The Stadtwerke Gießen dragon boat team has been promoted from the fourth to the third German dragon boat league - the well-deserved reward for victories and top placings.
The Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) dragon boat team has already achieved numerous successes under the name SWG-Rohrlegerteam - two of the biggest last year. The men and women won the VGF Dragon Boat Festival in Frankfurt am Main and the Dragon Boat Festival at Fühlinger See in Cologne. "We are incredibly proud of the fact that our pipers are so far ahead - a great team that always brings out the best in itself," emphasises Ina Weller, company spokesperson for Stadtwerke Gießen.
In the 2012 annual results, the team even came 14th out of 100 in the fourth dragon boat league and was thus promoted to the third league. Jens Dreiwurst, the stroke in the SWG dragon boat, is delighted with the well-deserved reward together with his colleagues: "Even if the fun of team sport is paramount - a little ambition is always part of it. That's why we train regularly for competitions." The SWG rowers meet once a week to practise on the Lahn for the five to six racing events in which they compete against boats from the region and from all over Germany every year.
Among the best in their class
During the various regattas, teams from different leagues - there are four in total - usually paddle for victory. The higher the level of the field, the more points the winners receive for their league account. Oliver Lassika, Team Manager of SWG-Rohrleger, knows: "We have gained a lot of experience over the past few years and have been able to keep improving our performance. Today we perform well even in the face of strong competition and are among the front runners."
For 2013, the SWG company team has one goal firmly in mind: first place in the local dragon boat race during the Giessen city festival. "For the 75th anniversary of Stadtwerke, we definitely want to bring the winner's trophy back to Giessen. A good placing in the third dragon boat league would be the icing on the cake," explains Oliver Lassika.