If you had to think of a motto for the the season
2013/14, it would probably be "closer than
ever"! This winter, there will be more interviews,
more looks behind usually closed doors, more personal
interaction with the Nordic Combined athletes on
TV, on this website and our other communication
channels to transport the fascination that is Nordic
Combined. Born out of this spirit, our new weekly
series "Behind the scenes with…" brings
you glimpses into the hidden parts of the Nordic
Combined circus and the people working behind the
scenes of the discipline: the assistant coaches,
physiotherapists, servicemen and other important
yet mostly invisible parts of top level sports.
To start off the series, fis-ski.com talked to Austrian
jumping coach Falko Krismayr who has been responsible
for the impressive jumping performances by veteran
Christoph Bieler but also youngster Mario Seidl
for example. He helped the team win two silver medals
at the World Championships in Val di Fiemme and
also contributed to Berni Gruber's fourth rank in
the overall World Cup last season. Krismayr joined
the team as a jumping coach in 2009/2010, having
been a ski jumper and a ski jumping coach before.
Falko, what exactly are your responsibilities and
duties as a jumping coach?
Falko Krismayr: Well, in wintertime I am just waving
the flag! (laughs) Well, no, put in the easiest
way possible, it's my job to ensure that everybody
is jumping well. This entails the matching of the
cross-country training with the ski jumping training,
the special training to reach the performance peak
is at the season highlights, the matching of equipment
and jumping technique and of course thenmental training
which takes up a huge part.
What are you doing if there's no snow or too much
wind on the hill?
Krismayr: Well, I definitely don't have time to
just relax and do nothing. If you loose time on
the hill, you gain time to do a lot of other things
as it happened during our training camp in Lillehammer.
We were not able to jump but I still only made it
once to spend an hour on cross-country skis. You
use the time to work with athletes individually.
Some go cross-country skiing to work on this technique
with the cross-country coach and the others go to
the gym with me and do the basic work which you
can do off the hill.
What did you do before you joined Nordic Combined
as a jumping coach?
Krismayr: Everything started in 1988 when I watched
the Olympic Games in Calgary and decided to be a
ski jumper. I only started to train in 1993 as a
late beginner and quit again in 1999 and changed
over to being a coach immediately after. I ended
my career in February and in March I was already
coaching at the Austria Cup.
What was it that fascinated you about the job of
a coach?
Krismayr: The reason is an old coach of mine. He
told me from the beginning that I would be a much
better coach than athlete. I listened to that and
followed his advice. So I have been a professional
coach since 2002 now and have never stepped into
the "regular" job world ever since.
What is the best thing ever about your job?
Krismayr: Since I started being a coach in Nordic
Combined, it's the challenge of bringing both parts
of it onto a top level. For all people who know
a thing or two about sports it is terribly interesting
to try and unify the many many factors coming into
the equation that is Nordic Combined, a sport consisting
of two contrary parts. It's a very appealing job
to try and achieve top performances in each part.
So, what is the special flair about Nordic Combined
that you like?
Krismayr: I have definitely noticed when I came
to Nordic Combined that the athletes are just other
types of people. They are much tougher than other
athletes. There is no bad weather, these guys are
always outside and training. This is definitely
rubbing of on the people who do this sport.
If you had one wish to change something about Nordic
Combined, what would that be?
Krismayr: I have actually never thought about that
because it's a waste of energy. The rules are made
by other people. It's my job to deal with the existing
rulework as well as possible.
What is your goal/wish for this season?
Krismayr: I definitely hope that we have done the
right thing so far, because then we will be performing
well. Unfortunately this is something you usually
only see when the competitions have started. I know
that this answer is kind of old already but it's
true. If you've trained well and stay with yourself,
the success will be there. What exactly that will
be in numbers and results, the results computer
will tell us.
What would you say is the best moment you've had
in your job so far?
Krismayr: The most amazing thing that has happened
to me emotionally was back then when I was coaching
children. One of my little boys fell into my arms,
crying, after he had won a competition because he
was so happy. With this team, it was definitely
winning the team gold in Vancouver.
