In the middle of the Saxon summer holidays, beginner swimming courses for children are very popular. "The courses are 100 percent occupied. We can't keep up," said the managing director of the SV Handwerk Leipzig sports club, Andreas Bobrzik. In the club, trainers offer swimming lessons for a total of around 200 children in the first three weeks of the summer holidays. Even in the first week of the autumn holidays, the courses were already half booked, said Bobrzik.
Pupils in third and fourth grade in particular have a lot of catching up to do. During the pandemic, they would not have had swimming lessons in previous years, which are planned for second grade in Saxony. The beginners come with different requirements, Bobrzik explained: "We had children with seahorses and we had children who couldn't swim at all". Almost 70 children are taught by the association in Leipzig every week during the holidays.
The Dresden pools also report a high demand for swimming courses for beginners: "Certainly the corona-related cancellations of swimming courses have increased this demand," said a spokeswoman. During the summer holidays, the lanes are rented out to clubs or course providers. "As far as we know, these holiday courses were and are fully booked," said the spokeswoman.
The situation is similar at the German Life Saving Society (DLRG) in Saxony. In general, courses for beginners are still in high demand. Due to the holidays and special swimming vouchers in the state, the rush has increased somewhat, emphasized DLRG state manager Sebastian Knabe. The organization offers an estimated 55 corresponding courses per year in Bavaria. However, those interested sometimes have to be patient: Even before the pandemic, there were waiting times of up to two years because there were not enough bathrooms, said Knabe.
After swimming lessons were canceled across the board due to the corona pandemic, the state of Saxony distributed vouchers worth up to 120 euros for swimming courses. According to the Ministry of Education, over 10,500 vouchers were issued at the end of the 19/20 school year, and over 8,100 in the 20/21 school year.
