This is a first in the history of Georgianum Grammar School. The gymnastics team stood out in Bramsche and secured second place. The team comprising Merle Bruns, Maja Hafermalz, Elina Osmanov, Theresa Voss and Diana Schenk put in an almost flawless performance.
The cornerstone of their success was team spirit. The team cheered each other on, celebrated the other team members’ achievements and showed respect to other teams on many occasions. “That is the cornerstone of success in life: sharing in others’ joy,” said teacher Martin Glosemeyer, who was delighted for the children. And what if you find that difficult? “Then you should start with people whose joy is easy to share. The rest will follow naturally. Because everything in life takes practice.”
The kids had practised in the run-up to the competition. Every Sunday, the pupils and Mr Glosemeyer met for training, thereby laying the foundations, although the girls already had an excellent foundation thanks to their training at KTV Lingen and Olympia Laxten. Both Lingen clubs do a great job. In artistic gymnastics, body tension, flexibility and strength are key aspects.
The team needed strength for rope climbing and the standing long jump. The kids had improved particularly quickly in these areas, but the team from Melle was simply even faster and jumped even further. Flexibility was required for the routines on the balance beam and floor, where cartwheels, handstands and somersaults were on display. Body tension was particularly important on the parallel bars and the high bar, where high swings, over- and under-swings were performed.
And the girls could run too: they almost won the relay race. Melle finished just ahead of the Lingen team.
The most important thing, however, was the fun that comes from being in the flow, connected with others and performing with a playful ease, creating moments that last a lifetime. And that was the case on many occasions. Because on the apparatus and under pressure, anything other than being in the flow is unusual. The team was connected because it impressed with its strong team spirit. This was also evident in the synchronised gymnastics, where Maja and Merle were truly one. Top mark of 6.0. Wow! Diana and Elena were also strong and secured a 5.0. Theresa Voss, whom Coach Glosemeyer only nominated on the day of the competition, was brilliant on almost every apparatus. She had impressed across the board in training. Maja had voluntarily handed her place over to Theresa, thereby impressing with her selflessness and honesty. Well done to Team Maja!
... and somehow everything was in a right mess. The coach stopped at the wrong school, which meant the team had to walk for 15 minutes; Coach Glosemeyer got the number of shadow rolls mixed up, leading to a point deduction; and on the way back, the coach driver once again refused to take us directly to our actual sports hall. Pure chaos!
A big thank you goes to Marta, who took all the photos, as well as to the supervisors Nala, Madelon and Ilana for their efforts on the day of the competition and in the run-up to it, and to the bus driver, who drove us safely through the world (and even stopped at the big M).
Text: Martin Glosemeyer, Photo: Marta Knebel
