Ulla Klinger Hall

The view of the diving tower in the Ulla-Klinger-Halle from below is impressive - and even more so from the very top! An intricate structure made of concrete, plastic, steel, stairs, platforms and diving boards. Below it is a deep blue, the diving pool with a depth of 4.50 meters.

"We are certainly the most sporty hall in Aachen," says pool manager Thomas Kelch - and you immediately believe him when you see it. The 1975 hall in Aachen's west is functional and perhaps a little outdated. But Kelch and his team have kept it in excellent condition. With the swimmers' pool, the non-swimmers' pool and, above all, the large diving facility with the only ten-metre diving platform in a large area, it is definitely something special.

Countless competitions take place in the diving hall throughout the year, where SV Neptun trains with its athletes. Also in the dry jumping facility, which is not generally accessible. "But many national teams from almost every nation have also been here - for tournaments or training camps," says the hall manager with a little pride. There has even been a delegation from China.

The sporting side is precisely the strength of the hall between Hanbruch and Kronenberg, which is somewhat hidden in a green area and is not immediately obvious among the trees. Many of the guests are there several times a week, so they are regulars, as are the surrounding schools. "And you always notice the start of a new semester. That's when a lot of students come to do some training," says Kelch. A glance into the swimming pool proves him right: a mixed crowd, further back in the non-swimmers there are primary school children scurrying around, excitedly switching to the diving pool - into the deep end! The other guests are also regularly allowed to do this, provided there is enough staff. Even the diving platform is sometimes opened. The pool is popular.

The many young people who are preparing for the entrance exams of the sports university in Cologne also definitely want to train in the Ulla-Klinger-Halle: "Not all springboards are the same," explains Thomas Kelch. In the other halls, they are designed for longevity; in this hall, it's more about professional training conditions: A significantly different springing and jumping is required. More sporty. They also need to be replaced more frequently.

Kelch, who took over the management of the hall from his longstanding predecessor Willem Vincken in the fall of 2022, is also sporty, or more precisely, a swimmer. No longer happy in his first job, the passionate swimmer was persuaded by a former coach and mentor to take on a second apprenticeship. When you see his smile, you know it was the right decision! "I then mainly trained in Brand, after which I was a jumper in the various pools and deputy manager here for around twelve years - and now manager since November 2022." He is happy because he can combine his sport and his job, which is also very practical: "If I'm stressed or have a problem at work, I swim for half an hour during my lunch break. After that, you look at it in a completely different, more relaxed way," says Thomas Kelch, making a plea for the meditative side of swimming and adds: "Sometimes people go in here in a bit of a bad mood - but everyone comes out in a good mood.

3 questions for Thomas Kelch, pool manager of the Ulla-Klinger-Halle