Wolfgang Steiert “We are motivated too”
Wolfgang Steiert,
ur: 19.04.63, married, two children
Head coach of the German national team
1989/90 coach diploma in Cologne
From 1991 Germany national team coach (frame-B)
From 1992 second head coach of the German national team (cadre-A)
Wolfgang Steiert is not only the second head coach of the German national team, he is also the main caretaker of the best German two, Martin Schmitt and Sven Hannawald.
Steiert has been working intensively with all A-team jumpers from the Black Forest for many years, especially with Martin Schmitt and Sven Hannawald.
“What we need, it is absolute mutual trust between the trainer, and the players. This is the main condition, to be successful.
If there is trust, team symbiosis. That's the only way to get great results”, Steiert said.
This past winter may have looked like this “light exercise”, but we've had a really hard time behind us.
Times weren't always what they are today, especially for Sven Hannawald.
W 1996 Sven Hannawald was facing the end of his career
“W 1996 Sven Hannawald had the intention “quit everything”. Having then 22 lata, Hannawald had no achievements”, recalls Steiert.
“It would have been very close and the subject of Hannawald would have been, at least when it comes to ski jumping, history.
Only the people in the frame knew about it, and today the name Hannawald means something”.
But everything went completely different.
“Hannawald's achievements in the Continental Cup saved his career. Reinhard Hess and I agreed, that winter's successes in the Continental Cup justify a first-team nomination for Hannawald. Back then it had the potential it has today. Several activists wanted Hannawald removed from the staff and this, to end his career in the winter 1996 year, but with Reinhard Hess we recognized, he should stay on the team.
Season 1997/98 was the first “The year of Hannawald” as Steiert puts it. Second place in the classification of the Four Hills Tournament, the rest is history.
“There are good sides to the break”
Wolfgang Steiert is currently teaching two of the best athletes in the Black Forest, Martin Schmitt and Sven Hannawald, who today are also a constant worry for the country.
FIS Summer Grand Prix 2002 comes to an end without these two and without one of the coaches in the German squad.
“Break, thank you Martina and Sven, also has good sides.
I was very happy with Martin Schmitt's jumps in Predazzo. It already looked very good.
We gave up starting in Lahti and Innsbruck, so that you can continue with your training program.
“Hanni” he is in better shape now, than it was last summer.
This is the result of it, that in recent weeks he has been unable to do more than train for conditioning.
Now he will be allowed to play football and tennis, so things will get better.
Presumably, Sven will be able to make his first jump in a week”.
“Less room for maneuver”
“Sometimes it's not easy to train a superstar, it's about conflicts, differences of opinion and other matters.
You often have less room for manoeuvre.
But everything is working for us now, as I said, the most important thing is trust between all participants, everything is under control.
This is also the case with other competitors from the Black Forest: Duffnerem, Herr and until last winter also with Hansjörg Jäkle.
The most important achievement is the individual title, but in order to achieve this, a team must function. Otherwise, nothing will be achieved.
Who would Schmitt and Hannawald be without Steiert?
“All three of us would be out there, where are we now.
Others benefit from us and we become stronger.
I really owe a lot to both of them.
As I said, alone won't win anything, but the team can achieve a lot”.
When asked how German players are preparing to fight against teams, who recently changed coaches (Austria, Finland, Norway, United States) and have made significant progress, Steiert answers briefly:
“We don't have a new team though, but we are also motivated”.
Naturally, there is no basis after the last season, to change the head coach of the German team.
You never change the winning team.
This sentence applies to the German Ski Association.
“We've made some changes, upgrades for the next season.
We will be supported by Jürgen Wolf in the future, who will be head of science and research.
His responsibilities will include equipment issues, implementation and implementation of new ideas”.
“The influence of the stars”
“The young Stephan Hocke is undoubtedly the winning jumper type” says Wolfgang Steiert about the player from Thuringia.
“But now Hocke still needs Schmitt and Hannawald, to be able to win. If not both, everyone's looking at him and it's giving him even more trouble.
Something similar is also Michael Uhrmann. He also gains psychologically with these two. The presence of Martin Schmitt and Sven Hannawald in the competition is very important to them”.
“In November, we take everything seriously”
The goals for the upcoming winter season are obvious to Steiert and his colleagues:
“In early November we are going with the whole team (8 players + coach + guardian) to Scandinavia to train in the snow.
Martin Schmitt and Sven Hannawald will naturally be present
and we intend to achieve great successes in the winter season. Everyone can play a significant role “.
The end of November in Finnish Kuusamo will show whether our calculations have not failed.
All possibilities are currently being used optimally and that's it “old, german team”.