Swiss Hockey: Lea, Sina, you are new to the women’s squad and then straight to the FIH World Cup Qualifiers. How does that feel for you?

Sina: To be honest, I didn’t expect to make the squad. So it was all the nicer to find out that I was included. It’s a huge honor to be able to represent Switzerland on this big stage.

Lea: Fantastic, of course! After the successful European Championships in the summer, I can hardly wait to be on the pitch as a team in Chile. Playing at international level outside of Europe is one of our biggest dreams!

Swiss Hockey: What’s it like to be part of the national team?

Lea: For me, playing in the national team means spending a lot of time with friends who share the same passion and are up for any kind of “shit”. Through training courses and tournaments lasting several days, you grow together on different levels, which strengthens the bonds between each other enormously.

Sina: It’s a great feeling to be back. You’ve already had a taste of the national team in the juniors. Now you’re officially with the “big boys” and so far I’m really enjoying it, both in terms of field hockey and as a team.

Swiss Hockey: What excites you about the team and what could be done better?

Sina: I think it’s cool to see behind the scenes. I know most of the players on the pitch as opponents during the championship. Now you get to know them off the court and on the court as teammates. There’s a great atmosphere

Lea: Personally, I think that our team always makes a great effort to stay in contact with each other and that we want to be as inclusive as possible, across all barriers such as language and age.

Swiss Hockey: Which club do you play for and in which positions in the club/national team?

Lea: I would describe myself as club-less at the moment, haha. I played the first half of the season and the last few years for Servette and unfortunately can’t play the second half of the season with my team due to an exchange semester. At the club, I played in central midfield. I’m leaving this position to others in the national team and moving into central defense instead.

Sina: I’ve been playing for HC Olten since I was little and am mainly a defender on the pitch. Since last season, I’ve been playing in midfield from time to time. I also play defense in the national team.

Swiss Hockey: And how did you get into field hockey? What excites you about the sport?

Sina: My parents got to know each other through field hockey. So they sort of passed field hockey on to me and my brother. I resisted playing field hockey at first. But I always saw my brother’s medals and wanted to. Then I got hooked too.

Lea: Word of mouth and the geographical proximity to the field hockey pitch, it was more luck than brains. What I love about field hockey is the combination of speed and dynamism in sport, tactical understanding and of course the team sport concept. It also suits my competitive nature – or does that perhaps come more from field hockey?

Swiss Hockey: Besides field hockey, what do you actually do? (Education, profession?)

Lea: I’m in the last semester of my bachelor’s degree in International Relations, which I completed in Geneva, and I’m going to Seoul for my last semester – directly to Chile.

Sina: I’m studying sports science at the University of Bern and, apart from field hockey, I can often be found on horseback. Riding is a great balance to field hockey for me.

Swiss Hockey: And for your field hockey future: What would be your absolute dream?

Sina: I’m looking forward to the time ahead with our team at HC Olten. We’ve been completely reorganized since last season and have a lot of young players. I’m looking forward to the development and of course hope for a field championship title soon. And of course a great World Cup qualifier in Chile with a great surprise from a Swiss perspective. You should never stop dreaming;)

Lea: The Olympics, of course – you can dream

Swiss Hockey: Yes, you can dream and in fact you should never stop dreaming. Hopp Schwiiz to you both!!! Have fun and success at your first World Cup Qualifiers!