Gymnastics at the Steinmühle: First Participation in “Jugend trainiert”

Gymnastics is a new sport at Steinmühle; at any rate, this sport has been revived after a very long hiatus—and is currently highlighted by the school’s participation in the “Youth Training for the Olympics” competition. Lotta Jerrentrup from Class 9a reports:

“At the end of January, our school gymnastics team had the opportunity to compete in the regional finals of ‘Youth Trains for the Olympics’ in Limburg. The team members were Zoe Gundlach, Lotta Jerrentrup (9th grade), Miranda Lammerskötter (7th grade), Marlene Jerrentrup, and Ida Watzlawek (6th grade).

In the morning, a shuttle bus picked us up and took us to Limburg. The trip there took 2 hours because we picked up several other school teams along the way. Once we arrived, we found a large gym with a competitive atmosphere, since the “Jugend trainiert” competition mainly features competitive gymnastics teams.

 

Competition Start According to the English System

First, we warmed up for half an hour. After the entrance march accompanied by music, the competition began according to the English system, which means that each gymnast is allowed one minute on each apparatus (vault, parallel bars, balance beam, and floor) to warm up and get familiar with it, since the apparatus can be used differently in every gym.

Our team started on the vault alongside the Elisabethschule. Next came the parallel bars, followed by the balance beam, and then the floor exercise. We completed all the apparatus and were satisfied with our performance. It was very impressive to see what some of the gymnasts from the competitive groups were able to do—the elements they had mastered on each apparatus. This was followed by a break during which all the apparatus was taken down. Finally, there was the awards ceremony, where, as expected, the school teams from the competitive gymnastics centers swept the top spots. Our school team came in 8th place!

 

“Taking part really motivated us”

In conclusion, we can say that competing in Limburg was a wonderful experience. Being able to participate really motivated us, and we hope to compete again in 2027! A big thank you goes to our chaperone, physical education teacher Marcel Kalb, who made our participation possible and gave us great support.”

 

A Pleasant Collaboration

Marcel Kalb, the physical education director at Steinmühle, immediately expressed his gratitude and praise: “We weren’t able to prepare for the competition at Steinmühle because we lack the necessary gymnastics equipment. Here, we received active support from teacher and club coach Thomas Nickol (TSV Ockershausen, Sophie von Brabant School), who not only guided us through the competition and our preparation but was also a very pleasant partner to work with.” Perhaps, says Marcel Kalb, this will lead to a formal gymnastics partnership in the future.

(Heinm)