|
Interview by: Sonja Kolaczkowska
During the team competition in Lahti, the Russians were close to surprising us. In the end they came in 4th, losing over 40 points to the Finns. If Vassiliev had been jumping on his normal level, they may have even gotten the podium. Their trainer, Wolfgang Steiert, managed to find some time for an interview with us. We wish you an enjoyable read.
Sonja Kolaczkowska: How would you comment on yesterday's trainings and qualifications?
Wolfgang Steiert: I have to admit, that yesterday's qualifications as well as the trainings are a reflection of the whole season for us. I'm looking at it this way: all 4 jumpers manage to qualify for the competition regularly. It's all the more important, when the Norwegians, Austrians and Finns start with a larger number of competitors and make up most of the starting list. I view the fact that despite all that, we still get to have 4 jumpers in the competition, as very positive.
S.K.: Which place do you think the Russians will take during today's competition?
W.S.: I think that it'll be a very good one. In Sapporo we were third for a long time, but the cards were dealt by the wind. If everyone jumps as well as they are capable, then we are looking at a fight for third place.
S.K.: How did you get around to being the main coach of the Russian team?
W.S.: When I was no longer good enough to be taking care of the German team, I started looking around for a new job. At that time however, most teams had naturally already had their trainers. Russia has always been an interesting country in my opinion, it has such an unusual aura. I know that the Russian jumpers had potential and many young talents.
S.K.: When does your contract end?
W.S.: I recently prolonged it until 2010.
S.K.: What kind of impression did you have of Russia before you started working there, and what did reality prove to be like?
W.S.: At first I didn't realize how big of a country Russia is, how many residents there are, what their lifestyle is. I have to admit that I've never experienced anything unpleasant from the Russians. What else? The difference between the rich and the poor is striking. During the rush hour, you'll drive 20 km in 3 hours, and the hotels are unbelievably luxurious - when you leave them and go out into the street, you see that uncanny difference in life standards.
S.K.: What is the interest of the Russians in this sports discipline like?
W.S.: The Russians have started to pay more attention to ski jumping lately. Among all the winter disciplines, ski jumping is still on one of the last positions - behind biathlon, ice hockey, soccer and volleyball. The popularity is rising however, and when you have a competitor like Denis Kornilov, who looks good and is capable of becoming a sports star, everything can change very fast. It'll surely also depend on whether Russia will get the Olympics next year in June.
S.K.: Who makes up the Russian team? The Norwegians, Austrians and Germans have several trainers and a whole helping staff...
W.S.: In my opinion, the smaller the team, the better - we have specialists taking care of the equipment, in the winter we're accompanied by the serviceman Jari Mantila. I spoke with the president of the skiing federation lately about getting a physiotherapist, who may join us next season. I'd like to keep the team the way it is, but a physiotherapist is also an important element - one would be able to improve the physical capabilities of the athletes, and that amounts to as much as a 15% improvement in the results.
S.K.: What does the background in Russia look like - the B team, junior competitors...?
W.S.: We don't really have a background. We have a few very talented juniors, two 17-year-old jumpers will soon join the team, but the problem in Russia is, that there is no system which would allow the creation of a B and junior team. I'm also not capable of changing everything myself. But we are gradually introducing changes and are going in the right direction, step by step. We have some great coaches, who know how to take care of the young athletes.
S.K.: And what about jumping hills? I've heard about several new facilities being built in Russia...
W.S.: Hills are said to be built soon in Petersburg, as well as Jekaterinburg and Nizhny Novogrod, but if Sochi is to be the host of the Olympics, then maybe some facilities will also be built there. The existing hills are in awful shape, and aren't really suitable for jumping.
S.K.: So where do you train?
W.S.: In Middle Europe.
S.K.: Please characterize the jumpers in your team.
W.S.: They are some very interesting young people, who differ amongst each other muchly. Vassiliev has a strong character and an unusual technique. He has a very tough psyche. Of course he did have his weak moments during the World Championships, but we're not putting much emphasis on that. Kornilov is a very intelligent person - maybe even too intelligent for a ski jumper - which is often a problem for him, because he thinks too much. He also has the perfect physical conditions. Ipatov is pretty sensitive, calm, he plays the guitar a lot, he evolves gradually and always listens to my advice carefully. Ilja is a bit of a playboy type, he loves to have fun - I always tear my hair out when he goes out to party at night. He's worked really hard on himself in the past year.
S.K.: And what's going on with Ildar Fatchullin?
W.S.: He's still a part of the team, but I deliberately pulled him aside a bit. In 2005, he was the best Russian in the World Cup, but he has a rather difficult disposition. He's a Tatar, a very proud man, he can't cope well with criticism. In contrast to the rest, he stopped making progress. I want him to notice how far his teammates are getting thanks to listening to my advice, but also to my critical remarks. Maybe then he will change his approach to training. He probably won't have a spot in the team in the next season, as there are 2 new ski jumpers joining us.
S.K.: In what language do you communicate with your athletes? For example, Vassiliev only speaks Russian...
W.S.: Contrary to what you may think, Vassiliev is actually understanding more and more German, if I speak slowly, he's capable of understanding everything. Dmitry Ipatov is good at English, Kornilov also, and Ilja is also speaking better German.
S.K.: When you look at the Russian team today, what place in the ranking would you give them?
W.S.: I've noticed, that with time, other competitors and trainers have started to treat us with considerable respect. I'm not able to say where we precisely stand at this moment. It's important to me that we keep making progress. It's hard to compare us to others, to the best teams, which have up to 10 athletes jumping at top level. Two, three years ago, the best Russian jumper took up fiftieth places, and now we've improved enough to even fight for medals at important events. Of course, we still have a bit more to go before we're a part of the international elite. But if you look at it differently, then Vassiliev is the biggest star among jumpers of the old Eastern bloc. To summarize: if we compare our current achievements to those from years ago, we've made unbelievable progress. At times, it's all going too fast, even for me. But I keep repeating one thing: I'm not a magician, we have to calmly keep working, just as we have been until now. The only thing I can complain about when it comes to the World Campionships in Sapporo is, that the Russians were being let jump in very bad condition in both rounds. I think that if the jumpers from the top teams had been on the bench, then they would wait longer before the green light would go on. I've been feeling bitter about that. One thing I'd like to draw attention to is, how much money goes into it all. It's only now that I'm training the Russians, that I've noticed how much money is being spent on jumping in Europe, for example in Germany or in Norway. Our team is not as large and the expenses are also much smaller. In my opinion, you can achieve a lot with a smaller budget, if the team is enthusiastic and willing to work hard, as it is in the case of the Swiss team.
S.K.: Tell us something about yourself. How did your own jumping career go?
W.S.: I was a ski jumper until 1988, but I achieved only mediocre results on the hills. After I ended my career, I completed a coaching course. I started working at home in the Black Forest as a trainer - I was the club trainer of the likes of Hansjörg Jäkle, Christoph Duffner, Sven Hannawald, as well as Martin Schmitt. I basically achieved everything that you can achieve as a trainer in Germany. I became the coach of the German national team, but after awhile, things started to get complicated. The offer of a coaching job in Russia came along, and I accepted it.
S.K.: Exactly, you were the club trainer of Martin Schmitt, so you know him well. What do you think is going on with him?
W.S.: Like most top competitors, Martin is also experiencing ups and downs in his career. But I'm not his trainer at this point, so it's hard for me to say what exactly is the Martin's problem.
S.K.: How would you summarize your work with the Russian team up until now?
W.S.: Until now, I've been really satisfied.
|
41%
