Whether blonde or black-haired, the main thing is speed

Older siblings often play an important role when the younger ones choose to run another path. Sometimes, the clout is so intense that the new fresh course turns out to be a very successful one no one ever would have expected. This is the story of Isabella Laboeck.

Animated by the support of her brother Dominik, today's police constable strapped on the bindings of a snowboard for the very first time in 1992, at the tender age of six years. Young "Bella" was immediately hooked by the new sport and put her hard boots on ever since. After two years, she already competed in her first FIS races.

More successful competitions followed so the Prien-born quickly earned C squad membership, thus being part of the German junior national team.

But "Lisl" wasn't done yet. Unlike many other talents who rest on their laurels to early, she pushed herself thus paying back the trust put in her by the German Snowboard Federation. In 2006, 14 years after she stood on a snowboard for the very first time, Isabella claimed Silver in the parallel giant slalom at the FIS Junior World Championships held in Vivaldi Park, Korea.

A vice-championship which is even worth much more as she shattered her thumb joint in a training accident suffered only two days prior the finals.

Thereafter, her career development was on full speeds thus totally fitting to her chosen race discipline. After her successful A-levels, she just missed her first World Cup podium being edged to fourth in her first race after her FIS Junior WCS coup. Only six weeks after the race in Soelden, it was time for the four-time Sandboard World Champion to finally step on the podium finishing third in the World Cup race at Kronplatz.

The SG team member brought home another podium (Arosa 2008) in a total of 50 World Cup starts until the end of the 2010 season, which the fifteenth of the 2010 Olympics wrapped up as tenth of the Parallel World Cup ranking.

The last season was, despite the disappointing results at the World Championships, concluded even better: Laböck finished fifth in the World Cup ranking due to an outstanding and constant season including two second rank finishes (Telluride and Valmalenco).

However, the former blonde then black-haired and now blonde again girl friend of German's Nordic Combined athlete Bjoern Kircheisen, hopes to convert her gained experience into more triumphing results and medals.

Just like back in the days, when the race boarder decided to give full throttle on the board with the sharp edges, Laboeck is still as ambitious as before; an attitude you need if you want to be successful in what you do: "At the Olympics I finished 15^th, an outcome which I didn't expect at all regarding the result I had brought home in the races before. But I will take this experience and bring it in the next Olympiad hoping to do better at Socchi 2014."