BIMBAMBOLS: IEDVESMOJOŠI STĀSTI PAR ZELTA SKELETONISTIEM

Labvakar!

Ņemot vērā, ka mūsu valstī jau piecas reizes par Gada sportistu atzīts skeletonists, vienmēr esmu brīnījies, kāpēc  žurnālisti Latvijā nekad neapraksta šo sporta veidu un tā varoņus plašāk, neanalizē tā saukto skeletona pasauli. Gada pēdējā dienā nolēmu nedaudz palīdzēt šajā darbā, piedāvājot mazu ieskatu trīs skeletona olimpisko čempionu dzīvēs.

Kā zināms, skeletons olimpiskā veida statusu atguva 2002.gadā, kad tika iekļauts Soltleiksitijas spēļu programmā. Mans stāsts būs par trim ziemeļamerikāņiem, kuri izcīnīja zeltu olimpiskajā skeletonā laikā no 2002. līdz 2010.gadam.

Šos trīs stāstus vēlos nosaukt par iedvesmojošiem un skeletona pasauli atklājošiem, jo visiem trim aprakstītajiem olimpiskajiem čempioniem ir kopīga pazīme- skeletons bijis hobijs, liela mīlestība, un ceļš pēc zelta bijis saistīts ar vai nu nepieciešamību strādāt algotu darbu vai meklēt citus sarežģītus ceļus, lai apmierinātu savu nerimstošo tieksmi sava iemīļotā dzīvesveida baudīšanai.

Skeletona burvība slēpjas apstāklī, ka ar profesionālu sportu šeit saistība ir gaužām minimāla, tomēr tas ir patiešām interesants un aizraujošs dzīvesveids tā mīlētājiem.

Ar autostopiem uz Pasaules kausa posmiem

Džimmijs Šī (1968) ir 2002.gada ZOS zelta medaļas ieguvējs, kurš pievienojās skeletona sportam 27 gadu vecumā, lielā mērā iedvesmojies no sava vectēva, kļūdams par unikālu trešās paaudzes olimpieti, jo gan tēvs, gan vectēvs startējis Ziemas Olimpiskajās spēlēs.

Džims Šī pēc zelta finiša ar vectēva bildi rokās. Avots: http://www.usshea.com/multimedia.html 

Iedvesmojošs ir viņa stāsts par to, kā dzīvesveida un hobija piekritējs, būdams jau gandrīz 30 gadus vecs, ceļojis pa Eiropu ar autostopiem un, gulējis kravas mašīnās, lai nonāktu sacensībās, kā arī palīdzējis uzkopt trasi, lai tiktu pie braukšanas laika.

Piedāvāju aizraujošu izrāvumu no raksta par Džimmiju un viņa gaitām skeletonā:

„Shea packed his sled and clothes in a hockey bag and started traveling, going from track to track. 

``I didn't have any money,'' he said. ``I hitchhiked around and got to these tracks and slept in bobsleds. When I was in Austria, I didn't sleep in one place that didn't have animals underneath me.'' 
He'd help on the tracks to get time for his runs. The Europeans noticed his drive and started taking him in. 
``The friendships really became important,'' he said. ``The British team used to call me their pet Yank because I would go everywhere. I remember one day I was in Innsbruck and the Brits said, 'Jimmy, jump in the car. Grab your stuff.' 
``So I grabbed my bag, get in the car, and about two minutes later we're going down the road and I say, 'Where we going?' They said, 'Norway.' And we went to Norway.'' 
Jim Jr.'s determination and belief in himself would soon pay dividends. 
``I was obsessed with doing well,'' he said. ``I knew if I got half the time on the track the Europeans did, I could do well. I knew it.'' 
His conversations with his grandfather were infrequent those two months. 
``He just said, 'Jimmy, you can do it. I'm real proud of you. Just do whatever you have to do.' I really didn't talk to him too much when I was over there. I couldn't afford a phone call.'' 

Jim Jr. became the first American to win a World Cup race in 1998, and in 1999, he was the first U.S. world champion.

Pilns raksts atrodams šeit: A SPEEDY SLED BUT A SAD HEART. - Free Online...

Olimpisko spēļu „zelta braucienu” Džimmijs veica, zem savas ķiveres ievietojot vectēva bildi, kurš 17 dienas pirms notikuma bija gājis bojā avārijā.

Ugunsdzēsējs sāk 33 gadu vecumā

Gandrīz tikpat iedvesmojošs ir Turīnas 2006.gada olimpiskā čempiona Dafa Gibsona (1966) stāsts. Šis cilvēks olimpisko zeltu izcīnīja 39 gadu vecumā un toreiz kļuva par vecāko zelta olimpieti ziemas olimpiāžu vēsturē individuālajā disciplīnā. Taču iespaidīgāks ir fakts, ka ar skeletonu Dafs sāka nodarboties 33 gadu vecumā no darba Kalgari lidostas ugensdzēsēju dienestā brīvajā laikā. Gibsons Turīnā pārsteidza skeletona sabiedrību arī ar to, ka viņam izdevās pārspēt savu tautieti ainavu arhitektu Džefu Peinu, kurš tika uzskatīts par galveno favorītu sacīkstēs.

Dafs Gibsons ar medaļu pie Kalgari lidostas Ugunsdzēšanas departamenta mašīnas.

Avots:  http://www.iaff.org/Canada/Archive/duff_gibson.htm 

Šeit ir lielisks apraksts par viņu un intervija: firefightingincanada.com

Patiešām simpātisks stāsts. Iesaku! Piedāvāju nelielu fragmentu no intervijas, kas raksturo to, cik liela nozīme ir darba kolēģu attieksmei un darba ritmam ugunsdzēsēju departamentā, lai amatieris var sagatavoties sacensībām:

„How does the job lend itself to being an athlete? In an interview in Turin after your gold-medal run, you said being on shift work helped and that your co-workers were also very co-operative.

DG: The simple fact that our shift work is four on four off – two days and two nights – leaves six days out of eight when I can go wherever I want and do whatever I need to in terms of training. The shift work lends itself very well to the time availability. Like many firefighters who have second jobs, it’s the same concept. Beyond that I would just say that the department in general is supportive of anyone who wants to be an athlete. Any kind of fitness the department is supportive of, and then it gets down to my individual colleagues at my hall who will work for me while I’m away. Honestly, that’s been the biggest support for me because I never have to search high and low looking for someone who will work a shift for me. They’re always very willing to help and they’re excited for me. I actually have one guy who worked two shifts for me and he refuses to let me pay him back! That’s how generous the guys are that I work with. That’s above and beyond. I said to him “it’s not that I can’t afford to pay you and it’s not like I was off doing charity work. I was pursuing my own goals and it’s not right that you should sacrifice to help me.” But he didn’t care. That was his way of contributing to my Olympic journey and he refuses to this day to let me work it back for him”.

2010.gadā Gibsons kļuva par Kanādas skeletona komandas treneri.

Izsoļu pārdevēja pastaiga noved pie olimpiskā zelta

Pagrieziena punkts Džona Montgomerija (1979) dzīvē ir pastaiga kopā ar vecākiem pa Kalgari ledus trasi 23 gadu vecumā, kur viņš pirmo reizi ieraudzīja skeletona braucienu. Kopš tā laika iemīlēja sportu, un paralēli darbam automobiļu izsolēs, uzsāka savu septiņus gadus ilgo ceļu pretī zelta medaļai Olimpiādē.  

Džons Montgomerijs- izsoļu pārdevējs un olimpiskā zelta ieguvējs.

Avots: http://www.winnipegsun.com 

Nedaudz par Džona dzīves stāstu:

„The boy played hockey, of course, and baseball and had a patriotic streak as wide as the nearby wheatfields. He and a friend traveled to Montreal in 1995, waving a maple-leaf flag on the day Quebec nearly voted to become an independent nation.

He took automotive-marketing courses at schools in Canada and Texas. Then he went to Mason City, Iowa, to study at the Worldwide College of Auctioneering. He conducts auto sales in Calgary now, and, as he's only too willing to demonstrate, can auction-babble like a North Carolina tobacco seller.

Montgomery discovered skeleton by accident in 2002 and quickly decided that he wanted to compete in an Olympics someday.

Once he made the national team, he and a few other Canadians consulted a First Nations (Canada's native people) shaman who helped athletes find their spirit animal. The shaman told Montgomery his was a turtle.

That's why there was a hand-painted turtle on his helmet Friday night, sharing space with a thunderbird”.

Pilns raksts: Jon Montgomery brings glory to Canada -...

Te ir vēl viens raksts par 2010.gada notikumiem un to, kā viņam izdevās pārspēt Martinu Dukuru: The full Monty -- gold - Winnipeg Free Press

Neliels izrāvums:

„Montgomery didn't officially pick up the sport until eight years ago when he first gave the skeleton a try at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.

Working as an auctioneer in the auto industry, Montgomery could see the lights of the skeleton run from his apartment.

Visiting the park with his parents one night, he witnessed a skeleton competition and was instantly hooked.

He admittedly struggled in his first two years on the FIBT circuit, but in the third season his efforts improved significantly. He won his first World Cup race in 2008 and last year captured the first-ever Cup race at the freshly-minted track at Whistler.”

Un, lūk, arī sirsnīgs video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsq... ), kurā redzams pats Montgomerijs pēc zelta izcīnīšanas.

Jāatzīst, ka izlasot šos stāstus, pilnīgi noteikti ir vairojušās manas simpātijas pret minētajiem sportistiem. Tajā pašā laikā es gribētu atzīmēt, ka skaistums, kas strāvo no šiem stāstiem, ir saistīts ar pieticību, askētisku attieksmi pret dzīvi, tīkama dzīvesveida piekopšanu un pilnīgi adekvātu sabiedrības attieksmi pret dzīvesveida sportistiem.

Laimīgu Jauno gadu visiem!

Bimbambols