Sports school

The children 's and youth sports schools ( KJS ) of the GDR were special schools for athletic talented children and youth. From them emerged a majority of the participants in the Olympic Games and in international competitions, such as World Championships and European Championships. Who would want to be included in a KJS, had a sighting and aptitude test (uniform viewing and selection for training centers and training centers worldwide) of the German Gymnastics and Sports Association ( DTSB ) of the GDR graduate, was divided into several sections.

Formation

Shortly after the founding of the GDR 's political leadership had recognized the interaction between competitive sports and the sports of children and adolescents. This was regarded as the basis of competitive sports. The experience had made with his, introduced in the 30s KJS Soviet sport, were the basis for the introduction of KJS in the GDR. The first KJS the GDR were created in the school year 1952/1953 by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the DTSB. They were based in Berlin, Brandenburg, Leipzig and Halberstadt, but differed in their structures of the Soviet models.

With the school year 1953/1954 was followed by eight other schools, until the end of 1959 the number grew to 23 beginning, the KJS conceived as schools with expanded physical education who performed in both the specialist physical education (a total of 3 to 4 hours per week) as well as a two-hour weekly training been. At the center of the sports Gymnastics and Gymnastics, Athletics, Swimming and Diving and Sports games were. Could be taken only

• Who brought the necessary athletic performance and
• Whose academic performance could be expected to deposit the Baccalaureate.

Development

By order of June 6, 1963 of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the SED on the development of objective and structure of the KJS KJS were redefined. This was done from experience to date that both the students and the teachers sometimes did not develop the required skills and abilities to guide athletes to peak performance.

Optimally coordinate the decision in newly defined task, teaching and training and the determination that the sports clubs were henceforth responsible for the training content, resulted in the amalgamation of local KJS and sports clubs. Usually the KJS worked together with one or more sports clubs or were those connected.

The medical care of the students, their sports goods fair of food and accommodation in boarding schools were also concerns of the decision. Since the early 70s, over 50 % of the students lived in KJS - own boarding. Each school is a doctor and a nurse had been assigned. A medical examination found for each young athletes once a year.

Especially the summer sports, boxing, fencing, football, Gymnastics, Handball, Judo, canoe racing, athletics, cycling, rhythmic gymnastics, wrestling, rowing, swimming, sailing, volleyball and water jumping were promoted. As the importance of winter sports grew, even biathlon, bobsled, figure skating, speed skating, Nordic combined, tobogganing, cross-country skiing and ski jumping were increasingly supported. The promotion of sports straightened out as the entire GDR sports especially at the Olympic sports. Thus while, for example, field handball, whitewater canoeing and Modern Pentathlon out despite considerable international success of the young talent.

1989, there were 25 children and youth sports schools (sorted by number of students 1989: in Berlin ( 4), Leipzig ( 2), Dresden, Halle, Rostock, Karl- Marx-Stadt ( 2), Potsdam, Erfurt, Frankfurt ( Oder), Magdeburg, Jena, Schwerin, Oberhof, Cottbus, Neubrandenburg, Upper Wiesenthal, Klingenthal, Luckenwalde, Altenberg and Zella- Mehlis ), with over 10,000 students. About 1460 teachers taught this in schools, over 430 educators designed the recreational and educational activities in the boarding schools. Almost all participants in the GDR Olympic teams from 1988 had completed their school career in one of KJS in the winter and summer sports.

Tasks

The sporting achievements was the KJS everything else subordinate to:

• Physical education has been deleted from the 70s at these schools usually favor of training in the respective sports.
• The classes of KJS were mostly composed sport species, from the 70s. Thus, the timetable could be coordinated with the training plan of the athletes. A training twice a day from Monday to Friday was the rule, part could also have a third training session can be realized (as compensatory or relaxation sport). Saturdays were usually trained once since the Saturday was to 1989 of class in the GDR.
• In the upper classes often was a temporal " stretching " of teaching, such as could a high school in three years, rather than the usual two years in the GDR, filed.
• School extensions were in grades 8-10 for students in certain sports (Figure Skating, Gymnastics, Rhythmic Gymnastics, swimming and diving) possible.
• " National Executive " ( members of the national team) could get private lessons when the training volume reaching the course objectives not allowed in other forms of education.

Usually age for admission

The grade level of the recording for the students was staggered for each sport and was based on the peak performance age and the necessary training structure in the respective sport.

A previous enrollment was possible in a sport only in the context of a trial enrollment made ​​by an association. This was used to evaluate whether a previous training of the athletes had a significant performance improvement in high performance age result. For example, there was a 1980 enrollment of four rowers in a 7th grade in the KJS in Potsdam. For athletes whose talent developed after the normal age for admission, a recording on the KJS at any time was also possible in a higher grade level. However, the number of shots fell significantly short of the usually recording.

Development after the turn

The former KJS were restructured and continued after the political change to comprehensive schools or schools with a sporty emphasis. Many schools experienced a slump both of content and personnel Art In part, it was in a grade only a single sport class that had to be filled with possibly "normal" students, as necessary minimum class sizes have not been touched.

Many of the special schools are now again able to lead several classes per grade level as a sports performance classes. Partly also a separation was reintroduced after sports. 21 former KJS have been able to establish itself as one of the " elite sports schools " in the sports and education landscape in the Federal Republic of Germany and occupy with their school teams in the competitions " youth training for the Olympics " top places in the Federal Final competitions.