Lucas Kröger: Good point. I think that the support, teaching and help that MBS can provide after a sports career is very much present in Max’s course, Sports Business and Communications. MBS has an enormous network. I know a few handballers who have also gone down the sports management route simply because they wanted to keep sport at the heart of their lives. Things are a little different for me, but there’s a lot I can take from the International Business program at MBS. The teaching staff provide a lot of different ideas and motivation. The same goes for the course curriculums and the MBS network, of course. What I found so extraordinary was the internationality of MBS. Of course, MBS is always near the top of the rankings when it comes to internationality. That was a decisive factor for me because, in my head, it was like a golden thread that I wanted and still want to follow above all else. But it all depends on individuals and personalities. Everyone has their own interests and different ideas about what life will look like after a sports career. The offering from MBS is pretty good.
Wiebke Lehnert: Okay. So, to finish off, I’d like to ask you to briefly look to the future. My question is: Where do you see yourselves in 10 years and what role will sport play in your life at that point? Will it be part of your professional life or more of a private thing? What do you think, Heiner?
Heiner Längst: Where do I see myself in 10 years? That’s a really good question. It’s a question I’ve been asked a lot in the past as well – but it was always in the context of where I saw my future in sporting terms. Now, of course, sport is no longer a big part of my life in that respect. Despite that, I still love sport and keeping myself fit and healthy. Nevertheless, I’d still give exactly the same answer as I did back then. It’s true that, by growing up in my family home, I was given a lot of opportunities to do sport. So, my goal – as I move into a professional career after sport – is to enable my children and my family to enjoy at least the same opportunities as I did in my childhood. That means doing any sport they want, trying things out, and having a certain degree of independence and freedom. That’s my goal; it’s the reason behind everything I do. And that’s also my answer to the question of where I see myself in 10 years. I see myself being able to put a big tick beside that goal.
Max Maas: Well, as the second skier here, I’ll go next. Whenever anyone asks me what I miss most about being a professional skier, I always say: “I miss the racing.”. You’re doing something you’re actually a bit scared of, but still… Take, for example, standing in the start house in Kitzbühel. Everyone’s scared but, as soon as the gate opens in front of you, the timing starts, you still chase the clock like there’s no tomorrow. That’s something I miss. But I think that this pressure, this need to deliver, that’s something I can find to some extent in the working world, in business. And, to answer your question about where I see myself in 10 years, I’m looking forward to putting myself in high-pressure situations and facing up to major challenges in the next few years and being forced to handle them. I need situations that challenge me and help me to advance. Situations I can build on. That allow me to show what I can do. I would certainly like to stay connected to sport and, as I’ve already said, continue to include it in my professional life but perhaps moving more towards business – by combining sport, finance and business more closely. I think that, in the next 10 years, I’ll definitely face challenges that will give me that kick again and will allow to feel a certain amount of fear and pressure – just like in the start house in Kitzbühel. I’m looking forward to that. And, of course, as Heiner said, there’s nothing better than sport. You can do it alone, you can do it with your family, your can do it with friends… And, as Heiner also said, I just want to give my children the chance to do the same and try out any sport they want, because I know first-hand how much sport can give you and how great it is. That’s something I want to give back to society – whether it’s my children or my friends. Just saying: “Hey, let’s do X, Y and Z together, give it a go.” There are plenty of downs, of course – but looking back on my career, the negatives are definitely outweighed by the positives I enjoyed in sport. Thankfully, I’ll be able to take that positivity with me into the next chapter in my life.
Lucas Kröger: Well, for me – and I know I’ve said it a few times already – my aspirations still lie in pursuing an international career and moving forward with that, so I’d like to think I would still be doing so in 10 years. That’s my big goal, really. When it comes to sport, I’m lucky that in my position, goalkeeper, you can still play when you’re 40 and even reach your golden years around then. That means that I’ve still got my best years ahead of me, in a way! (laughs) So I’ll definitely still be aiming high and involved in sport. It’s a big part of my life and it always will be. And the framework created for me by older teammates when I was younger – that’s something I can pass on to the younger ones when I’m older. There’s always a sort of generational exchange within the club, with each generation surpassing the one before it and opening up new opportunities for the generations that follow.
Wiebke Lehnert: They all sound like wonderful goals and I’d like to wish you every success in achieving them! Well, all that’s left for me to say is thank you for your fascinating insights into the world of sport and sharing things I’m sure many of us perhaps didn’t know. It’s been so much fun talking with you. I hope that our listeners out there have enjoyed it just as much. So, that’s goodbye from me – until next time!
Lucas Kröger: Yes, thank you, too!
Max Maas: Thank you.
Lucas Kröger: Ciao, ciao!
Heiner: Thank you, ciao!
Missed the first episode? Then catch up quickly and learn more about the reconciliation of professional sport and studying: Click here for the first interview with Lucas, Heiner and Max!
