The ski jumping circus moves on to Willingen. There Anna Rupprecht is challenged on the large hill. Rupprecht explains in her sport.de column why Willingen is “new territory” for the 26-year-old ski jumper and how she wants to master the challenge.
Willingen is the next place on our World Cup tour and so we will jump the hill next weekend, which I personally see as the biggest challenge for me this season.
The hill in the Hessian Sauerland is a large hill, but the largest of all non-flying hills, which enables us women to jump up to 150 meters. Since I’m not (yet) the greatest flying talent, especially in competition situations, and I’ve never jumped the hill before, I approach the task in Willingen with respect.
So I’m breaking new ground!
The problem for me personally is that I’m generally very good at jumping and initiate the long jump with strength. That’s why I’m actually the type of athlete who performs best on normal hills. Large hills require a different approach; you have to develop speed on them in order to achieve acceptable distances.
For me it is therefore crucial to leave the take-off quickly and aggressively in order to start flying in an aerodynamically favorable form, which should ideally be completed with the telemark.
For me it’s mainly a mental task, after we jumped a lot of normal hills in the past few weeks, especially at the New Year’s tournament in Slovenia and Austria.
Rupprecht sees no “mental pressure”
I will now travel to Willingen quite relaxed. With my results (5th and 8th place as well as numerous top 15 placements), I exceeded the DSV’s internal World Cup qualification standard with the requirement of being in the top 15 twice and in the top 8 once, so I don’t have any psychological problems feel pressure.
If things go well in Willingen, I’ll be happy to take that with me, if the opposite should be the case, I can “put this format in the corner” with peace of mind, since the type of hill has basic conditions that lie beyond the requirements that the World Cup ski jumps in Planica will bring with them and which should be kept in mind in particular.
The Willinger Schanze brings with it its own psychological pressure, its own mental demands. As I said, I have no experience with such a hill and I think in order to be able to achieve top performances, one should have jumped it more often.
Even small mistakes can lead to a “stall” that costs distance. Experience plays a major role, especially in the last 15 to 20 meters of flight. You have to use concentration, courage and flying skills in equal measure to pull the jump.
Anyway – come, see and maybe perform, as I don’t necessarily expect, that’s the requirement!
Best regards
Anna Ruprecht