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| 17/01/07: Young Hopefuls from Naturns |
| The squad of youngsters from Naturns may well be one of the top contenders at the 2007 European Championships, to take place next summer in Sweden. |
Some of the most promising young athletes of Italian minigolf come from South Tyrol. The Italian juniors’ team is mostly made up of the skilful players from Naturns Club, in the province of Merano. There are four youngsters from this club who will be representing Italy next summer; Fabian Schupfer, Lothar Trenkwalder, Stefan Zischg and Alexander Zischg, all from the same mountainous town among the foothills of the Dolomites. Moreover, there will also be a new addition to the team this year, that of the young lady Jessica Agostino, who currently plays for the GSP Vergiate Club. Now let’s take some time to get to know the young contestants a bit better. The most experienced, both in virtue and age, is Stefan Zischg. Born in 1985, Zischg belongs to the Naturns Club as well as working as a retailer. He became involved in minigolf thanks to his family: «I started to play because my father was the president of the club –recounts Stefan- . After a bit I really started to enjoy the sport». Professional since 1997, he has competed in the 2002 Juniors European Championships in Bad Münder, Germany, and again in 2003 in Linz, Austria before going on to participate in the 2004 World Championships in Olten. He received his top results in Linz, where he came in 50th place. He is able to complete 4 rounds of miniature in 81 strokes, 84 in minigolf and 110 in feltgolf. However, in the end Stefan prefers playing with his Naturn team-mates. «For me the most important aspect of this game is to always give your best for the team».
Another very promising player is Lothar Trenkwalder, who is currently the junior champion in Italy. He became involved in the sport because his older brother played, however he has just recently come out on his own to make a name for himself in the world of minigolf. Born in 1990, Trenkwalder has been a part of the national team since 2004 and has already taken part in the European and World Championships. His “statistics” include a round of miniature in 18 strokes, minigolf in 27 and feltgolf in 26. «I like many aspects of minigolf –concludes Lothar- but above all, I like the fact that you have to always give your best in order to succeed».
Fabian Schupfer, born in 1992, started playing the game in 2005: «I enjoy the game –says the 14 year-old- because it is a sport which calls for concentration and psyche. And you get to meet many interesting people and make new friendships: this is the most important aspect for me». Fabian’s best results include 42 strokes in 2 rounds of miniature and 30 in minigolf. Next up is Alexander Zischg, class of 1993, student. Since the year 2002 minigolf has become more than just a pastime for this young man, being the first time he played on the national team. He is able to finish 4 rounds of miniature in 84 strokes and three rounds of minigolf with only 99 strokes. Zischg has a simple but mature philosophy: «In minigolf it’s important to play first for the team and second for yourself». Jessica Agostino, 18 years old, is the only female on the team and has the love for minigolf running through her veins. «I’ve been on minigolf courses since I was born» says the young woman. She has been playing professional for 4 years and recently competed in the 2006 championships in Odense, Denmark, while in 2003 she came in first for team ranking in the juniors Italian championships and placed seventh in the individual category.
And this has been our quick look at the promising team who will astonish all at the 2007 Juniors European Championships, to take place next summer in Södertälje, Sweden.
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