“I’ve always liked helping others”

Jan Schmid is the new head coach of the Norwegian Nordic Combined team.
In an interview with FIS the 37-year-old talks about the transition from athlete to coach, his passion for helping others, and the added value through the Nordic Combined Women's World Cup.

Norway is one of the most successful nations in Nordic Combined. What tasks are you particularly looking forward to as their new head coach?

Jan Schmid: I mostly look forward to working with the athletes. Planning and training – the practical part – is what I enjoy. The administrational duties haven’t been a big part of my world yet, but I am particularly happy about working closer with the athletes.

Your active career wasn't that long ago. What do you miss about it the most?

Schmid: I miss being able to plan my day the way I want it. As an athlete I was my own boss and that was really nice. I also miss having that single-minded focus trying to achieve something. I don’t particularly miss competing … (laughs)

On the other hand, there must be advantages of being head of the team now?

Schmid: Of course! I have always been the kind of guy that liked helping others achieve something. I really enjoy it, also in a self-serving aspect, to help others succeed. Now I have a whole team I can support in every way possible, which is great.

Was it already clear to you at the end of your career that you wanted to continue as a coach?

Schmid: Towards the end of my career I didn’t think about becoming a coach right away. But I have 20 years of experience in different teams and systems of Nordic Combined, which is basically my work experience. It wouldn’t have been smart to “throw” all this experience away, but I never expected to become head coach only two years later. It was a surprise to me that Peder (Sandell) didn’t want to continue.

In 2019 you won three medals at the World Championships in Seefeld (AUT) with your then team mates Espen Bjørnstad, Jørgen Graabak and Jarl Magnus Riiber. Now they’re your students. Was it weird to make the transition from athlete to coach?

Schmid: It was never weird. Jørgen (Graabak) is still 8 years younger than me, the others ten and fifteen years. In the final days of my career I was already kind of a grandfather in the team (laughs), and in Seefeld by far the oldest. But we always had flat hierarchies in the Norwegian team so it’s never been an issue. We’ve just been two different generations.

With Riiber you have the absolute dominator of the past seasons in your team. What challenges does such an exceptional athlete pose for you? Or does he no longer need any help at all?

Schmid: Jarl has a very strong personality, and a good team around him at home. As his coach my main job is to challenge him and his ideas, not to give him a plan and tell him what to do. This also makes my transition from athlete to coach easier, as if I was trying to be the “big boss” suddenly.

Norway not only has an excellent World Cup team, but also has strong youngsters. How do you decide who can move up to the national team having so many choices?

Schmid: Luckily, I don’t have to make that decision. We have a limited number of athletes on the World Cup team which means, we have to draw a line somewhere. The most important part is the results, but we have had many strong youngsters in the COC over the last years. We rely on close cooperation with our regional teams to make sure these guys progress, and are taken care of in the best way possible.

With the Women's World Cup, mixed competitions will also be possible in the future. In your opinion, what are the advantages of this diversity?

Schmid: Finally, all athletes are allowed to participate and not only half of them. The mixed competitions will be pretty cool, like they already are for example in Ski Jumping and Biathlon. 
In the beginning we will have to try different formats because the women’s starting field is on average much younger and smaller than the men’s. But we have to start somewhere and will work from there.

With a view to the Olympic season, the summer will be very important in terms of preparation. What are your plans for the coming months?

Schmid: We are not going to change things drastically during an Olympic season, but there are some small ideas we will probably work on. My main job now is just to continue what already worked for the athletes in the past. 
Unusual for us is that we are going to do an altitude camp in the summer because of the upcoming Olympics in Beijing that lies significantly higher than Norway. 
We are also planning some training camps together with the women, which I think will be good for our men. Those ambitious young women can bring additional motivation and make them work even harder.

Thank you for taking the time and all the best for the upcoming season!