On South Tyrolean ice: This is where stars are formed

The Young Goose Academy is at home in the Würth Arena in Neumarkt. It is a talent factory that has made a name for itself internationally and has already produced many other successful athletes alongside Daniel Grassl.

The academy was founded 10 years ago with the dream of the Olympics. It should be a training facility where South Tyrolean and international athletes can pursue their goals and realize their sporting dreams. Daniel Grassl (right) and his trainer Lorenzo Magri (left)

The initially rocky and difficult path has shown its fruits at the 2022 Olympics at the latest: 4 athletes from the YGA (Young Goose Academy) were at the start in Beijing: Ekaterina Kurakowa for Poland, Filip Taschler and Natalie Taschlerová in ice dancing for the Czech Republic and South Tyrol's exceptional talent Daniel Grassl . The Meraner excelled at the Olympic competition with a 7th place. Exceptional talent from South Tyrol: Anna Pezzetta.

Around 90 athletes now train every day in the Würth Arena. Almost half of the athletes come from abroad. They live in the immediate vicinity of the ice rink, the younger ones with their families, the older ones in small shared apartments. 90 athletes train in Neumarkt “It’s a project close to our hearts,” says Nicoletta Ingusci, president of the association. “We wanted to build a center where athletes who are really passionate about competitive sport have the opportunity to practice it in all its facets. To ensure that school education is not neglected, there is now the Young Goose School, a private school that works closely with the sports academy. “Unfortunately, public schools are not always on the side of athletes who participate in competitive sports at a high level,” explains Ingusci.

“That’s why we have the opportunity to attend private school. Experience shows that athletes perform very well both in school and in training. In the morning they come to training, in the afternoon they go to school or the school comes to the athletes. Even those who want to continue attending normal school will find optimal training conditions with us,” adds Ingusci.

The Young Goose Academy's technical team currently has 18 members who, in addition to ice training, also take care of important tasks such as athletics, ballet, yoga, mental training, technique, stretching, physiotherapy and nutrition. In this way, everyone is given the best possible support so that they can achieve optimal performance in the competitions. “We wanted to build a center where athletes who are really passionate about competitive sport have the opportunity to practice it in all its facets.” Nicoletta Ingusci, President of the Young Goose Academy Neumarkt

“Every single person in our team has their job and is an important part of the academy. I am grateful for the commitment of everyone involved with us,” confirms Ingusci, “and I hope that we will continue to work with this energy for many more years to come.” Yoga as an integral part of the Young Goose Academy In order to achieve full performance in competitions, it is important that body and mind harmonize with one another. This is a fundamental credo for those responsible at Young Goose Neumarkt. In addition to mental training, yoga is also an important component of the comprehensive training for young figure skaters. If you want, you can regularly go to the yoga mat in the Würth Arena. As a holistic concept, the movement sequences (asanas), breathing exercises and meditation offer a perfect basis for mastering the tension in competition in the best possible way. Vinyasa Yoga is the style that is predominantly practiced. During competitions, however, it is Yoga Nidra that supports the athletes as an accompanying measure. The coaching team on the ice Lorenzo Magri (technical manager, Bolzano) Eva Martinek (Austria) Angelina Turenko (Russia) Alice Di Silvio (Italy) Zsolt Kosz (Romania) Alisa Mikonsaari (Finland) Ice dance coaching staff Matteo Zanni (Milan) Barbora Reznickova (Czech Republic) The coaching team outside the ice Galia Guryanova (gymnastics) Riccardo Luzietti (athletics) Daniel Peruzzo (athletics) Danis Lodola (ballet) Nicoletta Ingusci (Yoga) Monika Niederstätter (mental training) Flavio Saturno (mental training) Stephan Dal Rí (physiotherapy) Simona Sitia (doctor)

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On South Tyrolean ice: This is where stars are formed

When you think of a performance center for figure skaters, countries like the USA or Russia first come to mind. But an internationally oriented school for ice skating has also been established in South Tyrol in recent years.

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