16 Aug 2010 at 07:26 | Published by: Hans | Views: 14836 | News search

Jakub Kalnik the current Slovak Champion  (Photo by Jakub Kalnik 2010)

Interview with Jakub Kalnik, Slovakia and GK Bratislava

This interview was done in August 2010. Interviewer is Hans Bergström (HB).

HB: First of all thank you for letting Minigolfnews interview you.

HB: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself to those who don’t know you. Who is Jakub Kalnik?

JK: I live in Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, where I was born. I am 21 years old. I am studying Railroad Transports at the University. Except minigolf I also play basketball and like to reading books a lot.

Short trivia:
Profession: Student at University
Year of birth: 1988
Start of Minigolf career: 2003
Make of club: Nifo Ryner
Favourite ball: 3D Bratislava since 1992
Favourite surface: Felt
Technical tip: When training at my home lanes I try to play more complicated shots than necessary to improve my skills.

HB: Recently you became the Slovak Champion of 2010. Can you tell us about this competition?

JK: I did not expect to win that competition based on my poor results on training. But then something changed and during the competition days I felt relaxed and really enjoyed the play. BTW, the weather all over the tournament weekend was hush: 38°C, and most of lanes did not have any in shadow, so just finishing the tournament felt like a victory itself.

HB: What do you think of your 2010 season so far except from the Slovak Championship?

JK: Start of the season was not within my own expectations, but all the experience which I have gathered on international tournaments finally showed during the courses in the later parts of the season. Obviously also the team spirit in GK Bratislava helped me a lot to get into the right shape.

HB: How is the standard of Slovak Minigolf compared to the rest of Europe do you think?

JK: I think we have a lot of hard work to do to be comparable with the rest of Europe. Unfortunately, minigolf is not a very popular sports here as in many other countries. We do not have so many active players, so the priority at the moment is to promote minigolf and possibly also build new courses, especially felt and concrete.

HB: How much time do you spend on playing and training Minigolf?

JK: I train three days a week and tray to attend all the different tournaments within Slovak mingolf league.

HB: Can you share with us your reflections on last year’s Odense Championship?

JK: I consider this championship as perfectly organized. I very much liked the venue of courses and mainly opportunity to sit on a tribune and watch all the other players from not standard perspective. And I could continue with many other things…

HB: What is your hope and goals for your performance in Predazzo?

JK: I don´t have that high hopes and expectations because I´m not an expert on concrete. But I will definitely do my best. We will see…

HB: And who of the Slovak Players do you think will have the best chance individually in Predazzo?

JK: I think it could be Ľubo Zontag, because he was there in May so he knows the lanes. His results on eternit were excellent, but he has to make some progress on concrete.

HB: Who are the favorites for the gold medals individually in Predazzo do you think?

JK: It is for me hard to say who will win as KO system is very tricky.

HB: Are there any nations or players that you think will have a breakthrough this year in Predazzo?

JK: I think it could be a great tournament for Italian players as they will be on home soil.

HB: What has been the best moment in your Minigolf Career?

JK: It was this year on Slovak Championships because I became champion and the team could obtain the league title.

HB: And the worst?

JK: Funny thing that I do not remember any :)

HB: What is your opinion on the KO-modus in international championships?

JK: This modus gives chance for weaker players to win. But I think that tournament is played 4 days, not only few rounds. So I would be happy to see old system again on World or European championships.

HB: If you could recruit any player in the world, as long as it’s not a Slovak person, to play for you club Bratislava who would you pick?

JK: If I had a chance, my choice would be Anders Olsson. He is one of the world best players (right now on the top of world ranking list) but I thing I am not the only one who would be glad to see him in his team.

HB: Again thanks for participating a good luck in Predazzo.

JK: Thank you.

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