After months of stagnation, children can finally take a swimming course again - or can they?
Theoretically, swimming lessons are possible again, but most of the offers have long been booked up - and the waiting lists are long.
Erding - "The swimming courses are currently very crowded because we first have to work through the courses from last year, which had to be canceled due to Corona," explains Erdinger Wasserwacht boss Bernd Janowsky.
The DLRG Taufkirchen is also affected by the current situation.
Wolfgang Reindl, who has worked there as a swimming trainer for eight years, explains: "Our range of swimming courses depends on whether it is allowed to offer lessons at the time and whether the number of swimming trainers is sufficient." The demand is far higher than in the previous years.
25 children have completed a swimming course from July this year.
“However, there would be many more who cannot swim yet,” he says.
The parents of these children often have no time, and there are no courses offered at school either.
BRK-Wasserwacht Erding: Swimming courses fully booked until the end of August
“Despite our professional activity, we try to give everything, even though we don't have enough capacities,” says Reindl.
Janowsky also complains about a lack of staff: "All of our employees work on a voluntary basis, and since they offer the courses in their free time alongside their actual job, they are bound to certain times, usually in the afternoons."
The current swimming courses have to be completed before a new waiting list can be started, says Janowsky.
For a registration via the BRK district association, one should therefore wait until the onslaught has subsided.
According to the BRK website, the swimming courses are fully booked until the end of August, the waiting list for autumn 2021 / spring 2022 is already long.
The BRK therefore asks you to refrain from e-mails and phone calls at the moment and advises: “Please take a look at our website in autumn.
There you will find the latest information on appointments. "
The DLRG Taufkirchen also works with waiting lists.
On the website taufkirchen-vils.dlrg.de you can register for various swimming courses, all current courses are put online.
“Our offer consists of intensive and advanced courses.
However, the parents are sometimes desperate and register their children even though they have not yet come into contact with water, ”says Reindl.
Swimming school Zachenhuber: Currently only one-to-one lessons in the pool
Therefore, Rosemarie Zachenhuber, who runs a swimming school in Reisen, emphasizes: "The one-on-one courses we offer are tied to the condition that the children come to class with prior knowledge." jumping into the water. The correct technique is then taught in swimming lessons. The aim is to ensure that children who are not yet ready to learn to swim are not literally thrown into the deep end without experience.
At the moment Zachenhuber only offers one-to-one lessons at home in the pool. “Our courses take place three to four times, always for half an hour, depending on how quickly the child learns,” says Zachenhuber. The demand for her has also increased compared to previous years. “Good swimming lessons are hard to find right now, which is why the rush is very high,” she says.
Especially since no courses could take place in the past year and a half, the parents would sometimes travel from very far to give their children a good swimming education.
“Even families from Munich come to Taufkirchen especially to make a seahorse,” explains Reindl and thinks: “It would be better if there were more staff available for the courses so that they can deal more intensively with the children.” But this comes true also on the capacity of the district association.
"A big disadvantage of the swimming courses here is that they are tied to the opening times of the Taufkirchener Waldbad", says Reindl.
"If we had our own teaching pool, we could offer swimming courses all year round and thus meet the population much more."
In addition, all swimming instructors appeal to parents to spend time in and around the water with their children outside of swimming training in order to achieve the best possible result.
“They should support their children in learning and continue to practice what they have learned,” advises Reindl.
Swimming badge
The Erding Water Guard offers swimming badges (seahorses, youth swimming badges in bronze, silver or gold) at the Erding open-air pool throughout August.
This is possible from Monday to Friday between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. regardless of the weather.
A registration is not required.
Each badge costs five euros, including a certificate and a cloth badge.
It starts today, Monday.
Toska Vogel & Nelly Varzari