About an Unusual Collaboration Between Rowers and the Disabled Sports Community in Warsaw

On February 22, the Steinmühle welcomed visitors from Poland. Our coach Martin Strohmenger, who has a strong network in the rowing community, had realized while sorting through his fleet of boats that, for competitive reasons, some of his boats had been out of the water for some time; at the same time, he was aware of the great need for boats for Paralympic rowing in Warsaw. Long story short: in consultation with our partner Blista, it was agreed to transfer ownership of four boats to the Polish rowers with disabilities. German triathlete Ulrike Fuhrmann has been involved there for some time and, along with a colleague, was able to pick up the boats in February.

There will be an official handover/christening ceremony for the boats in Warsaw. The German Embassy in Warsaw will be in attendance; Verena Bentele, the Federal Government’s Commissioner for Matters Related to People with Disabilities and a twelve-time Paralympic champion in biathlon and cross-country skiing, has confirmed her attendance; and the Paralympic Committee in Berlin also plans to support Paralympic sports in Warsaw.

On February 12, 2016, the exhibition “Kritische AugenBlicke,” featuring artwork by 11th-grade students in the advanced art class, opened at the relectro* secondhand electronics store in Kaufpark Wehrda.

Hannah Eichstädt explained the concept behind the exhibition to her classmates, and the managing director Gerlinde Jäckle and the artist Thomas Gebauer proved to be enthusiastic and delighted hosts. Our student’s Afghanistan rap also fit the theme of the exhibition Mohamed Saboor. In their works, the 12 students participating in the exhibition offer highly individual and critical reflections on the image of humanity and its relationship to nature in the present day.

The artists created these works in Ms. Vielhaben’s art class. The works not only reflect thematic connections to the culture of excess, compulsive consumption, violence and the oppression of the vulnerable, environmental disasters, wars, and the current refugee crisis, but also the students’ personal drive for self-expression and freedom. The students convey their concerns through a variety of media, ranging from traditional intaglio printing and painting to street art, small ceramic sculptures, and installations.

The exhibition runs from February 12 to May 31, 2016, and is presented by agent 21/Praxis GmbH.

* relectro is a nonprofit pilot project of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs aimed at promoting the integration of severely disabled unemployed individuals, primarily women.

On the snow-covered Penken, in the Mayrhofen ski area, Steinmühle held its 39th annual ski retreat. Once again, the Mitterer family hosted the event at the Gschößwandhaus, located at an altitude of 1,800 meters.

This one-of-a-kind house, located right in the ski resort, offers ideal conditions and guarantees an exciting week. There’s something for everyone here: students practicing their first turns, as well as experienced and athletic skiers.

Also joining us were colleagues who had already explored the Penken back in the 1980s: Ms. Opper, Mr. Stehling, and Mr. Nauheimer.

The beginner skiers were especially proud—by the end of the course, they were even tackling red and black runs.

Once again, the Mitterer family, who run the inn, and their staff played a key role in making this trip a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the students and teachers from Steinmühle. At the end of the trip, the group expressed their heartfelt thanks to them.

In the summer sport of track and field, the foundation for a successful season is laid in the winter. And this is especially true for multi-event athletes. They use the indoor season to gauge their form in their individual disciplines. To that end, Julius Grau competed in indoor meets in Hanau and Frankfurt-Kalbach in January.

At the Hessian Indoor Championships, Julius competed for the first time in the U20 division and showed good early-season form. He came away with two runner-up titles: one in the long jump with an impressive 6.60 m, and another with his club relay team, LAZ Gießen, in the 4 x 200m.

In the sprint and jump events, Julius has shown significant overall improvement. This is evident not only from his 6.60m in the long jump, but also from his 7.38 seconds in the 60m and his outstanding 8.24 seconds in the 60m hurdles, a performance that secured him a spot at the German Indoor Championships.

We can look forward to seeing how our decathlete and high school graduate Julius Grau continues to develop.

Our former student Isabel Weitzel (high school graduate, 2015) also had a fantastic start to the competition season. At the Hessian U20 Winter Throwing Championships, her throw of 47.93 m was enough to earn her the runner-up title.