Potsdam sports activities faculty celebrates seventieth birthday – Muricas News

Birgit Fischer, Sebastian Brendel, Laura Lindemann – the checklist of internationally profitable high athletes that the “Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn” sports activities faculty has produced over the course of its historical past is lengthy. To this point, college students and graduates of the elite faculty have gained 130 Olympic medals – 73 of them gold. On Friday, the ability will rejoice its seventieth anniversary with a sports activities pageant within the airship port.

It was based in 1952 as a kids’s sports activities faculty in Brandenburg an der Havel, however after just some years a transfer was vital because of the rising variety of college students. This primary came about inside Brandenburg and step by step in 1973 to Potsdam.

In GDR instances, faculty was so much completely different than it's as we speak: “Among the classes lasted till 6 p.m., on Saturdays till midday. Within the evenings, there have been particular person classes for high administration,” remembers sports activities coordinator Peter Pollack, who has labored on the sports activities faculty since 1985. The sports activities system within the GDR was trimmed for fulfillment: on the 1988 Summer time Olympics in Seoul, 29 college students from the Potsdam Sports activities Faculty had been a part of the GDR workforce and gained 31 medals.

Cooperation with Turbine Potsdam produced many nationwide gamers

With the autumn of the game system collapsed. In 1991, the state of Brandenburg took over the sponsorship of the college, which then had to surrender its concentrate on aggressive sports activities. “It was an attention-grabbing time,” says Pollack. “Many college students got here who had nothing to do with sport and did their Abitur with out sport.”

This solely modified when new golf equipment had been step by step based within the metropolis and new sports activities college students grew up: After Klaus Rüdiger Ziemer took over the college administration in 1996, the ability turned a sports activities faculty once more. Ziemer additionally initiated the cooperation with Turbine Potsdam, which nonetheless exists as we speak and has produced quite a few nationwide and worldwide gamers.

Fencing is now not practiced as we speak

Solely six sports activities had been practiced within the Nineteen Eighties: canoeing, rowing, observe and discipline, swimming, gymnastics and fencing. There is no such thing as a longer fencing, however plenty of different sports activities corresponding to handball, judo, pentathlon and triathlon have been added. The sports activities faculty was one of many first in Germany to be awarded the title “Eliteschule des Sports activities” by the German Olympic Sports activities Confederation (DOSB) in 2001, and the award was renewed in 2018.

The situations for the scholars have improved enormously over the previous 20 years: “The sports activities grounds have developed very well,” says Pollack. “The indoor swimming pool and the athletics corridor had been renovated and the MBS Area was rebuilt.”

Over 650 college students are at the moment enrolled on the faculty, 400 of whom dwell within the close by dormitory. Most come from Brandenburg, round 150 college students come from different federal states. Principal Iris Gerloff emphasizes the benefit of the quick distances on the location: “In Berlin, sports activities college students need to drive by means of the entire metropolis to get to their sports activities amenities, every little thing is in a single place right here.”

The additive Abitur is exclusive nationwide: Since 2011, college students with a aggressive sports activities perspective have been ready to decide on whether or not they wish to lengthen the Abitur to 14 years with a purpose to have sufficient time for coaching and competitions along with faculty duties. “It’s extremely essential for the athletes,” says Pollack. “Our Paralympic swimmer Gina Böttcher would have needed to take 4 Abitur exams within the Olympic 12 months 2021 with out a further Abitur.” Nonetheless, the truth that the scholars can distribute their exams flexibly reduces double burdens.

Headlines about instances of abuse in class dormitories

Along with all of the sporting successes, the sports activities faculty additionally needed to cope with unfavorable headlines: in 2011, legal costs of sexual assault had been filed in opposition to two 16-year-old college students within the dormitory. They had been accused of assaulting two 13- and 14-year-old classmates. The incident brought about a stir as a result of the caregivers on the dormitory didn't reply in any respect to the victims’ requests for assist after which responded too late. The house administration was then changed.

The incident introduced the sports activities faculty nearer collectively, says Gerloff: “The workers had sharpened their senses so as to have the ability to understand issues extra shortly.” Additional coaching was accomplished, a suggestion field was arrange and a prevention idea was developed.

The dormitory acquired its personal youngster safety officer, and the college and dormitory every have a college social employee. In 2018, there was one other incident within the dormitory wherein a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old allegedly sexually assaulted a classmate of their age group. This time the response was faster: after the individual involved had contacted a instructor coach, the case was reported.

Within the subsequent few years, there can be some main modifications for the sports activities faculty: a dilapidated gymnasium was not too long ago demolished and is to get replaced by a brand new constructing by 2024. Above all, nonetheless, the college is to be refurbished within the coming years and a flooring added with a purpose to have extra room capability. It's nonetheless unclear when the renovation will begin, however the conversion ought to be accomplished in 2026. The scholars will transfer to a alternative location within the Pirschheide throughout the building work.