V - The magazine of the VOLLMER Group - 2018

such as the Austrian actor and father of Moritz Bleibtreu, Johann "Hans" Brenner, who died in 1998. He also frequently stopped by the sports shop and then did his laps on the rink. Klaus and Gerti only rarely have time for a nostalgic look back. "In the peak season we work seven days a week. 16 to 18 hours a day is not uncommon. We have no Christmas! Even on 24 December we are here up until around 2 pm and then back again on the 25th", adds Gerti. "But something like that here, you either do it right or you leave it", adds the former professional skater with conviction. The couple could not agree more that they work to live, and not the other way round. "We are passionate about our work, but eventually we want to make the jump." But when is the right moment? Their son Maximilian is in his mid-twenties and has his own job after earning a degree in business studies. In his spare time he helps out in his parent's business. Whether he will take over the sports shop some day remains to be seen. "He would have to learn how to grind at some point", father Klaus points out with a smile. Yes, indeed! Why not? He would certainly have a superb teacher. A good grinding lasts 30 to 40 hours on the ice. Then the regulars are back on the doorstep. With ice skates that cost a good 800 euros in figure skating incl. blades. The hardened area that Ostermeier machines is four millimetres thick with a new steel blade. If this is worn down after approximately one year, a new blade is a must. And generally a new skate too. Figure skating and also ice hockey are costly affairs. The skates and blades are the shrines of the athletes. A lot of mistakes can be made when servicing. If, e.g. the point that specifies the right time for the pirou- ette for the athlete is ground, it's game over. Klaus Ostermeier is aware of his responsibility. Back in the 1980s when he dis­ covered blade grinding from his father-in-law, he looked over the shoulders of him and other grinding experts, such as the Austrian figure skater Heinrich Podhajsky. Today the former machine fitter Ostermeier is himself one of the few remaining top addresses for trainers and athletes, who maintain a relationship of trust with him. Not least due to the fact that he had been able to adapt his machine to the needs of the athletes. Ostermeier grumbles: "Commercial grinding machines were often not as precise as I would have liked. So I revised the clamping device on my machine. I also moved the motor. In this way I achieve tolerances of maximum five hundredths. Anything else would be completely unacceptable for me." Ostermeier also makes no compromises when it comes to the choice of sharpening wheel. "Very special wheels made from white corundum are manufactured for me. I am fortunate enough to have a manufacturer who knows exactly what I need." Klaus Ostermeier has helped many German figure skating champions to success, including Eva-Maria Fitze, Annette Dytrt, Andrejs Vlascenko, and also his wife, who worked for many years as a trainer after her career. He met Gerti on the ice rink, where else?! "We celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary on 30 April 2018", Ms. Schanderl-Ostermeier says, as she bravely climbs up the ladder in her dirndl dress to show her cups and trophies. Apart from the glass cabinet, numerous pic- tures from the good old days adorn the walls. Of former athletes, but also of VIPs, "In the peak season we work seven days a week, 16 - 18 hours a day." Klaus Ostermeier ensures skater, shoe and blade form a harmo­ nious unit. In 1974 Gerti Schanderl- Ostermeier came 4th at the World Champion­ ships in Munich. To this day the world of ice sports benefits from her experience. WWW. EISSPORTWELT. DE 8 9 PERSPECTIVES