,  reached a sensational third place at the U.S. Nationals.

 P5: How is your new P5 Cage Board and what was it like creating it?

Flo:  Now, I can definitely tell you, that gear does matter! Before I got my phase 5 was keeping it simple, trying to stay on the wave and find my flow. With the new board, all of this comes natural to me. So I can focus on things that I didn’t even dare to dream of before - like riding goofy, using more of the wave and trying360's!  The Phase 5 took my game to a whole new level.

We definitely took our time to create the perfect board. In the end, we created something, that will have an impact for the whole inclusive sports – this board sets a new standard for adaptive gear!

P5: What are your plans for 2023?

Flo:  For  2023 I want to ride at the World Championships, another goal is, to ride – and win a whole tour. The most important thing for is to make progress for inclusion and double the number of participants in the Austrian inclusive contests!

P5: What is wakesurfing to you? 

Flo:  For me as a tetraplegic, surfing means in front of all exceeding all expectations over and over again – that’s why I ride with phase 5!

1 Response

Flo

Flo

December 05, 2022

It‘s an honor to be part of the family, thx for this amazing interview 🫶♥️🙏

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