On muddy ground – sport

The new German champions were crowned in Oberstaufen at the weekend – in snow volleyball. The sport actually wants to become an Olympic sport, but first has to deal with melting snow in the Allgäu.

Volleyball in the snow? Yes, this sport really exists – for 15 years now. In 2008, a resourceful agency stamped the first tournament in Austria out of the icy ground. From the rather crazy idea, an international series that reached as far as Georgia and European championships have since developed. The long-term goal, of course: to become a sport at the Olympic Winter Games, the world volleyball association FIVB is already digging into the IOC as best it can. Things were a bit more modest last weekend in Oberstaufen in the Allgäu. The fourth German snow volleyball championship was held there after a two-year Corona break.

Eight teams of three (including substitute players) each fought for the title in almost spring-like conditions, surrounded by green rather than white slopes, not barefoot, as in the sand, where the field is just as large, but in cleated shoes and functional clothing. In the women’s category, the favorites Nele Barber, Melanie Gernert, Jennifer Gernert-Scharmacher and Lydia Scherber (Beachsport/DJK TuSA 06 Düsseldorf/Rotation Prenzlauer Berg/Beachsport) sat down in an exciting final with 2:0 (18:16, 16:14 ) against the quartet consisting mainly of Bavarians Michaela Henry, Laura Mählmann, Bianca Peter and Eva Schilf (SV Lohhof/VC Olympia 93 Berlin/DJK Augsburg Hochzoll/PSV Sonthofen), with the men triumphing as expected were Paul Becker, Jonas Reinhardt and Georg Wolf and Peter Wolf (United Volleys Frankfurt/Beachraum Mainz/DJK 06 Düsseldorf/DJK 06 Düsseldorf), who gave the Freiburg-Cologne combination Lukas Kopfer, Tim Kreuzer, Florian Wenz and Lucas Wenz no chance in the muddy snow. The Bavarian quartet Yannic Beck, Julius Höfer (TSV Grafing), Sebastian Burgis and Florian Schweikart (Beach4U) won bronze. Already on Friday, the student teachers of the University of Augsburg – seminar trend sports – made their first field tests in the snow.

Oberstaufen will remain the organizer of the DM in the years to come. And if climate change continues to progress so quickly, there may soon be a fourth discipline alongside indoor, beach and snow: water volleyball, then on mini surfboards.