ASTEN/ORLANDO. Water skiing in bright sunshine and temperatures around 30 degrees. The sunny state of Florida in America makes this possible, while at home you still have to scrape the ice off your car or boat.
But not only the summery weather, but also the water ski school of Franz Oberleitner attracted the water ski aces Bianca and Nadine Schall as well as David Bodingbauer to Orlando for the ninth time. The three athletes trained here every day from the early hours of the morning until the evening. Without intensive strength training in winter, they would not have been able to cope with this enormous training workload. Through strength training, the water skiers of the WWSC Asten Ausee also the formation of blisters, which tend to spread quickly on the hands in warm water and numerous training sessions. “During strength training, calluses formed on my hands, which saved me from blisters with the help of sports tape,” says David Bodingbauer. After his semester abroad in Louisiana (USA), where he competed in water skiing competitions in America for the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM), the 21-year-old is already a veteran in the warm American waters.
Water ski season can come
The warm water has hardly lured the local alligators out of their hiding places. Only during the first trips did one show up briefly before diving back between the water lilies. “I would often prefer to see the alligators lying around somewhere, at least then I know exactly where they are. That’s why I only ever hear the sounds they make close by,” says Bianca Schall, the reigning world and European champion, with a smile. The warming rays of the sun also lured numerous other native reptiles out of their hiding places, which even made themselves comfortable on the runners’ skis. “Most snakes in Florida are non-poisonous, unless they have colorful patterns, then it’s probably better to run away quickly,” Vice World Champion Nadine Schall takes it with humor. Apart from the reptiles in Orlando, David Bodingbauer and the Schall sisters were able to fine-tune their technique and continue to build muscles with Franz Oberleitner. After this two-week training camp, the three WWSC aces are now prepared for a successful water ski season.