Görbicz: I am a more complete person now

Anita Görbicz announced her pregnancy in November 2014 and the brilliant playmaker of Györi Audi ETO KC has already started training for the new season. Having given birth to Otto Boldizsar in June Görbicz faces a challenging lifestyle but the former Player of the Year claims she is truly lucky with the little lad and feels ready to be part of the Györ team again, who have their entire reputation to rebuild.

ehfcl.com: I saw you in the stands at the Hungarian Supercup and frankly you seemed match-fit.

Looks can be deceiving (laughs). I have just started to get back to training and I can’t even venture a guess how long a full recovery will take. I am lucky, Boldizsar is really considerate about his mommy’s other commitments, but this is an entirely different situation for me. To be a mother is a full-time job and I am still learning how to fit handball into my schedule.

ehfcl.com: How is it working out so far?

The first two months was a challenging but it was a beautiful period; it is becoming easier day by day. I could not imagine how would I re-join training then, but I get a lot of help from the folks around me.

ehfcl.com: How much work have you put into your new fitness regime to stay in such good shape?

I put on more weight during pregnancy than I expected even though I tried to eschew as many guilty pleasures as I could. Obviously all I thought about was the baby and I followed my body’s lead to give him everything he needed. After the first two months with Boldizsar I warily started jogging. I must be lucky, I wouldn’t claim that I starved or worked my pants off like crazy, instead I had excellent specialists who guided me. And it worked.

ehfcl.com: Did it feel strange to bounce the ball after almost a year?

Yes, it really did. I started training with a ball around the end of August. At first it was strange to hold a ball but the feeling came back very quickly. Frankly, I expected it to come quickly since I spent the previous twenty years of my life playing handball.

ehfcl.com: Can you guess my next question?

I bet you were going to ask when I would return. Well, it is not like coming back from an injury – which I have experience with – it is a brand new situation for me. I can give you the answer I have given like a thousand times to journalists asking the same question: I really don’t know. It might take a while and I don’t want to rush into anything.

ehfcl.com: But you said it is like riding a bike.

It’s not my passing or shooting that need to come back but my strength, stamina, speed and fitness. This obviously takes a lot of time and I have just started to work on it. I am fortunate that Györ have great coaching staff and I feel that I am in good hands. They know I need time to get back in the game and they are not urging me to do things I am not ready for. We take it one step at the time.

ehfcl.com: The World Championship is in December. Do you think you can play by then?

As I said I really don’t know. It’s not that I would have to regain my strength by December. I would have to be fully fit by the end of October to seriously consider taking part in the World Championship. My decision will be made upon one thing: if I feel I can help the team, I will be there. It’s the national team, you can not afford to have doubts.

ehfcl.com: It has not been a whole year since you left but you must have seen a lot of new faces in the Györ locker room, right?
The players who have arrived are all top quality players, members of their respective national teams so I knew most of them. Players come and go, that’s the way it goes, but I was happy to see that the positive attitude and the great atmosphere have both not changed at all since I left.

ehfcl.com: Györ struggled without you and could not make it to the Women’s Champions League FINAL4 in Budapest. What’s more, they even lost the Hungarian championship to Ferencvaros.

It was annoying for me to watch the girls from the stands and not being able to help them. We had a difficult season, and a huge amount of key players were sidelined. Furthermore, those who were signed for auxiliary roles had to step up and play prominent roles. The girls fought with pride and they gave their all through this very difficult season and whatever came out as a result I am proud of them.

ehfcl.com: Györ had a commanding presence in women’s handball before you left. Do you think you can build it back with the new arrivals?

Absolutely. Our aim is to reach higher and higher levels. Handball is taken very seriously in Györ, we have demanding supporters who won’t settle for less than gold. It will be difficult but Ambros Martin knows how to handle situations like this. We are building a team that can compete with the best of the best. Last year was just a hiccup, which was down to an unbelievable amount of bad luck.

ehfcl.com: Having won so many individual and team awards and events what keeps you going?

Handball is my life. I can’t imagine living without it and as long as I feel I can help my team I won’t give it up. I feel I am a more complete person now that I have become a mother, but the urge to play handball has not gone away.