Two strong ladies for Chemnitz

Vivien Röder & Nicole Fydrich

Next week, the European Powerlifting Championships will take place at the Chemnitz Exhibition Centre. From 6 to 9 May, the strongest men and women on the continent will compete in three disciplines: squats, bench press and deadlift. Among them are two women from Chemnitz who are eagerly awaiting the European Championships at home between their everyday work, family and sport, want to raise awareness of powerlifting in the region - and, last but not least, aim for a medal.

How did you get into powerlifting?
Vivien Röder: (laughs) The standard question: I spent a year at a high school in the USA after the tenth grade. I wanted to continue doing sports in the USA. The choices in winter included gymnastics and cheerleading, which I'm not at all the type for. I was too bad for basketball and then there was powerlifting (editor's note: international for powerlifting). So I thought: okay, I'll give it a go. I enjoyed it so much that I looked at home to see where I could continue doing it.
Nicole Fydrich: I studied sport in Chemnitz. And as it happens, students have to earn some extra money. So I looked for a gym and worked there. There were a lot of athletes from the Chemnitz Police Sports Club (CPSV) who did powerlifting. It all started through that contact. Between 2003 and 2005, I did it without really taking it seriously. But after an embarrassing defeat at a competition in 2005, I said to myself: all the way or not at all.

I decided in favour of "all the way". And now Nicole Fydrich, who has already celebrated successes under her maiden name "Steger", is entering her tenth "serious" year in powerlifting. However, she not only found her purpose in life in powerlifting, but also her husband, with whom she has a one-and-a-half-year-old son. As a native of Karl-Marx-Stadt, the European Championships in Chemnitz will be a dream come true for both her and Vivien Röder.

Nicole Fydrich: " It's an absolute highlight for me as an athlete to experience this. In front of a home crowd, my colleagues and possibly students are coming, my parents and my sister are taking a holiday. That's something really big.
Vivien Röder: It's my home town and therefore something different to an international championship somewhere far away. Here, friends and family can watch directly on site, which is rarely the case at other competitions. It simply has a different flair. It's at home. You want to get even more out of yourself than usual.

Vivien Röder narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2014 World Bench Press Championships in Rødby, Denmark. The Chemnitz native bench pressed a German record of 132.5 kilograms in the active weight class up to 72 kilograms. However, that was only good enough for fourth place, and the German bench press record in the triple competition now stands at 145 kilograms. It was set at the German powerlifting championships in Essen two months ago. By her, of course. Her goals for the European Championships are correspondingly ambitious. In contrast to Nicole Fydrich, for whom taking part is her top priority.

Vivien Röder: New best performances in all three disciplines would be nice. 457.5 kilograms in the overall standings is what she wants to beat: That would be 160 kilograms in the squat, over 160 kilograms in the pull and the aforementioned 145 kilograms in the bench press. I'm aiming for a medal in the bench press, my speciality, which is also judged internationally in the individual competition. A medal in the triathlon is still too far away, but who knows what the future holds.
Nicole Fydrich: I injured my back badly eight weeks ago. I was initially suspected of having a slipped disc. For a short time, I was even afraid that I wouldn't be able to do the sport any more. And the injury meant that I missed four weeks of training and lost at least ten to fifteen kilos in each discipline. It's very difficult to make a prognosis. First and foremost, I'm glad that I'm able to take part and still do the sport.

As the BSC Rapid Chemnitz does not have a competitive squad, Vivien Röder will be competing for SV Rotation Langenbach and Nicole Fydrich for Lauchhammer. If those responsible have their way, this will soon change. A foundation stone has already been laid with the training room in Schönau, which was created with the help of Mr Scharf and many hours of voluntary work by the members.

Will Chemnitz once again have a national league team in powerlifting?
Nicole Fydrich: That would be another goal. But something still needs to be done. Firstly, we need at least six athletes of national league calibre and secondly, of course, a team to support us.

What does your training plan look like before the European Championships?
Vivien Röder: I train three times a week. On each of the three days, I do one of the three big exercises and then I do additional exercises.
Nicole Fydrich: In the past few weeks I've trained three to four times. But this week, the frequency and intensity are slowly being reduced. In addition, physiotherapy twice a week.

That sounds like competitive sport, even if there is no pay. What do you do full-time?
Vivien Röder: For a few years now, Sparkasse Chemnitz has been supporting me as a sponsor, so that costs for travel and hotels are minimised. However, it's still a sport that you pay for and you have to earn your living in other ways. I studied psychology at Chemnitz University of Technology and am currently a research assistant and doctoral student at the Chair of Research Methodology and Evaluation in Psychology with Prof Dr Peter Sedlmeier.
Nicole Fydrich: I am a teacher at the Chemnitz Free Schools and train educators there.

Does it work to juggle sport and work?
Nicole Fydrich: At the moment it's really difficult with the European Championships in front of me, work and family. Without the support of my husband, my parents and my sister, it would hardly be possible.
Vivien Röder: Of course, things were even better during my studies. But even now I find time to train. Although it's a double burden, the aspect of being a fringe sport comes into play again. And you have to make a living from something.

What fascinates you about the sport?
Vivien Röder: The fight against the iron, beating yourself somewhere and the feeling of being a few kilos ahead. At local competitions, such as the Saxon Championships, it's always like a big family celebration. You know each other and so it's a really nice atmosphere among the athletes.

As a native of Karl-Marx-Stadt and Chemnitz, what is special about the city for you?
Vivien Röder: I spent a year in America, one in France and a semester in Norway. I need the smell of the big wide world every now and then, but when I've been away, I think it's nice to come home again. Some people grumble about Chemnitz: but like every city, it has its pros and cons. I think Chemnitz is a nice size, you can find everything you're looking for. And the city definitely has its beautiful corners. That's why I feel at home here.
Nicole Fydrich: I have friends and family here. I feel at home. It's also a sports city for me. As I come from a gymnastics background, I find what is achieved there fascinating. We were the first year group that didn't have to go to boarding school in Leipzig, but could stay here. From this perspective, I think what they have achieved is very strong.

If you were to show foreign guests something of Chemnitz during the European Championships, what would it be?
Vivien Röder: That perhaps depends a little on the interest of the guests. Chemnitz has a very good cultural landscape. If they are interested in that, then that would be something. My favourite place is Theaterplatz. I think it's very beautiful.
Nicole Fydrich: Probably our training studio first (laughs). And then I would take the guests on a walk from the park railway in Küchwald to the castle pond.

Through the competitions, you get around a lot and get to know a lot of people and their views on Chemnitz. Do you sometimes have to encourage the people of Chemnitz?
Vivien Röder: Encourage them, but also simply encourage them to take up the offers that are there. My example is the film nights: the offer is there and yet you get the impression that it is not accepted. Especially those who are complaining should first look at what's on offer. How many things are there that aren't even being used yet? I see it especially in the students. Psychology is a degree programme with a numerus clausus. Students don't necessarily come here because they think Chemnitz is so great, but because they have to, because this is the only place they can get a place to study. However, I also have the impression that many people look back and say: Chemnitz is really nice.
Nicole Fydrich: I think so. We have a lot of nice corners. We have good opportunities as far as education is concerned. Before our child was born, we spent a lot of time in the countryside with the dog.