Detlef Reissmann has been a volunteer on the board of the Wiking 1903 sports club for 50 years. He himself joined the rowing team of the multi-discipline club at the age of 13 and quickly became a coxswain in the crew. Among the 17/18-year-old juniors, Reissmann was successful in the double sculls. His rowing friends still know him by his nickname "Daisy". They say that his silhouette on the boat resembles that of a fictional character from Duckburg. Other variants were presented during the celebrations, but the honoree remained silent about them. Nine years after he joined SG Wiking, the members elected him to the board as youth leader for the first time in 1974.
Two years later, Detlef Reissmann became the club's managing director. "Detlef Reissmann's sense of duty and his outstanding commitment go far beyond the usual professional or honorary duties," said Lord Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke in his speech to bid farewell to him from the SG Wiking board and award him the Offenbach Sports Certificate of Honour.
SG Wiking is a traditional club in Offenbach that was honored for its commitment, innovation and integration work. It is the first and only club to have girls' soccer teams in all age groups with great success and has built up the strongest youth section in soccer. In Offenbach's Nordend district, the sports club offers special programs for pupils with limited mobility in the first grade at the Goetheschule. These initiatives are reasons for the awards and show the importance of volunteer work.
During his coaching career, Reissmann led a number of active rowers to the podium of German and international championships in all classes. In 1982, he received an award from the German Rowing Association. At the end of the 1980s, the board was faced with a difficult financing issue, which was solved thanks to Detlef Reissmann's ideas. In 1989, for example, the then catering part of the boathouse was converted into a music venue called Musikterrasse Wiking, or "MTW" for short. A bold decision at the time, which in retrospect proved to be absolutely right for the club. "He was always a fighter for the interests of his club, sometimes critical, but always constructive. He always focused on cooperation and unity," says Mayor Schwenke.
In addition to sport, Detlef Reissmann is also passionate about carnival. He performed with the men's ballet for 14 years and then sang with the "Wiking Disharmonists" singing group. To this day, he is considered competent, shows foresight and is always ready to help. Last Thursday, Lord Mayor and Head of the Sports Department Dr. Felix Schwenke presented him with the city's Sports Certificate of Honour for his many years of loyalty, perseverance and commitment to sport:
"Detlef Reissmann has been instrumental in ensuring that SG Wiking still exists in its current structure in Offenbach. Thanks to his tireless commitment and his flair for leadership, he has always been able to convince the board and the members with his conscientiously developed ideas," said Mayor Schwenke.
