The 74th Four Hills Tournament was challenging for Karl Geiger. In his sport.de column, the German ski jumper explains how he wants to work his way back to the top.
I set my steps through the snow of Oberstdorf – blue sky, sunshine, snow-capped mountains, just a dream and what a contrast to the mood of the last ten days.
I returned from the Four Hills Tournament, which challenged me more than any other. Full arenas, media hype, traveling between the ski jumps, ten days of emergency on the way to Oberstdorf via Garmisch and Innsbruck to Bischofshofen is something I normally reel off in a routine manner, but this time, this time everything was different.
The mental tension that arose from the fact that not much was coming together was at a different level of stress. It was up and down; If you had the feeling in Innsbruck that you were taking small steps in the right direction, you were immediately defeated by reality in Bischofshofen. If you then struggle with things, bad luck sometimes comes into play when you narrowly miss qualifying or the second round – a gust of wind, a meter too short, outside. For the first time I had the feeling that happiness had to be earned somehow.
But a ski jumper’s life rarely goes straight and in my opinion it is now important not to look backwards and complain, but to continue to stay wide awake and work.
I won’t let myself get down so quickly.
Grateful to remain in the World Cup squad
I am grateful that the coaching team decided to allow me to travel to Zakopane and be part of the team. Getting through competition is the right way, even if it is tough and hard at times. Training in seclusion, unmolested by the public, is certainly easier. But I want to put my changes to the test right away in the competition to see immediately what each step is worth.
Today’s rest day is good, first with the family, now in the midday sun alone on the snow-covered fields in Oberstdorf – clear your head, mentally shake off what lies behind you, be ready to fight back against the misery.
I’ll go for it.
The hours of mental regeneration are limited, tomorrow there is strength training on the agenda, and on Friday we will start the journey to Zakopane.
So the next station is waiting. I think in small steps when it comes to results. The next goal has to be to have two full rounds and to get World Cup points that can boost your self-confidence. The Ski Flying World Championships or the Olympic Games don’t play a role in my thoughts at the moment.
I think from competition to competition.
Kind regards
Karl Geiger