A dual study programme is demanding in itself. But that's not enough for Linde MH Employee Maxi Vogt. When her fellow students are relaxing, she begins a second life as a competitive athlete in the German national shooting squad.
2024-04-03
It sounds like a fateful day when Maxi tells us how she came to shoot a pistol. But whether it was fate or chance, this one hot summer afternoon in Schöllkrippen was to change the schoolgirl's life forever.
Because a lot came together that afternoon. Maxi, who wanted to escape the heat in the outdoor pool with her friends, soon had enough of the overcrowded swimming pools and sunbathing areas. It was a good thing that the shooting club right next to the pool had a cool hall and an open day.
The shooting club actually specialises in shooting guns, but when Maxi and her friends arrive, they are all taken. Only one gun is still there. An old model that is hardly ever used. But Maxi fires and immediately hits the target. "That was probably a bit of luck," says Maxi with a smile. Normally, the pistols are customised for each shooter. "Apparently the setting worked quite well for me, because I was able to handle the pistol well straight away." The instructor was impressed and Maxi was curious.
Maxi Vogt (10th from left at the bottom of the stairs) with the entire Linde MH team at LogiMAT.
When Maxi starts shooting, she is only in seventh grade. Her first successes come quickly, as Maxi has obviously found her sport after trying horse riding, vaulting and tennis. What was previously seen as a weakness now turns out to be a special talent and the best prerequisite for her sporting career.
"In primary school, I always had the same entry on my report card. Maxi is very quiet and doesn't talk very much," says the current employee in the Digital Business Unit at Linde MH in Aschaffenburg and student of Digital Business Management.
Now the shooter benefits from her mental strength. Shortly after starting out in the sport, she won the local Gau championship, then the district championship and thus qualified for the Bavarian championship. There, she competed against over a hundred talented competitors for the first time and apparently made such an impression that she found an invitation from the Bavarian squad in her letterbox afterwards. After holding a pistol in her hand for the first time in 2016, she was able to call herself German vice-champion in 2022.
Without a steady hand and strong nerves, it is difficult to hit the small targets with a pistol. The centre of the target, which is to be hit from ten metres with the air pistol and from 25 metres with the sports pistol, is just one centimetre in size.
The psychological aspect therefore also plays a special role in the training sessions. "Among other things, we learn to get our nervousness under control before and during competitions," explains Maxi. Extensive sporting sessions such as endurance and strength training are also part of the 19-year-old's almost daily programme.
"Luckily, I get really great support from my team at Linde MH," she enthuses. Of course, she attends annual highlights such as the logimat trade fair with her department. But while her team is slowly getting ready for the end of the trade fair on Thursday afternoon, Maxi is already on her way to her four-day training course with the junior national squad.
In general, the young student shows quite a bit of stamina. "Competitive sport doesn't work without sacrifice," she explains. And she had already experienced this during her A-levels. Not only did she have to train for the European and World Championship qualifiers in addition to studying for her A-level exams - Maxi was also unable to attend the graduation ball or the final trip. "That's a downer, of course," says Maxi. "But I was able to go to the European Junior Championships in Talinn at the same time and win the bronze medal in the team competition." Afterwards, I even went to the Junior Shooting World Championships in South Korea. "Nobody can take these experiences away from me."
Maxi and the german team in south korea.
Staying focussed, keeping her own nervousness under control, dealing with new people all the time - Maxi has learned a lot in her sport that she can now use in her studies and also in her job.
Nevertheless, she is already thinking about how to continue after her junior career. Maxi still has one year left in this age group. "Unfortunately, as a professional athlete, there are very few opportunities to continue shooting at this level after that," reports Maxi. If you want to join the sports promotion group and then be released for eight months to concentrate fully on training and preparing for the Olympics, for example, you currently only have the option of combining this with training with the police or the Bundeswehr.
"I just don't see myself there," says Maxi and laughs. On the contrary, she is happy to have opted for the dual study programme and the work in the Digital Business Unit at Linde MH. "I enjoy the work and I feel like I'm in really good hands here."
Maxi wants to continue taking part in competitions. However, she would like to change her focus a little in the future. "I want to get my coaching licence and expand the pistol department at my club in Schöllkrippen."
Maxi will still be able to spend some time at the shooting range alongside university and work. But there will also finally be more space to meet up with her friends. Certainly not a bad idea for a twenty-something.
Maxi has the following tip for her future protégés in the shooting range, but also for anyone interested in competitive sport: "Try out everything that might interest you. Take what you can with you. Take part in competitions and gain as much experience as you can. Because nobody can take that away from you."
Maxi participating the championship in south korea.
