For their personal development it’s important that children have goals and challenges. These can help to motivate them, but they also need to be achievable.
Playing a sport gives children the freedom to develop and enjoy experiences even more.
Challenges which can be overcome in a loud and playful way can be fun. Children love to move and learn to compete against other in a playful way and are happy when they reach the next milestone as well as encouraging a team ethos. They learn how to measure their performance, how to work with a focus and to assess their ability at any given time.
This is the reason behind us deciding to support sports clubs. Our children are our future and it’s not only their physical development which is supported in these clubs. Playing a sport gives children the freedom to develop and enjoy experiences even more. In groups, children are able to find their own place, learning social skills and how to interact with one another. Strengths and weaknesses are shared together and in a club the children grow up feeling secure.
The elite group in the female gymnastics section of TB Neckarhausen has been practising for many years and has teams in the third division, the fifth division, the STB junior league and a joint team with VFL Pfullingen in the district league. In the competitive, elite division, all children have to reach a certain standard with their coordination and physical ability, which applies to most types of sport. Psychomotor gymnastics, control of movement and a variety of motions, as well as interacting with team members are the main components of the training sessions. Rolling, supporting, jumping, somersaulting, climbing and rhythm are main elements of basic training and the next level teaches this to be applied on the gymnastics equipment.
The elite division has been supporting its junior gymnasts in conjunction with the Turngau Neckar-Teck DTB Talent School for many years. This allows the children to gain some experience in elite sport.
In both adult and junior divisions, all the gymnasts are trained in all areas of gymnastics and they take part in many top-class competitions. Success can only be achieved with a huge amount of effort. Five times every week around 60 gymnasts train in ten groups in various locations. Out of 52 weekends per year, 42 are taken up by competitions which are held all across Germany.
The division needs the necessary resources to promote the continuing development of the teams and individual gymnasts. The necessary funding is generated through the gymnasts paying their club fees and not through the club itself. Working with children and youth teams represents an investment in the future and this costs money. We require support and are reliant on the help we receive from our sponsors.
Currently, the most successful gymnast is 15-year-old Kim Ruoff. She has been German champion four times already in the 15-year-old age group and won bronze medal with the national team in the age group 14 to 15 years old at the European Olympic Youth Games which took place in Gyor in 2017.
20 children and seven teenagers began their training on a specially prepared area of land. Coordination and fitness are the key elements. To manage the obstacles, even the youngest riders need to have everything under control – body and bike are united as one. Walter Schmidt, the manager of this division and his coaches give children from the age of eight upwards age-appropriate bike training. This training is useful for both bike rides and trails and also for everyday cycling on the roads.
From an educational aspect, many children and young adults enjoy cycling, as it appeals to their interests and combines enjoyment and action. It is also very good for their health, encourages fitness and positive social development, and gives them technical training.
Walter Schmidt says, “We are really pleased that our team in the club receives financial support from VIACOR. This contributes towards giving the children and young adults good training. We were able to purchase new team outfits and can proudly show we are part of the MTB team at competitions and official appearances. Many thanks.“