A handball fairy tale

How a journey that once started in Ireland brought Christina and Jean-Baptiste Barbosa-Gress to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne

 Are there fairy tales that never end? If you look at the life of Christina and Jean-Baptiste Barbosa-Gress they had literally already written their final chapter – the one that ended with ‘And they lived happily ever after’. They had found each other, a home in Geneva and seven months ago baby Emilie had made a trio out of the duo.

However, 100 days ago suddenly a new chapter was added to their fairy tale – one that in many aspects was all about handball. With 100 days to go until the 2014 VELUX EHF FINAL4 EHF Marketing was giving away the “Golden-Member-Package”, an all-inclusive VIP trip to the event with an own shuttle, hotel stay, the chance to meet the players and many other extra features.

Whoever wanted to enter, needed to nominate someone and argue why it is this person that deserves to win the package. Christina Barbosa-Gress nominated her husband Jean-Baptiste. And as they consider their story of how they met – in Ireland, one being German, one being French, but both shared the love for and played handball and before they became a couple he had been her coach – a fairy tale, this is what they wrote: a fairy tale; a beautifully illustrated book of their life.

“Sometimes we just feel like being in a fairy tale,” says Christina. “And this is what made it relatively easy for us at the beginning– because it’s a true story,” adds Jean Baptiste. “We have to say ‘thank you’ to handball for bringing us together. Their fairytale eventually won them the package. “I think I was yelling in the phone when I heard we won,” remembers Christina. “It was incredible.”

Yesterday they took their seats inside the LANXESS arena. And while there are so many things that bond them, fanship is not 100 per cent one of them. “I’m not a supporter who says ‘I want that team to win’, but I have always liked Barcelona. It’s always a pleasure seeing them play,” says Jean-Baptiste. Christina remains diplomatic: “It’s less important for me who wins, but more to see games with energy, action and true fighting spirit.” But then she adds after a long pause: “Or to see Kiel win.”

Listen to the "fairytale" podcast on soundcloud here