Thursday 23 November 2017

Daniela Jentsch

#BetweenTheSheets With Daniela Jentsch
Olympic excitement, being a mom, Andrea Schoepp and....tattoo regrets?


When living in a curling hot bed nation like Canada we sometimes take for granted the fine luxuries our athletes are provided.  We have a plethora of curling clubs across our nation where our athletes can fine tune their skills, whether at home or on the road.  We have stiff competition where our athletes can challenge themselves to play against and compete with the top teams and players in the world.  We have media coverage where our athletes can promote the sport through TV coverage or social media or interviews with journalists covering an event.

But the world around us does not live in the same utopia curling environment Canadian athletes and curling fans have become accustomed to.  Some nations have little to no dedicated sheets of curling ice for their athletes to practice on.  Others have only a handful of competitive curlers to compete against and hone their skills.  And few have the media attention and fan excitement where a team returns home from a strong performance at a world championship and has journalists and fans awaiting their arrival at an airport.  To truly understand the sport of curling, we need to look outside our own national boundaries and learn more about how the sport functions, grows and operates around the world.

In doing so, please help me in welcoming the newest member of the #TwineTime family, representing Team Germany, Daniela Jentsch!

It has been quite a few months since we added a new member to the #TwineTime fam and the opportunity to sit down and chat with Jentsch was one I was quite excited for.  I first met Daniela and Team Germany at the 2016 Women's World Curling Championships in Swift Current, SK and became instant fans of the team (Ok, perhaps I already was a fan of the team prior to actually meeting them).

This season over the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend, Team Jentsch made a seasonal stop in Calgary for the 40th Anniversary Curlers Corner Autumn Gold event.  When the team arrived, after taking a morning practice session on the ice, I was able to meet up with the team and sit down to chat with Daniela and the team for an interview.

Are you not curious to know the answers to these questions and topics:
  • What does it mean to you to be known as Team Germany?
  • How important are results when it comes to being designated Team Germany?
  • How excited are you for the upcoming Olympic season and how are you preparing?
  • Let's talk about Andrea Schoepp!
  • Daniella Jentsch: Curling Calendar Model!!
  • How do you juggle being a mom on tour and being an athlete?
  • Tattoo Mistakes?
All of this and more folks.....intrigued now right?

In keeping with the #growthesport theme, the #TwineTime blog continues to try to and bring you rock heads and stoners top notch interviews with world-class athletes from both Canada and internationally.  This is also a special addition to the family as it will be the first time I publish a podcast-type interview.  I heard your demands folks and am doing to try my best to slide into your house with audio interviews to ease your enjoyment (and relax your eyes a bit).

Side note: Be kind, this is my first time.....and we all know how that feels!  Enjoy the interview:



There you have it folks.  We have dived into the life of German curling athlete, all-around tough women and excellent mother Daniela Jentsch!

Now the audio file is missing the #AskACurler question portion of a standard #TwineTime interview.  Well, don't fret friends, we have the question and answer below:

TwineTime (TT):  Here is your question from fellow #TwineTime fam member and Team Germany member Ryan Sherrard.  Ryan asks, "You ladies spend a lot of time together on the road, so you must know a lot about each other.  Tell us something interesting about each player (yourself included).  Embarrassing stories are welcome."

Daniela Jentsch (DJ):  Haha I hate him!  Ok.  If Josephine is tired, she can sleep in any possible position, location even at a night club on the speaker.  Analena, Josephine and I have feet issues.  We can not touch other feet and cannot tolerate being touched on our feet or by any feet.  Pia-Lisa, Analena and I are suffering from the Sheldon Cooper Syndrome.  We can not tolerate people sitting on our chair.  We always sit in the same order, at the table, in the car and we get pure anxiety if someone doesn't follow the rules.  Our coach Jock thinks I have 27 squirrels in my head running in different directions.  We started naming them after people we know and Analena is giving them colors.  The last team thing is, we all have a superhero we identify ourselves with, therefore we pick that question for Casey Scheidegger.

TT:  Oh wow, very cool and some fun insight into the entire team.  Feet hey?  LOL  Well now you mention Casey Scheidegger and it is your turn to turn the rock and pose your own #AskACurler question to her.  What is your question?

DJ:  If you could be any superhero and have any superpower who would you be and what power would you have?

I like the #AskACurler question.  It is personable to an interest from the Jentsch and the team but also poses a real thinker for Casey Scheidegger and will give us a bit more insight into her as a person.  It will be interesting to hear her response.

Jentsch and her Team Germany squad have just wrapped up their 2017 European Curling Championships experience and, while they may have missed the playoffs, they did solidify a Top 6 finish (very important as you heard) and booked their ticket to the 2018 Women's World Curling Championships.  The team will now continue down the #Roadto2018 as they participate in the last-chance Olympic qualifier tournament in Czech Republic starting December 5.

#TwineTime wishes newest fam member Daniela Jentsch and her #TeamGermany the best of luck in continuing the chase towards the Olympic dream.

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