The Steinmühlen tennis team, competing in Competition Class II for mixed teams, took home a solid third-place finish at the regional finals of the “Youth Trains for the Olympics” competition in Wetzlar.

In the group stage, the Steinmühle team won their first match against the Wilhelm-von-Oranien-Schule from Dillenburg by a fairly wide margin, 10–4. After the girls struggled in their singles matches—losing both—and the boys won their singles matches decisively, the score was tied at 4–4 heading into the final doubles matches. Steinmühle ultimately prevailed convincingly in both the mixed doubles and the two singles matches.

 

The boys’ doubles team a commanding victory

In the second group match against Taunusschule from Bad Camberg, the team was now playing for first place in the group, which would have secured a slightly easier opponent in the semifinals. This match also followed a similar pattern at first. After the two girls’ and boys’ singles matches, the score was once again 4–4, so the outcome would once more be decided by the doubles and mixed doubles matches. It quickly became apparent that our boys’ doubles team was once again on track for a commanding victory, but the mixed doubles team found itself on the losing end early in the match. After taking a 3–0 lead in the girls’ doubles, victory in this match seemed within reach, but our girls lost their concentration a bit toward the end and ultimately had to settle for a 3–3 tie. The higher number of games won across all matches ultimately tipped the scales in favor of the school from Bad Camberg, despite the score being tied at 7–7.

 

Despite facing strong opponents never gave up

As expected, the Steinmühle team didn’t stand a chance in the semifinal against the eventual tournament champion from Oberursel, as some of their players competed at a significantly higher skill level. Nevertheless, our team never gave up during the match and tried to hold their own as best they could. In the end, however, the result was a sobering 0–14. In the other semifinal, Bad Camberg did indeed prevail and, like the eventual champion from Oberursel, secured a spot in the Hesse finals.

Next year, our tennis team will certainly be back in action and will try to reach the Hesse finals, just as we have in the past two years.

 

The team (from left):

Anton Kelz, Lutz Lehning, Tom Horn, Max Weckmüller

Nina Horn, Caroline Meyfarth, Katharina Karavaev, Hannah Busch

The sun was shining as the 5th and 6th graders competed for the best times during this year’s spring run.

In the individual 1,300-meter races around the boathouse, Franka Louise Preising (5c) and Josephine Schmölz (6a) proved to be the fastest girls in their age groups. Among the boys, Max Posingies (5c) and Luca Balbaaki (6c)—who beat his time from last year—took the top spots.

In the relay races that followed, the students from Class 5a (in the fifth-grade race) and Class 6a (in the sixth-grade race) were the first to cross the finish line.

The team of teachers led by school sports coordinator Michael Neirich ensured that everything ran smoothly during the timing and the awards ceremony. The young participants proudly accepted their certificates from Principal Bernd Holly.

The results:

Individual Standings

5th-grade girls

1. Preising, Franka Louise 5c 5:31
2. Schmidt-Dege, Hanna 5a 5:32
3. Herwig, Finja Malu 5b 5:44

 

5th-grade students

1. Posingies, Max 5c 5:05
2. Krantz, Luca Paulinus 5c 5:15
3. Hess, Thorben 5c 5:16

 

6th-grade girls

1. Schmölz, Josephine 6a 5:31
2. Rumpel, Anna Franziska 6c 5:49
3. Seifart Arwen Aimée 6a 6:02

 

6th-grade students

1. Balbaaki, Luca 6c 4:41
2. Steinmetz, Anton Karl 6c 4:43
3. Templer, Jan 6a 4:48

 

Relay competitions

Grade 5

1. 5a 3:48
2. 5b 3:49
3. 5c 3:52

6th Grade

1. 6a 3:39
2. 6c 3:42
3. 6b 3:50

 

Malte Klimczak, a biology teacher at Steinmühle and a staff member at the University of Marburg’s student laboratory in the Botanical Garden, was looking for volunteers for an international climate project.
A large portion of Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf’s NaUnt class was immediately willing to make fake caterpillars and place them in several English oaks near the Steinmühle grounds.
After a certain period of time, genetic material is isolated from the feeding traces left by predators (e.g., birds and spiders). Analysis of this material will ultimately help determine the impact of climate change on Europe’s tree populations.

Great results to start the season for Dustin Brömer: The 16-year-old rower from Steinmühlen brought home a gold medal from the U17 General Regatta in Mannheim. “Overall, the start of the season in Mannheim was very successful,” said Joshua Benkow of the RuS coaching staff.

“After Dustin’s long injury layoff and a lot of hard work afterward, we first had to see where we stood,” the coach explained. “We had a good opportunity to do that in Mannheim.” Fortunately, he said, they were able to pick up right where they left off before the injury. Dustin first placed third in the B-Junior lightweight single sculls and won the seeded heat the following day.

Training is now underway in preparation for the first international DRV junior regatta in Munich, which will take place from May 4 to 6.

Meanwhile, the coach and RuS’s second young talent, Lasse Jacob, had decided not to compete in Mannheim just yet. “Lasse will rejoin the regattas starting with the one in Cologne,” says Joshua Benkow, referring to the junior regatta from May 18 to 20. Health issues had also kept Lasse from competing for quite some time—and he has to balance all of this with his schoolwork.

Both of these talented rowers, Dustin and Lasse, can often be seen training at the Steinmühle boathouse these days, where these photos were taken.