Eva Jurenikova was recently in Portugal and the Portuguese Orienteering Blog found her at Oporto City Park, doing... Trail Orienteering. In this Interview, she describes the last few months, speaks of the new challenges ahead the Halden SK and projects the next season. And she also talks about Portugal and Trail-O.
What are your best memories, six
months later, of the European Orienteering Championships 2012, where
you were the Middle and Long Distances' course setter?
Eva Jurenikova [E. J.] -
What I remember the most is the cooperation with various people, when
we were preparing the TV production. Tom Hollowell, Jan Kocbach and
some other guys worked hard to make it happen. Collaborating with the
TV director Karel Jonak and realizing what you can do for a good TV
coverage without compromising orienteering, was motivating. But the
TV production was just a part of my EOC work, I was involved in many
other things.
Was it an extra-challenge for
you, as a course setter. It would be easier without the TV?
E. J. - Until
February, I was not sure if there would be TV or not [from the middle
distance]. I had two or three little bit different course
alternatives, but the main concept of the course was set. I didn't
have to make big changes because of TV. They used many kilometres of
TV cables. I only adjusted a few controls after being in the forest
with Karel Jonak, the TV director, in the autumn 2011.
How important was for you to be a
course setter in this event?
E. J. - It was
important because of the experience. It might help me in the future
to get some other tasks or some other jobs connected to orienteering.
But that wasn't what I was thinking before. I had too much terrain
knowledge to run the competitions anyway so I said “OK, it will be
fun to be on the other side”.
One month later and there you
are, in Lausanne, competing in the World Orientering Championships.
How did you find the WOC, this year?
E. J. - After all,
there are a lot of positive feelings about the WOC. In May, just
before the European Championships, I was not sure if I would be
participating in the World Championships because I was not training
properly for a couple of months. I am pleased that I managed to get
there and, at least, to be in the best shape of the season. I felt
that, in the Long Distance, I managed to get the maximum out of me.
So, you are happy with your
result?
E. J. - I was fourth
last year, I was sixth this year but some of my competitors were
missing in 2011. Just looking blindly on the results… they might
not be telling the whole truth. Technically, I had a better
performance this year than the last year. So, I am very pleased with
that.
What did you feel seeing Tomás
[Dlabaja] and the two Jan [Sedivy and Prochazka] winning the historic
gold medal on the WOC's Relay?
E. J. - I could feel
tears coming to my eyes when Jan Prochazka was on the way to the
finish, it was a great thing to see. They had been fighting for this
for quite a long time.
Did you expect such result?
E. J. - To expect...
(laughs) If you see the Relay races, the margins are so small. I
think the guys believed that it could happen. Maybe in the previous
years, some parts of their race were very good and they could feel
that they could be on top, but some small things didn't work. This
year, everything worked out greatly. It was cool!
In a couple of days, you'll be
travelling to Norway, to take the place of coach of one of the
biggest orienteering teams of the world, Halden SK. What does being
the coach of such a great club mean to you?
E. J. - I know it's a
big challenge and I've been thinking a lot about it. I feel that I'm
ready for that, so I made the decision. In Halden, they really want
me for this job, I got the feeling. I will be working part-time so
that I can still continue to be an elite athlete, to go to the World
Championships, to prepare myself as I want and, at the same time, to
be a coach. I think that it's important to make a change sometimes. I
want to go forward in this coaching work, and that's a great
possibility for me, now.
Can you share with us some ideas
that you still have for this job of being the Halden's coach?
E. J. - My main task
will be the technical training. I feel quite confident that I can
prepare interesting courses and organize trainings. Halden is a very
successful club with many victories in Tiomila, Jukola etc., but I'm
more thinking like what, in a practical way, can I do to help the
runners to develop one step further.
Is it the challenge?...
E. J. - Well, the
first challenge is, probably, getting their trust. If they don't
trust me, then they won't listen to me. I want to listen and to
understand how the club works and what the runners want.
Now you are
here in Portugal, helping Fernando Costa and Orievents to organize
some Training Camps in Norte Alentejo. Please, tell me, do you still
think that Portugal is the orienteers' paradise in the winter?
E. J. - Yes. I mean,
it's nice to see how Orienteering continues to be developing here,
more maps are made, the quality of the competitions is really good,
you have good weather and nice terrains. It's attractive. I like to
work with enthusiastic people and Fernando is such a person.
How many
times can these maps and terrains be used?
E. J. - I have been
training 5-6 times at some areas here but I can still get a good
training there. Some of the maps are very detailed; you do not
“learn” such a map in a few trainings. Here in
Portugal you seem to be often trying to find some new terrains. I got
to know, for example, that the club which will organize the Portugal
O' Meeting next year uses areas pretty far away where the club is
located. I really like the idea that you are searching the whole
country for the best terrains, not just looking what you have close
to your home town. This approach is not very common in Scandinavia.
And I guess there are many interesting areas in Portugal which have
not been mapped yet.
Next year,
the World Orienteering Championships will be played in Finland. Any
expectations for the WOC?
E. J. - My goal is to
come to WOC in a very good shape. I have high expectations on the
quality of the races. After seeing the Finnish world cup races this
year. I got a feeling that the WOC organizers are focused on making
the best possible courses and that brings extra motivation for me.
About
yourself, any plans for the future?
E. J. - Next year I
still want to do my best as an athlete. After WOC I will make a
decision about the following year. I do not know now. I am just about
to turn 34 but I still find a lot of motivation to challenge myself
and to explore areas where I can improve as an orienteer. At the
same time I am excited about my new job in Halden where I am moving
in the beginning of December. I can see myself working as a coach
even in more distant future, but I cannot say now what I am motivated
to do in, let’s say, in 10 years.
And here
we are, in a pretty warm morning, at Oporto City Park, where you
could try for the very first time a TrailO course. How did you
feel about it?
E. J. - I think the
main principles, how it works, how you look at the details, are not new for me. I put many
controls in the forest when I'm preparing trainings, and often I face the same kind of challenge. Deciding
if you should put it here or five meters further away, looking at
the compass, comparing the directions with the objects around, so
the process itself was not unfamiliar for me. But still, you have
to be focused on what you're doing. If you're not focused, you'll
easily make mistakes. I did two such “ bad concentration”
mistakes on the course.
Can it
be a good training for Foot orienteers? As the coach of Halden,
for example, will you prepare some TrailO
trainings for your athletes?
E. J. - I think
that it's nice for everybody to try, you can still learn something
new. But I wouldn't exchange the FootO training for a TrailO
training. If I have an opportunity, one day, of doing TrailO with
my athletes, well, why not? But I am not sure I would like to
organize a TrailO training myself. I understand that it is much
more work than preparing a FootO training.
|
Joaquim Margarido
