Cooking with world-class guidance - at the elite sports gathering at HFU, current and former students work together in the kitchen. And at the centre of the lively conversation - alumni Benedikt Doll and Dr. Georg Hettich.
Cooking, networking, careers - top athletes at HFU gather in “Dolls kitchen”
An Olympic champion, a world champion and a German champion meet at the fridge… that’s how a joke from the sports world might begin. At Furtwangen University (HFU), however, this is real life in the “Elite sports meets in Doll’s Kitchen” programme. Under the direction of HFU alumnus Benedikt Doll (biathlon world champion and two-time Olympic bronze medalist), the university’s active elite athletes gather for a joint cooking event in the HFU teaching kitchen in Furtwangen. Also in attendance are the HFU Ambassador for Elite Sports, Dr. Georg Hettich (Olympic champion in Nordic Combination), the President's Representative for Elite Sports in Research and Teaching, Prof. Dr. Marie Ottilie Frenkel, and the President's Representative for Elite Sports Dual Careers, Thorsten Schelling. An evening among like-minded people, then, where the relaxed setting facilitates discussion on shared topics.
“The university is significantly expanding its elite sports programme,” reports Professor Frenkel. “We look forward to many new partnership projects. We work closely with the Freiburg-Black Forest Olympic Training Center and are planning EU-funded projects that will also offer exciting opportunities for bachelor’s and master’s theses.” For many years Furtwangen University has offered competitive athletes flexible study conditions that allow them to balance time-consuming training with their coursework. “These options are enshrined in our study and examination regulations,” explains Thorsten Schelling. “This means you can extend not only your academic semesters but now even the required internship semester if that better fits your training and competition schedule.”
Meanwhile back at the fridge − besides veritable mountains of vegetables, there are also stacks of tofu and large bunches of cilantro and parsley. Doll has brought a recipe from the cookbook he published with his father. Soon, the roughly 20 participants get to work at five cooking stations, preparing “tofu medallions with Middle Eastern vegetables.” The kitchen crew couldn’t be more diverse − here, a wrestler chops alongside a rhythmic gymnast, a powerlifter next to a ski jumper, a triathlete next to a cross-country skier and a mountain biker. They quickly dive into lively discussions about their different demands and training habits, as well as good-natured jokes about who has the most strength to press the tofu through the spätzle press. Benedikt Doll adds to the cheerful atmosphere by sharing informative insights on nutrition such as energy density, protein content, antioxidants in spices, and the anti-inflammatory properties of phytochemicals.
When the “tofu medallions with Asian vegetables” are finally served, the evening comes to a close as everyone eats together. Amid new acquaintances and deep conversations, everyone agrees − top-level sports and studies aren’t just compatible − together, they taste really good, too!
