During this hard time we are living far from water, we took the chance to talk with some of our top sailors to see how they are managing this lockdown experience.
How are they balancing their lives and training, mood, workout or nutrition during this rare long period at home?
After interviewing Mari Erdi HUN, Elena Vorobeva CRO and Elliot Hanson GBR, we’re sending our questions now to Norway.
🔗 Quarantine Talks | Interviewing Mari Erdi HUN
🔗 Quarantine Talks | Interviewing Elena Vorobeva CRO
🔗 Quarantine Talks | Interviewing Elliot Hanson GBR
Quarantine talks – Interviewing Hermann Tomasgaard NOR
Hello Hermann, thanks for your time. How long have you been without sailing? What was your last competition? What was your training routine during this time?
My last sailing competition was the Worlds in Melbourne in the beginning of February. Then I went to Palma to start training in the beginning of March, but I only got five sailing days before I had to go home because of the lock down in Spain. Then I took a little more than a month without sailing before I started up again last week. During the time off sailing was I doing quite a lot of cross country skiing and strength training.
How’s being this quarantine to you? How do you manage anxiety, mood, home tasks, feelings, nutrition, etc? Do you live alone/ with family? Do you have any hobbies / talent / work / study?
Quarantine is not too bad for me. We have been quite lucky in Norway so we have never been in full lock down. At the moment I have picked up my university study so I stay busy with studying marine technology and training. Since I came home I have been living in a cabin quite close to my family home in Drøbak together with my younger brother, but we will soon move to my parents house again.
Cross country skiing is a hobby I really enjoy doing since I was very young and coming home made it possible to do a lot more of that than I have been able to all the previous winters when I have been so much abroad.
Quarantine is not too bad for me. We have been quite lucky in Norway so we have never been in full lock down. At the moment I have picked up my university study so I stay busy with studying marine technology and training.
What’s your personal vision about this virus/ lockdown in the world?
My personal vision is that closing down the world because of the virus definitely was the right choice. People have a much bigger chance of surviving if the get medical help and if too many people are sick at the same time a much higher percentage die from the virus because they can’t get medical attention.
How’s your coach and/or federation helping or pushing you to keep positive, motivated, healthy, strong?
At the moment is my coach Anton Garrote in quarantine in Spain so I can’t see him in person, but we keep in contact and still discuss the trainings.
How do you feel about the Olympics postponement? Is it better/worst to you? How is this impacting your Olympic campaign?
I think Olympic postponement was the only option. I was anyway planning to campaign until 2024 so it doesn’t make a big difference for me. Also leading up to an Olympics are you always finding things you wish you had a little more time to improve and I guess now it is another year to improve those things.
I think Olympic postponement was the only option. I was anyway planning to campaign until 2024 so it doesn’t make a big difference for me.
You might know we are all desperate to be back on water soon so we wanted to ask you, are you allowed to sail? Are there any restrictions in your country or area? Do you feel we’ll be all slowly allowed to sail soon?
In Norway we have actually all the time been allowed to sail one person dinghy, because we are alone which doesn’t increase the risk of spreading the virus. The only problem is that it is still quite cold here with only 7 degrees in the water. They have restricted gatherings of many people so all the Laser regattas are cancelled. It does seem like many of the other countries in Europe also have reached the peak in the virus spread so hopefully they will also be able to allow sailing soon.
What were your first feelings when returning to sail after all this time? Are you training alone or with partners?
My first feeling was being a little annoyed because I felt I had forgotten a lot and that my technique was rusty, but it got better after the first session. At the moment I have just been training with my younger brother who is also sailing the Laser.
My first feeling when returned to sail was being a little annoyed because I felt I had forgotten a lot and that my technique was rusty, but it got better after the first session.
Do you have any advices for others sailors to carry on this quarantine?
My only advice is to stay patient and follow the rules of the government. Missing sailing for a few months won’t make a big difference in the long run.
Thanks Hermann! We’ll follow you on your new Instagram account @htomasgaard
