Yksi itävaltalaisvahvistuksistamme, Gernot Kerschbaumer, 23, tuli tammikuussa Helsinkiin vaihto-opiskelemaan ja hakemaan tuntumaa pohjoismaalaisiin maastoihin. Kerschi on ollut muiden poikien mukana viikoittaisissa harjoituksissa ja Vierumäellä, onpa ehtinyt käydä Portugalissakin leirillä ja Itävallassa armeijan testeissäkin. Seuraavassa hieman hänen ajatuksiaan ajasta Suomessa.
{mosimage}1.Well well, Mr Gernot Kerscbaumer, you have been competing with us few years now and you decided to move Helsinki for this winter and spring to study and do training. How living in Finland has felt like?
– Living in Finland, more concrete in Helsinki, feels great. You’re living in a capital, but not a “real” capital, because Helsinki is not too big and the park is just next to the door. There is just one thing I didn’t like so far: the temperature in February. If it’s not getting warmer than -15, than I don’t feel comfortable any more, because just training indoor, that’s not my thing.
2.You live in the same building in Pasila as Martin. Do you like running in your nearby green areas such as Keskuspuisto and Viikki?
– I’m very happy that I’m living next to Keskuspuisto, so usually I’m running there. If Viikki is there, where I think it is, then, I’ve never been there for running. I just know it from signs on the highway.
3. How your daily routines are different than in home Austria?
– They are really different. I can get up whenever I want and plan my daily schedule as I want to. At home, I’m still in the Austrian army orienteering team, I have to get up at 7 and meals are at fixed points in time. More about trainings in the army you can find in point 11.
To sum up, here in Helsinki, I feel completely free, I’m my own boss. And usually I’m cooking myself. I already lost some kilos. Don’t think that I cook in a bad way, just in a healthier way.
4.”Only humans do so much work to feel so worse”. How your winter training has gone so far here in Helsinki, feeling OK? Any improvements in skills or speed?
– Maybe I should move to the Caribbean, buy an island and wait for end of days 😉 Concerning my trainings, I did everything (sometimes a little bit more) that my training plan said I should do. I’m still in connection with my army coaches, so they tell me what to train, after I told them what training possibilities I have.
My physical feelings change nearly every day from horrible to great, sometimes also during day. Last week, I have been back to Austria, doing some running tests. Both (treadmill test and Austrian cross country championship) stated that I perform quite well. Regarding my orienteering skills, I think that there are some improvements. We’ll find out when the competition season starts…
5. Your biggest success in orienteering is 9th place in WOC middle in Japan 2005. Was it a hard thing to achieve or do you have a good self-confidence to make it even better in the future?
– Let’s thinks about it: 35°C, sunny, extremely high humidity, twisted ankle the day before. Yes, it was definitely hard to achieve. Everything has to go well, on the competition day and during the months before. But I’m self-confident, so I hope that it was not the last time to be among Top 10 in WOC. Maybe not this year, not next year, but latest in 2009.
6. What are your goals for the forthcoming competition season? Will you take part to some Finnish competitions in the spring or is your aim in big international competitions like NOC in Denmark and WOC in Ukraine?
– My biggest aims are WOC in Ukraine and CISM (Military world championship) in Croatia. Those two events are important for my future in the army team. NOC is a great event, I think (1st NOC for me), but not that important.
Of course I’ll take part in some Finnish competitions, preparing for Tiomila and Jukola. I really focus on those two relay events, because they are special. In the “preparation” competitions I can find out about my potential in “orienteering in Scandinavian terrain”. Afterwards I’ll know if I should come back to Scandinavia to compete also in individual competitions or just stay in central Europe 😉
7. It seems that it is quite easy to get in Austrias landteam. Is it? How big sport orienteering is it there? We finns have our Jukola and strong traditions on it, so orienteering is some sort national thing. My own opinion is that every human should try to get to top form and take a round in the forest and after that think do they want it more.
– Compared to Finland, you’re right, it’s easy to get in the Austrian Orienteering Team. Altogether, our federation has about 1000 members, ~600 taking part in the National league competitions. Unfortunately, it’s not a popular sport in Austria, we are on the edge to meaninglessness, except in the region where my home club is located, because our trainer pushes it very hard. There, we smile from the newspapers nearly every week.
Everybody should do that much sport as he wants to do. If orienteering is included, he has taken the right choice. It’s getting harder and harder to motivate young people for endurance sports.
8. Do you have a lack of good o-competitions in Austria? Can you say why Switzerland is so good o-country and f.ex. neighbours German, Austria and Italia aren’t not even close to them?
– I think we have many good competitions in Austria, just the terrain could be more demanding some times. Why is Switzerland that successful and Austria not? Good question. Maybe some “errors” in the system. Too little competition in youth classes? Not enough cooperation between schools and clubs?You need a wide basis, where to build on. In general, we don’t have that wide basis, just in some age-groups. Continuously, it’s too easy to be in the national team and too easy to stay there. If higher requirements are demanded, runners break up with competitive sports.
It’s also a question of society. Are you a fool if you are doing endurance sport, in our case orienteering? And there is, in general, a lack of continuity in supervision.
9. Which you prefer most, middle or long? day or night? Why?
– I don’t know why, but I prefer day to night. Maybe, I’m afraid of the darkness? I always felt stronger on middle, so that’s why I like it more. This year, if my running shape stays good, I’ll try to improve on long distance.
10. What is you favourite food?
– My favourite food is typical Austrian “Kaiserschmarrn” (cut-up and sugared pancake with raisins), or dumplings in all (sweet) variations. So, I like those sweet dishes.
11. You are member in Austria military team (?) Tell us something about that system you guys have?
– In that system, we are professional sportsmen. We just focus on orienteering and do some studies, when time allows it. Our “working hours” are Monday to Thursday from 07:30 to 16.30 and Friday from 07:30 to 12.30. Right now, the orienteering group consists of six runners and two coaches, responsible for our performance improvement. At 07.30 we show up in a line and say “hello” to our commander. Afterwards: training – eating – sleeping – training – eating – say “goodbye” to our commander.
Altogether, there are about 200 sportsmen from all different disciplines staying in 10 Army sport centres throughout the country. The orienteers stay in Seebenstein, about 60km south to Vienna, a lovely place.
12. How did you get keen to o-sport?
– My sport teacher told me: “You are not good enough in football, so focus on orienteering.” 😉 I started at the age of 10 in gymnasium and our sport teacher was very enthusiastic in orienteering. One step after another, my O-career started, so far I’ve never regretted.
Kiitos!
Kysymykset: Jaakko Aho-Mantila
Valokuva: IOF
