Fathers shape our lives – but what remains of them? Twice a month we survey celebrities about their relationship with their father. This time: the ex-skier and Olympic champion Dominique Gisin.
Dominique Gisin and her father Beat, circa 1988.
1. Describe three characteristics of your father.
My father is a “rainmaker”: he always makes everything possible. Nothing is too much for him, and he always recommended that to us. This quality comes out most impressively in the difficult moments: when I told him on the phone that I had injured myself again, he often got in the car before we even hung up and drove to Italy to see me. In such moments, he drops everything to help.
Another valuable quality is his great patience. You can unload a lot on him before it gets too much for him too. But I find his most beautiful quality to be his enthusiasm. In the middle of a hike, for example, a stone, a plant or usually a bird becomes an “absolutely bombastic phenomenon” and it teaches me again and again to go through the world with open eyes.
2. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree: What are typical characteristics that characterize you as your father’s daughter?
I inherited the idea of “making things happen” from him, so today I’m often the family’s travel or planning center. He also passed on a lot of his passion to me. I don’t quite bring it up to the level of his enthusiasm though. And we’ll clean the yoghurt cups right away.
Dominique Gisin around 1987 with her father while skiing.
3. Complete the following sentence: Unlike my mother, my father is . . .
. . . not quite as nervous about watching ski races – or he’s just better at hiding it.
4. What did your father teach you about life?
That you do best what you love to do and that a goal is worth fighting for. He taught me to plan and to follow my path consistently, but never forgetting to be open to new things and to always remain true to myself.
5. . . . about love?
That love is worth risking and that you should always follow your heart. My parents have been married for almost 38 years and it is always inspiring to see how they deal with all kinds of challenges. They complement each other in many ways, and I hope that in 30 years I can still be in such a complementary and enriching relationship.
6. . . . about money?
My father is extremely generous. It wasn’t always easy financially to raise three children in ski racing. We all went to sports school, and soon we all had two, three, four pairs of skis at home. Money was never an issue, even though I’m sure my parents gave up some things. Modesty, maybe doing without if necessary, but above all contentment with what you have, these are the things that are extremely important to me today.
About Dominique Gisin and her father:
Dominique Gisin is a former Swiss ski racer and Olympic champion. She was born in Visp in 1985 and grew up in Engelberg (OW) as the eldest of three siblings. In 2005 she competed in a World Cup race for the first time. She is repeatedly caught up by injuries to her knees and has to undergo multiple surgeries. After completing secondary school in Engelberg, she began studying physics at the University of Basel. In 2006 she achieved her first notable World Cup results. In 2007 she made it onto the podium for the first time before injuring her knee again. In 2009 she won her first World Cup race on the downhill in Zauchensee. More injuries followed, and she had to end the next season prematurely. In the 2013/14 season, Gisin finished in the top ten several times in downhill, super-G and giant slalom and finally won the gold medal in downhill at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. In the same year she was voted Swiss Sportswoman of the Year. In 2015 she announced her retirement. Between 2018 and 2019 she was CEO of the Swiss Sports Aid Foundation, since then she has served on the board of trustees. In spring 2022, Gisin will complete her master’s degree in physics at ETH.
Her father, Beat Gisin (1957), is a gymnastics and sports teacher.
7. Tell about your most formative experience with your father.
Between 2000 and 2003 I was permanently injured for three years. I sustained my worst injury in 2001. It was almost a year before I could ski again. On my birthday, June 4, 2002, my «dad» was there when I was finally allowed to go out on the snow again. It was pure joy.
Unfortunately, I injured myself again a short time later, but the moments on the skis at that time, moments in which we tried a lot and kept fighting, my father was almost always there. He continued to support me, even though my path in ski racing looked very bleak at the time. It is particularly valuable for me that he managed that I never lost the joy of skiing even in these very difficult times.
Olympic champion Dominique Gisin.
8. What do you want to do differently than your father?
He did not complete his rehabilitation after a knee arthroscopy particularly well. I’m a bit more consistent with exercises and physiotherapy. . . (Laughs.)
9. What always annoyed you about your father, but now you do the same thing?
He’s a bit of a Khnusti. When he focuses on something in particular, the rest of the world no longer exists. This leads to some delays and cold lunches and dinners. Unfortunately, that’s the same for me. Today it’s me who often says: «I just have to be quick . . .» And mostly not because of really priority things.
10. A phrase your father often said to you?
«Nut döf eim zvil si» – nothing should be too much. And: «I chume grad» (I’ll be right there).
11. What did you always want to say to your father?
Thanks for all the passion and the many hours together in the snow. And that you taught me how to ski so well – it’s just more fun that way.
