With the rising temperatures, more and more families are drawn to bathing. But there are no swimming champions in Bavaria this year. Is the outdoor pool season falling through?
Meitingen (dpa / lby) – Lifeguards are desperately needed in the Free State. This was announced by the Federal Association of German Swimming Champions in Bavaria. The shortage is very large, says state chairman Ralf Großmann. Many positions are vacant.
In order for their baths to remain open, lifeguards would sometimes work 70 to 80 hours a week. “They have no more free time, they have no family life, nothing more.” Großmanns Bad in Meitingen (Augsburg district) has therefore shortened its opening times. The “SunSplash” outdoor pool is closed two days a week.
The Keidenzell natural pool in Langenzenn (district of Fürth) is currently completely closed. At the moment nobody can take over the bathing supervision here, says Sabine Kratsch from Stadtwerke Langenzenn. “And if no miracle happens, then nothing will change.”
After all: In the often particularly hot month of August, Middle Franconia can still cool off in the natural pool. Then the local indoor pool can hire staff.
There is a similar deal in Nuremberg. Here, too, two swimming pools are sharing their lifeguards this year. Which of the two is to be headed for is not shown in Nuremberg by looking at the calendar, but by looking upwards. Depending on the weather, either the Nordostbad indoor pool or the Naturgartenbad outdoor pool is open. “We’ll get through the outdoor pool season like this,” says Joachim Lächele from the Nuremberg pool administration.
The outdoor wave pool in Peiting (Weilheim-Schongau district), on the other hand, has given up for this year. The fact that staff are still falling from the sky is utopian, says Mayor Peter Ostenrieder.
But where have all the lifeguards gone in Bavaria? “Due to Corona, you weren’t allowed to open the pools and of course people were looking for something else,” says Großmann from the Swimming Masters Association. Because of the pay and the working hours at weekends and during the holidays, the job had already become unattractive for many in the years before.
And there is still a problem with the next generation: “They say 30 percent don’t pass the exam, 30 percent stop afterwards, and only a good 30 percent stay on the job.” In Bavaria, between 130 and 140 trainees would take the examination to become a specialist for pool operations. According to experience, around 40 new swimming champions remained for the Free State. “They’re not enough at the back and front,” says Großmann.
According to Großmann, nobody has to be afraid of unnoticed swimming accidents or a lack of supplies on a family trip to the outdoor pool: “Safety will not suffer as a result.” Where open, supervision is guaranteed.
