Page 80 - Olympism in Socialism

apprentices. Thus, in mass contests like “Who is
the strongest apprentice?” or “Who is the best
sports girl?” thousands of youngsters take part
every year. Last year altogether 388,214
apprentices from all counties participated in such
exercises as pull-ups, push-ups at parallel bars,
knee-bends with a weight, and triple jump.
What about the students? There are 250
educational institutions for students in the GDR.
The majority of them have their own sports clubs,
offering wide opportunities for sports activities
during leisure. In this context one should also
mention the students’ leagues. In the county of
Erfurt alone, 22 students’ teams play volleyball.
During one season, 130 matches take place. In
this county 108 teams participated in regular
competitions in seven sports events. From early
childhood sports are a part of life in the GDR.

SWIMMING—FOR A LONG TIME IN FASHION
“Swimming should become part and parcel of
education. So far drowning has been in fashion,
because swimming has not. Shouldn’t swimming
become a fashion with us too?” Johann Christoph
GutsMuths (1759-1839) put that urgent question
in the Foreword to his Small Textbook on the Art
of Swimming, published in 1797, in which he
demanded organised swimming lessons
especially for the youth. He regarded swimming
and diving as primary means of the physical
training of the youth.
Since 1950 swimming lessons have been part
of the compulsory sports courses in the GDR. in
the “Specified Curriculum for Sports Lessons of
the 4th Forms” of the Ministry of Education, the
following exercises are mentioned breast-stroke
and crawl exercises, starting dive and turning,
diving exercises in shallow water, popular dives
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