Three Brothers and a Cousin in Wroclaw

The Chilean family Mödinger is strongly represented at the World Games in Poland

It is often said that fistball is family, and many families pass on their passion for the sport from one generation to the other.  This is in particular also true for the family Mödinger from Llanquihue, Chile.  For 55 years, players from the family have represented the local side Gimnástico Alemán de Llanquihue, Club Manquehue in Santiago, and the Chilean national team.

Following this tradition, four Mödinger’s will be representing Chile at the upcoming World Games in Wroclaw, Poland, where the fistball tournament is being played from July 22 – 25 – Joaquin as a coach, and, his brothers Cristobal and Alvaro, as well as their second degree cousin Eduardo as players.

All of them have been fascinated by fistball from an earlier age.  “Intense, exciting, rewarding”, describes Cristobal Mödinger his passion for the sport.   “It is a special sport for all the different opportunities that it brings you. For example, you could travel around the world, meet new people from other countries and cultures, and bond with them as well”, says his cousin Eduardo.  One of his favorite memories is participating at his first international championship in 2000, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, “I was nine years old at that time and all my closer family and best childhood friends were there with me.  We were one of the younger teams and we succeeded, we reached the second place.  And now we all will be playing together at the World Games in Poland.”

Both Eduardo and Cristobal played for Chile at the team’s successful 2014 South American Championships campaign in Brazil.  And they are in good hopes for the World Games.  “Obviously, I hope we will win the World Games, but, realistically, my hopes are we could be among the best four teams”, says Eduardo.  Cristobal echoes his cousin’s expectations, “My hopes are high but with moderation.  We are a mature team that has played many tournaments together, and we know our strengths and weaknesses.  We want to take it step by step, and our goal is to make it to the semifinals.”

The Fistball Players of the Family Mödinger at a Glance
(Participating at the World Games in Wroclaw)

Name	Age	Playing Position	Club	Fistball since	National Team since
Cristobal Mödinger	34	Attacker	Club Manquehue	1991	1999
Alvaro Mödinger	28	Attacker	Club Manquehue	1997	2003
Eduardo Mödinger	26	Attacker	Club Manquehue	2000	2006
Joaquin Mödinger	32	Defense	Club Manquehue	1992	1999
Lorena Mödinger	32	Defense	Club Manquehue	1993	2000
Constanza Mödinger	28	Defense	Club Manquehue	2006	2014
Francisca Gray Mödinger	22	Zuspiel	Club Manquehue	2008	2010
Hernan Mödinger	63	Attacker	Gimnástico Alemán de Llanquihue	1968	1979 – 1989
Juan Ewaldo Mödinger	62	Defense	Gimnástico Alemán de Llanquihue	1969	1980 – 1990
Pablo Gray Mödinger	16	Attacker	Gimnástico Alemán de Llanquihue	2011	2016 U-16
Victor Mödinger	69	Defense	Gimnástico Alemán de Llanquihue	1962	1968 – 1990
Cristina Mödinger	33	Defense	Gimnástico Alemán de Llanquihue	1993	2000 – 2003
Enrique Mödinger	70	Attacker	Gimnástico Alemán de Llanquihue	1962	1981 – 1983
Andres Mödinger	37	Attacker	Gimnástico Alemán de Llanquihue	1989	1999 – 2003
Gabriel Mödinger	32	Defense	Gimnástico Alemán de Llanquihue	1992	2009 – 2010
Francisco Mödinger	57	Defense	Gimnástico Alemán de Llanquihue	1974	1983 – 1985

Story: Peter Schierl-Montfort / IFA