From Stockholm on to Switzerland: Inteview with Stephanie Kern
30 Nov 2011 at 19:17 | Published by: Hans | Views: 14912 | News search
Stephanie Kern celebrating an ace in Stockholm (Photo by Patric Fransson 2011)
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Interview with Stefanie Kern (SK), Germany and MC Olten
This interview was done the 30th of November 2011. Interviewer is Hans Bergström (HB).
HB: First of all congratulations to a great season of 2011 and especially the World Championship title in Team and Stroke play. How do you rank these two titles compared with the titles from the past?
SK: Thank you. After a couple of years without a team gold medal I'm very happy to become team world champion this year. The stroke play title is my first one in general class and I'm very proud of it.
HB: Can you tell our readers a little bit who is Stephanie when you are not on the Minigolf course?
SK: Well most of my time I'm working as laboratory assistance at Bbraun. In my free time, when I'm not playing minigolf, I like reading and going out for a walk. My second love after Minigolf is TAE BO. I'm TAE BO instructor and I'm often visiting conventions all over Germany and soon also in Switzerland and Austria.
HB: With two gold medals you where one of the most successful players of the Stockholm Championships. How are your feelings about the competition when you are remembering now two months later? What memories are the strongest?
SK: That’s a difficult question. Standing there together with the girls and hearing the national anthem of Germany was the best moment.
HB: The ending of the team play for the ladies was quite a thriller. How did it feel to watch from besides what was happening?
SK: Well I finished my last round and everything I could have done after that was just hoping and watching Nicki and Bibi fighting for every shot. I've known that Austria was one shot in front before lane 18. I haven't watched Lisa playing lane 18. After a couple of minutes I heard this “plong” and I couldn't believe that she missed the first shot. I had no doubt that Bibi would get the ball in with one shot, so I prepared myself for a team shootout. After the second plong-I still didn't watch her playing- I realized what was happening there. That we could become world champion. Bibi, coolness in person, shot the ball in and our dream became true.
HB: Also the finals in the stroke play were a very tight battle between you and Bianca with you as winner on the first sudden death hole. Can you tell us about how you managed to keep focus and concentration under such pressure?
SK: After winning the team gold medal, I just wanted to enjoy the last days and play good minigolf. Before the last round started I thought of the possibility to win a medal. I really enjoyed this fight, that’s why I'm playing minigolf.
HB: What is your opinion about the way the Stockholm championships were played with 2 days team, one day stroke play and one day match play?
SK: I don't know the English word for “Frechheit”. I think I can speak here for many minigolf players not only in Germany. For most of us the team competition is the most important thing and playing for and with the team is the greatest thing in minigolf sport. And I can't understand why the team competition was shorted to introduce a whole day for a second individual title. Isn't there a possibility to combine a third day for the team competition and a stroke play champion?
HB: How has your success been noticed by media and people around you?
SK: There have been two regional TV channels that made an Interview with me. SAT1 Rheinland-Pfalz and from my home region WDR Dortmund. Also the newspaper from Castrop-Rauxel is always interested in my career. I'm nominated for the voting “Sportler of the year” in Rheinland-Pfalz and also in my hometown Castrop-Rauxel.
HB: You were also wining the Europa Cup with your team MGC Mainz on the difficult courses of Vergiate, Italy. Can you tell us about this tournament and why your team was the winner in the end?
SK: Alice played a fabulous competition. She was the basis for this success. She is the heart of our team. We all played a constant result, no high results and only escapees in direction to lower results. We knew that we will make mistakes on this course and we accepted it from the beginning. We just tried to make fewer mistakes than the others ;-)
HB: Your teams (Mainz) start of the Bundesliga season has not been so good. Last in the table after two rounds and the league seems to be narrower between the teams than ever. Do you have any comments on this?
SK: No.
HB: This year we saw a new young generation of German girls enter the scene in the junior’s championship. How big is the gap from these girls to the national team in General Class?
SK: I really don't know it. When I changed from junior to general class everybody told me that it will be difficult and will take some years till I'm integrated. But luckily for me I became German champion in my first year as adult that made it easier. I hope that there are some girls mastering the step from junior to general class.
HB: How does your season planning look like for 2012 and onward?
SK: I moved to Switzerland in October and with great pain in my heart I decided not to play any longer for the most fantastic team ever. I start a new challenge with the Olten Ladies team. Let's see what the future will bring.
HB: What happens next for you in Minigolf?
SK: I will play some indoor competitions in Switzerland and in February I will play my first competition with the girls from Olten.
HB: If you could recruit any lady player in the world, as long as it’s not a German, to play for your club who would you pick?
SK: Difficult ;-) Melanie Blaser, but I will play with her in future, so Karin Wiklund maybe.
HB: Again a big congratulation to the fantastic 2011 season and good luck in the future.
SK: Thank you, and also great thanks to our fans who took the long trip to Sweden. Thank you Claudia, Michaela and Simone.
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