Česky
How would you describe floorball to someone who doesn't know the sport?
It's an indoor sport that can be played outdoors. It's becoming more and more modern lately. It's also a young sport. And it's easy because you don't need anything to play it. Cheap, actually. You wear a shirt and shorts.
No need for pads? Hitting someone with a stick doesn't hurt?
It does. Probably the ankle the most. If I get hit close enough with a punching ball, I get bruises with white circles in the middle. I've also got a chipped tooth from a ball, but over time you learn to position yourself so it only goes to your lower body.
When I was looking up the history of floorball, the Nordic countries came to mind. I was intrigued that it originated as summer training for hockey players...
Yes, it was! They still use it that way.
It can be played anywhere, even in Africa. What makes the Nordic people the best?
I don't know. I think it's talent. It's hard to get to their level. The world ranking is clear: Sweden and Finland. Then Switzerland and the Czech Republic. Now our guys brought home a bronze from the World Games.
How close and far is this sport from hockey?
We have a hockey stick, but the goalie catches without a stick, just with his hands. It's played in thirds, but it's a completely different sport. Just like hockey. I played that for a while, but the net was in the way. Floorball is more technical. It's more technical. You can play around.
Is floorball more gentle?
Definitely not. They say it's non-contact, but it's not!
How did you ever get the idea to play it?
We used to play it in elementary school in gym class. I've always been a bit of a kid. I was always on the playground with a hockey stick or playing football. I competed in firefighting for eight years because there was nothing else. Then we moved, and I started playing floorball when I was 12. On the boys' team.
They took you in?
Yeah, the girls are doing well on the boys' team. It's a big school. They spare you at first, but then when they find out you're gonna run away, they stop paying attention. I've grown weary of them. But I'd say the girls are a lot sneakier on the field.
What do you mean?
If my opponent misses the net, I'll say "wrong again" as I walk by(she puts a lot of emphasis on the mischief in her voice). I don't fight, I laugh in their faces. Then I can't be surprised when one of them adjusts my shoulder and I fly over the barrier. I come out of the games very recharged. I'm no saint, I know I'm responsible for a lot of it.
The ref lets you do that?
I know when he's watching and when he's not(laughs).
You don't pay much attention to what you say to me.
Just put it out there. They all know I'm a provocateur anyway. I enjoy heated fights that are on the edge, where the referee stops handling it. I've got a thing for referees. I know how it pisses them off because I'm a whistle blower myself. First I'll throw the other team off, then I'll throw the referee off. I think floorball is the perfect sport to get my energy and my bullshit out.
"I'm no saint. I enjoy a heated game that's on the edge."
I was under the impression that the referee was untouchable, not to be poked.
It depends on how benevolent the referee is and how well he can keep order. I'm whistling to, like, 15-year-old boys who are two heads taller than me and they're very rude. I look like the little sister among them, but I can keep order with them too. Last time I was there, I got picked on by a dude. I told him where his captain was, that I'd only talk to him. The captain came in, an even bigger dude: What's with the high sticks and the swings? And I said, "Do I whistle them to you? Then turn around and go. He took it. But last year I got my karma back for my stupid remarks. I was whistling the women's major league and I was really looking forward to it. We almost got booed as referees and it didn't take much to get us thrown at. I had to concentrate a lot and not get distracted. It was a great experience.
You mentioned that you co-founded Dynamo, the team you play for. How did that happen?
When I stopped playing floorball, because it was past the time when I could achieve anything in it, a friend came to me and said we should start a floorball club, which we both missed. So I got back into it. Our goal was the league, so everyone laughed at us. It's taking us a while, but I still say we can do it. We've always picked our girls by nature, technique comes second. That's why we've taken a lot of girls who've never played, but who are fun to be with, and it takes time. The team is important. That's why my husband coaches us. I mean, he's not mine yet, we're still dating, but I call him that. We couldn't find another coach who was a good fit for us and a good fit for the group. I know it looks like I might be a protégé, but you wouldn't know we're dating. I'm fine with arguing with him, although I do listen to him in the dugout. Sometimes.
Am I right in guessing that you're the team captain?
Yeah, I'm the captain. But I haven't been since the beginning. I don't have a problem with authority.
So you're taking the head nurse?
Yeah, you are. When we're playing a team of 40-year-old girls from Jicin, I respect them, too. We're totally outplaying them, so we're getting outplayed 10-1. I make love to girls the same age, but I don't dare take a mom of two on the calf with a hockey stick. I'm a bit of a bitch, but I don't do that. There's always 15 women and 13 husbands coming to the game from their place, watching 20 kids. We're stoked, and they're having fun at the game wondering which one baked which for Saturday lunch. They're awesome!
After school, you didn't work as a nurse, you worked as a kindergarten teacher. What brought you back to the field?
I guess I'm torn between being a nurse and a kindergarten teacher. Even now we have summer camps for the kids, so I'm still with them all the time. But mostly I wanted a full-time job, which they couldn't give me. When I see my former co-worker, she tells me she misses having a teenager like me there making up crap.
Is it possible to make jokes at Multiscan?
The patients are grateful for it, even though I'm polite and distant with the doctor. The patient gets a lot out of our smiles. Last time, I secretly taped a nurse colleague's patch to her chair. Everyone on the couches in the nursing home saw it and laughed when she tried to get up and couldn't. It's a distraction. We get patients who need to relieve themselves and talk. And I'm chatty, so I don't mind. I think the collective of nurses we have there are great women. Patients love going there. If I say it wrong, they take their wigs off in front of us, even though they wouldn't come out without their hair. They feel safe there. They know they're among their own. And then there are times when they tell you: I love you so much, but I never want to see you again.
You have to have empathy in that environment, but you have to keep your work away from your body...
When I started, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to handle it mentally. One of the patients asked me how my trip was. You just stare at how they remember. You want to build a relationship with them, and after a month of me "settling in" it was a little hard. I would sit on the balcony in the evenings with a glass of wine and think about it sometimes, but not that I was in a pity state. Now it's settled down and I don't think I'm bringing it home. Otherwise, I knew Multiscan before, because I used to take my aunt there. It wasn't a pleasant time, six months of fear actually. But it turned out well, my aunt got well and was the first to know about my new job. Sometimes I think I don't know what I want, but I have my whole life to do it, so I don't worry about it. It doesn't matter if you're taking care of children or old people. The care, concern and responsibility is the same. It's fulfilling and meaningful to me.
"Patients tell me: I love you so much, but I never want to see you again."
Kateřina Heblíková (25)
She was on the fence about whether to choose a teaching or medical school, and eventually graduated from the Secondary Medical School in Pardubice. When in her final year she received an offer from the director of the kindergarten where she went to teach children to brush their teeth as a tooth fairy, she accepted. For the next seven years, she worked as a kindergarten teacher. She joined Multiscan as a nurse practitioner almost six months ago. She has been playing floorball since she was twelve years old and co-founded the women's team Dynamo Florbal in Pardubice in 2019. She enjoys taking pictures, organizing and enjoys teasing her opponents, including the referees.
Source: Lenka Požárová
