Austria’s women’s alpine teams in North America have reacted to accusations of abuse in their homeland,”we have of course addressed this internally. If such a topic is brought into our women’s team from the outside, it is absolutely necessary,”explained Jürgen Kriechbaum, head of women’s racing at the APA in Killington.
Two women’s technical races will take place on the east coast of the US next weekend and despite the great distance from home, the current situation has been addressed by the team’s team leaders “We all have to be prepared for it. The topic is now probably being brought to the attention of our ladies,”Kriechbaum explained.
Kriechbaum thinks it’s important to come to terms with the past,”but I’m a little surprised how easily suspicions are put in the room. Nicola Werdenigg’s most recent reference to an alleged abuse case at the ÖSV in 2005, Nicola Werdenigg’s boss referred to this procedure as “blanket suspicions when it concerns innocent people are inappropriate and must also be condemned”.
Regarding the situation in the current women’s team, he could say that for every part of the team, from the runners to the coaches and service personnel to the physios, a good team climate is extremely important.”This is the only way to get maximum performance.”
Born in Upper Austria (50), he has been a trainer at ÖSV since 1993 and lives in Tyrol. After many years as a men’s coach and two years at the Stams Ski School in 2013, Herbert Mandl’s master’s degree in philosophy took over the Alpine Skiers’ ladies from Herbert Mandl and, as an academic and teacher, he is also very familiar with the interaction between coaches and athletes.
“It is extremely important that they function optimally, otherwise success will never be achieved. There is no room for tensions due to assaults of any kind whatsoever,”Kriechbaum is convinced.
That’s why the coach sees the current topic a little distanced:”You pretend that it’s common practice. If there are disciplinary offences, the coaches are the first to be kicked out. With such a sensitive topic, one must protect the caretakers, but also the runners, and must not put those who work straightforwardly and honestly under a general suspicion.”
When asked if he could rule out mistakes in his own team, Kriechbaum said:”Of course I can’t control every room. Everyone and every runner has privacy, and it’s got to stay that way.”
According to Kriechbaum, the most important decisions are already made when selecting employees:”For me, as the person responsible, it is important to create a team of trainers who can be trusted, and who do not exploit this hierarchy in the sense of inappropriate exercise of power, but rather try to work with the athletes on an equal footing”.
Many people are involved in the whole process of performance development, and this interaction plays an enormous role:”As a counsellor you have to be a straightforward and socially friendly person.
Of course, you can’t give any guarantees that there will be no misconduct “You can’t just check that out. I am firmly convinced that the coaches and runners are acting sensibly and with mutual respect. If this is not the case, internally noticeable tensions occur that are not conducive to performance development.”
The climate and team spirit play a very important role in this respect, and that’s why we pay great attention to ensuring that the team treats each other with great respect “, said Kriechbaum.