Federal Youth Games in the Bergisches Land: Reform causes excitement!

Federal Youth Games in the Bergisches Land: Reform causes excitement!

Bergisches Land. The Federal Youth Games in Germany have a long tradition that has accompanied many students through generations. Varied disciplines such as sprinting, throwing and gymnastics shaped the games in which participants were able to receive medals and documents for their services. A reform at primary schools, which has been introduced in the past school period, aims to reduce the idea of competitive and to make participation more playful. While the initiative brings praise for the motivation of the children, critics question whether this leads to an adequate appreciation of individual services.

Since 2001, the federal youth games have gone through a change, in which competitions and all-round forms are also presented in addition to competitions. The recent step in this development was the decision of the committee for the federal youth games to abolish the traditional competition from the school year 2023/2024. At the primary schools, in the future, only in the context of competitions and all -rounds will compete against each other.

The results are no longer measured

A central element of this reform is a new point system for evaluating the services. Gregor Wehning, Managing Director of the Committee for School Sports in Solingen, explains: "This is a zone rating." This means that the results achieved no longer measure precisely, but a certain zone is assigned to each performance. The results are then evaluated in relation to the results of the grade, which makes the nationwide comparison much easier, but also restricts the possibility of comparing services between schools. The documents are now distributed based on the zones, with the top 20 percent being awarded a certificate of honor, while the middle 50 percent receive a winning certificate and the remaining 30 percent.

"The idea of performance has actually been put into the background," continued Wehning. The new system reduces the differentiation of the services, which makes measuring the results more complicated, but it also weakens the competition. This raises questions whether the current standards do justice to the high performance. The comparison between different schools in particular was significantly more difficult. This leaves many experts, including Wehning and Markus Dobke from the city of Remscheid, skeptically over the long -term value of this model.

Overall there are more documents

The result of this reform is an increasing number of chosen documents. "It is crucial that you no longer compare yourself overall," criticizes Dobke. By comparing larger comparisons, the number of documents awarded is increased, which means that many students receive an award for their participation. While in the past an excellent performance was recognized both in the personal and in the national sense, there is worry that recognized services are now less likely to come to the fore.

The goal of playfully inspiring children for sport is supported by many school heads and sports educators. Headmistress Sabine Riffi from the Uhlandstrasse primary school in Solingen notes that her school has been developing alternatives to the federal youth games for years. Instead, a sports festival is organized, in which the students compete in teams and go through various stations. "Everyone has to move and do their best, but it's a team competition," she explains, with the focus on teamwork.

The headmistress emphasizes that especially for students who do not like to move, the motivation is important to promote active participation. The sports festival should ensure that all children go home with a positive experience and enjoy sport and movement.

Developments in the federal youth games show that the approaches to school sport are further diversify. The reaction of the schools in the Bergisches Land gives an idea that the desire for an approach that promotes both individual commitment and group maintenance is becoming increasingly important. For further information and a deeper insight into the topic, see the current reporting on www.rga.de .