Mr. Frankenberger, almost five years after the outbreak of the corona pandemic, the number of sports-loving students seems to have recovered. So can the all-clear be given here?
Frankenberger: You are right in that the registration numbers for school sports competitions have recovered. We have reached pre-Corona levels. But we notice that children and young people lack a talent for movement and social interaction. There is a need to catch up here. Especially since screen time is increasing enormously and other talents are in danger of being lost.
Now there are people in your work group who are counteracting this. These are referred to as school representatives. Can you explain their meaning to us in more detail?
Frankenberger: In this position you have to be passionate about your sport. The chairmen are all active in their own sport. Take the judoka, Ms. Ühlein, who recently became world champion, or the handball player, Mr. Hassler, who plays at third division level. I am a table tennis player myself and have also been a chairman for this sport. You try to get a lot of people interested in your sport in schools, but it’s not easy. For example, who can play table tennis in regular physical education lessons?
The strain on teachers due to the prevailing staff shortage is also becoming increasingly drastic. More and more work is being placed on fewer and fewer shoulders. In our working group there is also the fact that there is nothing for it. Apart from the joy of winning someone over to the sport or organizing a successful tournament.
How exactly is the idea of sport brought to life in schools and clubs?
Frankenberger: It is ideal to enter into a working partnership with a local association. The club provides a trainer and, in principle, material. The school ensures that students register and provides a hall. Materials such as balls, goals or baskets are already available in these halls. There is a fixed catalog for this. These working groups are a great thing and are also massively supported. The problem is, we need trainers who have time, which is usually very difficult in the afternoon. In the evening the halls are exclusively available for club sports.
How should we imagine the practical implementation of such constructs? Is it the case that the school approaches clubs or vice versa?
Frankenberger: The club is welcome to approach the school itself and say we have someone who could take it on. Our coordination point is Ms. Dümlein. But it also happens that the school turns to clubs and already has some who would like to play a certain sport at school.
All in all: What is the conclusion of the current situation of school sports in the Miltenberg district?
Frankenberger: There are enough reports in football that we never have a problem. But judo, basketball and handball are also alive. Table tennis, for example, is a bit behind. Unfortunately, there are also sports that we don’t currently have at all. Apparatus gymnastics is one of them, but dance is also currently orphaned.
