As the men in Henlein's club were noticeably more successful at sports than those from elsewhere, from 1926 Henlein became an increasingly well known figure in the Sudetenland. That same year, young men from Henlein's club in Asch beat several Czech athletics in a gymnastics competition in Prague, a success that won Henlein much attention in the Sudetenland." Henlein's mentor Rutha called for a youthful "männerbund" (male elite) whose bodies were to be as well developed as their minds, who would serve as the leadership cadre for the Sudeten community." Though Henlein did not entirely embrace the barely veiled homo-eroticism of Rutha's "männerbund" concept which celebrated the beauty of the male body, the concept of a "männerbund" of "Führeren" (leaders) who were to command unconditional loyalty from the entire Sudeten community influenced Henlein's politics.