From beach gymnastics to aqua gym, Latin dance to rock'n roll - action for all ages and tastes

Birgit Michailoff-Radochla (GER)

You had to get up a little earlier to experience the mesmerising sunrise on the Atlantic beach of Playa del Ingles:
But when Germany's first female winner of an individual Olympic gymnastics medal invites you to do so, it provides additional motivation:
<< Birgit Michailoff-RADOCHLA (78) from Berlin, who won the silver medal on the vault behind Czech gymnastics legend Vera Caslavska in Tokyo in 1964, wanted to know what was going on at the workshops during her very first visit to the BLUME Festival and was therefore one of the early risers of the morning - even before breakfast - who wanted to see the dreamlike sun rise from the Atlantic ...:

... under the guidance of German fencingProfessor Klaus GROSSER, the greeting of the first
the first rays of sunshine was a real pleasure!
.
With fantastic weather, blue skies and 27 degrees Celsius, in the morning and a short time later many people hungry for exercise were already romping around in the swimming pool of San Fernando, a real gem of the local sports complex, whose palm tree-lined entrance already made all visitors go into raptures...:

In the clear, sky-blue water at a perfect bathing temperature of over 23 degrees, observers were particularly struck by the mixture of festival participants from the 12 guest nations and many active locals, who are increasingly making use of the sporting festival programme - much to the delight of the regional authorities.
Public health has long since become an important development factor on the Kanren too!

The small German delegation was also greeted with a big "H E L L O" ...,
.
... ... because former gymnast Birgit Michailoff-RADOCHLA (photo, 2nd from left >) and her companions had moved on after breakfast and were greeted with a big hello from the numerous mermaids, who were kept in constant motion by the Spanish animator Illuminara.

Former top sports and artistic gymnastics coach Dieter Petersdorf from Jena in Thuringia and his wife Traude (right, 2nd from right > ) were also impressed by the wide range of sporting activities on offer and the many possible encounters that popular sport can offer people from many nations!
However, the fact that the World Gymnaestradea was held in Amsterdam a few weeks ago and that not all those interested in grassroots sport can afford the cost of a second private fitness trip was also reflected in the somewhat lower number of participants!

.
<< The next workshop stop on our little flying visit was the sports hall next door,
where, for example, Bavaria's former secondary school teacher Richard WIESER, who for decades had trained and inspired entire years of school leavers for rock'n'roll and organised their graduation in the form of a trip to this festival week here in Gran Canaria.

It goes without saying that former gymnast Birgit RADOCHLA (78) - herself "fit as a fiddle" - had to be persuaded to rock'n roll!
The join-in effect ...!
.

Annual highlights of the BLUME-Festivals are the varied fitness programmes offered by Colombian-born German lecturer Angela DITTRICH-OROZCO, who also made a big impression on our delegation of observers and inspired them to take action ...:

"The joy of movement is something you never lose in life!"
- said the Olympian from Berlin!

And on the final day, the fun elements of the workshops took place on the sandy beach of Playa del Ingles:
As always, a boules competition in the sand, where the first priority was to socialise with the festival members, was well received:

But, even if all BLUME guests are among the winners
There were also winners of the boules competition, and these are the beaming faces of the winners:

(1) Dieter, (2) Werner and (3) Haymo were the top three and in the Ladies category
(4) Rita (left) was honoured - all presented by workshop leader Traude KELL (right)
who was once again able to look back on successful and eventful days and events,
also because a proven international team once again worked together perfectly!

The only thing missing at the end was a proper dip in the Atlantic- combined with aqua gymnastics, of course. An experienced sports teacher, Gabie SCHULZ, who was visiting the festival for the first time and immediately made herself available as a lecturer, as she also looks after hiking groups in Kleinwalsertal at home in Germany, had invited her to take part in the event ...:

* 2024, November 29 to December 04
+ + +
(c) gymmedia.com / - Eckhard HERHOLZ
+ friendly Blume Festival participants