Philipp Marx - My time in professional sports: Hockey
Field hockey has been an important part of my life for many years. I started when I was about 7 years old, first with the Berliner Sport-Club, then for the Bonner THV, for Blau-Weiß Köln, for the Zehlendorfer Wespen, and finally for TC Blau-Weiß Berlin, for whom I played in the German Hockey National League (1st and 2nd division) for many years, temporarily also abroad with Stade Français (Paris) and the Howick Pakuranga Hockey Club (Auckland). During this time my main focus was on sports: this usually included at least 3 to 4 training sessions a week, as well as games on weekends all over Germany with corresponding travel times.
One of the main challenges was to balance the time-consuming obligations that come with an athletic career on the one hand and my studies and later on also my job on the other. Looking back, many wonderful memories remain, and not just of the triumphs. One especially likes to think back to the shared experiences, including the – back then – unpopular weekends away with flights, long car or train rides that sometimes resulted in me missing the early lecture on Monday. One of the athletic highlights I remember is winning the French championship with Stade Français during my semesters abroad in Paris. Especially because the club, as the French record champion, had not won a title for many years and we were not necessarily considered to be the favorite.
Looking back, I can only confirm and underline the positive effect that is often ascribed to sports - be it the willingness and ability to work towards goals, to deal with defeats and setbacks, to work in a team and under pressure or simply the fact that it served as a balance to my studies and job. In addition, during my stays abroad in France, Kenya and New Zealand, I always appreciated that field hockey with others quickly provided a unifying element. Even after my time in competitive sports, field hockey still is an important part of my life. These days, rather than focusing on athletic success, I enjoy playing hockey as a way of spending time with friends and family.
