Constanze gasps for air. Then her head disappears under water again. She is kicking. Air. Air! Strong arms from behind. With experienced movements, stephan ritter takes the young woman in a tethered grip and brings her safely to shore.
The "shore but it is not a green grass strip and the water is not a bathing lake either. Instead, constanze is lying on a red exercise mat at the edge of the pool in the sensual tide. "I really, really like being in the water", says the 18-year-old from oberbach, who has been a member of the water rescue team since she was in elementary school. Just as (the) knight "saved" them she could also do it: get drowning people out of the water and give first aid: that's what all the young people who join the water rescue team learn to do.
Generation change on the board
Ritter is the new chairman of the bruckenau water rescue association. He has swapped the scepter with stefan scheller, who was at the helm of the club for 20 years: even when the group belonged to the german life-saving society (DLRG), he was chairman for four years. In 1997, for organizational reasons, the association joined the water rescue unit of the german red cross. "Before i became chairman, there was a generation conflict", remembers scheller. Young and old have drifted apart. Tensions arose. Scheller wanted to do things differently. And did so.
For years, veteran members of the board have been working together with the next generation. Stephan ritter, for example, is 37 years old and has been scheller's deputy for a long time. Now the two have swapped posts. The technical director of the water rescue service, rainer schuler from riedenberg, also wanted to take a short break. He passed on his office to 22-year-old jochen bienmuller from geroda. "This one comes straight from our junior staff", scheller recounts, not entirely without pride.
Youth work is a priority
Falk Hannemann, chairman of the district water patrol, sits comfortably in a chair at the edge of the pool. In front of him, a youngster swims in the pool. Meticulous hannemann takes notes: the boy is currently taking his silver rescue swimming badge. Further back in the tide of senses, children loll about on orange deckchairs. A rope goes from hand to hand. Knot tying. Trainer sebastian statt explains how the rope must be laid to hold the knot. With a concentrated gaze, twelve-year-old robin schneider traces the movements. That's what's so important to the old and new chairmen: continuing to build up the training for the youth and making sure that youth leaders like constanze and sebastian follow suit. Both scheller and ritter benefited from the water rescue service when they were young.
Nowadays, it is all too often the community spirit that is lost, laments scheller. "Helping others is no longer so pronounced." That's why the social aspect of the association's work plays a special role for them. After all, it's not only in water that knowing how is half the battle.
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