“Next winter will be a decisive season for us!”

Before the Summer Grand Prix stop in Klingenthal (GER), German head coach Hermann Weinbuch spoke to local media coordinator Sascha Brand about the preparation for the upcoming winter, the importance of catching up on the jumping hill and why the next winter is of central importance for the setup of the German team in the future.

Mr. Weinbuch, How is the preparation for the upcoming winter progressing?

Hermann Weinbuch: We have finished the first period of preparation with a focus on endurance and big training volumes. To aid that goal, the team went to Mallorca for a week to cycle. After that, we were in Oberhof and made first jumps on the new small hill there. It was a very good start but we are still in the situation that we have to get better on the jumping hill this year and catch up, compared to other teams. This is the reason why our plans go towards holding the level in the cross-country part but making technical improvements in the jumps.

Which jumping camps were/are on schedule to further that goal?

Weinbuch: We have been in Ramsau and made a trip to Villach (both AUT). After that, we went to Hinterzarten (GER) and Courchevel (FRA). We tried to find a different access to ski jumping with some changes and new forms of training. It looked quite well in the training period but right before the Summer Grand Prix, the athletes got a bit tired due to the large amounts of endurance training taking place at the same time. They had a week of holidays as well, this was important.

How satisfied are you with the the current situation?

Weinbuch: In total, I am quite satisfied as the athletes show good performance in the cross-country part. The ski jumping was not ideal yet but maybe without the tiredness, we would be a little further on this path already.

How important was the Summer Grand Prix in your planning?

Weinbuch: We wanted to have as many athletes as possible  on start and go for the complete series of events. It was a hard phase but the Grand Prix offers the best possible training under competition conditions. It was important to have the comparison to the best athletes, especially in the ski jumping part and also have some moments of success (Editor's note: as Fabian Rießle did in Montafon). The Grand Prix plays a major role for us in terms of development in the next one to two years.

Will you also use this season without championships to close the gap between the young athletes and the A-team?

Weinbuch: We included Junior World Champion Julian Schmid in the A-team, which is very important and brings new impulses. We did not have too many young athletes taking the step up in the last one to two years. For him, now is a good situation to get in the spirit for his home World Championships in Oberstdorf (GER) and to challenge the established athletes. In general, we want to use the season to close the gap on the jumping side, as mentioned above.

Looking into the future, do we have to expect that the era “Hermann Weinbuch” will end after the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf (GER)?

Weinbuch: We have to focus on the next season first. We will see how that will go. It is a decisive season for us, also without any title event. We have to work on the development in ski jumping, if we fail at that we can be in a situation where new impulses are needed very quickly. For us as a coaching team, it will be important to see if we can succeed in bringing the athletes a step forward in ski jumping again. It will play a major role in the decision-making process if any further cooperation with me actually make sense.