There are still more than four months until the start of the World Cup skispringer in Wisla, Poland. The preparations for the season with the Germans have long been in full swing – in addition to hundreds of training jumps, there are also fun activities with the team.
Focused, Markus Eisenbichler straightens his helmet, then he goes down the hill – this time, however, a water hill. He hits the take-off, twists a stretched backflip and then unexpectedly lands on his back in the lake with a heavy splash. Eisenbichler reappears groaning. His teammates and the coaching staff suffer marginally – just as they cheer every successful jump.
On the Wasserschanze in Villach, Austria, it’s about body control, about overcoming, but above all about having fun together. “I think it’s important to bring fun back into the game away from the ski jump and not just train dullly.”says Eisenbichler, while in the background the next jumper is already spinning spectacularly through the air.
Pre-season: mix of home training and courses
The atmosphere in the German team is good, the motivation high. “Sure, there are always bad days, but I think you have them everywhere. I enjoy it, I always look forward to training”says Karl Geiger, to the world at largecup-Second of last season.
For him and his teamcolleagues, the pre-season consists of a mix of home training and joint courses. At home, the focus is on athletic training. In the courses, the athletes gain important flying experience on different hills. So the DSV eagles each do about 400 to 500 training jumps. “Summer is the most important time. Now we’re learning that skijump”explains national coach Stefan Horngacher.
Training on World Cup hills in Planica
In this pre-season, there are three courses in Planica, Slovenia, where the Nordics are held ski– World Cup next year. “We try to collect as many jumps as possible on the two World Cup hills”, says Horngacher. The first training sessions took place in Planica last week. The feeling on the normal hill is still manageable, says Karl Geiger: “It took me a little while to make friends.”
There are still eight months until the World Cup. For Markus Eisenbichler, the highlight of the season is already there: “This World Cup is a big goal for me. I think it will be in a great atmosphere – like it always is in Planica. The Slovenians just go crazy there.”
And then there is another highlight of the season: the Four Hills Tournament. Last winter it didn’t want to work out with a German overall victory. “Don’t be sad, we’ll get there at some point in the next few years. I’ll keep going until someone of us erases this thing”promises Eisenbichler.