A couple from Matzingen fights in the “Game of Switzerland” with endurance and brains

“We can do that too,” says Markus Fritschi as he and his wife Jasmine Fritschi watch the “Game of Switzerland” program on television one evening. The couple has known the show for a long time and found it extremely entertaining.

Now the two can see themselves on TV. The couple is one of the four candidate couples fighting for victory in the seventh episode of the SRF program “Game of Switzerland” in various locations such as Winterthur, Ebnat-Kappel and Rapperswil.

In a kind of scavenger hunt, the pairs of candidates try to solve physically and mentally demanding tasks together. The show is moderated by Swiss comedian Jonny Fischer, who, after the three-day competition – that’s how long the recordings took – also presented the main prize: a trip to the Bernese Oberland, two e-bikes and prize money of around 20,000 francs. The show will be broadcast this Saturday at 8:10 p.m. on SRF 1.

Sport as a balance to everyday life

Jasmine and Markus met while studying sports. They have been keeping fit for years with yoga, snowboarding and cycling tours and now also have three children. “We are no longer as active as we used to be, but we want to be outside a lot with the little ones,” says Jasmine Fritschi.

Within five years she had four children, one of whom died within the first few weeks. Despite this stroke of fate, the 35-year-old tried to carry on. “It was important to me to motivate myself, and sport as an exchange from everyday life helped me with this,” she says. Her children, who are now two, three and a half and five years old, have brought a lot of momentum into her life. However, the children stayed at home for filming last fall.

On the first day of filming, Jasmine and Markus Fritschi fought their way through the various tasks in order to reach their goal as quickly as possible. As with an orienteering event, participants had to visit places in Switzerland using pictures, directions or puzzles and solve further tasks there. The team that arrives last at the destination for the day will be disqualified.

“We traveled on foot, by public transport or by car. Fitness and a basic understanding of geography and Swiss history were very helpful,” says Jasmine Fritschi. From her point of view, the order of the tasks was also crucial. “Even if you make quick progress in the morning, a difficult task in the afternoon can wipe out your advantage.”

Parallels to everyday life gave an advantage

The collaboration with her husband was crucial. “As a craniosacral therapist, I focus a lot on the body and am a little more sensitive, while my husband, as a human resources consultant, thinks more pragmatically and logically.” But their opposites harmonized well, says Jasmine Fritschi.

Looking back, the mother of three was particularly surprised by the parallels between the days of filming and her everyday life. She says: “With three children you learn to organize yourself well and work with foresight.” Being on their feet from morning to night is not uncommon for Jasmine and Markus Fritschi. “With my children, every day is like the ‘Game of Switzerland,’” says the mother of three and laughs.