Aqui está e claro com o nome do meu ajudante profissional:) Paulo Galante colaborou com este blog e passou as entrevistas para a língua universal.
The great emotions of Field Hockey were lived in Portugal during one week earlier this month.
A Tournament between eight squads, divided in two groups, wanting to go to the Olympics. Portugal, Poland, Italy, Austria, Ukraine, Switzerland, Wales and Scotland took part in this spectacular event which was like an introduction of the sport to the Portuguese public.
Elmar Stremitzer is one athlete who told us in first person how he lives this sport in his country and what opinion he has about Portugal and our people in this first time of him in Portuguese lands.
The teams destinies or objectives had already crossed over another international fields and for all that “it’s not the first time that we play against these teams”, stated Elmar and continued “we already know Poland; we play against them four or five times a year. We know Italy from the last championship in Rome. We also know Ukraine; we played against them a lot of times. Switzerland is just our neighbour; we also have some friendly games”.
Austria always believed that they could be the potential winner of the trophy. Although Elmar affirms the Poland and Scotland consistence: “I would say that at actual competition that we are one of the teams which can win the trophy; but nevertheless Poland and Scotland are for me the best teams physically and they have the best technical skills, but now everything changed, because we won against Poland, we probably going to win tomorrow against Portugal”.
Austria was leading group A until the game against Portugal and it stayed there after it. They were expecting to face in the semi-finals the second placed team of the other group, which statistically the odds pointed to Ukraine or Switzerland. Teams that had strong chances of reaching the final, and that “then we’re going to play against them maybe in the final”, said Elmar.
The player who wore the number 23 jersey of the Austrian squad believed in the so wanted final, which leaded to the “A pool in two years.” Wish that was realized once again against Poland in the final match.
Talking about the Portuguese team, Elmar reveals that it surprised him, mainly because it is a team he has never played against with. “I think one of the players, a lot of years also played against him on the under 21 indoor Hockey, but never outdoor.” The Austrian player confesses he doesn’t know very well the new players and that he’s not also quite acquainted with the hockey championship which is played in our country, specially when it comes to the teams competing it. He’s sure that we’re talking about good players.
Anabela (A) – What are your expectations for this tournament?
Elmar Stremitzer (ES) – Actually we came here and we knew we have three games in the group: against Italy, against Poland and against Portugal. And we knew that Portugal just came to the people at two years ago and we know Portugal we have to win against this team because if we don’t achieve against these team, we are not sure that we are not good enough to play in Olympics – Olympic Qualification Tournament. And then Poland they are pros (profissionais), they get paid, they train twice a day, they are really sportsman. In our team we have a lot of students we have some managers, some lawyers and stuff. So we are working or studying and besides that we are playing hockey just for fun.
Elmar assumes that to him “it has been quite a surprise”: ”because Poland we just played against them two weeks ago and we lost, I don’t know the score anymore, but we lost and it was like if Poland were playing against children, it’s a scandal”. Now the situation has inverted and Austria came out has the winner of the match now we’ve won against Poland we just said let’s keep it slow, let’s save the energy and stuff because we need it for tomorrow, for the game of tomorrow against Portugal.”
The calls congratulating the team were more than many “everybody was calling us just a few minutes after the game. Everybody is happy and is celebrating now in Vienna and well it’s a really surprise for all our players because they’ve never played against Poland outdoor. It’s the one of the best teams in Europe and we just won against them,” Elmar reveals glowingly happy with such victory.
A - We’ve already talked about the Portuguese players, lets now turn to the country itself. What do you think about Portugal?
ES – About the country: I’ve been a lot of times in Spain but never to Portugal. So I just know my hotel, the Hockey pitch and yesterday – our rest day – I went to the city which is quite nice Bairro Alto, the old part of the city it’s quite nice. I know that Portugal is one of the poorest countries in Europe but I think the people I just met here and saw on the streets are quite happy and always friendly, really tolerant people. So I think it’s a nice country to live here and to work probably or study here.
Being a field hockey player isn’t always that easy, because there is a whole life to combine with this sporting activity. It’s the passion for the game and the hunger for the win that commands the life of these young people and nothing can move them from this dream they hunt.
Rare are the viscissitudes(?) which they have to let go through, Elmar constantly tells to his friends that playing hockey is the best. In Austria, as like in the vast majority of the European countries, field hockey is not a very well known sport, but he insists “Listen, Hockey is one of the best games just because you always have like, you go to a Tournament; you always have men teams, women teams”. Elmar proceeds with his explanation that “You always have like 50%-50%. It’s always a lot of fun, especially with our team. It’s a very intelligent game, it’s not like just with the body and a rude game and like football. Hockey it’s more technical skills, it’s more with the brain and also in Hockey if you go to Austria, Germany and probably in Portugal it’s the same to Netherlands. It’s always very familiar; always have a lot of family stair, the children are playing, the parents have played before hockey and so it goes the parents to the children and so on.” He assures
Effectively we talk about a sport that he is passionate about, and more than that: “I love this game.” Elmar re-affirms that “it’s not a stupid game if we compare to other games”, and in a kidding tone, he reveals that this sport has “great parties. If you want to Hockey Tournament it’s the best parties ever!”
And for those who fear the difficulties here goes an advice: If you wanna be one of the best teams in Europe and you really want to achieve something, then you really have to give up a lot of things.” Going out at night at some times, go to parties all the time are two of the numerous things that you can’t do; and also “you don’t take drugs, that’s good”. Elmar insists in the necessity of being present in every practice, and because of all this, for managing to conceal all this is that “because our team is very special”, Elmar affirms “we are studying, we already working, it’s not like stupid people because it’s like they no pros, we don’t get any money paid for playing Hockey”.
Workers that fight for recognition at each step they take towards their conquers. They constantly face a time management problem in order to do everything in just one day - study, work and practice – “You go to work and in the evening you go and train, it’s a lot of things you have to consider when you play hockey.”
A hard work that isn’t always recognized; however, the best reward of this season was conquered – the A division in 2009 – and, from this moment, the dream continues throughout all Europe.
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