Reading that on my website might strike you as a odd, but that’s how I felt until my early 20s. I grew up on the countryside, naturally I wanted to be a farmer for many years. That changed to brick layer, like my father. At some point also baker/confectioner if I recall it right. Probably because I got a sweet tooth. That career prospects all changed with participating in my first race back in 1998. From that moment on, I was determined to become a champion. Hands in the air, medal around my neck champion at Olympic games and World championships. 15 years later, after spending most of my youth and teenage years training towards that goal, reality caught up with me. The last year of the under 23 category was also the last year I thought I could win medals and make a living as an elite athlete. No hard feelings, looking back it was a great time and I would do it all again, but I needed a new job.
In all the years, all the training sessions before and after school, weekends away trying to ski as fast as possible from A to B I never thought about becoming a coach. Don’t get me wrong, I liked my coaches. Thankful that someone helped me chasing my dreams. But it never occurred to me that working with athletes could be a potential future job.
Law, for four semesters I was enrolled at University for getting a law degree. I attended classes, passed some exams but quite soon I realized this might not be my path towards a happy work life and an unexpected call changed everything. The vice president of the upper Austrian ski federation at the time called. He’d heard I recently quit skiing and was wondering if I can see myself coaching youth athletes. I was working with the upper Austrian ski federation for three years. During this time the coaching thing really started to feel like something I could do. I started studying sport science in a more serious way. I finished my Bachelors degree and just around the time I finished my Masters degree I started working for the Austrian national team. As a coach.
Ever since my first coaching experience I haven’t changed my mind about how beautiful this work is. Amateur and professional athletes alike. The process of realizing someone’s full potential and work towards a goal is what I like to do for a living. At times it can be tough of course. It’s not a job you can clock out from. A lot of times you take a part of your job home. Especially the moments you fail to reach a certain goal with your athlete can be a bit challenging and may not go away quickly. But all the hard times wash away with one victory. No matter how small it might be. One moment that makes my athlete’s hard work and tough days taste sweet. Until it starts again. Because one thing’s for sure, no matter how big the trophy was. Everyone starts from the same line in the next race.
For almost a decade now, I have been working with athletes. As a coach I have been to Olympic games and World championships with my athletes. Failing, learning and winning too. The coaching business keeps you humble, cause you lose more times than you win. Safe to say it feels like I have a great job.
