Chairman of Hildener AT sees difficult years after Corona

In 2020, the Hildener AT held the 9th Hilden winter running series – one of the last running events of that year, because a few weeks later the corona pandemic arrived in Germany and brought social and sporting life to a standstill. Due to corona, the winter running series was canceled completely at the beginning of 2021. Now those responsible at HAT dared to restart. Chairman Sven Reuter reports on the highs and lows of the tenth edition and the development of the largest Hilden club in the coming months and after Corona.

How satisfied are you with the course of this year’s winter running series?

Sven Reuter Basically, everything went smoothly and was as smooth as ever. The tenth edition was of course a special event, but unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate on the third day of the race. We would have liked to have made up the race on March 6th, but that didn’t work out for various reasons and it doesn’t make sense to make up for the race four or even six weeks later – then there’s simply no connection to the first races, after all it is a series.

How did the runners respond to the winter running series?

Reuter I know it myself as a competitive athlete: you’re grateful when events like this don’t have to be cancelled. That’s why we really wanted to do the series, even if we didn’t know when we started planning whether the Corona numbers would fit. We had a lot of positive feedback. The people thanked us and thought it was good that we were doing the event. We also wanted to finish the last run. On Friday we had invited again, but on Saturday we had to cancel. Then there were a few critical voices because we didn’t do the third run. That makes me sad, because there is a lot of work behind it. Of course we also do this to get some money into the club coffers, but that only works with three runs and with more participants. In 2020 we still had 931 starters, but this time only 500 pre-registrations. Nevertheless, we did the series. But we also have fixed costs. For example, the dixie toilets for the third run were already there and the Johanniter were ready as a medical service, as well as catering for the course and helpers. We had paid permits and already bought the trophies. Ultimately, I am very satisfied with the event, but I would have preferred different circumstances.

It was now the tenth installment of the series.

Reuter Our first anniversary. We had planned something special for the ten-year anniversary for a long time. We had the idea of ​​maybe doing a joke run when the number of participants was full and offering a little more supporting program. Due to Corona, we dropped these ideas and the anniversary. It just wasn’t meant to be. Maybe it will work next year. The 11 is a schnapps number and you could perhaps accommodate a few special features with this edition. In any case, we want to continue the winter running series in 2023. I’m very relaxed there. In the early years of the series we never made a big profit, but we always put the money directly into the equipment. Today, for example, we have a complete timing system that belongs to us and that we can also use for the school triathlon. In addition, we now have an outdoor music system, a loudspeaker system and a club bus. Next we want to buy a clock for the finish – then runners will see their time flash as they pass it.

What does it mean for the club that there are finally outdoor events again?

Reuter Every event is a gain and an enrichment for every club. The swimming festival would be back in June and the school triathlon in September. And it would also be time for a big sporting event again, where several Hilden clubs come together, but others have to decide about that. Personally, I also long for a summer festival where there is beer and bratwurst and a social part. It would be nice if that happened again.

How confident are you that the Hildener AT 2022 will take off?

Reuter Basically, we’re not doing badly. Financially we are still in good shape, but that will come when there is no more help. Then the lower number of members becomes noticeable with each quarterly collection. Before Corona we had over 3700 members, currently there are around 3000. Now the two years of truth are coming. Financially we have a buffer of one to two years. During this time we want to win back some of the members. If we can do that, I won’t worry about the HAT. There are sections that have been very active, like the volleyball team, which now has 100 members, or the handball team, which is heading towards 200 members. We now have a men’s team here again, which has good chances of promotion, and also a women’s team. But there are other departments that are having a hard time. The annual meeting is coming up again in April. We still have two vacancies: Marketing/PR and Board Member for Sport. It’s not easy to find someone, because a club with currently just under one million euros in sales before Corona cannot be handled with one hour a week. You have to schedule ten hours a week, and that’s a huge responsibility.