 Getting to know Uwe
Hi everyone,
First of all I want to say that I feel deeply honoured that I was among the first players to get asked to blog about the VELUX EHF Champions League.
I really like getting to know more about people that you otherwise just know on a very superficial level.
So what do people think about me?
I assume that the picture that people have of me is very much influenced by my appearance on the court – and probably there are many similarities between my competitive-self and what I’m like outside of handball.
However, there are also many character traits which any good athlete ought to have, but which aren’t that visible outside the arena and off the court. I’m telling this because I want this blog to be about the handball player Uwe Gensheimer, but also, and I consider this even more important, about the human being Uwe Gensheimer.
Home grown
I’m 26 years old and was born and raised in Mannheim. Yes, that’s the home of the SAP Arena in which my club, Rhein-Neckar Löwen, play their home games. I’m the team captain and have been playing for them since 2006.
My handball life started when I was five and kindergarten buddies took me to my first handball lesson. I loved it so much that I stuck to the sport until today.
I think it’s because handball demands a lot of flexibility. You have to be fast, but also strong. You ought not to be too small, but at the same it’s required to be very coordinated and versatile when it comes to technique. Whoever possesses these skills and knows how to use them for the own benefit, is a good player.
I was lucky that I simply loved running around with my mates and therefore handball was the perfect team sport for me. First I played for TV 1892 Friedrichsfeld. At the age of 16 I transferred to Löwen, formerly known as SG Kronau/Östringen – and well you know the rest of the story.
A day at the office
Many people ask me what a handball player’s typical day looks like. There is no general answer to that as the focus shifts, but I will try and give you the best insight possible.
In the lead-up to the season, you are training really hard to get in shape. We are talking about 10 to 12 training sessions per week. During the season your routine very much depends on how often you play – and because we play Champions League we usually take to the court twice and therefore you train less, probably around five to seven times a week plus the two matches.
On top of that we attend physiotherapy sessions and devote some hours to video analyse our upcoming opponents. And there are the club’s and personal sponsor’s needs that have to be satisfied.
Because the money we earn is not anywhere near a football player’s salary, you need to take care of your future at the same time. I’m studying economics at the SRH College in Heidelberg. It’s a fantastic distraction from the sport and for me it’s important to use my brain as much as possible, to get in touch with other people and to foster my career for the time that will follow professional handball.
Furthermore my teammate Andy Schmid, our mate Marko Vukelic and I founded the fashion label ‘UANDWOO’ – which, as the first step, sells unisex socks ‘Made in Germany’. Check us out on the web and on Facebook.
But unfortunately not even my days are any longer than 24 hours and you might have realised that there is not much time left. However, whatever is left I spend with my girlfriend Sandra Laukemann as well as with good friends.
I hope you got a good insight about what I’m like and what I do – more will follow next time.
Cheers,
Uwe
TEXT: Uwe Gensheimer, Rhein Neckar Löwen captain
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