Suddenly, Jalen Smereck just wanted to get away. Away from Ukraine, away from HC Donbass and away from the racism he encountered there. HC Kremenchuk’s Andrei Deniskin had peeled an imaginary banana on the ice and seriously believed the gesture to be a legitimate means of fighting for goals and points. That was in September 2021. The Ukrainian Hockey League (UHL) had punished Deniskin comparatively mildly (13 games suspension, which he was able to reduce to 3 games with 1,621 euros) – then Smereck had had enough.
Smereck’s new home with the Bietigheim Steelers
A few months later he is on the bench for the Bietigheim Steelers. The training is over. Smereck needs to take a deep breath. He has found a new home with the Steelers. “Home in every sense” (in every sense), as he says in an interview with SWR Sport. In terms of sport, things are going quite well for the 25-year-old – 5 goals and 19 assists are in his DEL vita (as of February 22nd, 2022). Smereck is a little annoyed that he was only on the ice five times in the UHL: “I would have liked to have played 30 or 40 games. I consciously got involved in the adventure.”
That’s why he struggled with himself for a long time after the racism incident: “Stand up for yourself or flee? A difficult question,” he says in retrospect. The team was behind him. “I thought about it for a while – but when I found out a few days later that the manager had been fired for standing up for me, I knew: This country is so far behind, it doesn’t make sense anymore .” He has not yet experienced any racism in Germany, “but that’s only a matter of time,” says Smereck. After all, Jalen Smereck is one of only five Black players in the DEL. The others – above all Colin Ugbekile from the Cologne Sharks and Sena Acolatse of the Straubing Tigers – have already experienced racism.
Smereck as the only black among all whites
That’s why he resisted the sport for a long time. He didn’t want to be the only black man among white people. But his father and brothers – all avid ice hockey players – would have dragged him onto the ice. “Almost necessary,” he says. Despite this, he preferred to play basketball and baseball for a long time. The love for ice hockey only kindled “when I was eleven or twelve years old”. However, it took some effort for him to get involved. “But I’ve met great people who showed me the sport and helped me progress – who also took me out of my old comfort zone and gave me a new one.”
His hometown of Detroit wasn’t exactly a comfort zone for Jalen Smereck. Racism was part of everyday life for him: “There have already been several incidents. I’ve experienced racism every year since I was seven or eight years old. Maybe even before that, but I didn’t notice it then,” Smereck recalls was tough. But as a kid, you sort of get through it.”
Racism left Smereck speechless
At first he hid it from his family. “It was uncomfortable but nothing we talked about.” As the child of a white father and a black mother, he didn’t want to bring the topic to the kitchen table: “I didn’t know how they would react to it. I just wasn’t strong enough to talk about it, so I made it up with myself. “
Smereck needed his team to be able to confide in his family: “As I got older and the racism got worse, the coaches and teammates told my parents about it and I didn’t have to say it myself anymore. That made it a lot easier for me.” But then he got exactly the support he needed.
Smereck has arrived at the Steelers
Smereck’s family – wife and two children – remains in North America. But he also has his team in Bietigheim. The Steelers have provided him with a sports psychologist and a mental coach – like the other players. It’s not just about racism, but also about loneliness, pressure and the culture shock between Arizona – where Smereck played for five years before his Ukraine interlude – and Baden-Württemberg. “These are different issues that you have to address,” says Steelers CEO Volker Schoch.
When Schoch heard that Smereck was looking for a new club, he immediately contacted his agent and brought him to Bietigheim. “He was cautious and a bit reserved, which is normal in a situation like this,” says Schoch. “But the team took him in really well and then he opened up and he’s been a really important part of the team ever since.” Captain Constantin Braun also relies on Smereck, who knows how to impress both offensively and defensively: “He helps us a lot because it just makes us more dangerous.”
Culprit subsequently blocked
Nevertheless, Smereck cannot forget the banana incident. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It was really tough.” In the meantime, the World Federation (IIHF) has gotten involved – and rated it differently than those responsible for the Ukrainian Ice Hockey League. The IIHF considers Deniskin’s action “completely unacceptable” and banned the Ukrainian international from all IIHF competitions for one year on Tuesday (02/22/2022). However, Jalen Smereck should only take marginal note of this, because he just wants to play hockey.
Source: SWR