The ceremonial event began with a warm welcome by Mayor Dr. Horst Brünnet. In his opening speech, he praised the dedication and diligence of the young athletes and culture award winners. “All your actions and commitment are of great importance to our society and strengthen the community in our municipality and in every district. You enrich our community across generations. Thank you very much for that!” said Dr. Brünnet in his address, emphasizing how important team spirit, fairness, and respect are as values in sports and culture. He particularly highlighted the importance of volunteering and the role of clubs in the development of children and youth. He therefore gave special praise to the coaches and especially to the families of the award winners, who often act as mentors, supporters, and motivators behind the scenes. “You are the first supporters and contact persons in the sporting and cultural development of your children. A toast to you, dear families!” To conclude, the mayor encouraged the young talents to continue pursuing their path with lots of fun and success.
Following the welcoming speech, Christoph Klein, Head of the Office for Youth, Seniors and Social Affairs, took over the humorously designed moderation of the event. He recalled how the number of honorees had decreased during and after the Corona pandemic in recent years, but this year the number of participants was back to pre-pandemic levels. In total, 156 young talents were honored that day, including 79 girls and 77 boys. The successful children and adolescents came from the DRK local clubs Saarwellingen and Reisbach, the Gutberg elementary school and the Waldwies school, TC Saarwellingen, TTV Reisbach, TV 1898 Schwarzenholz, BMX racing, Shotokan Karate, KV Rot-Weiß-Reisbach, and TV Saarwellingen. Particularly strong in participation this year was TV Saarwellingen, which provided a total of 36 awardees. In addition to the cultural awardees from the DRK, the sports honors came from the fields of basketball, dodgeball, baseball, tennis, table tennis, volleyball, cycling (BMX), karate, carnival dance sport, gymnastics, and athletics. Each of the honored young talents received a gift as recognition for their achievements from Mayor Dr. Brünnet.
In addition to the awards, sporting program items provided extra entertainment. The KV Rot-Weiß Reisbach and the Jazz Dance Midi Group from Schwarzenholz brought atmosphere to the hall with their performances. The finale was made by Jana Valentin with her participatory Zumba, with which she invited the guests to actively dance along.
At this point, once again, heartfelt congratulations to all the award winners – may your dedication bring you many successes in the future!
