“Creating well-being implies sacrifice, so it is our duty to maintain it.” Marc Girardelli
What first strikes you about Marc Girardelli is the smile that lights up his face, the frankness of his expression, the wrinkles around his eyes which map out the geography of his face and testify to a life that has been one of great excitement as well as intense sacrifice. He was a great skiing champion in his time and, when he retired from competitive sports, he had to reinvent his whole life, with the professional approach, the granitic willpower, the perseverance and commitment that make up his character.
«When I gave up professional sports, I realized I had never really thought about what I wanted to do in life, and this was a mistake. It took me time but I eventually found my feet and discovered that I could set up an activity that was still associated with the sports world. Among other things, today I occupy the role of Sports Ambassador for Berner Int. AG, a Lichtenstein company that has created a new technology for improving microcirculation in the processes of physical prevention, healing and recovery.»
«You have always shown great willpower and, even though you have suffered some serious injuries, you have never thrown in the sponge. This inner fortitude has also enabled you to overcome the inevitable difficulties in life…» «My sports activity has certainly helped by tempering my character. At the end of a sports career, you only remember the good times, even though my intensely competitive past has left me with a number of problems. But even normal people have physical ailments, it’s all part of aging… Nowadays I am less stressed out than I used to be when skiing, and whenever I am worried about something, I tell myself to keep calm, because if you seek a solution to a problem, it always turns up eventually. I have a positive outlook on life and believe we are fortunate to live in Europe, one of the most beautiful places in the world, in freedom, with our family and dearest friends at our side…»
«You have had the chance to travel a great deal, to interface with different cultural environments; in what way has this benefited you personally?» «For a man like myself, who has a duty to meet different people, I think this is a cultural enrichment I cannot do without. More than any trophy I have won, I appreciate the opportunity I have had to become acquainted with interesting people and this continues to happen, also thanks to my work…» «What is most important to you nowadays?» «First and foremost, my family, the quality time I spend with my wife and four children, the pleasure I have in bringing them up, of seeing them grow and, above all, the fact that they can practise sports with a serene attitude because I realize they neither have the mentality nor the mindset I used to have and so I do not wish to pressurize or push them into tackling difficult or risky sports. Then, I give importance to my work, which must always be absorbing…»
«Do you have any dream you would like to see come true?» «I would like to climb an important mountain, as I did ten years ago, because the mountains still have a place in my heart. And then I would like to seek cultural enrichment, by dedicating time to the theatre, the opera, classical music, and going to a concert of Andrea Bocelli…» A smile lights up Marc Girardelli’s face, as his thoughts turn to the umpteen things he has to do, the life just waiting to be lived with the same commitment and fullness as ever, because the challenge goes on, day after day.
