Ice swimming the Zollhaus Open 2023 - German Championships

The German Ice Swimming Championships, the Zollhaus Open, will take place on Saturday 25 February 2023 from 9.30 am. 8 nations with over 100 participants from Israel, France, Greece, Morocco, Italy, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and of course Germany will be at the start.
The best German swimmers such as Sarah Richter, Conny Prasser, Christof Wandratsch, Stefan Jung and Martin Tschepe will be there. Many age group world champions will also be at the start on Saturday. This major event is supported and supervised by the DLRG - German Life Saving Association and the German Red Cross (DRK). The chief physician of the last world championship, Dr Alexandre Fuzeau from France, will be on site to ensure that all participants remain healthy. To determine the best swimmers, the competitors will be challenged with various swimming disciplines such as 1000 m freestyle, 50 m freestyle, 200 m freestyle, 50 butterfly and 100 m breaststroke.
But not only the pros can take part, everyone is welcome, being there is everything. We have also organised swimming for everyone at 11.30 a.m. after the 1000 m, where you can test yourself. Or of course you can also take part in the event and
swim one of the routes.

The event will take place at the lake of the Landhotel Alten Zollhaus. The organisers of Addicted to Nature, the two brothers Noah Curcio and Aaron Curcio, are delighted to finally be holding the event for the third time. The last 2 years it was cancelled due to Corona.
Despite the thaw, the temperatures drop again at the weekend, but the lake is still a nice 4 degrees.
Lots of spectators are expected, DJ Chris will really heat up the atmosphere. Mulled wine is also served on the lakeside.

So we prepared the competition and in the end everything turned out quite differently :-) Because the day before the preparations went very well, everything was green in the truest sense of the word...:-) everything was green, we could set everything up comfortably without snow. But then Peter came
and gave us about 30 - 40 cm of snow during the night, unfortunately with a bit too much wind, but this was only a minor blemish. It then became a big challenge, but that's probably exactly what an ice swimmer wants, lots of cold and of course a nice warm sauna afterwards.
The water temperature has even dropped to 3.5 degrees.

The medical check for the 1000 metres took place from 07.30 to 09.30 under the direction of Dr Alexandre Fuzeau from France. All swimmers passed the test and were ready to start.
The start for the 1000 metres was on time at 10.00 am. Matthias Hoffmann was the race director and had all the runs well under control. 4 timekeepers made sure that everything was timed accurately. In the afternoon, the 50 metre freestyle started,
followed by the 50 metre dolphin, 100 metre breaststroke and 200 metre freestyle. Then at 15:50 the relays were scheduled, which were also well represented. DJ Chris fuelled the competition with music.
Special mention should be made of Sarah Richter, who set 3 age group world records in the 45 age group. And Elke Ortloff also managed to set a world record in age group 70.
At the end of the day there was a delicious buffet and the award ceremony at 7.30 pm.

But there have been many great moments, new friendships made every year and unforgettable memories created. We are happy to have many ice swimmers join us every year, but the best thing is to keep getting new ice swimmers who accept the challenge and discover the magic of the ice swimming world. We would love for you to sign up for next year's event and be part of this unique experience.

Report by Martin Tschepe

At the Zollhaus Open in Saxony, the ice swimmers set top times in heavy snow. And: Christof Wandratsch is back in his element.

This is how ice swimmers imagine their paradise. The last weekend in February: a winter wonderland with deep snow in the depths of Saxony. Lake water at 3.5 degrees. Good-humoured athletes from eight nations, including southern Italy and Israel. At the Zollhaus Open German Championships in Neuhermsdorf, right on the border with the Czech Republic, the German champions are determined, at times in heavy snowfall and with air temperatures well below zero. How cool is that!

Two women from Germany put in very special performances: Elke Ortloff (age group 70) from Berlin and Sarah Anne Richter (age group 45) from Erlangen set world records in the ice water. Ortloff swam the 50 metre butterfly in 57.5 seconds. Richter needed 35.6 seconds for the same distance, 31.0 seconds for 50 metres freestyle and 1:29.0 minutes for 100 metres breaststroke.

"Wandi" makes a comeback

At the Zollhaus Open, which is finally taking place again after a two-year break due to the coronavirus, there are many repeat offenders at the start, but also some newcomers. One of these newcomers is Matthias Rothermel from Marzling near Munich. He was in the ice-cold water for the first time just a few days before the championships, at a swim camp organised by the German "Mister Ice Swimming", Christof "Wandi" Wandratsch. Matthias Rothermel doesn't swim any records, of course, but he improves his time over 200 metres freestyle by around 20 seconds at the championships - and is very happy afterwards, both because of this achievement and because of the new hobby he has discovered for himself.

And Wandi shows once again that he is an absolutely exceptional athlete - in the water, but also on dry land. Christof had a nasty accident in mid-September when he was riding his racing bike and was knocked off his bike by a car. The bitter result of this collision: a broken hand and all the tendons in one shoulder torn. The teacher from Haiming in Upper Bavaria recovered in record time - and won the mammoth 1,000 metre course in the open classification at the Zollhaus Open in 14:21 minutes.

When the hotel manager swims along
The mood among the 100 or so athletes is excellent before, during and after the competition. Everyone is happy. Some make a detour on foot to the small town of Moldava in the Czech Republic, just three kilometres away, while others go snowshoeing around the "Altes Zollhaus" hotel. The Zollhaus Open is a family event - such championships stand or fall on the commitment of a few people who can inspire others. In the case of the German Championships, these are Gerrit Curcio, his sons Aron and Noah and their families and friends. The Curcios own the hotel and the small lake just a few hundred metres away. The hoteliers built the 25-metre competition pool with four lanes and breakwater lines in this pond.

Gerrit Curcio, born in 1967, used to swim for SV Cannstatt. And he still swims - only the short distances in ice water, but they are still pretty fast. The sporty hotelier won the 50 metre freestyle in his age group at the Zollhaus Open in 30.3 seconds and the 50 metre dolphin in 36.2 seconds. Aron Curcio (age group 16-29) swam the 50 metre freestyle just a tad slower than his father: he needed 31.3 seconds for the sprint distance and came second in his age group. Marco Gugliuzza, also in the 16-29 age group, achieved the fastest time in the freestyle sprint, finishing in 28.3 seconds. 50 metres freestyle at 3.5 degrees, without a start jump and without a roll turn in just over 28 seconds! The young Italian had travelled from warm Sicily to freezing cold Saxony just one day before the ice swim. The temperature shock clearly did not slow the southern European down.

Blog article by Nora Curcio

After the Zollhaus Open is before the Zollhaus Open: According to the organisers, the ice swimming event will also take place next year. It is planned for Saturday, 24 February 2024. Many ice swimmers are already looking forward to the next Zollhaus Open - including our author, who swam the third-fastest time in the men's 1,000 metre freestyle and won the 4 x 50 metre freestyle together with Sarah Anne Richter and Kathrin and Stefan Runge.

Results of the Zollhaus Open and German Championships 2023
(The next Zollhaus Open will take place on 24.02.2024)