Name: Melinda Szikora
Place of birth: Kiskunfélegyháza
Time of birth: 19.11.1988.
Teams: Kiskunmajsa Se, Kiskunhalai NKSE, Fehérvári KC, FTC
Results: Hungarian National Championship 1st place, Hungarian Cup league 3rd place, 2nd - twice
National Team Membership: 1
National Team results: University World Championship 1st place
Collaboration: 2008 - 2013 Fehérvár KC 1st division
MELI’S Words about the beggining until nowdays:
I remember my parents telling me I was a very active child and my favourite toy was a ball. In primary school my head teacher, he was also my PE teacher he taught me all the basics of the game and made me love this great sport. That’s how I got into handball. We went to different tournaments and I was already an important player of my team but for instance as a field players. In 8th grade I got a serious knee injury at one of the tournaments. After the surgery I had to have a very long break, which meant an entire year.
I started high school in Kiskunhalas. The coach suggested I became a goalkeeper and within a short period of time I became the number 1 goalkeeper of the youth team. Andrea Katkó – she beat Larvik in the EHF Cup final with DVSC in 1996 - became my coach and we also worked together in school. She was strict but fair, supported me and trusted my work. It was one of the best periods of my life. Gyula Zsiga the coach of the first team made me a member at the age 17. It was very tough work in first division but I got used to it after a year. During school time I participated in one session a day, I was behind the others because they had two training sessions each day. But by the the time of my graduation I was sitting on the bench of the first division team.
In the next season in 2007/08 I was having two training sessions a day. In a very strong championship we didn’t perform to well and we dropped out of the first division. The last game that season we played in Székesfehérvár. The Fehérvári team was enthusiastic, their game was well organised, I finished that game thinking it would be great to play for that team.
My dream became reality, during the summer I was on a test training session and Tímea Sugár picked me. In the 2008/09 season I got into a new team with new environment I adapted to it without any problem. Our coach was László Sótonyi and the goalkeeper coach was Tímea Sugár.
I started at a disadvantage, I had a double licence in Tököl. It wasn’t an easy time, but for the third year we stayed with only two goalkeepers me and Brigi Trimmel.
During the time in the club of Fehérvár my coaches were: Attila Mihály, Csaba Konkoly, Pal Oldroup Jensen and Bea Siti, but the best work was during this time was with Tímea Sugár.
I’ve learnt a lot from Susu. Like the movements she used, but she never forced her style on me, left me to create my own movements. In one of the past years we had a saying of hers on our jersey: “Our strength is that we make the realistic, but we are willing to do the miracle”. I’m going to keep that shirt forever! She systematically told me what I had done well and not so well, by the end we understood each other. She put her heart and soul into her work and I think that is one of the biggest values in Fehérvár. I can thank to her for where I am right now, I really got a lot from her, not only at a professional lever but also as a human.
In 2013 Ferencváros made me an offer and I was happy to accept it, I still play in FTC, my coach is Gábor Elek.
I believe it is important to explain about myself, that after high school I was studying part time University and got my degree in sport recreation. In making my decision two of my teachers played a big role Tibor Komáromi from primary school and Adnrea Katkó my former teacher and coach from Kiskunhalas. At the start it was not obvious whether I would like to teach kids, but now I know it was the right decision.