In 1882, a young man in Emsland made a far-reaching decision. Webbe Hinrichs (19) left his family and farm in the town of Bagband and embarked in Bremerhaven. His goal: the “New World” – America! There, in the Midwest, there was land, work and the hope of a prosperous future.
Sunday his great-great-great-grandson returns to the origins!
Captain Seth Hinrichs (31) from Veolia Towers Hamburg is a guest at EWE Baskets Oldenburg (5 p.m., WELT TV). Only around 60 kilometers away from the former center of his father’s family, the northern duel is about important points in the fight for the play-ins in the Easycredit Basketball Bundesliga.
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“We know what we are capable of,” says Hinrichs after a rollercoaster month with three defeats and just one win. “And I hope we haven’t played our best game yet this season. Oldenburg also has a lot of quality. It’s going to be a dog fight – and we have to be ready from the first jump.”
In 2015, Hinrichs crossed the Atlantic in the opposite direction of his ancestors to find his basketball happiness in the “Old World”. After a season in Portugal, he ended up at second division team Kirchheim. Then he went to Vechta, where he met current Oldenburg coach Pedro Calles (40). “I decided to visit the places and areas my family comes from for the first time. And when my parents came to visit in the first season, we went there. That was cool.”
Together they drove first to Hesel and then to Bagband. Hinrichs: “I received black and white photos from my great aunt. On site I was a bit shocked that from the outside it looked almost exactly the same as in the old pictures. And Hinrich’s name was still above the door! At first I wanted to ring the bell, but then I didn’t dare.”
A historical photo of the old farm served as a guide for Seth Hinrichs
Photo: PRIVATE
Originally, Hinrichs and his high school sweetheart Andrea only wanted to stay in Germany for a year or two. This has now become eight – with a one-year break in Manresa/Spain. “We like it here, we are growing and thriving, the children are doing well. And now it could be that we settle here forever,” says the father, who now has three daughters and a son with Andrea.
That’s why he applied for a German passport last summer! Also to extend his career. Because his contract in Hamburg expires at the end of the season. “We are definitely thinking about staying here after my career,” emphasizes Hinrichs. “But hopefully I still have a few years left in the tank.”
However, because he did not want to give up his American citizenship, the process dragged on. The new dual citizenship law does not come into force until June 26th. Then the BBL season is over…
Hinrichs passed the naturalization test and the two-day language test in the fall. “My daughters always laugh at my accent when I speak German,” grins Hinrichs. “I was much more excited before the test than before a basketball game.” Then he has to laugh: “I was really stressed out. When I drove there from training, I lost my passport on the way. That wasn’t ideal. I was allowed to take the test but had to present my passport the next day. Luckily someone found him and handed him in to the police.”
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Honesty! This is one of the characteristics that Hinrichs appreciates about the Germans – along with schnitzel, bratwurst and spaetzle. “We adopted a lot of German behavior,” says the basketball worker. “For example, sitting together for a long time at lunch or with coffee and cake in the afternoon. The fact that you enjoy the time together at the table speaks volumes. In America it is more common to get up immediately. Everything has to be quick. Life generally feels a little slower here, which we really appreciate.”
The family spends the summer in Minnesota. Hinrichs’ father owned a 65-hectare pig farm there until 1999. “When we arrive, we are now ‘the Germans’. We sometimes feel more like strangers in the USA than here. Also how we see the world. It has truly broadened our view of America and the world – for the better. My heart will always be in Minnesota. But the longer we are here, the more we feel the desire to settle down here.”
In the country that his great-great-great-grandfather left in 1882.
2024-04-28 14:12:27
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