09 Aug 2013 at 09:22 | Published by: Hans | Views: 15980 | News search

Philipp Albrechtsberger  (Photo by SV Gänserndorf 2013)

Interview with Philipp Albrechtsberger (PA), Austria and ASKÖ MSC Steyr

This interview was done the 9th of August 2013. Interviewer is Hans Bergström (HB).

HB: First of all welcome back on the international stage after being “away” since 2007. How come you are back now for Bad Münder?

PA: To participate in the WC 2013 occurred to me very early on. I debuted in general class 2003 in Bad Münder and it went quite well for me. So, ten years later, I’m a little nostalgic, when I think about the tournament.

HB: So, can you tell our readers who is Philipp Albrechtsberger?

PA: Born and raised in Vienna, I studied Journalism. Actually I’m working in the sports department for a daily newspaper. I started my minigolf career a bit late, when I was 16 and under coincidental circumstances. An injury forced me to pause with soccer – so I tried minigolf.

HB: In your day job you work as a sports journalist. Have you any advice to give in general for our volunteers working with media issues to get more attention for Minigolf in Media?

PA: Major question. We are talking about such a minimal level, where every coverage is good and important. My advice would be, that people, who are involved in media issues, should focus on personal aspects of the athletes: background story, oddities, etc. the unexpected provides attention. And it’s necessary to think in short headlines.

HB: What are your ambitions for yourself and the Austrian Teams for the World Championships in Bad Münder?

PA: The team competition has priority. We are coming to Bad Münder to win a medal. That has to be our goal as an Austrian team.

HB: Your favourite surface is felt. How common is that in the Austrian teams?

PA: We have a few good felt-players. One problem is that we still have not enough felt courses in Austria. This is still a huge disadvantage in comparison to nations like Sweden or Germany.

HB: And if you should predict the medallist’s in the teams and the individual stroke play what would it look like?

PA: in the team competition it's the usual suspects: Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland. Maybe the Czech team. But I’m also curious about the progress of teams like Finland, Denmark or Italy since I left the international stage. For the individual competition I have to admit though that I’m too far away from business to predict the medallist’s.

HB: Last time you were participating internationally (in Canegrate 2007) it was the first time the individual medals were played using the KO-mode. What did you think about that then and do you think it’s better now with two individual champions?

PA: Uh, bad memories. In 2007 I had a bad round in the first KO-match against Mike Mann. I hope, I’m able to adjust my KO-balance a little bit here in Bad Münder. In general, I’m a big fan of the stroke play. KO-mode was launched to gain more attention to fans and media - I guess. I’m not sure if that succeeded.

HB: It was a thrilling end to the Austrian Bundesliga was it all came down to the last match. Can you tell us in your own words about this season and how close it was for Steyr to win?

PA: In the end it was a disappointing season because we started with great expectations and also quite well into the season. In the final round the pressure was on: a good feeling. I thrive on that. Unfortunately I had one of my worst days in my career at the final stage of Bundesliga. So it took some days to cope with that situation.

HB: If you could recruit any player in the world, as long as it’s not a Austrian, to play for your club ASKÖ MSC Steyr, who would you pick?

PA: There are many interesting players out there. In terms of playing and swinging I always enjoyed watching Anders Olsson and I also enjoyed it to compete against him. But playing skills is just one part of the many parts that make an athlete interesting for us. Minigolf for us is not just sport, it’s also a hobby. So we’re also looking for other qualities: friendship, loyalty, honesty.

HB: What happens next for you in Minigolf?

PA: I have no idea and that’s exactly the interesting thing right now. I cannot exclude that this is my least international appearance. Maybe I’m back in 2023!

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