In the GDR, there were only a handful of water ski clubs. Therefore, the competitions and the subsequent ceremonial award ceremonies had an almost family-like character.
The lack of clubs had many reasons. First of all, there was a lack of material. The motorboats were mostly home-made. Skis, wetsuits and much else had to be imported illegally from abroad, mostly from the FRG.
If a suitable body of water was available, the fishing clubs and ornithologists usually successfully resisted the use of the lake with motorboats. There was little support from the state, because water skiing was socio-politically insignificant compared to winter ski jumping or even soccer.
We maintained especially close relations with Czechoslovak sports friends who visited us every summer. In return, we were invited to ski in the winter in the High Tatras, where our hosts were at home.
Of course, in addition to the sports activities, a lively barter trade developed, because in the ČSSR there was everything that belonged to alpine skiing, from ski goggles to downhill skis.
Such sporting goods were in absolute short supply in the GDR, because Comrade Ulbricht would have preferred to make a nation of cross-country skiers out of the GDR citizens. The very generous Thuringian winter sports center in Oberhof on the Rennsteig, commissioned by him personally, still bears witness to this today.
A harmless incident with unintended consequences fundamentally changed our club life. Windsurfing, a completely new sport from the United States, first reached the Federal Republic and finally the GDR.
One weekend a sports friend brought such a self-made board to the training area. At that time, our club had a total training ban because the canoeists were holding a competition.
In spite of urgent warning our sports friend brought the board to the water and sailed away. It came as it had to come.
The man had no experience in handling the new sporting equipment, the wind drove the sailboard ahead of him and into the competition course of the canoeists.
The training manager immediately stopped the race, protested loudly, and made the embarrassing incident public. In the following trial, it was decided at the highest level that the water ski club had to clear the lake. As an alternative, the merger with the neighboring club of the Saalestadt was offered.
Martin and I were present at the negotiation as representatives of our club. In the discussion it became clear that there had been plans to develop the lake as a training center for future Olympic canoe squads even before the unfortunate incident. The mishap played into the hands of the planners.
Consequently, we did not have the slightest chance to act against the decision, because water skiing is not an Olympic discipline. In retrospect, the merger had a positive effect.
We had lost our independence, but the new club gained strength through the merger and has maintained its position to the present day.
The old, long-grayed sports friends still meet once a year at the training grounds in the Saalestadt and exchange memories over a glass of wine. The old gentlemen observe the sporting activities of the next young generation with expertise and good humor. 𝓣𝓸 𝓑𝓮 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓮𝓭…
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