A great deal of discipline and good time management: Lorina Zelger, Master's student and ski racer
Lorina Zelger is studying for a Master's degree in Elite Sport in Magglingen and is currently in Swiss Ski's B squad. How does she manage to juggle her two roles? We met with her to find out.
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Lorina Zelger, aged 24 and from Gams in Canton St. Gallen, is both a student and an elite athlete. Alpine skiing – primarily Slalom and Giant Slalom – is a sport that involves a lot of travelling. Lorina mainly competes in the Europa Cup, but has taken part in the World Cup too. So she spends a lot of time on the road – throughout Europe in winter, and in Switzerland during the summer. Free time is a rare commodity. Lorina says: "I organise my schedule so that I make time for my studies once I've finished training sessions. Quite often, I end up studying after dinner, too. During the summer and on my days off from training, I spend more time on my studies. In winter and on race days in particular, it's almost impossible to find the time to study. So I try to stay on top of things and make the most of the time I've got."
Helpful classmates
Her frequent absences leave her with a lot of catching up to do. During the semester, Lorina aims to go through her lecture notes and slides every day. However, this is especially challenging during winter when she is tired after training sessions and race days. But she can always count on the support of her classmates, who answer her questions and provide her with information. This is something she really appreciates. She also finds the learning portal Ilias to be a great help. And the athlete is also in regular contact with her lecturers.
Elite Sports for Recruits School and studies in Magglingen
Lorina Zelger graduated from the Elite Sports for Recruits School in Magglingen in the 2019/2020 academic year. As a Swiss Ski squad athlete, she was already familiar with the training facilities. While in Magglingen, she took the opportunity to chat to students on the MSc course in Elite Sport, and this encouraged her to follow the same path.
The athlete hopes that her course will allow her to gain skills in basic coaching theory to complement her practical experience as a sportsperson. She aims to use these skills to coach other athletes someday.
So far, her studies have fulfilled her expectations: "The lecturers and other students are all very open and willing to help, and the facilities are great. The course material applies directly to sports, so it's exactly what I had in mind."
While the course is not designed for elite athletes and thus requires a lot of extra effort on her part, she says: "I'm so happy that I chose to do this Master's course!"
Past highlights and dreams for the future
Lorina says that the block week in Tenero has been a particular highlight of her studies so far, as it gave her the chance to get to know her fellow students. She says that in an ideal world, there would be an additional examination session for elite athletes, and more lectures would be recorded.
For the time being, Lorina Zelger wants to focus on her career as a ski racer and complete her studies. Later on, she would love to work as an athletics coach, ideally in a hockey team with athletes who share her ambition of reaching the top.
Eidgenössische Hochschule für Sport Magglingen EHSM
Hauptstrasse 247
2532 Magglingen