A ski club without trips to the mountains, without training in the snow – that’s impossible, you might think at first. But that is exactly what Manfred Kaplan experienced: he is the sports director of the alpine ski division of SV Heimstetten, which was created in autumn 2020 and had to wait around a year after it was founded due to the pandemic before he could actually be on the slopes with his members.
To create something new in town, especially for the children – that was the goal that Kaplan said he had set himself about a year and a half ago. “There was already a climbing department at SV Heimstetten, so the Alpine skiing division fitted in well with it,” he says. The board of directors was quickly convinced, but after the foundation “nothing worked at first” – ski areas were closed, contact restrictions made even smaller club meetings impossible.
Creativity was called for when the first relaxation of the corona measures was announced in spring 2021. “All the children were frustrated, they just sat at home and couldn’t go out. We really wanted to offer something to give them a balance,” says Kaplan. The solution: inline skating, outdoors and with slalom poles. Even without club membership, the children could “at least pretend to ski,” says Kaplan with a laugh. An offer that was well received: According to him, around 40 children registered – so many that the participants had to be divided into several groups due to the contact restrictions that were still in force at the time. “The enthusiasm was awakened in many,” says the Heimstettener. “Some people asked back then whether you could also ski slalom.”
When skiing was out of the question, the children practiced on inline skates.
(Photo: private)
However, it was several months before the children could try it out. Only last autumn did it become apparent that the ski areas would be allowed to open. Kaplan and his team have now organized a trip to the mountains for the first time: a hike to the Sonnenbichl in Bad Wiessee. A little later – about a year after the founding of the division – the first ski training on the Stubai Glacier was scheduled. “We started out skiing cautiously at first. After the lockdown, many people were no longer in good condition, and some were unsure,” says Kaplan. “But children get back into it quickly and learn quickly. We’ve even had two races now.”
According to the director, the highlight of the short history of the ski club was the training camp that took place in South Tyrol at the beginning of the year. Planning such a trip under pandemic conditions was not easy. “But the effort was worth it,” says Kaplan. “The camaraderie was phenomenal.” In his own words, a family atmosphere is important to him: the team deliberately does not train in separate age groups, but together – from the youngest children of primary school age to young people who are almost of age. “So the big ones can help the little ones and the little ones have role models.”
After the training, the video analysis is on.
(Photo: private)
Friendships were formed within a very short time, not only among children and young people, but also among the parents, who, according to Kaplan, are also allowed to take part in training courses and excursions. “After the training camp in South Tyrol, many children advertised the ski club to their neighbors and friends,” says Kaplan.
The number of members grew steadily, as the Heimstettener reports, meanwhile 38 children have registered in the association – a development that Kaplan observes with satisfaction: At the beginning there were always voices who had doubts about the project. “It won’t work anyway, founding a new department during the pandemic” – according to Kaplan, he was repeatedly confronted with this statement. “But you have to at least try. Now we are proud that we have already been able to attract so many children to the club – and that at a time when many other sports clubs are losing members.” The noticeable enthusiasm of the children also proves Kaplan and his team right, as he says himself. “The permanent grin is the best thanks.”
The club’s first ski season is coming to an end, and the conclusion is to be celebrated in March with a club championship at the Oedberg. Kaplan also has plans for the summer: He wants to go to the mountains, even when the temperatures are warmer, for hiking or mountain biking. So that the children don’t completely forget how to ski in the snow-free period, Kaplan can imagine a trip to the water ski park – and there will also be slalom inline skating again this year.