Speed-Ass sweats as Swiss NHL cracks
stronger than ever
Joanna Hallen, 30, is working on her case with Nico Hescher, 23, Janis Moser, 22, and other hockey pros. It’s worth it, she’s a lot fitter than she’s been in a long time.
1/16
Before Nico Hescher (left) and Joanna Hallen start working for the Condé unit, they take care of the dog Apollo – it belongs to their trainer in Condé.
Matthias Germann (text) and Benjamin Soland (photos)
Sweat dripping, muscles burning, heart pumping. “It’s fun,” says Joanna Hallen, 30. Look back in August. The speed specialist is working hard training Kondi at Gerzensee BE to be physically ready for the upcoming winter. Good luck. Her Conde coach Alex Brooker, a former rugby player from London, is happy: “Joanna has had a great summer, she’s stronger than ever. Now she’s physically ready to do anything on the snow.”
That is exactly what the 30-year-old does with the team in the cool weather of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego. “I haven’t been to South America in four years. It was great to once again have a bigger training block on the snow.” The native of Bern does not lack the stamina to survive the next intense time. Swiss NHL players Nico Hescher (23) and Janis Moser (22) managed to convince themselves of this. She and other winter-based hockey teams got from Brooker — as did Hählen.
Arizona defender Moser says: “Joanna’s leg strength is particularly impressive, that strength helps her a lot on the skates. But she’s always in a good mood and pushes us up when things get really tough — and that’s very motivating.” Halen returns praise: “It’s great to work with hockey players. They have a good attitude and give everything they can. You can tell right away that they are team players – training together is good for my head too. “
The podium in the last race
After rupturing the internal ligament in her knee last December, Hallen did what no one thought she could do: She had the best season of her life. She raced in the top 10 six times and ended up with more points than ever in the Downhill and Super-G ratings. At the Olympic Games in Beijing, having set the best time in the slope training, she finished sixth, and shortly thereafter in Courchevel, she missed her first World Cup victory by a narrow margin of 10th and 2nd place.
“I wasn’t expecting it when I was injured. All the better it turned out well. Next season I want to pick up where I left off,” she says. Hallen has already laid the foundation for that in Conde’s torture chamber along with the best Swiss hockey players .
“Creator. Troublemaker. Reader. Tv nerd. Proud beer advocate. Unable to type with boxing gloves on. Introvert. Certified zombie practitioner. Thinker.”
More Stories
From Auerbach to Orlando – the fans go to the World Cup
Marcel Hirscher wants to return to the Netherlands
USA Gymnastics: Billions for Nassar's victims – Sports