The weather reminds a little of their homeland. It is cool on this July day and it is raining twine. So not really suitable for a happy exploration tour through Halle between two training units. But Helena Mikkelsen and Cecilie Woller don’t mind the couch weather.
The two Danish women stroll through Halle’s market square without an umbrella, and then – with the permission of the landlord – can even let their gaze wander over the city center from the balcony of the historic town house.
This is a first for handball players serving Union Halle-Neustadt. Not only for Cecilie Woller, who has just flown in from Copenhagen. From this perspective, Helena Mikkelsen, who returned to the first division promoted after a two-year guest appearance in Oldenburg, has not yet got to know the city. Although she has lived and played here for three years from 2015.
Helena Mikkelsen: Many hours on the highway
“Actually,” says Cecilie Woller, “I love the modern.” But she likes this old town. She moved into an apartment in Halle-Neustadt. As for almost all Wildcats, she was provided by a sponsor of the club and is only a three-minute walk from that of her compatriot. This is undoubtedly an advantage if you are new, do not yet know the other teammates and are just beginning to learn the language.
Helena Mikkelsen, on the other hand, finally sees herself as having arrived. In a shared household with her Robert Wagner. The veteran of the Halle handball fourth division club UPS has been the man at their side for two and a half years. The move to the first division in 2018 “was right at the time”, the 24-year-old estimates very matter-of-factly. In sport, that brought her a lot. She is now a seasoned leader in the highest German class.
But privately the change of location had become a huge challenge. Mikkelsen has been with her boyfriend as often as possible for the past two seasons. “After a game in Leverkusen we went back to Oldenburg and from there to Halle,” she describes one of her weekends with many hours on the highway – for a short time together and a reunion with her old teammates, who grew dear to her are. “That was crazy,” says the old new wildcat afterwards. Now the back and forth has come to an end.
Helena Mikkelsen and Robert Wagner live together in Halle
“It’s nice to have a partner who likes sport as much as I do,” says Helena Mikkelsen. Her Robert knows when he has to find which words to be happy with or to comfort her, “or he just doesn’t have to say anything”, explains the powerful left-handed woman in the best German.
Cecilie Woller in training
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Even if she soon sets the course for the future after handball, he will be by her side. From October, Helena Mikkelsen wants to start studying business informatics in Merseburg. Brainwork is important to her.
Your teammate Cecilie Woller sees it the same way. Although she has been hired by the Wildcats as a professional to train up to twice a day and play on weekends – for one year with the option of another – she is also a student. The 27-year-old trained as a lawyer in a distance learning course. She has already completed one and a half years from probably four.
Cecilie Woller: Handball and studying as a part of life
The whip-thin single woman with the idiosyncratic-funny hairstyle already knows in which branch she wants to work. As a specialist lawyer, she will try to stay true to her passion, sport. Years ago, says Cecilie Woller, she had badly injured her shoulder and felt pretty alone at the time. She wants to save the same fate for athletes seeking help.
Besides handball and studying, there is not much time left for other hobbies. The player intended for the position back center and left wants to improve her language skills. That was also a reason to switch to Germany again after a one-year visit to Bietigheim in the 2017/18 season.
However, there will be no duel with her twin sister Fie because she has just left her previous club Bietigheim in the direction of the French league.
Both Cecilie Woller and Helena Mikkelsen know that relegation to the Bundesliga will be a tough job. “This can only be done with a strong defense,” says the Neu-Halle native. “And in cover, we’re both strong,” added the returnee. They know their importance for the young, ambitious group. The “Danish Dynamite” has to ignite, the duo agrees. (mz)
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