Tennis & Golf – this was the motto of the TennisTraveller exclusive camp at the Aktivhotel Marko on Lake Klopein in Carinthia from October 2nd to 6th, 2024. The international participation of the campers demonstrated the great interest in both the theme and the destination. They traveled from Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. This also shows that our camp philosophy of constantly changing camp focuses and destinations is a resounding success. Even though the weather in Carinthia was far from ideal, we had a very varied time with plenty of tennis, golf, other activities, and great conversations. The international, diverse group of tennis travelers turned out to be a truly fun-loving bunch who defied the bad weather with high spirits and plenty of humor! And all this in a host hotel where we felt completely at ease. You can read all about what the five camp days were like and what we experienced in our travel report here. The excellent feedback from participants delighted the hotel, the Klopeiner See Tennis School, and me in particular!
My trip to Lake Klopein started on October 1st, as I still had a few things to organize on site. In beautiful late summer weather, I drove the truly scenic route from Stuttgart towards St. Kanzian on Lake Klopein, where I was greeted by a summery 23 degrees Celsius and the warm welcome of Bettina at reception.
A particularly nice touch: some participants had the same idea as me and arrived a day early. So we had a sort of pre-opening in a smaller group, and it was already clear: these were going to be some fun days!
On the official start day of the camp, I quickly handed out all the welcome bags to the participants. Besides our TennisTraveller water bottle, each bag contained various products from Kirschbaum : test strings, overgrips, sweatbands, dampeners, and much more. All of these products were put to immediate use during the camp. In addition, each participant received a large, beautiful blue beach towel from Carinthia Tourism ! A huge thank you to both sponsors!
In the evening, we met for a get-together with a champagne reception . For me, it's always a very exciting moment when the participants get to know each other. Not only were there different nationalities, but also a wide range of ages, from 30 to their mid-60s. But as always, the shared passion for tennis immediately created a great vibe. The first dinner together at the long table, with a delicious four-course meal, and the subsequent get-together at the bar, ensured that everyone was looking forward to the first day of camp, despite the poor weather forecast.
Thanks to Jörg from the Klopeiner See Tennis School and the hotel, we already had a Plan B ready. Instead of playing on the hotel's seven clay courts, the next morning, in pouring rain, we traveled by car convoy to the indoor tennis center in Bad Eisenkappel, the southernmost town in Carinthia. In the three-court hall, head coach Jörg explained the training content for the first day: groundstrokes in the morning, volleys in the afternoon. We also had to adjust the originally planned training schedule and timetable due to the adverse conditions and the indoor setting. But our participants were flexible – we all made the best of it. With undiminished motivation, we trained for two hours in the morning, followed by a short break with a snack provided by the hotel, and then another full-throttle session. Satisfied, but a little tired, we then returned to the hotel in the convoy.
Some of the participants could Willi's "Stretch & Relax" training session . But "Stretch & Relax" was a bit of a stretch: the multi-talented Willi had a rather different idea of what stretching and relaxing meant than we did. With breathtaking enthusiasm and boundless motivation, he really put us through our paces. We won't soon forget this full-body workout, which also included mental training. And the session provided plenty of conversation topics for the rest of the evening!
Unfortunately, the weather remained unchanged on day two of camp: continuous rain and cold. The sand courts resembled a lake. So, after a delicious breakfast, we headed back to Bad Eisenkappel. As on the previous day, we diligently trained our technique and tactics – unfortunately, again indoors.
On day three of camp, the moment finally arrived: we were actually able to hold the morning session outdoors. Although the temperatures were anything but inviting, Jörg and I certainly made sure the participants got warmed up.
After a midday snack at the hotel, the tennis ball was swapped for a golf ball. A taster course in golf at the Klopeiner See Golf Park was on the agenda. Putting, chipping, teeing off – our golf pro explained the basics perfectly, and – surprisingly – it was actually dry!
Unfortunately, I had to take one of the participants to the accident hospital in Klagenfurt that afternoon because he had twisted his ankle and suffered a double ligament tear. What bad luck! But despite all the setbacks, Thorsten was still in good spirits and returned on crutches to his now very dear camp group. The last evening was great fun!
On Sunday, our last day of camp, we had a training session in the morning where we practiced and reinforced everything we had learned outdoors in various game formats. At noon, our head coach, Jörg, officially said goodbye. Afterwards, most of the participants headed home under bright sunshine and rapidly rising temperatures. Some participants had even booked an extension to their holiday – a great decision, as the weather was fantastic from Monday onwards!
To give us a comprehensive understanding of how our camp participants experienced the camp, they received feedback along with a selection of photos after the camp. The feedback was excellent, which of course made me very happy!
My sincere thanks go to Jörg from the Klopeiner See Tennis School, Willi from Willfit, and especially Seppi, the owner, Bettina, who is simply a sweetheart, and the entire service team at the Aktivhotel s Marko! We had a wonderful time with you, and nobody can control the weather 😉
" Everything went well. An indoor tennis court was arranged due to the weather conditions – fantastic! Late check-out on the last day of camp after the morning training
worked perfectly! The goodie bag was a very nice addition and much appreciated." –
Thorsten
" Susanne's organization and support were very professional.
She had everything under control at all times, and I found the all-around support fantastic. I would gladly use her services again :-) "
Urs
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