Unusually early, unusually long, unusually green: ski jumpers are facing major challenges this season. Jumping on mats for the first time in the World Cup threatens to cause cabin fever.
Germany’s national ski jumping coach Stefan Horngacher is an old hand in the business. He has been flying since the 1970s, first over self-built jumps, then to World Cup gold. He has been passing on his knowledge as a trainer for decades. Horngacher has already experienced a lot, but not yet a season like the coming one.
First World Cup on mats
On Saturday (November 5th, 2022) the ski jumping World Cup winter begins in Wisla, Poland. As early as never before. The reason for the jump start is the soccer World Cup from November 20th to December 18th. In order to avoid TV overlaps, the season opener was pushed forward. This has far-reaching consequences and is a novelty.
Because snow has been an exception in Wisla at this time of the year, and not just since the climate crisis, and late summer temperatures prevail, the FIS allowed World Cup competitions on mats for the first time. “It’s not a problem for us. We can live with it”said Horngacher in the Sportschau interview.
Whether green or white
The Austrian coach of the Germans calls the advance “interesting” and believes “that this can point the way for the future”. “I think we’re going to see that more often in the near future.”
It doesn’t matter whether you jump into the green or into the white, says the coach of the DSV-Skiadler, but he pushes afterwards: “As a winter sports enthusiast, you naturally want to land on snow. We don’t just want to land on the mat, but you can see that we have great opportunities in ski jumping.”
Horngacher: Mat jumping has some advantages
In the course of the climate crisis, the white gold is becoming increasingly rare. While other sports disappear from the scene in the worst case, ski jumpers make themselves independent of the temperatures. Jumping on mats may take some getting used to by the spectators, but it isn’t by the athletes.
Horngacher even sees numerous advantages. The conditions are the same for everyone, you don’t have to spend a lot of time preparing a ski jump, there is no great risk of injury when landing and the pain from a fall is less than on a hard, icy slope.
Refrain from traveling
In addition, summer ski jumping, wherever mats are landed, has developed well. The world’s elite used to go to Scandinavia to prepare their snow. These trips have been history for many years. “We stay at home, approach on an ice track and land on mats”, explains Horngacher. The effect is the same.
As Norway’s coach Alexander Stöckl remarked somewhat cynically two years ago: “When there’s no more snow, we paint the mats white“, he had no idea that this could soon be reality. Now the mats could secure the future of ski jumping.
Danger of cabin fever
Horngacher is more concerned with the XXL season than with climate-neutral jumping on mats. The jumpers will be on the road for five months. The last competition will not take place until April 2nd. “It’s really a big issue,” says the coach. The team and support team will be on the road together for an extremely long time, the tight competition calendar does not allow for time for breaks. Horngacher leaves “an enormous burden for everyone” and says: “It’s already at the limit. I hope we can all get through the season clean and healthy.”
The early start of the season followed by a two-week break is not ideal, “but we have to swallow it like this“, says Horngacher. It is already foreseeable that two free weeks in between “Thing of Impossibility” will be. But you will try to rotate from time to time and give one or the other a break. “Due to the staffing level, this is a ride on the razor blade”knows Horngacher, who will be in demand more than ever as a psychologist.
Musical ski jumpers
For years he has been playing guitar to compensate. His instrument travels around the world. Horngacher will often have time to play. Maybe even in a duet. He is not the only musical in the German Springer camp. Karl Geiger has a brilliant command of the accordion. Of course, Horngacher would prefer it if regularly “We are the champions” blasting through the speakers in the hotel room.
From his point of view, the season is successful if “we do very well at the Four Hills Tournament and the World Cup”. Very good means 1 in school and world champion in sports. Horngacher would prefer gold, but he would also be satisfied if a medal jumps out at every World Championship start and one of his boys jumps onto the podium at the Four Hills Tournament. After all, success is the best remedy – not only against cabin fever.