After recovering from a knee injury, ski jumper Gregor Schlierenzauer is on his way back to the top. We talked to the Austrian eagle about his friend, the wind, bizarre World Cup rules and also his granny...
Hi Gregor, how can we picture your training? Do you climb up to the jump hill after breakfast, do 20 jumps and go home at teatime?
No, not quite! (laughs) Ski jumping is a very emotional kind of sport, a lot depends on your mental form on the day. I do eight jumps on a good training day and try to stay consistent on an emotional level. It’s a frame of mind you can also train by, say, roller skating or practicing your movements in front of a tall mirror.
Since your crash, how do you handle fear when standing on top of a jump? (Gregor tore the inner ligament of his right knee in Seefeld on December 13, 2010)
Everybody has got some sort of fear. Mine is not about height or speed, even though I know what can go wrong – it’s more a nervous sensation. It reminds me of the first few times I jumped on a big jump. There’s a great deal of respect and I think that is fully justified.
What’s your relationship to the wind? Friend or foe?
Both. When you’re in top form, wind becomes your friend very quickly. If things don’t go your way and a bit of bad luck enters the scene, it can make you desperate. “F***ing wind!” is my usual thought, at that point. But I'm an optimist, so I'm on mostly good terms with the wind (smiles).
Which of the rules in ski jumping would you like to see changed?
Ski jumping is all about the fascination of flying. In recent years, the one with the most distance and highest marks for posture and technique took the victory. Now we have a new set of rules concerning the wind conditions and the length of the runway down to the jump, both of which make things more complicated – results are not transparent at all any more, not for the athlete nor the trainer, nor the fans. It’s become a computer calculation, which is not even totally reliable, as some cases have shown. This has either got to be improved or be removed alltogether.
When is it that you realise that a jump is going to be perfect: on the runway, at take-off, in mid-flight or at the landing?
You've got to let the perfect jump just happen. You can’t plan it – otherwise the best theorists would become world champions. If you're comfortable in your own skin, you know instinctively if a jump is going to work out. It starts at the take-off board!
© mirjageh.com/Red Bull Photofiles
What’s your last thought before pushing off from the board?
In those moments you shouldn’t think at all, you should just enjoy it. Only then can you fly really far. Thinking ruins the flow – not just in ski jumping.
What expectations have you got left for the 2010/11 season?
Until now it has been a difficult season, and an interesting one. My big goal is still to qualify for the World Cup in Oslo (starting on February 24) and I’m also looking forward to tomorrow’s event in Zakopane and to a possible world record in ski flying in Vikersund.
Your homepage is full of comments from fans and well wishers. How important is it to have their support?
Very important. Not as important as my family who I can retreat to and switch off from all the stress, but the fans are a sine qua non for my motivation. It’s great to receive as many as 23 million visits to my homepage with positive statements from all over the world, even if I’m having a hard time. There isn’t anything like sharing your achievements with your fans.
It seems like it’s important to you to enjoy life away from your sport. Is it still possible to meet Gregor Schlierenzauer in the pub around the corner?
It’s quite possible, yes. I do enjoy relaxing and doing nothing at home, because there is a lot of hype and mystery around my persona. Private is private and that’s when I enjoy life to the max. If there is something to learn from an injury, it is to re-evaluate your daily quality of life.
When was the last time you gave flowers to a woman?
That was to my granny for her birthday. Oh, it’s about time again soon...
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