In the days when Jan Schnider played on the junior circuit, the Swiss Beach Volleyball pro says, he had to look up the stars of the scene. The big names for him back then were Martin Laciga, Sascha Heyer and Patrick Heuscher. „They were the world’s elite back then”, Jan Schnider says. And all of them decorated with numerous international titles. For example Martin Laciga: Two fifth-place finishes at the Olympic games, silver medallist at the World Championships, three-time European champion. Or Sascha Heyer: Silver medallist at the World Championships, European champion. Or Patrick Heuscher: Olympic bronze medallist 2004. In May 2008 Jan Schnider’s worldview has changed quite a bit. At age 25 he is still younger than Laciga (33), Heyer (35) and Heuscher (31). But Schnider has discarded his respectful reverence for the heroes of his youth: „Today we all play on the same level.”
Source