Normally, athletes and officials go into raptures when they can report on successful competitions. With Karin Dorfinger, chairman of the Judo Union Raiffeisen Flachgau, the case was different this time. “We were finally able to play a Bundesliga home round in front of our spectators again, for the first time in four years. That felt great,” said the official enthusiastically after a long absence from fans due to Corona. She was able to cope with the fact that the men’s team lost both of their fights at the event the weekend before last. “On the one hand, we hosted the two champions of 2021 and 2022, Galaxy Tigers Vienna and Multikraft Wels. On the other hand, we are still in a state of upheaval, which is why we had to reckon with things not going perfectly. But we have seen that we can definitely keep up with the top teams in the Bundesliga.”
A realization that gives courage to continue on the chosen path. Corona and the death of Gerhard Dorfinger, Karin’s father and a club legend as a coach, have affected the club in recent years, it had to be restructured and something new had to be tried in the coaching sector. You have to know that Gerhard Dorfinger, after whom the local sports hall was named shortly after his death, was much more than a passionate judo coach. Active at the club since 1966, he shaped the most successful years, when between 2005 and 2012 seven out of eight possible Austrian championship titles were brought to Straßwalchen. Dorfinger was voted Salzburg’s “Trainer of the Year”, the club was the be-all and end-all of local judo.
Silver at the Olympics
A successful era, which, however, was also due to the fact that with Ludwig “Lupo” Paischer they had an absolute top talent in their ranks. His impressive track record of success at world and European championships was crowned in 2008 when he won the silver medal in the 60 kg class at the Olympic Games in Beijing. “He’s certainly the most successful athlete we’ve ever produced, even though we’ve always had Olympic and World Championship starters or an athlete like military world champion Max Schirnhofer with us,” enthuses Karin Dorfinger. “Lupo is now successfully working in Japan, but always comes to our training center when he is in Austria. We also talk on the phone regularly as he is happy to help us when it comes to signing strong legionnaires.”
That seems to have worked again before this season. The world number one (up to 100 kilos) Michael Korrel was brought from the Netherlands, even if he had to pass on the first day of the fight. “That was what Krisztián Tóth was there for, a Hungarian who has already won bronze at the World Championships and the Olympics in the category up to 90 kilograms,” says Dorfinger. “A really good guy.” Just like Laurin Böhler from Vorarlberg, who is fit and in good shape again after a long injury break. “I think we have a very good mix of internationally experienced top athletes and strong homegrown talent at the start,” says Dorfinger, who is aiming for a healthy middle ground with the goals. “The best four of the nine Bundesliga teams reach the final four tournament at the end of the season, where the title is at stake – we want to be there.”
Rising demand
In order to be at the top of the podium again one day, you rely on a good education and on being able to turn promising talents into seasoned judo fighters. “From the wide to the top” is the motto of the club. Overall, the Judo Union has an impressive number of 126 active judokas, many of them in the children’s and youth field. And while many sports clubs lament that young people can no longer get enthusiastic about sport and club life, the situation in Straßwalchen is different. “We are currently considering offering another beginner’s course because the demand is so great,” says Dorfinger. And explains why the Asian self-defense sport is “so awesome. Shy children learn to approach others, hyperactive children can let off steam in a fixed framework, overweight children can compete with those of the same weight in a weight class. It really is a sport for everyone.”
Speaking of benefit: For decades, one of the club’s principles has always been to invite guests from other clubs and have them train with them. These can be clubs from the area, but also some from abroad. “We don’t just want to stew in our own juice, we want to benefit from the fact that there is input from outside. Which is also an advantage for our guest athletes, who in turn can benefit from our high-quality training.” In this way, a system is created in which it should only be a matter of time before the new Lupo Paischers hit the big mats enter the sport.
Great effort
What has not changed in recent years, however, is the strong cooperation between the Judo Union and the Salzburg Raiffeisenverband, which has been the main and name sponsor since 2002. So from the time when a section of SV Straßwalchen became an independent club. “It’s not just a collaboration, we also exchange information regularly and can talk about everything,” says Dorfinger, whose day sometimes has to have more than 24 hours to accommodate everything.
The elementary school director is not only chairwoman and trainer in Straßwalchen, but also vice president of the Salzburg Judo Association and deputy technical director of the Austrian association. She always knows exactly what she is talking about, as she was a very successful fighter herself. “However, my sister Christine was even better than me,” she says modestly, referring to the amazing family business at the Dorfingers. “For me it was enough for a few national titles and participation in European Championships, but I didn’t make it onto the podium there.” She is now fighting like a lioness to ensure that judokas from her club get as high as possible.
