Petra Schill: The gymnastics mother that connects Frankershausen!

Petra Schill: The gymnastics mother that connects Frankershausen!

Frankershausen, Deutschland - Petra Schill from Frankershausen has devoted himself to children's gymnastics for more than four decades, supporting numerous small athletes: in their development. The committed trainer had been working for the sports club Blau-Weiß Frankershausen for 41 years. In 1982 she founded the youth department on his own and since then accompanied and encouraged countless children in gymnastics. Her special goal was always to not only give the children joy in movement, but also to enable friendships.

Petra Schill was supported by her colleagues Sabrina Lenz and Sieglinde Scharf. Together they expanded the club's offer to include mother-child gymnastics and special groups for teenagers. The latter focused on fitness and social gathering. After the pandemic, a Babbel and crawling group even found their way into the club structure to integrate new families and strengthen the community. At a time when the social contacts were rare, this was an important step for integration into club life.

volunteering and community

Such a commitment does not remain unnoticed. Sports Minister Peter Beuth attended the anniversary celebration of SV Blau-Weiß Frankershausen and thanked for the valuable voluntary work that is done here. In his speech, he praised the good cooperation between the members and presented a grant of 500 euros to support the association's work. "An intact club life is the heart of a community," says Beuth. The SV Blau-Weiß has established itself as an important part of the leisure offer and, in addition to children's gymnastics, also offers Zumba, football, volleyball and senior sport.

These services are particularly remarkable with regard to volunteering, because according to current statistics, around 86,000 sports clubs are involved in Germany. Volunteering is of great importance - it designs social contacts and contributes to promoting cohesion in society. The state of Hesse recognizes this commitment with records of around 61 million euros for sports funding in 2021, which underlines the importance of clubs in rural regions.

a heart for the community

In addition to her many years of activity in children's gymnastics, Petra Schill is also active in the women's gymnastics group and is involved in maintaining the sports field. The annual highlights of club life include carnival pleasure, Easter egg hunt and migration together. A special event is the overnight stay in the sports hall, which is regularly celebrated with 25 to 30 participants: inside and also awarded a financial bonus by Turngau Werra.

The anticipation for these shared experiences combines the residents of Frankershausen and creates a strong community. "It's nice to see how the children develop over the years and make friends," says Petra Schill. She hopes that new helpers and trainers will continue to be found in the future to continue the excellent work in the club. Because one thing is clear: in the hands of people like Petra Schill, the passion for sport and community lives on.