For ten days, the Austrian Nordic Combined team
took up residence in Seefeld to focus on ski jumping
in extensive session on Innsbruck’s Bergisel hill
and in Stams in the mornings. Roller-skiing on Seefeld’s
roller ski track occupied the afternoons to hone
technique and endurance of the first two training
groups.
To not have fun and playfulness come up short, head
coach Christoph Eugen planned one day of Segway
session for the athletes and attending media. An
obstacle course had been set up in Seefeld’s Casino
Arena which the athletes mastered courageously after
a short adaptation phase. „It was great fun“, youngster
Harald Lemmerer reported afterwards. „At first we
were a bit careful but then, the competitive streaks
came out and there was the one or other race on
the course.“
Also for Christoph Eugen, riding a Segway was a
completely new challenge: „It is important that
fun and regenerating are not neglected in such an
intensive course as we are having right now. The
athletes had fun and you could see that it definitely
requires some coordinative skills at the beginning.
We will not have it in our training plans in the
future but it was a ver welcome change.“
Eugen’s team will stay in Seefeld until the end
of the week before this summer’s highlight, the
FIS Summer Grand Prix is on schedule from August
22nd till 30th.