Plansee Group Supports Talent from Allgäu Region on Her Path to the Olympics

Füssen/Kempten, April 29, 2026 – Competing at the international level in competitive sports while pursuing a well-founded apprenticeship: Joy Sutor is successfully balancing this challenging dual commitment. The 20-year-old from Pfronten, Germany, is completing her apprenticeship as an e-commerce specialist at CERATIZIT in Kempten, a business area of the Plansee Group, while also playing on the German national curling team. Since late 2025, the Plansee Group has also been supporting the team as a sponsor.

For Joy, curling is more than just a sport—it’s a family affair. Her father and brothers were already on the ice. Today, Joy and her sister Kim play on the German national team alongside their teammates Zoé Antes and Sara Messenzehl. They train at the national training center for ice hockey and curling in Füssen. Five to six times a week, they spend an hour and a half there honing their technique and tactics. Strength training and, above all, endurance training are also regular parts of their schedule, as matches last around three hours. The team has already won several national and international titles and is now pursuing a major goal: the 2030 Winter Olympics.

Support from the Work Environment

For Joy Sutor, the fact that time-consuming elite sports can be reconciled with her professional career is a decisive factor. “As a competitive athlete, you’re very tied down. During the job interview, it was therefore special for me to feel that they really wanted me—and were looking for solutions together. This profession felt much more suitable for me than traditional athlete careers in the police or customs,” says Joy. As an e-commerce specialist, she supports online sales processes such as the tool web shop and contributes to digital sales projects.

The Plansee Group sought close collaboration with the national coach as well as Joy’s dual-career advisor to develop a customized model that integrates training with elite sports. Joy now also receives support in her day-to-day work—for example, through flexible scheduling within her team at CERATIZIT or assistance from fellow trainees with vocational school coursework. “Without this understanding, competitive sports on this scale would hardly be possible,” says the trainee, expressing her deep gratitude. At the same time, she takes on a high degree of personal responsibility: competition trips and training schedules require her to use many of her vacation days and her free time.

Discipline and Passion

Since the end of 2025, the Plansee Group has supported the curling team as a sponsor. “It is important to us to support committed young people—especially when they pursue their goals in sports and their careers with discipline and passion,” says Birte Rittgerodt, Head of Culture & Employer Branding at the Plansee Group. Apprenticeship Manager Ulrich Raab also highlights how the sport shapes Joy’s personal development: “She brings an enormous sense of determination and self-confidence at a young age.”

Employees of the Plansee Group from Kempten, Reutte, and other sites recently experienced firsthand just how deeply team spirit is rooted in curling: As part of an internal event, Joy led 24 colleagues onto the ice in Füssen for the first time and introduced them to her sport.

Captions:

The German national curling team invited 24 employees of the Plansee Group to a introductory event in Füssen.

Apprentice and professional curler Joy Sutor explains to her colleagues what they need to keep in mind when playing the sport.