Women in professional sports

HCD players and a mental coach talk about their everyday lives in a male-dominated sport | In cooperation with: Hocky Club Davos.

EXPERIENCE | Conversation

The Kulturplatz asks the exciting question of why women enter male-dominated sports. Most of the time, they are strong, personal motivations, such as passion, challenge, equality or career opportunities.

The topic is discussed in conversation with HCD players Oona Emmenegger, Leoni Balzer, Sandra Schmidt and Chief Education Officer Tina L. Dyck.

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About the players:



Oona Emmenegger



Year 2000

The Lucerne native has been a forward (center) with the HCD Ladies since the Ladies' first season in 2023/24. Before moving to Davos, she worked for SC Langenthal and worked for various college teams in Canada. In the U18 national team, she was set up for the A Nati; an appearance was prevented by a severe concussion.



Leoni Balzer



Year 2006

Striker, Davos native (moved from Schmitten to Davos at the age of 12 – because of ice hockey) and thus part of the club since her childhood – went through entire junior levels here. I played for Chur U17 and before the HCD Ladies existed, for Thurgau Ladies, who were then taken over by HCD. Was in the U18 national team and is now back in the squad for the World Cup in the Czech Republic of the A-Nati. Considered a great talent, is also supported by the Swiss Sports Aid.



Sandra Schmidt



Born in 2004

Engadine (Sent) junior team at CdH Engiadina and EHC St. Moritz. Until the U17s, she played in a men's team.

After that, like many of the players, she was previously part of the Thurgau Ladies before they were taken over by HCD and the first women's team at HC Davos emerged. Sandra made the journey from the Engadine to Thurgau to play ice hockey – signing with HCD was a dream come true for her – to play for HCD as a Graubünden native and now have a life that largely takes place in one place – with a job and ice hockey in Davos.

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The mental coach:



Tina E. L. Dyck



The mental trainer Tina Dyck is a former competitive athlete (dressage and show jumping). As an active athlete and as a coach, she was able to celebrate numerous successes. Since 2016, Tina has been working as a mental trainer in competitive sports, mainly with professional athletes in the disciplines: tennis, ice hockey, athletics, skiing and equestrian sports. There she combines performance-enhancing methods with individual mental training, both in preparation for major international events, as well as during injury breaks and targeted rehabilitation. In the fall of 2022, Tina became Chief Education Officer of the Hockey Club Davos HCD and is responsible for the development of new structures in the HCD program