Thomas Elsenberger: Top in the Bundesliga, hot for the European Cup
Created: 11/22/2022, 12:58 p.m
By: Dieter Priglmeir
Thomas Elsenberger enters competitions with a new stick.
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The Hörlkofener Stockschütze is 48 years old, was world and European champion.
And he still burns for his sport.
Hörlkofen
– lessons until 5 p.m., then with the son to the football base in Buchbach – Thomas Elsenberger usually doesn’t make it to the Erding ice rink for training on time.
But the evening is long, and so the stick shooter comes to his units.
Apparently that's enough, because the 48-year-old from Hörlkofen is currently clinching one success after the other.
And that with the team and individually.
So he won the target shooting of district 107, where the shooters are organized by the Bavarian Forest.
"166 points aren't even that bad," he says with a smile.
In other words: He is ready for the Bavarian Championships, which take place in Regen on December 18th.
This is also due to the new stick, which his sponsor Ebra let jump.
"They have been supporting me for 30 years," praises Elsenberger.
How long does it take to get used to a new cane?
"Not long," says the former world and European champion.
“For me, the first shot is actually important.
If it works, then it's okay.” But it's uncomplicated.
“There are also colleagues who take the cane to bed with them to build a personal bond.
That wouldn't necessarily occur to me now."
Where personal bonding is much more important: in the EC Saßbach team.
For years he has been playing in the team that became German champions in the past two years.
And it's going well this year too.
The ECS won two preparatory tournaments.
Both in Waldkirchen and in Amstetten, Austria, there was international competition, including the reigning European Cup winners EV Rottendorf.
"We noticed right away that things were going well for us," says Elsenberger.
Last weekend, the EC Sassbach went one better.
On the first day of the Bundesliga, his Moarschaft won ten of the twelve games and is leading the table with 21:3 points ahead of EC Hauzenberg (19:5) and EC Passau-Neustift (18:6) in the Bundesliga final sprint, the middle January 2023 will take place.
28 communities play in the Bundesliga.
“15 or 16 teams are almost equally strong.
The games are very close, so nuances decide,” says Elsenberger.
The result is all the more gratifying.
"We won seven games in a row and shot very well," he says.
"We were so stable that we could wait for the opponents to make mistakes." He is confident for the second half of the season.
Even more: He is reminiscent of subscription winner EC Grub, who no longer plays in the Bundesliga, but for a long time was “FC Bayern of curling”, as Elsenberger says.
"Our goal is to take their place."
A first step: The European Cup next weekend in Amstetten, which EC Sassbach won in 2011 and 2013.
Last year, the team failed as first in the semi-finals at EV Rottendorf.
"We still have a score to settle," says the high school teacher, who doesn't want to put any pressure on himself, but is looking forward to a big event.
“The Austrians always pull it off really well.
We are looking forward to many spectators, the supporting program with the Christmas market - and great competitions."