Sweet idleness with regular cooling off, swimming pool fries or meeting friends on the sunbathing lawn – it is probably not possible to say exactly what exactly the guests of the Grafing outdoor pool have liked best so far.
For the proud new owners of a seahorse badge, on the other hand, there is certainly no doubt about it. After the first course for ten children during the Pentecost holidays, another 24 girls and boys were able to conquer the water world in two courses under the trained guidance of lifeguard Sandra Friesinger and her team during the first two weeks of August. Since there was so much catching up to do with school-age children due to the pandemic, only those aged six and over could be considered.
There was a lot going on at the 50th anniversary celebration in July
The youngest of the 163 participants in the 12-hour swim organized by the Grafing-Ebersberg Swimming Club (SVGE) on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the outdoor pool was only three years old. Little Alexander is to thank for 600 meters of the total distance covered of 439 kilometers. “Of course we have now accepted him into the club, he will be training with us from autumn,” laughs Michael Krecik, sporting director of the SVGE, who is always happy about new blood and invites everyone who can safely swim 25 meters to come to the to present the association. “So basically from the seahorse.” One day they could perhaps make it as far as the guest Noah Lerch, who also started that day, who covered the longest total distance at 22 kilometers. Krecik says about the 18-year-old: “He has to be able to do it, after all he is the German champion in open water swimming.” Second place winner, Clara Tschochner, is a home-grown talent. She covered exactly 20 kilometers when she was only 12 years old.
All of these performances were just as eye-catching as the other attractions of the festival with equipment from the district youth welfare office’s toy box, divers from the SG Stadtwerke München and live music, including from the town band and the band Red Motorbike.
At the 50th anniversary celebration in July, there was also a performance by Munich high jumpers…
(Photo: Peter Hinz-Rosin)
… and that of city councilor Elli Huber, who jumped off the five-meter board in a dirndl.
(Photo: Peter Hinz-Rosin)
Celebrity high diving is still on everyone’s lips, especially because city councilor Elli Huber in a dirndl and representatives of the marching band with lederhosen jumped into the pool. How worthwhile all the sporting efforts of this day were will turn out after the summer holidays. That’s when businessman Martin Gruber hands the mayor a donation check for the redesign of the elementary school playground. The final sum consists of the premium awarded for each jump and each kilometer swum.
But even without any pecuniary consideration, the pool is used a lot this year. Of course, an exact balance can only be given after the end of the season, but the town hall is already very satisfied. Due to the weather, operations have been going great so far and fortunately there have been no incidents.
The new season tickets are a success
As a spokeswoman says, “after the usual initial difficulties, the new checkout system has proven to be very good”. Because now there is a practical plastic card for the approximately one thousand holders of season tickets. When entering the pool, this is placed on a scanner at the entrance turnstile, which is also new, and you’re already in. Without long queues, but above all without the loud resentment in front of the ticket booth, which used to be collected by those who wanted to push past the queue of “normal visitors” waiting to be checked in with their season ticket.
The feared complaints of a different kind were also practically non-existent: the water temperature, which had been lowered by two degrees from 26 to 24 degrees to save energy, was naturally always felt to be more unpleasant when the outside temperature was not quite as warm, which proved to be the case when the weather was nice but refreshing for most. Many very sporty swimmers, as we can learn from the pool, even praise the new water temperature as “excellent”, as it was often too warm for them at 26 degrees.
On the last day there is pajama swimming
Other innovations were and are also well received: The “Frühschwimmen” event, which is now in its second year, every Wednesday from 7 a.m. and the live occupancy counter on the website of the city of Grafing. Also extremely practical is the information noted there as to whether the opening times should be based on normal or bad weather conditions. As is well known, the actual weather in the district of Ebersberg can vary from place to place: Then it pours like buckets in Aßling, while the sun is shining in Grafing.
You can enjoy all of this up to and including September 11th. And because the pool then “goes into hibernation”, as operations manager Sandra Friesinger puts on record with a smile, everyone is invited to “swim in their pajamas” that day. It is quite possible that this event will then lead the highlights in the retrospective.
Opening hours until 11 September: In fine weather from 7.45 a.m. to 8 p.m., in bad weather from 7.45 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. “Early swimmer Wednesday” from 7 a.m. on.