Rector wants more swimming lessons - but struggles with challenges

Created: 10/31/2022, 8:00 p.m

By: Carl Christian Eick

A teacher must have the lifeguard badge in silver – and the “teaching certificate for swimming”.

Only then can he give children swimming lessons.

(symbol photo) © Marijan Murat/DPA

The Wolfratshausen school principal Frank Rector Schwesig wants to increase the swimming times.

But the general conditions are “not easy”.

Wolfratshausen - The "interest" of elementary and middle schools in bringing classes from the rafting town to swimming lessons in the inter-communal indoor pool in Geretsried is "manageable".

This statement by Mayor Klaus Heilinglechner in the most recent city council meeting made people sit up and take notice.

Especially since parents on social networks like Facebook complain that there are far too few sports lessons in the indoor pool in the neighboring city.

Flashback: The construction of the new pool on Adalbert-Stifter-Strasse cost almost 19 million euros.

The client was the city of Geretsried, and the project was financed on the basis of a previously determined distribution key from Geretsried, the district, the communities of Dietramszell, Egling, Eurasburg, Icking, Königsdorf and Münsing - and the city of Wolfratshausen.

The latter put almost 250,000 euros in investment costs on the table.

Operating costs: the city takes on a share of the deficit

Of the operating cost deficit of the indoor pool estimated at 750,000 euros in 2015 (a real balance sheet is not yet available), Geretsried will take over half a million euros, the rest will be distributed to the municipalities involved - with the exception of the municipality of Icking.

Geretsried bears their share of the operating cost deficit.

For a long time, Wolfratshausen refused to participate in the expected deficit.

Finally, a referendum caused a change of heart - in view of 4,500 supporter signatures, the city council no longer allowed a referendum to come about.

In February 2018, the committee voted 22:0 to participate in the inter-municipal project in excess of the construction costs.

A special purpose agreement gives the rafters' town the right to terminate the contract after 25 years and caps the operating cost subsidy for a period of ten years at EUR 105,000 per year.

Two classes go swimming every two weeks

And now, a good year after the opening of the indoor pool, are school classes in Wolfratshausen not using it?

Frank Schwesig, rector of the elementary and middle school on Hammerschmiedweg, emphasizes that this is not true in an interview with our newspaper.

"We have been using the water time for two classes every two weeks for years," reports Schwesig.

Since the closure of the indoor pool in the Ascholding district of Dietramszell at the end of 2020 and since the opening of the intermunicipal pool in September last year, "we've been going to Geretsried," says the headmaster.

In concrete terms: "There is always a primary school class with a middle school group - girls or boys in the eighth grade, and later also in the ninth grade." This is defined "in a 14-day plan," explains Schwesig.

He attaches importance to the statement: "We always went swimming with all third graders in elementary school to ensure a swimming sequence for every child during elementary school." Schwesig did research: Last school year "we had three third graders and so the swimming times are spread over three classes – with five to six swimming appointments.” For the 2022/2023 school year, the rector states: “We have five third classes and this means that the fixed swimming times are spread over five classes.

This year, each primary school swimming class has four dates.”

It takes us almost two hours, but the children are only in the water for around 50 to 55 minutes.

Rector Frank Schwesig

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From his point of view "that's not enough for elementary school".

Schwesig wants to increase the swimming times, but points out that the general conditions "are not easy".

It starts with the search for the teachers who are allowed to give swimming lessons.

First requirement: "The lifeguard badge in silver." The test performance: 400 meters of swimming in a maximum of 15 minutes, including 50 meters in crawl, 150 meters in breaststroke and 200 meters in supine position.

In addition, swim 300 meters in everyday clothes in no more than twelve minutes.

The examinees also have to be able to jump from a three-meter board and dive 25 meters.

Sport was one of Schwesig's subjects, he is a lifeguard.

But that alone is not enough, the “teaching qualification for swimming” is also required.

Headmaster Schwesig calculates: His staff includes around 50 teachers, lifeguards with teaching qualifications like himself, "that's almost ten percent".

In addition, the swimming classes must always be accompanied by at least two adults in the indoor pool.

The rector of the hammersmith school can only guarantee this because he can count on the support of Robert Klingel, chairman of the DLRG local branch in Schäftlarn-Wolfratshausen.

"And I was able to win a father."

Swimming lessons: "I really like doing that," says the headmaster.

But the organizational challenges add to the personal challenges.

Timetables have to be synchronized with the occupancy times of the indoor pool - and the time "we spend on the street" always has to be taken into account.

A double lesson is planned for swimming lessons, “but the children are only in the water for about 50 to 55 minutes”.

School is to be expanded to include a swimming pool

What would really help Schwesig?

"In the end, only with a teaching pool in our own building."

Realization is not expected in the near future.

Meanwhile, Schwesig, his colleagues and volunteers continue to work on “balancing everything” when it comes to swimming lessons.

You can read all the news from Wolfratshausen here.

Josef Märkl, principal of the elementary and middle school in Waldram, has to master the same challenges.

To date, he has not heard any complaints that his protégés use the Geretsrieder Bad too seldom.

On request, Märkl reports: "We offer two hours of swimming lessons three weeks a month for elementary and middle school." That means: Each class, currently there are twelve elementary school classes and six middle school classes, "gets two appointments per school year".

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