She had to step out of her comfort zone by moving to a new, foreign country, but who would blame her for doing all this if it is because of the call of Győr Audi ETO KC ?! Beatrice Edwige, key player of the French national team, Olympic silver-medalist, world champion and European champion came to Győr with great vigor and enthusiasm. She will never forget the first experience of last season with her previous team at DELO WOMEN'S EHF FINAL4, beacuse it is something that you want to re-experience in green and white jersey as well. Check out Beatrice Edwige's debut interview!
Please tell me briefly about the beginning of your handball career!
I started playing handball relatively late, at the age of 15 - before that I was doing some athletic, and even before, I had tried many other sports, playing football and swimming for a very short time. The reason I switched from athletics to handball was because I really like to talk to people, but I always felt alone on the athletic field, but the situation on the handball court was different - many people, great atmosphere.
Let's go a bit further in time since you've spent your entire career in France - how did it actually feel to come and meet your new teammates here in Győr?
I was really excited because of joining a new team. I'm 30 now and I didn't think I would be given the opportunity ever to play in this team. When it came to getting a contract with Győr, I thought - playing in a new club, in another city, in another country, not in France, getting to know another language, another culture – it is a real challenge and it was really strange at first for me.
Everything was so different here, just to say an example, my first shopping - it was very strange that everything was written in another language I was used to. At first it made it difficult for me to find everything, but I feel like I'm starting to get used to it a bit, I'm not afraid of such situations any more and I go shopping bravely.
I came to Győr a week earlier than my teammates to check everything, and I think that was the best decision I could ever make.
How much did it help for you to have two other French players in your new club besides you?
Estelle is new too, Doudou (Amandine Leynaud) has helped us a lot since the beginning, as it is a great relief to speak your native language and to get helpful advices. Beside them, Stine and Jana speak also French, we agreed with Jana that she will speak French to me and I reply in English so we both practice these foreign languages.
How could you describe yourself?
When it comes to handball, my mind goes always on, I don't know stop at work. This is not necessarily a good feature for my family because, for example, if I feel that I have not performed well during a training, then I feel not well, which can be easily seen on my face. Of course, after games, this is also typical of me. When I think about it, I say to myself, okay, you didn't play well, but you win, and that's the most important thing. Deep breath, rest, and then it feels already a little better.
What do you think of the famous green and white fans? During your first public training session and since then, you have had a look at what it is like to play in front of them…
The open training itself was shocking to me, the fans created a fantastic atmosphere in the hall and it was just a training. They kept track of all our moves, and during football, with Estelle we sometimes looked at each other and asked what was happening, as it was only part of the warm-up, but the fans applauded without stopping. It was incredible ... I had never experienced such an open training in France before.
It seems that the fans here are very fond of the club and they do whatever for their favorites, they follow the team everywhere. When we walk around the city, the good wishes are just pouring in, they are asking us for a photo and a signature. This is crazy!
We hope that Beatrice will have a great season here - we wish her all the best!
