“My first thought up there was: that’s pretty high”

“Just before I start the approach, I get really calm. I sit on the beam looking down the track, thinking about the jump. Not about how far I’ll jump, not about the result but only about the next few steps: the in-run, take-off and flight. Then I push off. At that moment my head is clear. This silence lasts a few seconds, before the ground returns. I touch down with the skis, absorb the impact and run out. The jump is over, the day continues.

I have a tight daily schedule at theskiing boarding school in Willingen: breakfast at seven, school until lunchtime, then lunch, homework supervision and sometimes tutoring. I train in the afternoon, usually until the early evening. There’s not much time left, but that’s alright. It’s the same for all of us here. 

Life at the skiing boarding school: like a second family

We have this one big goal: to keep getting better at our sport. In the time we do our homework, it’s usually okay if we don’t study non-stop, we can chat and laugh, too, to clear our heads. The trainers don’t push us, they say: ‘You need to want it yourself.’ I have my own room at the boarding school. In the evening we all have dinner together, play board games and sometimes just talk. We’re closely supervised, there’s always someone there that we can turn to. It’s like a second family. 

I originally wanted to be a biathlete, but when I did my first trial session on the ramp it was immediately clear that ski jumping was my sport. My first thought up there was ‘that’s pretty high’. Once I was back down, though, I immediately wanted to go back up. It’s hard to explain that feeling I get during the in-run when everything else disappears for a moment.

No fear of jumping

Nowadays I jump on large hills, including jumps of over a hundred metres. My longest jump was over 135 metres. I am not scared but I do have respect. Fear makes you insecure and insecurity can be dangerous. I follow a little ritual before each jump: I imagine a perfect flight, for example one by my role model, the Austrian ski jumper Daniel Huber. The trainers know what we are capable of. They say: ‘Just do what you can.’ I could do the steps required during the in-run, in the air and for landing in my sleep. That gives me confidence. 

We are often on the go, getting to know new places and hills. Last year I went to Slovenia for a training course, and at the weekend I’m going to Seefeld in Austria for a competition. Travel, bus rides, new ramps, new conditions – that’s all part of the sport and pretty exciting. 

My favourite ramp is the one near Kranj in Slovenia. I like it’s shape, it’s a bit flatter at the top and then keeps getting steeper as you go down. From the top you have this panoramic view that’s truly unforgettable.

My big dream is to take part in the World Cup in a few years, and of course also on our Mühlenkopfschanze here in Willingen one day. In the meantime I will keep training, one step and one jump at a time.”