03 Oct 2013 at 17:19 | Published by: Hans | Views: 20913 | News search

Karin Heschl concentrating for a shot in Bad Münder  (Photo by Hans Bergström 2013)

Interview with Karin Heschl (KH), Austria and BGCU Rot Gold

This interview was done the 3rd of October 2013. Interviewer is Hans Bergström (HB).

HB: First of all congratulations to a great season of 2013 and the two silver medals at the World Championship in Bad Münder.

Can you tell us first about your feelings looking back at Bad Münder?

KH: It was a great time! I have to admit that I had some doubts before we got there, because I didn’t have any experience with our new head coach and I couldn’t play the Austrian Championships due to my new job – for this reason I wasn’t sure how good I would be able to play. Yet it went way better than expected, we had a lot of fun and played a good tournament.

HB: So, maybe you can start by telling our readers who is Karin Heschl?

KH: I’m 23 years old and live in Vienna. I’m currently studying Social and Cultural Anthropology in the masters program at the University of Vienna, besides I work as a part-time secretary.

HB: This was yet another tournament where you ended up very close on winning gold but still had to settle for silver or bronze. All in all you have 2 silvers and one bronze individually (stroke play silver in 2013, match play silver in 2012, stroke play bronze in 2011). Are you starting to get tired of so often being close but not reaching the gold?

KH: Of course, one of the first emotions is often the feeling that I have “lost” the gold medal – but from my point of view that is a feeling motivated athletes always experience in this situation. However, I’m really proud of all the medals I achieved during the last 3 seasons, and being so close again to win the title just motivates me to go further and to get another chance to exploit my full potential.

HB: You are known to be a quite calm and not so loud player. Don’t you ever get nervous or angry on the course?

KH: Surely I get angry when something doesn’t work out the way I want it to – I’m a perfectionist which is hindering sometimes. I also get nervous often but fortunately I have a quite calm charisma and appeal balanced to others.

HB: At the last lanes in the stroke play you had a great battle with Bianca Zodrow for the gold. Can you tell us about these exciting last lanes?

KH: It was a tough match. I felt that I still had a chance to win, so I just tried to keep on task and focus on the next lanes. When Bianca missed the first shot at lane 17 I thought that I could still do it – but then she managed to finish with shot number 2. I didn’t know the exact standings but I knew that I had to ace on lane 18 in order to keep the chance alive. But yet Bianca didn’t lose her nerves and won the title deservedly.

HB: Also in the team play there were some nerves with close margins for the medals. You managed to secure the silver for Austria only one stroke ahead of Czech Republic and two strokes ahead of Sweden. You were playing closer in the team and had good control over your nerves or it at least seemed so. Were you nervous at all?

KH: I wouldn’t call it “nervous”, it was an intense feeling. We felt the pressure of the other teams but tried to focus on ourselves and to not getting distracted by the current standings. My girls and I functioned very well together, we managed to motivate each other and felt a strong solidarity. With this support of the other team members every one of us was able to give the best and secure the silver medal.

HB: In Bad Münder you were best of all ladies on the felt course and were also setting a new world record for ladies on 3 laps of felt (78 strokes). Is felt your best surface?

KH: The more I play felt, the more I like it :) Maybe that’s the reason why I had many good results on this surface during the last year – I really enjoy felt. In the past I would have defined myself more as a concrete player, but it depends very much on the course.

HB: Did you know that you were setting a new world record over 3 laps of felt when you did it?

KH: No, definitely not! I felt that I played well but not that it was that good.

HB: Then in the match play you lost already in the first match against Sandra Bengtson. What happened?

KH: That’s easy to explain: I didn’t play as good as I did the days before, and Sandra had a very good day and made use of my mistakes. Of course I wasn’t happy that I was kicked out right in the first match but that’s how the match play works :)

HB: In your eyes who is the best male and female minigolf player in the world at the moment?

KH: That is very difficult to answer. From my point of view there are many players who have the potential to be the best but it always depends on the actual conditions on that day / during that competition.

HB: Will we be seeing equally much of you in the 2014 season?

KH: I hope so! As I mentioned before, I’m currently working part-time and I’m studying in the masters program – and I have to start working on my master’s thesis next year. So it’s hard to estimate right now how much time I will have to play minigolf in the upcoming season. But I will do my very best to play as often as possible.

HB: Again a big congratulation to the great 2013 season and good luck in the future.

KH: Thank you very much!

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