This is MVP: Henny Reistad

This is MVP: Henny Reistad
The arduous journey to the top

The confetti is on the court for some time. I look down and I see a medal. The medal. It is the second international gold I have won in my career. And, just right now, in this moment, it feels like a dream.

Do not get me wrong, winning the EHF EURO 2020 with Norway back in December was superb; a lesson of handball, something that changed my life and will stay with me forever.

But this one, the one that’s round my neck right now, the DELO EHF Champions League, really looks amazing. When the dust settles, this will be one of the memories I am truly proud of. Especially after such a tough season.

Many trips, probably too many training sessions and a lot of uncertainty. A roller-coaster season, where we only played twice at home in the competition.

But for me? I only played handball. I did what I like the most and right now I am the happiest person in the locker room. I am only 22 and I really feel accomplished.

Handball is in my veins and I owe it to my family to starting playing it. We all love sports and my older brother, Jon, also played it. We challenged ourselves to become better and better. I really think he is proud of me now.

As many young girls in Norway, I started playing when I was young and became better and better. Who knew I had this in me? Who knew I was going to become the MVP of the DELO EHF FINAL4 one time?

Probably not many, but I did anyway. And I challenged myself in every practice. Work harder, play better. It is a simple mantra, right? But if I do not try to become better, what is the point in playing?

Of course, I had some help. In fact, all the help I needed to fulfil the dream. Our team was a family and we really believed in ourselves, even in the toughest moments.

When I broke out in the DELO EHF Champions League, scoring 71 goals in my first season, I thought I could improve.

Never would I have thought a global pandemic would tear handball apart and put a stop to what I loved most.

But it happened and it really changed our lives. Both on and off the court. Yet I would like to tell you all about this magnificent season of Vipers Kristiansand, the winners of the DELO EHF Champions League.

I was just making my first steps in handball when Larvik HK won the trophy in 2011. 10 years later, here we are, rewriting history. In probably one of the toughest seasons ever in European handball.

The health measures in Norway are tough, one of the toughest in Europe. Therefore, playing handball has been put on hold several times, so it really hampered us trying to build a rhythm and do what we did best: play fast handball and tough defence.

Everything started well, we did not concede a loss in the first seven games, but hosting matches in Norway has proven difficult. We only played two, winning against CSM Bucuresti, 30:25, and drawing one against Team Esbjerg, 28:28.

To complete our games, we had to make sacrifices. We played a triple-header in Budapest against FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria and Rostov-Don in only five days and then travel to Ljubljana, to play our home game against RK Krim on their court.

I would lie saying that was easy, but it toughened us. It gave us a sense of purpose, of trying to win irrespective of the challenge ahead.

We only finished fifth in the group, but we eliminated powerhouses like Odense Handbold and Rostov-Don on our way to Budapest.

In the last three months, we only played eight games. We won six of them and our last loss came at home, against Odense. Did it deter us?

Some might say it did. I did not feel like it. We practiced harder and harder, replacing games with difficult training sessions. It helped us build confidence. Let’s just say it worked wonders, shall we?

So, the moment we have all been waiting for. Us, as players, you as fans, right?

Two games, two matches. Winner takes it all. As you may know, I had already been here, in 2019, when we finished third. I scored eight times against Győr and Metz, but it was not enough.

Did I feel nervous? No, I had already experienced it. Other players did too, it is pointless to talk now about Nora Mork, Heidi Loke or Katrine Lunde, who had played countless played under pressure.

But for me, it was time to shine. I do not want to sound arrogant, but I knew we had the chance that could be sealed. The mentality was strengthened by the myriad of training sessions we did in the past months. We knew what the task was in hand and the confidence was high, especially after the quarter-finals.

We had already proven to ourselves that we could beat the best. It was the moment to show it on the court.

This trip to Budapest was something special. Some may point to a coincidence: I am 22 years old and I scored 22 goals against CSKA Moscow and Brest. One goal for each year, right?

That is just a funny story, but I feel like I did my best on the court. These were definitely the biggest games of my career. Surely on the biggest of stages.

But it is not about me, though, it is about the team. We could not have done it without each other and it truly is a remarkable achievement.

The MVP trophy I was awarded? Humbled by it, but, once again, a player cannot win a game by herself, even if she scored 12 goals. We win as a team, we lose as a team. It is as simple as that.

Yes, this big grin on my face says it all. It is happiness down to its very core and winning did not feel any sweeter than this. Especially as this was my last game for Vipers.

Next year, I will try something different. I will be moving to Team Esbjerg, for my first experience abroad. It is close to Norway, in Denmark, so I will follow closely what Vipers do.

It is not goodbye, it is just a “see you soon”. But these moments will be forever in my head, and in my heart.