I started when I was six years old. I come from a small village, but the typical Danish village has a school and a hall, where you can go and play. I was doing everything related to sports – table tennis, tennis, football, swimming. But I really got mixed up into team sports. I knew by then I was attracted to this.
But to live off handball? To play a sport as my means of putting something on the table? No way! It was not my childhood dream. I thought I was going to be something else. Maybe a chef?
I dreamed of being a chef. You know, cooking the best meals in the world? Who would not want that? But it is not so easy to be a part-time handball player and then get on with your life trying to do something else.
So, I chose handball, as my first contract was ready when I was 18 years old.
But I did not forget about being a chef. Or a cook, whatever you may call it.
Even at this point in the life, me and my girlfriend still like to cook. She is excellent, unfortunately my time is limited, so I do not do it as much as I would like.
But we do it around our children, they love being around in the kitchen. It is not high cuisine for us, but we love to experiment on things. We are getting more and more into lean meat and vegetables. The classical steak and French fries are a bit in the rearview mirror for me. Like the whole world, I guess.
Yet that life probably was not for me. Because I loved to play handball. A lot. Every moment. Every second. When I was at the start of my career, I would try to play on the left wing. During some practice sessions of the women’s team there, I would also chime in and play as a goalkeeper.
The main thing about me is that I like to stay true to what I do. Always to my family. Always to handball. This helped me a lot during my career, because I needed to accept some things that others might have not been interested in.
Listen, I always liked to play the attack. See, I think nobody would like to see a player ruining the game. Because this is what defence is about. Stopping the opponents scoring. I told you about my daughters playing handball and I reckon they would not like an opponent to come and stop them. It is taking all the fun out of the game.
Eventually, I became that person. Maybe that was my place, that was where my career was going to be all along. This is how the story is written, you know. And it took a lot to accept it. Because I was not the star of the team, on one position, yet on the other hand, I was the jack of all trades, I could fill every hole in a team.
