Already fully booked: Parents often hear this information when they want to register their children for swimming courses - currently more often than usual. Because when the pools were finally allowed to reopen, a real rush began for the already overcrowded offers.
And there are new corona restrictions for the trainers.
Fürstenfeldbruck
- When the corona lockdown came to an end in May, the rush began.
"Within ten minutes, all of the places were booked online," recalls Alexander Isenmann, head of the Amperoase.
In response to this, the Fürstenfeldbrucker den Bad restructured its offer.
Instead of 21 courses with 60-minute units, there were 34 courses with 30 minutes each.
"At the same time, we have reduced the number of participants from eight to five children so that we can continue to ensure the high quality," says Isenmann.
In the Maisach outdoor pool, demand is similarly overwhelming.
Anyone who got a place for a course in August there before Pentecost was lucky.
“This year we were able to teach preschoolers and first graders without exception,” says swimming pool manager Michael Spring.
Spring is one of the three swimming coaches in Maisach.
He and his colleagues are still giving as many courses as possible until the pool closes in mid-September.
But it's not that easy.
Nagip Malguitou has never experienced such restrictions in 33 bathing seasons in Maisach: “The swimming instructors are currently not allowed into the water with us,” he explains.
That is very unfortunate.
So you have to try to reach as much as possible from the edge of the pool.
Beginners in swimming, for example, are prepared with videos in Maisach.
The advanced can swim ahead of the smaller ones.
The children have to bring their own equipment - such as swimming noodles.
Strict conditions
The Brucker Amperoase, on the other hand, was able to ensure that its five swimming instructors are allowed into the pool: "But under strict conditions," emphasizes pool manager Alexander Isenmann.
At first, the trainer should still be wearing a mask in the water.
An absurdity: If the mask gets wet, you can no longer breathe.
All teachers have now been vaccinated and are constantly being tested.
This means that operations can run almost normally.
But only almost.
There are also problems on the part of the children.
"You can tell that many are not ready yet," says Bruck swimming instructor Christian Kraus.
Especially after the baths were closed for a long time in the pandemic, deficits were revealed in all swimming classes.
It seems as if the skills of the boys and girls have shifted by a year, says Kraus.
"At first we noticed that the children weren't used to the water over the winter," agrees swimming instructor Michael Spring from Maisach.
But: "We were able to make up for the motor deficits as best we could in the summer."
Never lose sight of it
Therefore one is by and large satisfied with the progress.
This also applies to the Amperoase trainers.
It is important to them to prepare their protégés for the time after the courses, when they are then in the water without constant supervision.
Courses are only the cornerstone.
The trainers appeal to mothers and fathers to never let their eyes off new swimming beginners, especially in the sea or lake: “Parents are also obliged to continue to guide their children,” demands Christian Kraus.
The water watch, which coordinates closely with the pools, emphasizes the same thing.
The Bruck department, for example, is increasingly giving swimming courses in the Amperoase itself.
And the Olching section offers a day at least once a year on which children can brush up on their previous skills.
There, too, all places were booked out within a very short time.
Lots of non-swimmers
Fortunately, according to Florian Heininger, technical director of the district water watch, the learning deficit of the past two summers has not yet been seen in the increased number of swimming accidents: "This season we are also in a normal range." However, there is fear of a "huge horde of non-swimmers" in the coming year.
The problem of missing places in swimming courses was already acute Corona, but the situation has now gotten even worse, says Heininger.
The water guards worked with the district office at high pressure on a solution, but the options were limited. Heininger does not believe that deficits can be made up in indoor swimming pools in autumn and winter. It is much more likely that there will be a renewed closure of the baths and thus an end to swimming courses due to poor incidence values. (Matthias Kast)