Snowboarder Ramona Hofmeister hopes for more attention for her sport

No pressure, just passion. Ramona Hofmeister tries to shape her everyday sporting life according to this principle. The 25-year-old snowboarder won the overall World Cup in the parallel giant slalom twice in a row. The expectations for the coming season, which began with the World Cup in Bannoye, Russia this weekend, are correspondingly high.

And in the first competition on Saturday, the Bavarian had to admit defeat to her big competitor Sofija Nadyrschina from Russia. “I did not allow myself to be put under pressure by the fact that many people said that I am now the hunted,” Hofmeister told Tagesspiegel, “I am rather proud and grateful that it is so.”

At the Winter Olympics in South Korea almost four years ago, when she achieved bronze in front of a roaring crowd, she already showed that her looseness is not just played, followed by other medals at world championships. In particular, she still feeds on the impressions in Pyeongchang 2018. Also because the aggravated corona situation will not allow spectators to attend the upcoming games in China in February.

Like so many other athletes, Hofmeister also has considerable problems with the fact that the competitions take place in such a politically difficult environment. “It will be very well organized, but of course there are a few question marks associated with it,” she says. “I’m glad that it won’t be my first Olympic Games, but that I was able to take it with me in 2018. The race and the medals are the same now. Unfortunately, the feeling is not there. “

Different reputation of the sport

Especially for snowboarders: inside the Olympics is the opportunity to attract significantly more attention than usual. While German fans – insofar as spectators are allowed – frolic in sledding, biathlon or ski jumping, the snowboard events are accompanied by an international, significantly younger audience that is attracted to this rousing competition format.

“We always get the feedback that our sport is super exciting to watch,” says Hofmeister. In a direct duel between woman and woman or man and man, it becomes immediately apparent who has prevailed. Athletes and spectators do not have to check times on the display boards.

And although all World Cup locations are in Europe this winter, most of them in Central Europe, the Bischofswiesenerin has the feeling that there is greater affection for her sport in other parts of the world. “There were always around 3,000 people in Russia, which is a lot for us. I would say that the snowboard is viewed differently there, ”says Hofmeister.

Also in South Korea and China, where she was able to test the Olympic slope in 2019, many people would have watched. “Snowboarding is very popular there. In Korea there are also more snowboarders on the slopes than skiers, ”she emphasizes.
Although the Snowboard Association Germany had 37,229 members in 2020 and is only outnumbered by skiers in the winter sports associations, the athletes have to fight hard for attention in public reporting.

“We have been really strong as a team in recent years,” says Hofmeister. “Not much more is possible, someone from the team was on the podium almost every weekend. Our perception has improved, but there is still room for improvement. “
New this season will be the experience for Hofmeister without her friend and long-time snowboard front woman Selina Jörg to compete in the World Cup. The two-time world champion and Olympic silver medalist ended her career after last season.

For Hofmeister, passion is the only thing that counts

The same goes for her former teammate Cheyenne Loch, who quit professional snowboarding at the age of 26. “We are now doing Skype meetings so as not to lose sight of each other,” says Hofmeister.
Melanie Hochreiter and Caroline Langenhorst should fill the gap as aspiring boarders. They also showed on Saturday that they can succeed: Langenhorst secured third place after narrowly defeating Hofmeister in the semifinals. Hochreiter has already cracked the norm for Beijing. Her colleague Stefan Baumeister also impressed with a second place.

Nonetheless, the focus will of course be on Hofmeister, who, however, had to struggle with back problems and had to undergo an operation in October. “That’s why a lot is missing from the training days,” says Hofmeister.

There wasn’t much of that in Bannoye, where another competition is due this Sunday. “Today I got better into my racing mode from run to run and now I’m super happy that I can stand on the podium with Caro,” said Hofmeister at the sports show.

In any case, Hofmeister hadn’t worried that she wouldn’t get up to speed in time for the Olympic winter. That wouldn’t go with her life motto at all. For them, the only thing that counts is the passion of standing on the board and sliding down an icy, steep slope.