Landsberg – On April 20th it was official: The American Football Association Bavaria (AFVBy) canceled all Bavarian leagues and license classes until the beginning of September. The Landsberg X-Press is also affected. While President Markus Gruberbauer is still hoping for friendlies in the fall, the two Americans Andrew Kimmel and Richard Robinson have to get used to the idea of traveling back to their homeland soon. They spent a good eight weeks in Landsberg, but were never able to show their skills in competition on the pitch. The KREISBOTE spoke to the two footballers about their time in Lechstadt, the situation at home and whether they even want to go back to the USA.
Both come from the US state of New York, but live about three hours from the metropolis, where the virus is raging so badly. Andrew Kimmel (24) was signed by Landsberg X-PRESS as fullback, while Richard Robinson (26) was to be used in the wide receiver position. They live together in an apartment in Landsberg.
Hi Andrew, hi Richard. How are you doing at the moment?
Richard: “Quite good. So far it has been really great here in town, even if the situation is now what it is. I would like to see more of Germany and hope that I can come back in autumn, even if only a few friendlies are played. “
Andrew: “We have been here for around eight weeks now. I’ve never been to Germany before and it was an unknown country to me. But we were well received here and the X-PRESS is almost like family to us. “
You are certainly also following the news from home. Are family and friends okay?
Richard: “Of course we follow the news and some of the X-PRESS players keep us up to date. The families are fine, luckily they all live outside of New York City. However, my friend is a nurse in the country and they are receiving corona patients from New York City. It’s a bit scary. “
Andrew: “Yes, the situation in the country is not as bad as it is in New York City, where eight million people live. In my hometown of Harpursville, the community works and everyone helps everyone. At the moment everything is okay. I hope it stays that way. “
The season will definitely take a break until the beginning of September. What will you do?
Richard: “I would like to fly to my family and of course to my girlfriend. At the moment I don’t know when that will work. I’ll probably have to be quarantined for 14 days. But as I said, I’ll be back in September. I’ll be back! “
Andrew: “I would love to stay here until the fall season starts again. I like the city and the people are all very friendly. It’s funny that I experience these times in a foreign country, but at the moment I don’t really want to go back to the USA. “
How do you spend the time now? What do you guys do all day?
Richard: “Of course we keep fit as best we can. Otherwise, I talk a lot on the phone to family and friends in the USA. Last night we followed the NFL draft. Otherwise, of course, we watch series or I play Call of Duty on the Playstation. “
Andrew: “I’m not that much of a gamer. I exercise a lot using my suitcases as weights. Or I’ll go for a run outside. You just have to be creative and keep in shape. “
Richard, Andrew, thank you for talking to us, all the best for the future. And very important: stay healthy!
Dietrich Limper
