So they still exist: places that cannot be found on Google Maps. It’s amazing that you can now even look at your own garden chairs online. But the way to Mylin? Google can’t find it. What the internet provides is a few thin data about the ski area there: two lifts, 480 meters in altitude, between 1180 and 1660 meters altitude. Plus the Sijishan Hotel with 194 rooms. And otherwise? A video on Facebook: The pot-level children’s slope can be seen for 61 minutes, in the sun, but almost without children. In this absurd setting, the world’s best race snowboarders start the World Cup season, Saturday in the parallel giant slalom, Sunday in the parallel slalom.
The following week we’re going to Yanqing, Xiaohaituo Province, where the Alpine skiers last competed for Olympic medals. How Ramona Hofmeister finds this journey to nowhere? “First two races in one place that I can’t pronounce, and then two in the other that I can’t pronounce.” Subtext: I don’t care where I win. The athlete, who has been dominating for years, puts it this way: “I get my race plan and then it will all work out.”
As a competitive athlete, it’s probably no harm to be as polished as the 28-year-old from Bischofswiesen. Just don’t think about it too much. Or just others: In the summer, the policewoman continues her training and deals with forensics, homicides, drugs and border protection – which apparently clears her head.
With success: Last winter she became the first German to win all three overall rankings in one season, Hashtag Globemeister. She won five of the 13 races and was on the podium in three more. After her fourth triumph in the overall World Cup, she won the parallel giant slalom discipline for the fifth time and also the parallel slalom ranking for the first time. Makes a total of ten crystal balls.
Ramona Hofmeister’s overarching goal for the season is the world championship title, one of the few that she still lacks
The question arises as to where she puts all the glass trophies and the bulky aluminum cases needed for packaging at home? “The suitcases in the attic,” says Hofmeister, “I don’t need them that often, the balls are always with me at appointments and events. I distributed the other trophies a little among the family. But the crystal balls, the Bavarian Sports Award and the trophies for Athlete of the Year are all at home with me.”
For the first time, Michael Hölz, the President of Snowboard Germany, honored two “Athletes of the Year” this year: 20-year-old Leon Ulbricht from SC Rötteln was the first German snowboard crosser to win two gold medals at the Junior World Championships and achieved his first World Cup victory last season and stood on the podium once again. Prize winner number two: Ramona Hofmeister, of course. The title of “Coach of the Year” also went to the racers: Christian Hupfauer, himself a World Cup athlete until three years ago, supports head coach Paul Marks, introduces the youngsters to the World Cup and plays a major role in Hofmeister’s successes.
The series winner was once again “tormented a lot by the athletic trainer” this summer, as she says: “That was really good. In the weight room, the sessions were even more intense. I placed even more focus on speed. I’m very confident.” Before last season, she changed supplier and has now once again improved her coordination with the new board. Not good news for the competition. And despite all the victories: there is no sign of saturation. “It only motivates you even more when you can go home with three balls at the end of the season. You want to show that you still have it and want to defend the balls. In any case, I don’t want to miss out on anything. That’s why I’m trying to find a good start straight away.”
In Mylin, the mini-resort northeast of Beijing, near the megacity of Chifeng in Inner Mongolia. “Totally new territory,” says sports director Andreas Scheid. In addition to Hofmeister, Melanie Hochreiter (Bischofswiesen), Cheyenne Loch (Schliersee) as well as Stefan Baumeister (Aising-Pang), Yannik Angenend (Lengdorf), Elias Huber (Schellenberg) and Ole Mikkel Prantl (Königssee) are also chasing points. In a short video they describe their most successful athlete: “Racing pig”, “racing machine”, “He doesn’t care about anything. She just wants to win.”
The only weak point that could stop Hofmeister is the back, which occasionally causes problems. The timing of the highlight of the season is also not ideal: the World Cup in St. Moritz takes place from March 16th to 30th – you have to maintain your form and concentration for a long time. But Hofmeister has long since formulated a goal: “I’m still missing a color at the World Cup.” She already has bronze and silver. There is still room for improvement at the Olympics: so far there is only one bronze medal at home.
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