German national team joined the shared training camp

Head coach Ulla Koch during her training announcement

Concentrated atmosphere
The whole German national team joined Olympic participant Anja BRINKER and started their first joined training with the US team in the gym of the Rhenish Gymnastic Association.
Most of the gymnasts do not know each other yet because the Americans coming from the junior league did not participate in the US camp at the beginning of the year except Matti Larson. In spite of the own individual training, one does watch the guests and over this direct way principles of training and attitude are conveyed.

The gymnastic national teams of women before their competition 2009

DTB- head coach Ulla Koch with her youngest team member, Katja ROLL, who will give her national competition debut on saturday

When the German girls joined the training the gymnasts from the USA were already in their third training´s session since their arrival on the day before. On this Wednesday afternoon was a very intensive working atmosphere in the RTB gymnastic centre.
Mutual learning is one of the main focus of a co-operation of this kind. Both teams benefit from the parallel training and can adopt a few details.
The youngest member of the German team is Katja ROLL who will celebrate her 14th birthday in summer but will before participate in her first official national competition. And this will be against the silver team from Beijing even though it is consisting mainly of new faces who just joined the elite level. Nevertheless it is a good opportunity to watch the favourites of the upcoming competition and to and to adopt things...
(- as seen in the foto on the right >)
"Katja is still quite airily and has a shortcoming on the parallel bars but i am curious how she will perorm on her strong apparatus, the floor exercise", - said the national coach.

Elisabeth SEITZ with her coach Claudia Schunk

Also the 15 year old Elisabeth SEITZ is preparing for her national debut. She is highly motivated also because of the mentioned training camp in the USA. At the beginning of the Bundesliga season showed SEITZ a constant and balanced performance. And her coaches Claudia Schunk and Ulla Koch agree on the fact that: "The girl has not reached her limits yet but she is strong in competitions - there is more to expect of this girl!"

The German junior champion in 2007, Désirée BAUMERT, who just turned 14 this February, is the third national competition fledgling. This portrays the situation in the German female gymnastics: in the building up phase, just as the USA.

Susann HERBST injured herself ever so lightly after a short matt contact. Gymnast and coach were shocked but after the training it seemed likely for her to be fine for the competition on Saturday.
"Susi is important for the ream. She has impressive social abilities in our team" - said Ulla Koch.

Anja BRINKER: ... is looking forward to the friendly meet in her home region in Germany

Anja BRINKER developed more and more into a leading personality, as seen today on her concentrated and mellow attitude. She posed without problems for the journalists to turn straight towards her training again.
Her trainer, Oleg Chekmarev said once about her: "...it is a joy and happiness to work with her!" What a nice compliment!
And of course is everyone expected another prove for her performance development after the eigth rank in the European Championships.

Kim BUI underwent a similar process of maturation: She seemed to grow stronger after her position as the substitute at the Olympic games in Beijing and seems more motivated. She is thus developing into strong performance personality.
She only arrived after today´s training and will join the rest for the last o preparation days for the competition against the USA this Saturday.

* E. Herholz reporting from Bergisch Gladbach