Sigi's tips: change of direction in skiing

Sigi Heinrich

Actually, it is clear: there is only one direction in alpine skiing and that is from top to bottom. Anything else would be at the expense of time and that in turn would have a terrible impact on the result. A look at the first results of this ski winter is enough to consider the possibility that some participants from the nations that used to be among the big names in the scene occasionally turned their ski tips against the direction of travel uphill. Or that they placed their swings too far away from the goals and thus reduced the shot drive to absurdity, even though it had already been slowed down by changes in direction.

The Austrian flag was missing from the front ranks in both the women's and men's races. Things weren't much different with the German team. As if both had agreed. Just don't put your cards on the table too early. Both teams have nothing up their sleeves because their aces can no longer play. There aren't even any jokers. Gone is all the glory. Hirscher has kept the Austrian men's team alive for years, especially in the technical disciplines, and after Anna Veith's resignation, the women's team is also missing a model athlete. One that can close gaps and compensate for mismanagement in the system based on its individual class. The neighbors feel the same way. In the basic discipline of alpine skiing, the giant slalom, there is total alarm among women in the Alpine region of Germany following the resignation of Viktoria Rebensburg. There is no one in sight who can even come close to the quality of the Vancouver Olympic champion, who also recently raced ahead in the speed disciplines. For too long, both sides have relied on the last exceptional talents. Perseverance slogans are similar And now: One sentence spread faster than Covid-19 in Europe: That was, according to many of the coaches, who had long faces after the opening competitions, so that was “a step in the right direction”. So yes? It sounded like we had agreed, because with this wonderful sentence, past failures can be cushioned. It sounds as if you have done everything right and the only thing that is missing now is the implementation of the “demonstrated training performance.” This saying is also valid across borders. That came from Austria and Germany. This suggests to us that the results are far from commensurate with the actual ability. This should reassure the fans and perhaps the sponsors too. So it's not all that dramatic. And of course that can be said almost without contradiction, because we rarely, or never, take part in training. Internationality in the results block Even though everything was difficult in Sölden, the slope and the circumstances, it became clear that the Ski World Cup has become more international. Italy and Switzerland have worked hard and appear to have solved their past problems. Now they are at the forefront, as are the Norwegians, who, thanks to their team spirit, continue to cause a sensation in the association despite difficulties, which also means that sponsors are not queuing up. The Norwegian Brazilian Lucas Braathen (the mother is from South America) won in Sölden. New Zealand is represented, the USA, small Slovenia and the Czech Republic.

Peter Schröcksnadel, the tireless president of the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV), has expressed his wish every year of his long term in office that as many nations as possible should be at the forefront of the ski circus. According to his constant credo, this helps tourism. The one in Austria, of course. Of course, he assumed that everyone would respectfully support his team. But the respect is gone. Austria and Germany have been left behind in many areas in alpine skiing. And the thing with tourists has also become less important these days. Nobody comes skiing anymore because of a few World Cup points. The virus determines the direction. At the moment that is the only, unfortunately far too reliable, variable that we have to follow. And it shouldn't go downhill, but uphill.

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Sigi's tips: change of direction in skiing

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