Wie Teamspirit uns zu Höchstleistungen anspornt // How Team Spirit Spurs us on to Peak Performance

My experience at the Crossminton World Championship

I never really imagined that I would be a world champion one day. But on July 2nd, I stood at the top of the podium – at the World Crossminton Championships in Zagreb. During the three days of competition, I released an unimaginable level of energy, left my comfort zone and was able to rise above myself. How did I manage to do that? I would like to tell you here.

What is Crossminton?

I have been playing crossminton at the local club since 2015. Crossminton – or also widely known under the company name “Speed Badminton” – is a racket sport and combines elements of squash, badminton and tennis. It was invented in 2001 in a small park in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Today it is played mainly indoors, but is also great fun on the street, in the sand or on the grass. There is no net in crossminton. The playing field consists of two squares (5.5 m side length), which are opposite each other at a distance of 12.8 m. The court is made up of two squares (5.5 m side length). Speeder (small, sleek shuttlecock-like projectiles) shoot through the air at speeds of up to 290 km/h. The game is played either in singles or doubles. To date, there are more than 2.5 million recreational players from Europe, Australia, the USA, Mauritius, India, Japan and Brazil. If you want to play crossminton more professionally and participate in tournaments, you can become a member of a club. There are about 30 of these in Germany, and the number is growing steadily. The sport club is a great balance for me – with my job at Siemens and family obligations.

Now everything is possible

At the end of June, the time had come: I competed in the women’s over 40 singles category in Zagreb. A total of 25 other German players and about 340 participants from 22 countries were there. Among them were also nine players of the top ten world ranking list.

After the group stages on the first day, I continued my way through the knockout rounds and finally met Edit Osvay, who currently leads the world ranking, in the quarterfinals. I knew: I can only win with an offensive game – and I did. At that moment I realized: now everything is possible. The semi-final against Nadège Plubel from France followed, which I won in a long-fought 3-set match. So, I had made it to the final of the World Championship. Before I could collect myself, I was already on the court against the experienced Hungarian, Helga Braun.

Team spirit releases unimaginable force and energy

I received an enormous amount of support on site. Almost the entire German community was on the sidelines, supporting me and cheering me on. First I was in the lead, then I lost the set. I felt how the efforts of the previous days were slowly making themselves felt and my strength was weakening in the second set. My legs didn’t want to go on.

But then my teammates spurred me on: “Don’t let up now, hang in there!” I noticed how my energy and motivation returned. Finally, I gathered myself again. Fully focused, I caught up. “Now don’t give up.” Finally, I was able to win the second match point! Not only me, but also other German players were holding each other and crying tears of joy.

What can I carry over from this experience to my work at Siemens? Team spirit and the support from the team always makes us rise above ourselves. That’s what made the difference at the World Cup – and it does at work, too. I’ve been able to experience this many times in my many years at Siemens, both in the business, at the headquarters and finally in the region as a communicator: When we work together on projects and drive them forward, when everyone is allowed to contribute their expertise and when we inspire, motivate and learn from each other, work is not only more fun, but also brings more success and promotes mutual respect, recognition and trust.

A great experience, a great sport, a great community!