West German Ski Association
The West German Skiverband (own name: westdeutscher skiverband ev , wsv ) is the umbrella organization for all skiers and snowboarders in North Rhine-Westphalia . The WSV has a total of around 54,000 members in around 350 clubs. Skiing in North Rhine-Westphalia has a long tradition and was established in the 19th century in the German low mountain ranges , the Sauerland , the Bergisches Land and the Eifel . In 1906 the first ski club was founded in Düsseldorf . The clubs in Arnsberg , Dortmund , Duisburg , Bonn , Hagen , Cologne and Winterberg followed in 1907 and thus made the first step towards organized skiing in North Rhine-Westphalia. The West German Ski Association took on its current form after the Second World War , when the regional ski associations of the Sauerland, Bergisches Land and Eifel were united under one roof in 1947 as a result of the formation of the new federal states by the military administration. In the 1960s, with the construction of a permanent home in Meinerzhagen, the association created the association's office with the affiliated state performance center with corresponding sports and accommodation facilities. The official organ of the WSV, integrated in the SkiMAGAZIN magazine, provides information on what is going on in terms of association and club work. Information about new skiing techniques, ski materials and tourism is also provided.
Competitive sport in the WSV
Since the association was founded, it has developed into an efficient ski association in the German Ski Association with the largest number of members. Athletes from the WSV have been taking part in national and international competitions for many years. World championships and Olympics are an integral part of the association's sporting cycle. The association can refer to medals and titles at Nordic and Biathlon junior world championships, especially in the youth field . The training work is led by full-time and freelance trainers in the individual disciplines. Much happens on a purely voluntary basis in cooperation with the associations. In the area of tension between school and competitive sports, WSV athletes, especially from the biathlon and Nordic areas, have access to the sports boarding school in Winterberg - Neuastenberg, both part-time and full-time, for educational support. The WSV - competitive sport receives further substantial support in its training and competition work by the Ministry of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia, the State Sports Association of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Sports Foundation of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Olympic Training Center in Westphalia / Hochsauerland branch.
biathlon
For over two decades, the biathlon discipline, made up of cross-country skiing and shooting, has been part of the sports program of the West German Ski Association. The youth work, through which several championship titles have been achieved in the WSV, is particularly successful. In the area of the association, biathlon athletes at the federal and state performance base in Winterberg have a small-caliber shooting range in Neuastenberg with an illuminated roller-skis for year-round training. In addition, the biathlon clubs maintain facilities with shooting ranges for air rifle training.
Nordic
Nordic skiing has played a central role in the association from the very beginning. With the exception of the limited snow reliability, the Sauerland has internationally comparable training and competition conditions in terms of topography and sports facilities. The range of ski jumps extends from the practice hill (from a width of 8 meters) to an 80 meter hill. Thanks to the use of plastic mats, practice operations on the ski jumping facilities in Winterberg and Meinerzhagen are possible all year round. The construction of combined sports facilities with lighting enables cross-country skiers and Nordic combined skiers to complete their training with roller skis on paved paths in the summer and autumn months. In autumn and early winter the main preparatory courses take place in Scandinavia and the Alpine region .
Snowboard
The WSV has been dedicated to snowboarders for years, and WSV athletes have achieved some successes in national and international competitions. The WSV also has members in the national team for this sport.
Nordic roller skis
The roller ski was originally intended as a training device for cross-country skiers for times without snow. Over the years it has developed into its own competitive sport. There are roller ski races in classic running technique (mostly mountain runs) and also in skating technique . Also in the WSV z. B. Association championships in roller skiing Nordic. The West German Ski Association provided athletes at World Cup races as well as World and European Championships .
Ski inline
In the summer, inline competitions are held in the alpine area as slalom, giant slalom or parallel slalom and in the Nordic skiing area as Nordic blading. They are carried out as competition series (WSV Cup) and as championships.
Grass ski
The grass skiing in West German Ski Association has for many years an integral part of summer skiing. The sport is practiced from April to September. The main training area for the WSV grass ski team is the ski slope in Neunkirchen-Altenseelbach. The WSV active members make up the national team and have developed into one of the strongest national association teams in the DSV. This is evidenced by many international successes, including six gold medals at Junior World Championships .
WSV teaching
Teaching team
The work of the WSV teaching team is an important part of popular sport . Great importance is attached to qualified training of instructors and ski instructors in order to ensure qualified basic work and skier support during the trips. The training and further education measures are carried out in theory and practice by the association's own trainers. The 60-strong WSV teaching team trains in the disciplines of alpine, snowboard and cross-country skiing.
WSV ski schools
In addition, there are 38 ski schools in the entire association area, which are organized by the local clubs. Annual further training measures for the ski instructors by the WSV teaching team guarantee ski courses based on the latest technical and methodological knowledge.
Nordic walking
The West German Ski Association was one of the first associations to adopt the new form of movement “sporty walking with the use of poles”. Even before Nordic walking became a trend, it was used as a form of training for cross-country skiers (“skiing in the countryside”). A number of DSV active centers have already been set up in the association area, as well as a Nordic walking training center in Meinerzhagen. Specially measured and homologated routes are accessible and signposted.
Leisure and popular sports
The WSV leisure sports calendar includes club tour competitions in cross-country skiing and hiking (both in the team and in the individual evaluations), Nordic walking competitions and various club events such as popular skiing (cross-country skiing), volleyball tournaments and cross-club sporting events.
WSV youth
The Snow Sports Youth in the West German Ski Association is the umbrella organization for all children and young people in ski associations and ski clubs in North Rhine-Westphalia and is a member organization of the Ski Youth in the DSV and the Sports Youth in the State Sport Association. The youth represents competitive sport in all winter sports disciplines and popular sport.
In addition, the West German Ski Association offers ski and snowboard group tours for all children and young people who do not necessarily have to be members of a ski club. For these trips, the West German Ski Association uses qualified ski and snowboard instructors, DSV ski instructors and DSV snowboard instructors to look after the children and adolescents - the so-called youth trip leaders (JFL).
WSV tourism
The association has been running its own tourism department for almost 50 years. A wide range of ski holidays and family trips is organized here not only for members, but for all interested winter sports enthusiasts. The ski instructors (tour guides) take care of the organization in the ski area. The extensive travel catalog offers trips for young people, family trips, single trips and trips for seniors. There are also special trips for beginners. The program is rounded off by offers for snowboard and cross-country skiing enthusiasts. The WSV's travel destinations are mainly in the Austrian and Swiss Alps, but the Dolomites in Italy and the French Alps are also served.